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Illustrator Joining up copied & pasted shapes


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merry_fay

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Hiya,

Please be nice, I first got my mouse on Illustrator about an hour ago so I know nothing. Literally!!
I have been using google to so I don't have to use up all goodwill but I think I'm still so basic I don't understand the terms being used :frown:

I've managed to draw a few lines joined together as a start of a template but the same pattern of lines is repeated several times in the template, so instead of clicking one line at a time & taking forever, I've managed to copy & paste the repeated bit & get it to sit at the end of the previous line -just about!
Is there a way to make these 2 ends join so it's a continuation of the shape or does it not work that way?
When I zoom in, the lines I drew join together very slightly differently to where I've matched them up & no amount of arrow pushing will make them join up the same...

For precision drawing, to be used as a template for delicate cutting, does this matter?

Thankyou & apologies for being so dumb
:confused:
 
Welcome Merry Fay.
May I ask what type of cutting is going to be done? Laser, CNC etc.? I have a laser and a bit of experience, maybe I can help. However, I just got AI a few days ago myself, Corel Draw is what I work in for cut files. Corel is a little more laser friendly and it's what I have used for years.
 
Use your navigator in the toolbar at the top to set the length of the line (or x and y dimensions of the object) and to position on the page. You can use the black arrow selector to set the entire object, or the white arrow selector to select single points on the path. Once a point, or object, is selected, its data is located and editable in the navigator. Once you've dialed in that repeating section of the template to exact specs and location, select the whole piece and copy it. Then, use the paste-in-front command (Command-F) to paste in the exact same place (it will be selected). In the X field in the navigator toolbar, put your cursor behind the measurement, type -2 and press Enter to move the pasted piece exactly 2 inches to the left, for example. Never position anything by eye in Illustrator (or InDesign), always use the navigator and the objects will always line up. For lines (especially in precise cutting templates), always make sure you're positioning by the center of the line.
 
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I'm doing it for a laser ALB. My friend uses Illustrator for his but I can ask him about Corel. Any tips would be gratefully received!!
Most of the stuff I want to do is going to be pretty small & detailed.
Have you done anything with angled cuts? (starting with a shallow cut into the material being lasered then increasing the depth gradually).

Thanks Renegade, I've found the dimensions bit but wasn't quite sure as the dimensions of the 2 lines I wanted to join were different -which makes sense seeing as they start at different points...... I'll work through your instructions & see what the navigator can do for me :eek:
 
Renegade said:
In the X field in the navigator toolbar, put your cursor behind the measurement, type -2 and press Enter to move the pasted piece exactly 2 inches to the left, for example.
Click to expand...

Would I be correct in assuming that if my measurements are in millimeters & I type -2 then it would move 2mm left or 2 for 2mm right? Thanks
 
Awesome, I've managed to get that bit sorted :thumbsup:

Now a little more complicated! I've got my lovely repeating pattern along the top side of what will be a square. I've drawn a straight line for the right hand side of the square. I managed to select the whole top pattern & flip it but now I need to persuade it to join up precisely with the bottom of the straight line I drew.

Do I need to work out a bit of complicated maths for the navigator box (find centre point of line, work out dimensions of my flipped pattern & where the centre point should be in relation to the centre point of the line etc) or is there an easier way to do it?

Thanks
 
merry_fay
Since I do not use AI for my laser work, let me give you this link to an informative PDF that is aimed at AI CS6.
http://capla.arizona.edu/forms/shop/LasercuttingIllustrator.pdf

My laser is an American made Epilog machine. So many Chinese machines have come on the market of late, and they all seem to have preferred software for their use, it's difficult for me to give you advice. If you have a friend that is using AI now for his laser files, by all means ask his advice when you need it. My machine manufacturer recommends Corel Draw for output to the machine. For cutting, a line weight referred to in Corel as "hairline" is what is required. This would translate to a .01 pt size in AI, I believe. This paper is instructions for a specific machine, but in general the information is going to applicable to any machine. Good luck with AI, I used it for the first time to create a brochure and it was different but found the interface to Photoshop to be very nice.

What do you mean exactly by angled cuts? If your talking about an angle on a edge, I doubt that is going to happen. Laser beams don't have that ability to my knowledge.
Here is a link to a thread in a forum I belong to that discusses the subject
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthr...t-a-beveled-edge-into-acrylic-using-the-laser
 
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