As I can't start my own topic, here's a quick tut on getting the CraftROBO working with Pep
Using a CraftROBO with Pepakura
I recently saw a video on the creation of armor from Pepakura files and instantly was hooked on the idea. Printing off a copy of the Mjolnir MK VI right bicep on some 110# cardstock that day at work I proceeded to spend 5 hours at home that night cutting and scoring the 7 sheets it printed on made me wonder if there was a better way. So after a bit of research I found that Pepakura supports the CraftROBO fully, and a bit more research also turned up a local dealer. Picking one up the following day resulted in a fully day wasted at work trying to figure out how to get everything working as expected. There are a few issues that arose during configuration which I thought I would share with the community.
You will need a registered copy of both Pepakura Designer and Pepakura Viewer for CraftROBO to cut all pieces. In theory you could break every design up into single shapes on single pages to avoid the registration requirement for Pepakura Viewer, but in the end it's much easier to just reg the application.
In Pepakura Designer:
Very little needs to be done in Pep Designer, but overall, it is rather important. The first step in creating a successful file for exporting to the CraftROBO is making sure you have the paper size set to A4 in your source PDO. I also find it to be simpler to keep the paper in portrait mode as opposed to landscape as it is how it will be fed into the CraftRobo and due to some application limitations with A4 paper requirements. Once you have rescaled your piece to the proper size and have fit them into each page, save the PDO.
In Pepakura Viewer for CraftROBO
Firstly, open your resized and PDO and verify under the File -> Document Info that it indicates the Paper Type is "A4 Portrait"
Second, and this is a very important step as the CraftROBO will completely fail to locate the registration marks on the printed documents, leading to much frustration and hair pulling. Under File -> Registration-mark Configuration, the following settings must be used.
Top: 25mm
Bottom: 32mm
Left: 15mm
Right: 10mm
This information was found on Christopher Roe's site at
http://melspapercraft.weebly.com and made my world a much better place suddenly.
The third step is to actually print your design. Verify all of the pieces in the 2d view fit within the registration mark boundaries, as anything outside this area will not be cut by the CraftROBO.
At this point, you can officially print your design. Choose the print setup option and change verify the correct printer is selected, not the CraftROBO and verify the paper size is set for Letter. This will allow you to print your pieces on US sized paper but have the registration marks in the proper location for the CraftROBO to find them.
Once you have printed all items, it's time to configure the actual CraftROBO for cutting. The fastest means of configuration is directly through the Pepakura interface. Select File -> Cut Developments.
Choose the page you wish to cut from the drop down list and hit OK.
From this window you will need to choose the CraftROBO plotter and select the paper size of ISO A4.
Click the properties button and then choose the Cutline Settings tab. Under the Dashed Line Pattern Settings, there are 2 fields, Cut Line Segment and Uncut Line Segment, which are used to determine the cut pattern for dashed lines for scoring. There has been some debate about this setting, and personally I have settled on a setting of .7mm for both settings as a compromise between speed and scoring clean lines that are not liable to rip during construction.
At this point you can click OK and the CraftROBO Controller will then launch.
Getting the proper cut depth for your unit can take some time and some paper may require running the pattern twice to get a complete cut. Once you have determined the cut setting, simply press the Cut button and the unit will cut you a clean piece with all the dotted lines being scored in a fashion to allow for easy bending.
As always, this tut is a work in progress, let me know if you have any questions and I'll see about getting them answered.
pics removed to alleviate 56k pain for others
epdocinfo.jpg]
