Engraved / Laser-Cut Wall Artwork

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    Elli has let me know that she is exploring wall decorations for a professional office setting, and she is investigating laser-etched wall hangings such as shown in the photos in this thread.

    Elli is looking primarily to produce an etching based on this statue of Epicurus:

    83306417_405579243664394_8007560961603267817_n.png?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=b96e70&_nc_ohc=CEsaX0ChHucAX8aaAVh&_nc_ht=scontent.fden3-1.fna&oh=9753a8e3cbc1d1a4b033e6da2f946757&oe=5F26821783306417_405579243664394_8007560961603267817_n.png?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=b96e70&_nc_ohc=CEsaX0ChHucAX8aaAVh&_nc_ht=scontent.fden3-1.fna&oh=9753a8e3cbc1d1a4b033e6da2f946757&oe=5F268217

    With the goal of producing something that looks like this:


    Two initial options came out like this:


    Elli has found this information about the process: https://www.foteinon.gr/wp-content/upl…PANTOGRAFOS.pdf

    A video about the process: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%…Q6gPcQFOzmQuLfQ

    And she has learned that the machine is called pantograph plasma laser and cuts metals. She is asking me if we have any ability to see what something like this would cost in the USA with dimensions of 19 inches X 35 inches.

    For anyone who can view it, here are apparently the STL files she is working with:

    EpicurusAndAsclepiosSTLfiles.zip


    Any thoughts about this will be appreciated!

    I've prepped files for laser cutting, but never been involved with pricing or arranging for the work.

    Looking at the Epicurus file (I'm using Rhino 6) I have a couple of comments:

    - From my experience it's normal to provide a 2D file consisting of closed curves (linework). The material thickness is specified in the written order and so there is no need to model the thickness of the finished product. You can include notes as to thickness and material in the file if that's helpful.

    - The thickness as shown in the model is much thicker than seems practical, if it was intended to be the actual thickness. But since I think that the file for cutting would be just curves, this doesn't matter; it's just a comment regarding the finished product.

    - There are a few "floating" pieces in the model that aren't attached to any other part of the model. It seems that for a wall hanging that it would be best to extend these pieces to a nearby part of the overall piece, so that the final product is just one piece. Otherwise during installation one would have to figure out where these loose pieces go aqnd how to mount them.

    Hello to all the friends,

    Godfrey thanks a lot for your comments. These images has been made by a graphist in Slovakia through the software Adope Illustrator or CorelDdraw. Frankly I do not know how to use these software programs. Godfrey do you want to send you the files as AI & EPS to examine where it has the "floating" pieces as you mentioned them ?

    Beauty and virtue and such are worthy of honor, if they bring pleasure; but if not then bid them farewell!

    Elli here's the fruit of my efforts....

    It might be that the things most useful to your graphist are these two jpgs showing the "floaters" in red. The images on the left are the meshes that were in the stl files that you attached; the images on the right are of curves that I created from the meshes. These images are in the attached zipped folders, along with conversions to ai and dwg. Each ai file has the meshes and the curves as shown in the jpgs. Each dwg file has the curves, scaled up to 35" (889 mm) in height.

    Asklepios.zip

    EPICURUS.zip

    I don't use Illustrator or Draw either, so hopefully this helps. I included the dwg files as that's a format that I'm more familiar with for this use.

    I hope this helps!

    Thanks for your work Godfrey. I am thinking that the Asklepios is looking pretty good, but that the artist is going to need to do more with Epicurus' face. The hair on Asklepios frames the face well, but the same is harder to say for Epicurus. Currently he looks like he has something stamped on his forehead, and it almost looks like he has three feet, with the whole drawing perhaps looking a little stretched in width so that it would probably look better "narrowed." I know in some of my Epicurus graphics they sometimes get the dimensions off and Epicurus' head can look too wide. Working with the gold original image of Epicurus may be harder than working with a version that has already been somewhat "stylized"

    I would expect that Joshua is going to run into similar issues with his ring. I wish we already had some well drawn "sketches" of Epicurus as those probably are easier to work with.

    It also looks like some of the outlines are quite thin when it comes to holding the piece together structurally. That's probably another adjustment the artist will have to make. It's quite a complicated project and, as you say Cassius, it would help to have some fairly simple but accurate graphics to work from. There are actually two design problems to solve: 1) the design of the portraits, and 2) designing the outlines, creases and shadows in a way that they will hold the cut material firmly together in one piece (or as few pieces as possible).

    I have split off my posts on Commissioning Original Epicurean Artwork because I think that's actually a different subject than the laser / engraving issue.

    The laser engraving / wallhanging format probably deserves its own thread. The subject of finding or creating artwork that might be used as the basis for such a project is separate, since that artwork can be used in many different formats.

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