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Introduction

  • The casual viewer considers a curved top shape as just another shape – nothing particularly ornamental. They have been woven into all the decorative arts for centuries. Picture framers have ignored curved top opening shapes in matting largely because they were monumentally difficult to cut. The Wizard makes them possible.

  • These collections focus on curved or serpentine top shapes, some with multiple curves or are tapered to form more artistic reveals. Some designs start with templates that form their tops with multiple curves. Other openings may be finished by adding a serpentine curved opening merged at the bottom. Variations are easy by adjusting their parameters.

  • No matter how driven you are to discover new opening shapes to use, it takes time to search, experiment, and test. In these collections, all the searching and testing has been done.

  • These mat design files are ready to use.

 Mat Designs Definition

Mat Designs are complete frame designs containing openings with decorative or thematic elements to be cut/applied on the CMC.

 Template Definition

Templates are specialized parametric shape generators within Wizard's FrameShop software.

Making Minor Adjustments

  • Most often, the parameter values are very small. Remember that you can hold the Alt key on the keyboard as you click the plus and minus buttons beside the Parameter fields. This will change the values only 0.01 inch per click (0.2mm in metric) instead of the usual sixteenth inch per click (1mm in metric).

  • When values are small, a few hundredths of an inch can be a big change.

Using the Designs

  • These designs are meant to be used as the beginnings for projects.

  • Open a design and enter the Opening size to suit the current project.

  • Change the Border widths and the Outside size to suit the current project, and the design is ready to cut.

More Possible Alterations

  • You may want to add or eliminate layers of the opening or change the Reveal widths. To individualize a design, you can alter the decorative details of the shape by changing the Parameters.

  • Make these changes as you would in any other mat design.

The Openings Collection

  • Using these designs is as simple as changing the opening size and cutting.

  • Additional modifications can be made by changing the size and adjusting the Parameters. Observe how changing the width changes the curves, and consider if the design might be improved if the parameters were adjusted. For instance, you can vary the Arc Height parameter to suit your artistic wishes.

  • When the opening sizes are wider or narrower, the effect of the serpentine/curve top will be different. If the Arc Height parameter is left unchanged, a narrow opening will have an overstated arc, and a wider opening’s top curve will be stretched into a far less pronounced arc.

The Step Width Parameter

  • There is a straight horizontal line between small corner arc and the larger center arc to ensure that the corners are always full 90° arcs.

  • This straight line is controlled by the Step Width parameter.

  • It would be nice to set the Step Width to a minimal value so that there are no obvious straight lines in the top shape. However, there is a lower limit to this value when this template is a multiple layer mat.

  • If the Step Width is set too low, there may be an errant extra line appearing at the junction of the curves on the outer layers that will not cut very nicely.

  • There is no obvious mathematical formula to determine this minimum value. One tip, though - the higher the Arc Height parameter, the higher the Step Width needs to be.

  • Zoom in to look closely at the junction between the curves to be sure.

  • This template is interesting enough that it is worth the extra effort to accommodate this quirk.

The Construction of an Oval Top Opening

  • The oval top shape is composed of two openings. The top opening is a Quad Template opening with its top two corners set to the Oval Template. To adjust the size and shape of the oval portion of this opening, its height can be changed.

  • This leaves the opening’s vertical height incorrect. A rectangular opening is added, overlapped, aligned, and grouped with the oval top opening to correct the height.

  • If you are using the files from the collection, it will not be necessary to follow all these steps. All the parts are already in the design - aligned and grouped. But it is helpful to your further exploration to understand all the details of the process.

The Quad Template

  • Begin with any shape opening on the design screen. This example begins with Template 301.

  • Enter the Dimensions, the Number of Layers, and set the Borders as if the project would be finished at this point.

  • Dynamic Outsides is de-activated so that the outside size will remain unchanged through all the steps.

  • Click the Template ID button at the top left to open the Template Library.

  • Change the template for this opening to Quad 111.

  • The Quad template allows each corner of an opening to be a different shape.

  • Click the Quad icon and the project returns to the design screen.

  • Back on the design screen, the opening shape will likely return to a rectangle.

  • Click the Properties tab at the top.

  • Click the Quad tab at the bottom left under Options.

  • This opens the Quadrant Setup field where the template for each corner can be selected.

  • There are icons numbered 1 through 4 representing each corner. In each, there is also a number that tells template each corner uses. In the illustration all 4 corners are still set to use Template 101, the rectangle.

  • Click one of the icons. In this example, the arrow points to corner number 3 – the upper right corner of the opening.

  • The Template Library appears.

  • Select 102 Oval.

  • The upper right corner of the opening is now a quarter of an oval.

  • Note that icon number 3 in the Quadrant Setup field now displays that this corner is set to use the oval template.

  • Quadrants 2 and 3 - both top corners - have now been changed to use the oval template in this illustration.

  • The oval top is evident.

  • At this point it is possible to reshape the oval portion of the opening.

  • For example, in this project the oval portion would be more fitting if it was flatter, more elongated rather than round.

Reshaping the Oval Top

  • Drag the bottom of the oval top shape higher. Watch the shape of the oval portion compress.

  • Most of the time, the height of the oval part of the shape is an artistic choice.

  • Often, though, its size is critical so that it does not crop important parts of the image. Measure the image to determine how high the oval top must be.

  • For this example, the oval portion should be about 2.75 inches high. The height of this opening needs to be twice that measurement – 5.5 inches.

Correcting the Opening’s Height

  • The opening is no longer the correct height.

  • The final step is adding an opening to fill the missing bottom area.

  • Add a rectangular opening.

  • It needs to have exactly the same Width and Reveal sizes as the oval top opening.

  • The Height of the new opening needs to be tall enough to overlap a little beyond the reveals at the bottom of the oval top opening. Make sure, though, that it does not overlap onto any of the curved portion of the oval top opening.

  • Move the rectangular opening into place so that its bottom is snapped to the bottom of the Borders and its sides are snapped to the Borders’ sides.

  • In this illustration note all the bright green and blue lines.

  • Auto Align Openings is activated. It is a feature in FrameShop that lights up when items are perfectly aligned.

Grouping

  • Select both the openings.

  • Click the Group Selection button at the upper right under Tools.

  • The circuits of the overlapping shapes will be joined. The final opening will be the correct size and shape.

For More Information

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