PathTrace User Guide: Prep Design Tab

Join Segments is used to connect two separate segments together.

Selected segments below are not displayed in white for printing purposes

Select Join Segments and click on the first segment. Object will turn white.

Click on the next segment. The two segments will now be connected together and both will be white.

Continue until all but the last segment is connected.

Click Close Circuit to close the last segment.

Alternatively, right-click on the object to close the last segment.

NOTE: Join Segments is a continuous function, and will attempt to join each object that is clicked on.

Close Circuit will close the remaining segment of an object to complete the circuit.

Select Close Circuit.

Click on the object that has all but the last segment connected.

The object should now be fully connected.

Select Delete Object.

Click on the object to be deleted.

Object is deleted.

NOTE: The rectangle displayed here had been exploded (using Explode Circuit), so only one line was deleted, rather than the entire rectangle.

Merge circuits will combine overlapped objects into a single object.

Click Merge Circuits.

Click on an object. It will turn white (displayed here in contrast for printing purposes).

Click on an intersecting object.

The two objects will merge.

In order to create some designs, an object will need to be broken in a specific spot in order to edit it. One way is to place an intersecting (overlapping) object that can be used to break the object where they intersect.

Click Break Intersection.

Click on an object. It will turn white (displayed here in contrast for print purposes).

Click on an intersecting object.

The objects are now broken where they intersected.

Each new object can be edited separately, such as reconnecting them with Join Segments.

Tangify Segments smooths the connection between segments that are below a certain angle. This provides a smoother cutting transition between arcs.

Click Tangify Segments.

Enter the Max Angle desired. Do not enter too high of a number, or rectangles will turn into ovals.

Click on the object.

All segment connections that are below the max angle will now be tangent to each other.

Offset Circuit offsets (displacement copy) the selected object the distance entered in the reveal field.

Click Offset Circuit.

Enter the desired reveal in the reveal field.

Left-click on the desired object.

The offset is placed on the outside of the object.

Optionally, right-click to place the offset inside the object.

Explode Circuit breaks down an object into the individual segments. Explode Circuit will break a rectangle into four individual lines, which can then be edited separately.

Click Explode Circuit.

Click on the desired object.

The selected object will be broken down into the individual segments.

The individual segments can now be edited, such as deleting an arc.

To break down the exploded segments further:

Use the Draw Line command and draw two lines intersecting where it should break.

Select Break Intersection and break the object where they intersect.

Delete the lines and edit the design as desired.