Applying shapes to path

Hey there, been a long time lurker of the forum, lots of great info here, really helped me get started in the world of laser engraving/cutting.

I did try a search but was unable to find anything.
I know there is a feature to apply text to path, my question is, is there a way to apply shapes to path?

Thanks

Like this? :wink: Have a look at the menu option ‘Arrange’→’Copy Along Path’.

I did try that option, but I’m trying to follow along irregular shapes like say a heart or something like that.

I have done some additional testing to find there is an issue with applying to irregular shapes. I have generated a bug report, so thank you for asking about this.

Ok, perfect thanks

There’s no issue that I’m aware of - the feature works as intended, but you need to place the shape near the starting point of the path to get the results you probably expect:

In this example, I drew the heart, then made a copy, shrank it, moved the copy near the start point of the shape (the green square when you go into Edit Nodes mode) and used Copy along path to replicate it.

What issue are you having?

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It’s worth noting that Copy Along Path uses the first node in the path as the starting point for the copies, and the difference between that first point and the shape you’re duplicating is maintained.

For example, if I create this shape by node-editing a circle, then try to copy a smaller circle around it, the results look weird:

image

But here’s why:
If I node-edit the path, I can see the first node highlighted in green:
image

Drawing a line from the circle to the starting point shows what’s happening:
image

If I put the object to copy next to the starting point on the shape, now the result is more what you’d expect:

image
image

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Well I just learned something interesting. Thanks!

Ok perfect, thanks so much this is exactly what I needed.

Learning as well. To help with understanding, note that the ‘first node’ in a path is visually indicated with a larger and slightly brighter node as shown here:

image and image

Is there a way to use this feature in such a way that it will bend flat shapes around rounded corners. Example: I have a rectangle frame with rounded corners and I want to cut small rectangles all the way around the border, but at the corners I want them to follow the curve, not stay flat.

No, this only makes duplicates of the originals, and will optionally rotate them, but it does not alter their shape.

Is there another way to perform what I am trying to do, or am I stuck manipulating each individual shape?

There no way to do this automatically in LightBurn.

Thank you for the quick response