Converting a pdf

[scruffy1 (ash)]

i have a pdf of a set of aerofoil ribs for a plane, as scanned from an original file

when i request for lightburn to trace them, the resulting outlines are not a line, but a pair of parallel lines that seem to define each side of the line drawn in the pdf

is there a way to force the conversion to trace the “centre” of the line rather than discretely plot both edges of what should be a line that has no discernible thickness

if i can manage that, i can move on to my next part of getting them cut…

thanks

[berainlb (PY)]

What you’re looking for is referred to as centerline tracing. LightBurn doesn’t do that today.

Inkscape is free and has centerline tracing capability if you want to try it.

[scruffy1 (ash)]

Unfortunately, LightBurn does not support center trace (yet). If the original part “is suitable for it”, you can set it to file and then trace it, it will give a single line.

thanks for that option - will investigate

[scruffy1 (ash)]

i have inkscape installed, but have not yet learnt to drive it adequately to accomplish my requisite goal

another skill to acquire, but the current version of lightburn has already simplified driving the neje master 2s considerably since a month ago

cheers !

[berainlb (PY)]

You needn’t hesitate to try Inkscape as the workflow for tracing is very similar to LightBurn.

1. import image
2. select image
3. Path->Trace Bitmap…
4. Change trace type to Centerline
5. Push update to see a preview
6. Push Apply to complete the trace

[bionicback321 (Paul)]

I also had the same problem with an image file and used this website Rapid Resizer to generate a centerline trace of the image. It worked for me.

[scruffy1 (ash)]

if i complete the trace, what do i save the resulting trace as, to successfully use in lightburn ?

and having done so, do i open or import that file to lightburn ?

and does the initial file need to be a jpg or png, or can pdf also work ?

so many questions, such a noob…

[bernd.dk (Bernd)]

All non-LightBurn files need to be imported and pdf files also work fine.

[berainlb (PY)]

@scruffy1

if i complete the trace, what do i save the resulting trace as, to successfully use in lightburn ?

Inkscape’s native file format is SVG which LightBurn can use. Simply save the file in Inkscape.

@scruffy1

do i open or import that file to lightburn

Either will work but the behavior in LightBurn is slightly different. You can use open if you want to start a brand new project. However, if you want to bring the object into an existing project, use import.

@scruffy1

and does the initial file need to be a jpg or png, or can pdf also work ?

I assume you’re asking about the original file that you trace? If so, jpg or png is fine. PDF also works but is more nuanced because PDFs can contain both vector (path data) and raster (bitmap data) objects. If the PDF has vector information, then that can actually be used directly without tracing. If raster, then a trace would be required.