Making one image

Good evening
I have created 10 objects to cut.
image

To save laser time I have combined them
image

Problem is that it is still 10 images! How do I combine it into one? I looked through the videos etc but nothing

Just a VERY big thank you to Oz and his team for the ultra quick answers to all the problems. When do you guys sleep???

Did ā€œGroupā€ not combine them into a single image?

Iā€™m assuming youā€™d like to go from what youā€™re showing there to a few lines in the middle and a solid outline, so Iā€™ll show how to do this. Start with what you have: (Iā€™ve highlighted one shape with node editing so you can see how itā€™s built:

image

Select everything then ā€˜Break Apartā€™ to turn it into a bunch of disconnected shapes:
image

Select All, then Edit > Delete Duplicates to remove the overlapping parts:
image

Now, select the top, bottom, and sides, and use Edit > Auto Join to connect them into a single outline:
image

Then select the middle parts and join them too. You might want to put the inside lines on their own layer, just to guarantee that they cut first. Single lines sometimes get treated as ā€˜outsideā€™ because they donā€™t have an inside at all.

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The approach you have demonstrated appears to be ideal / best practice. How would you compare this approach to the alternative route of overlapping the objects and leveraging the optimization setting of Remove Overlapping Lines?

I have really enjoyed having that optimization setting feature and find myself using it more often now.

That will work, but ultimately this produces a more predictable and smoother resulting cut. The overlap removal happens after path ordering, and still progresses ā€œobject by objectā€, whereas what Iā€™ve done here is fuse them into single, continuous shapes that will plan more efficiently.

Dear Oz

Thank you again for the prompt reply!

I managed to cut my stuff, much less laser time butā€¦

I started over again with one shape. I used the array and generated five shapes x 2 y and mirrored it. Selected all, edit nodes, break apart. Removed 13 duplicates. Selected blue lines (different layer) and joined but it does not join.

Selected the complete outline (black lines), it joins the bottom half circles an the two vertical lines on the side but the top half circles does not want to join.

I use Windows 7 Professional and Lightburn Version 0.9.14

I attach the file. I do not know if I do something wrong.Terminal cover 2.lbrn (26.2 KB)

Whenever you get a chance - no hurry - I did my cutting as is

I was able to join it by just selecting all the black parts and clicking Edit > Auto Join (Alt+J). Nothing else required.

Nope, donā€™t come right.

I selected ā€œlargeā€ section, then each arch individually, Alt+J, stays as is.

Selected arches first, the large one, Edit, join, nothing happens

Shift+Click the black layer - this will select everything on the black layer, so you are sure you havenā€™t missed anything. Then Alt+J.

The result is one path:

Thanks, that worked for the black layer but does not work for the blue one?

The blue layer cannot be joined into a single continuous path. At best you will get 4 vertical lines and one horizontal one.

Thank you very much, that is what I get.

Thanks again for your time, enjoy the rest of your day

I canā€™t give you any advice because Iā€™m a new LightBurn user, but if youā€™re having trouble editing photos and videos, I can definitely help.

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