I have a Cameo mini review written up that I really need to dump into a post here.

I havent put my machine to much use yet but that is about to change. I am getting a 40" Juka and will be doing a custom scheme in Vinyl. I went to USCutter for the vinyl to see how they do at shipping etc. If I get rained out I may start the design part of the project this weekend.

Originally Posted by racerxky

I believe that you need the pro version of Silhouette Studio to read in the SVG files.

not sure of the slickest way to go from DXF to SVG.

Thanks racerxky,
So here is what I've found.
You cannot import 2d DWG files into 123D, only DWG's with 3d components. You can, of course, design your item in the 2d pad on 123D and save them as SVG files.
I downloaded a trial copy of CorelDraw and it readily accepts the DWG files and you can then save them as SVG files and import them to "your Library" in Silhoutte Studio, Designer Version. Yes, you'll need to spring the extra $50 for the upgrade to get this to work. FYI, when you save your drawing as an SVG file in CorelDraw, a notice that some aspects of the drawing may be corrupted or have ID issues may appear. Ignore it and move on.
To get the SVG file into Studio designer, just click on "import to my library" under the "File" tab on the header. Then go down in the pane and click on file types, scroll down to SVG, highlight it and then look for your file with the SVG format. Click OK and then go to "My Library" under the file menu and your drawing will be there, possibly with some errant fills, especially around radiuses. Double click on the drawing and it will appear on the grid. Move around or manipulate the drawing as required and then click on "Send to Silhoutte". A dialogue box will appear stating there are "no lines chosen but you can do so by clicking on the drawing. Do this and a dimension box will appear. Then right click and a dialogue box will appear. There are several options towards the bottom referring to create "paths" as mentioned in an earlier post by Racerxky, I believe. Click on "Compound Path" and your drawing should be outlined in red. Then, go to the upper right hand of the header menu and click on "Cut Settings" which will allow you to click on "CUT" in the tab that appears at the bottom. You should be off to the races.
This is pretty convoluted but it works. If anyone knows a quicker or better way, please share.
Thanks to Racerxky for starting this thread. I'm having a lot of fun with this thing and the challenges it brings. The next goal is to buy a dye based inkjet printer like the Epson Artisan 1430 ( it accepts 12" wide by up to 10' media) and have a go at printing and cutting vinyl and waterslide decals.

Cricut Expressions works fine with PC. You just have to make sure the firmware is compatible, which is also up/down gradeable.

$80 used cricut





Sure cuts a lot with proper driver



equals loads of decals...






Even cuts carbon fiber type 3m vinyl without issue.

I do have a larger 58inch cutter for large jobs, but the crict is portable.

Just my contribution, not saying it's the best, but it does work.

Has anyone tried any of the ones for US Cutter? Tempting...

Originally Posted by Alien_Tech

Has anyone tried any of the ones for US Cutter? Tempting...

I have one of the 35" USCutter machines and I've been very pleased with it. Had it for two years now

Originally Posted by coreman

I have one of the 35" USCutter machines and I've been very pleased with it. Had it for two years now

What software are you doing your art with? Does it come with any?

Originally Posted by Alien_Tech

What software are you doing your art with? Does it come with any?

It comes with a one year license for SignCut which was very useful. When it expired I went to SignBlazer, also free (well, the owner died and so it has an infinite trial mode) and for design I mostly use the freebee Inkscape for making SVGs and I have also used CorelDraw which I have for my lasercutting

My machine had a problem when it arrived. one of the roller blocks had gotten out of position during shipping. The Tech support guy figured it out and I was able to fix it and get it all aligned and tuned. I use it in my workshop so I took the "office carpet" wheels off and put Harbor Freight 3" rubber casters on it and it rolls around through the shop debris fine now. I've been buying Oracal from a local sign shop for about $20 for a 10 yard 15" wide roll and it cuts and weeds like a dream. It's nice to be able to cut wider widths but you can still cut monocoat trim sheets if you want. I have cut contact paper rolls on it to use the backing as paint masks. I'm glad I bought it and have found lots of uses that wouldn't justify a machine but were helpful since I had it. if came with three blades and I am still using the first one and I've probably put 60 yards of vinyl through it for this and that

Thanks for the info, sounds like you are pretty happy with it. I like the idea of being able to cut covering when I want, so that's the attraction for me. I have a laser as well and have cut covering on it, but it doesn't do as good of a job as I'd like. Plus with complex designs, you can't get the transfer tape down on the covering because it lifts immediately, so that's not fun.

Cheers
Red

Originally Posted by coreman

It comes with a one year license for SignCut which was very useful. When it expired I went to SignBlazer, also free (well, the owner died and so it has an infinite trial mode) and for design I mostly use the freebee Inkscape for making SVGs and I have also used CorelDraw which I have for my lasercutting

My machine had a problem when it arrived. one of the roller blocks had gotten out of position during shipping. The Tech support guy figured it out and I was able to fix it and get it all aligned and tuned. I use it in my workshop so I took the "office carpet" wheels off and put Harbor Freight 3" rubber casters on it and it rolls around through the shop debris fine now. I've been buying Oracal from a local sign shop for about $20 for a 10 yard 15" wide roll and it cuts and weeds like a dream. It's nice to be able to cut wider widths but you can still cut monocoat trim sheets if you want. I have cut contact paper rolls on it to use the backing as paint masks. I'm glad I bought it and have found lots of uses that wouldn't justify a machine but were helpful since I had it. if came with three blades and I am still using the first one and I've probably put 60 yards of vinyl through it for this and that

Originally Posted by Alien_Tech

Thanks for the info, sounds like you are pretty happy with it. I like the idea of being able to cut covering when I want, so that's the attraction for me. I have a laser as well and have cut covering on it, but it doesn't do as good of a job as I'd like. Plus with complex designs, you can't get the transfer tape down on the covering because it lifts immediately, so that's not fun.

Cheers
Red

yeah, there is a pressure setting on the cutter so you can set it up to cut just the vinyl and leave the backing. I really like cutting the Oracal BUT, it's not heat friendly. You can't shrink it, the adhesive releases and it curls. The limitation I see is weeding. YMMV

We have our first Economical Vinyl Cutter that I can recommend: the Silhouette Cameo. The out of the box experience is great and the software is easy to use. The software imports SVG files, in metric or SAE units, correctly. The output is pretty much perfect without having to mess around with a bunch of settings.

It can accept media up to 15" wide but only has a max cutting width of 12". Still 1 foot by 10 feet is large enough to cut graphics for all but the largest of models. It can cut MonoKote, Ultracote, Ultracote trim sheets and vinyl without issue as well as paper and card stock for airbrushing templates. It also has an optical registration mark sensor so it can cut around printed designs, often called 'print and cut'. This feature doesn't show up on vinyl cutters until you spend at least $500.

If you are looking for a machine to cut out large pieces of covering the width is going to be an issue. Covering rolls are up to 26" wide so if your primary use case is cutting large designs for giant scale aircraft, look elsewhere. If you are interested in cutting your own graphics and markings or covering designs on small to medium sized aircraft this is a great deal.

Awesome Sauce:

• Cuts all materials we use in the hobby cleanly
• Easy to use out of the box, no long adjustment process needed
• The numbered blade holder is very easy to adjust. More blade holders should have units like this!
• Software works on both PC & Mac
• Price: It's the cheapest craft cutter we've looked at and software is included in the price.
• Accuracy. It cuts designs correctly out of the box.
• Small Size: it fits easily on a desk or table.

Meh:

• Replacement blades cost $15 each. Industry standard replacement blades cost ~$4. There are blade holders out there that fit the machine but they are expensive.
• The included software wont import SVG files without a $50 upgrade. The upgrade is tied to your online account at http://silhouetteamerica.com so it wont be easy to transfer if you decide to sell the machine. Support for an open format like SVG shouldn't be a 'pro' feature.
• Software has limited support for common vector formats, just SVG and DXF. If you have existing Adobe Illustrator designs you will have to export them as SVG files.

I'l like to evaluate one of the US cutter machines but I need to sell off the Zing I bought first. I ideally one wide enough to do full covering rolls and with the registration mark sensor to match the Cameos abilities.

Wow, the Cameo is more capable than I had imagined. I watched the tutorial on their site and it seems like the software is easy to use and versatile. I like the fact you can make the feed rollers narrower to accept smaller pieces of vinyl too.

How does it deal with scanned images (like the 3DHS logo)? Do you need other software to do something like that?

Cheers
Red

Originally Posted by Alien_Tech

Wow, the Cameo is more capable than I had imagined. I watched the tutorial on their site and it seems like the software is easy to use and versatile. I like the fact you can make the feed rollers narrower to accept smaller pieces of vinyl too.

How does it deal with scanned images (like the 3DHS logo)? Do you need other software to do something like that?

Cheers
Red

My USCutter has three rollers and they can be put anywhere along the machine. I tend to center the vinyl when I cut it but you can stack them right against each other if you want to cut something real narrow. or you can use just two if you want.

Originally Posted by coreman

My USCutter has three rollers and they can be put anywhere along the machine. I tend to center the vinyl when I cut it but you can stack them right against each other if you want to cut something real narrow. or you can use just two if you want.

That's good to know. Just so I understand correctly, you are using SignBlazer to design your artwork, then the cutter has its own driver software as well?

Originally Posted by Alien_Tech

Wow, the Cameo is more capable than I had imagined. I watched the tutorial on their site and it seems like the software is easy to use and versatile. I like the fact you can make the feed rollers narrower to accept smaller pieces of vinyl too.

How does it deal with scanned images (like the 3DHS logo)? Do you need other software to do something like that?

Cheers
Red

I just used the trace utility to make a Futaba logo for my TX case. (Never would've bothered with this without this tool!) Trace needed some fiddling, but it worked out great in the end.

As for the software, I haven't paid the $50 upgrade, but the line editing is seriously annoying. I try to only use their software to send stuff to the device. I find dxf import works fairly well, but if I have to fix up stuff, it's a terrible experience.

OTOH, I picked this one based on NOT having to use their software. The ability to trace, and import were all I wanted, and it does an adequate job there.

Does the $50 upgrade give you anything besides the SVG import??