Create and Cut

Interview of Cathy Lewis at CES on Purple Paper Paradise Blog

2012-01-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Denise has added a video of Cathy Lewis, of 3D Systems, being interviewed at the Cubify booth. Ms. Lewis does a great job of quickly introducing the Cubify.com concept and the Cube printer in a very short time. There are some nice shots of the Cube 3D printer making an object.

http://purplepaperparadise.blogspot.com/2012/01/dawn-of-new-era.html

It's heartening to see that people for whom I have a great deal of respect in the paper crafting community also see the potential for other ways to enhance what they are really all about, which is making things that demonstrate a real appreciation for family and friends.

Thanks, Denise!!!

In the meantime, I have created a new blog in which is dedicated to Cubify.com and the Cube 3D printing community. That may seem odd, since there IS no community as yet, as far as I can tell, since noone that I know about has a Cube printer and the Cubify site is just days old.

But, I expect that to change very, very quickly and I want to be there for that creative community just as I wanted to be there for early eCraft owners. Here is the link for the new site. I hope you will become followers if only to keep up with what's happening.

Cubify Fans Blog

I hope to see you there! In fact, given the level of creativity I have come to admire among the readers of this blog, I would be very disappointed if I didn't see you there so that all of us can benefit by your observations and creative contributions.

More Images of Objects Printed by the Cube 3D Printer

2012-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

As the days go by at CES more and more images of 3D objects printed using the Cube 3D printer are beginning to show up.

Here, for instance, are a number of images on Flickr. Some are official images from 3D Systems and others appear to be images taken by attendees at CES. Flickr's rules prevent me from linking to individual images.

Flickr Search for Cubify

I stumbled onto another site having some great images that are very useful. Again, until I have sought permission to show an image here, I will simply link to their site. The images of the shoes by posted by ZPrinting are especially nice.

The Verge's Cubify Gallery

The Verge images are especially useful. As I look at these images, the following observations come to mind.

Image #1: Chess Pieces

We can see that we are probably not going to be able to print perfectly smooth objects with the Cube. But, what is really important about this image is to observe how the design of the Rook masks some of the uneveness as compared with the design of the Knight. This means that we can actually design objects with the moderately low resolution in mind. The brick patterns on the Rook work WITH the limitations and minimize them.

Images #2 & 3: iPhone Skin

The material seems to be strong enough to allow for designs that minimize material use.

Image #4: Cube 3D Printer

So far, this is the first image that allows us to get at least a glimpse of the LCD display screen. We need more!

Image #5: iPod Holder(?)

Again, we can get some idea of the effective resolution of the printing stratification. I also notice that from time to time a stray strand, like a spider's web is dragged along. I have no idea if these are production models. But, the strays seem minor and easy to deal with. It's interesting that the holes in the side of the object don't appear to need support materials. That's good news!

Image #6: Frog Printing

This last photo needs a LOT more study than I can give it right now. It demonstrates the support materials that most 3D printers, and certainly personal 3D printers, require. Note the loose fit at the places where the actual body and the supports join. And, look inside at the top of the frog to see how the supports are built up as the frog is printed. We will pay a lot of attention to supports and removing supports. But, I like what I see so far.

I'll keep you posted as I find new things and get permission to link directly to photos.

Same Community - New Direction!

2012-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not really a new direction for me. But, it will seem so to you.

You know that my heart has a passion for creative people like you. And, I hope that you know that I REALLY want to do those things that will be a positive force in your ability to show your love through your creative skills.

I was first drawn to electronic paper cutters because of my desire to support my daughter in her art. But, along the way, I learned a lot about a wonderful community of people that go out of their way to personalize their expressions of caring for family and friends.

Frankly, I've felt a bit guilty about essentially abandoning eCraft users. The first impediment to continuing to explore the eCraft was an unfortunate and exhausting court battle into which my wife and I were forced to protect her elderly parents. Then, by the time the court case was over, my daughter's artistic interests had returned to sculpture.

But, to be honest, the real reason for my not picking up where I left off was that my real passion, when it comes to creative tools, is in 3D, not 2D. It is something that has long fascinated me.

For many years I have dreamed of personal 3D printers becoming a reality. In fact, I started several blogs on 3D software and 3D printing long before the eCraft was introduced. And, now, what I have longed for so many years is finally a reality. In the last few days, 3D Systems as announced Cubify, the first 3D printer for the home. Over time I think it is going to of very great interest to many of you.

So, I am going to devote some serious time and energy to introduce the arts and crafts communities to the vast potential of 3D printing to permit you not only to make 3D objects for use in your projects; but, also customized tools that will free you to design, make and use your dies to emboss and cut.

For now, however, let me just point you to the only videos that I have found so far related to a product for which I am VERY excited!

So, yes, I'm back. I hope all of you that expressed so much appreciation for my eCraft videos and observations will tag along as I go in a little bit different direction. If you do, I can promise that it going to be a fantastically interesting ride!

NEWS FLASH!

After initially posting this entry, I came across a brand new video from the Consumer Electronics Show that shows the Cube 3D printer at work! I think this will clearly demonstrate why I am so excited about this new product and web site.

Here's a New Camera Concept Craftperson's Should Love

2011-06-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

From the late 1960's to the 1980's I was a video producer. The term "videographer" hadn't even been coined back then. In fact, we saw the video camera and the still camera as tools in two different realms requiring relatively different sets of skills. That all changed with the advent of the digital still camera.

Today my still camera produces HD video images and most video cameras include still image capabilities.

Now I am going to show you something that promises to take us in a whole new direction. It's a camera that the developers claim will make taking photos out of focus a thing of the past. It's from Lytro and they call their new concept "Living Pictures". One doesn't focus when taking the picture. One focuses when viewing or printing the picture. Here's a sample.

A "Living Picture" allows YOU to determine the focus of the image. This particular picture demonstrates a situation that many of us have faced when having to shoot through a chain link fence. The fence is in focus but we really wanted the players to be in focus. With your current camera this picture would be a total loss. But, that is not true of a Lytro image.

Try it. Simply click on one of the players you want to be in focus and see what happens. Then click on the chain link fence. Notice that YOU are in control of what is in focus. Pretty neat, isn't it?

Let's try another...

In this image we can selectly bring into focus the flowers in the foreground, the seeds right behind the flowers or the foliage in the background. In fact, there are quite a few potential focus selections that you can find by clicking various objects.

You can find out more by going to Lytro's Home Page.

OK. So, it's all very cool. But, how does this help a craftsperson?

It both simplifies and enhances the way we communicate our work to others. It simplifies by taking away the need to worry about focus and depth of field issues that all of us face when trying to take pictures of our work. And, this is particularly true of 3D pieces.

But, it also enhances our ability to communicate our work in that the viewer can explore the objects in our image in a highly interactive way. Ultimately, there are some hints that at least some limited 3D perspective might be possible, Those of you that make pop-up cards should be very intrigued by what this camera might be able to do for you.

No price or delivery date has been set as yet. So, I'll keep you posted as things progress. Sounds like fun!

Happy to see the eCraft progressing

2011-06-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

All of the court cases have been resolved and, for now, are behind us. But, we'll still need a bit of decompressing before things are completely back to normal and I can, once again, turn a lot of attention to cutter issues.

The first step was purchasing a stand for the huge 24" printer that I'd purchased for court exhibits. It's no longer sitting on the table that was occupied by the eCraft. But, for at least a little while, a high speed scanner to be used to make sure that the mounds of paper generated in the case are captured electronically will have to continue to displace the eCraft.

Believe it or not, I already have scanned and/or created 8,046 files related to the court cases. Going to court to protect an elderly parent or parents is NOT for the faint of heart.

Unfortunately, the problem of financial elder abuse is all too common given the emails that I've received from people in similar situations. While I'm not a lawyer, I certainly am in a position to at least understand the plight of those who find that a brother or sister is intent on depleting or stealing an estate from their siblings.

But, the good news is that the worst is behind us and the eCraft seems to be maturing from where it was when I had to put it aside. I am REALLY looking forward to being able to be an active part of this crafting great community once again. As my granddaughters would say, as their excuse for picking on me, "It's fun AND Special!"

Crafting is STILL a lot more fun than Lawyers

2011-03-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I removed the eCraft from the table beside me to make way for a 24" printer that I need to make exhibits for what should be the final hearings in the epic battle we've been waging regarding my in-laws guardianship and, now, estate.

My father-in-law passed away in January. While it changes the nature of the battle to protect my in-laws, it didn't change the need to keep going for at least a bit longer.

I didn't remove the eCraft from its accustomed place because I plan to permanently abandon it. But, right now it's a victim of the need to set priorities.

If we win the next two court cases, we expect it to all be over for a while.

If we lose, then we expect my sister-in-law to keep fighting until the estate is eaten up by lawyer's fees. And, the odd thing is that I don't think she will ever see any of the money she craves because her lawyers will get it first. Greed, it appears, kills the area of the brain that thinks logically. And, bitterness stuffs rationality down into the deepest hold imaginable.

So, until we see the end of the saga, cutters, cutting and crafting lie beyond the limits we have in a 24 hour day.

But, it not all been in vain. I have learned to appreciate the value of planning for those days when we lose the ability to plan. And, I've got an even greater appreciation of the wonderful gift of my own parents and siblings in the context of my parent's aging and deaths. I've probably already written this somewhere. But, my parents were gracious in life and equally gracious in death. That may seem an odd thing to one that has not watched a parent decline to the point of death. But, sooner or later all of my readers will know exactly what I mean by that sentence.

I WILL be back. You are a great group of people and I could NOT stay away forever.

You probably will not hear from me again until after the March hearings. Hopefully, I will be a happy camper on my return. :)

Crafting is More Fun than Lawyers

2010-12-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

I've developed a new appreciation for lawyers. Well... MY lawyer, in particular. But, they are time consuming and expensive. The expensive part is what my former sargeant in the Army would call a "Personal Problem".

But, the TIME-CONSUMING part has not only affected me; but, affected those of you that were hoping for more help than I've been able to provide in the last few months. So, I thought I'd at least provide you with an explanation and my intentions going forward.

No, I have NOT abandoned the eCraft. The new patch is exactly what I expected it to be. It's certainly not what I hope it will become. But, it met my level of expectations for now.

My father-in-law has had dementia for at least three years. He was tested in 2008 and 2009 by his neurologist and a geriatric psychiatrist three different times. And, each time the dementia had progressed. The last Mini Mental Exam (MME) score in 2009 was 17/30. He was institutionalized for about a year until on a visit home he absolutely refused to be moved. My 87 year old mother-in-law tried to care for him; but, as you can imagine it was exhausting.

He fell in January of this year. And, thinking that we'd give her some respite for a few days before deciding whether or not to place him back in the nursing home, we agreed that he should go to my sister-in-law's for a few days.

In five days, she took him to her long-time physician at a walk-in clinic and had her doctor sign a certificate that declared that my father-in-law was capable of signing a Power of Attorney document and a will. She effectively took over his life in just five days. She then sent a letter of demand to her mother to fork over half of everything her father and mother owned to her.

Thus began a protracted legal battle that, in total, among all the parties, has already cost well over $100,000. When you are involved in something this complex, there is little time left for cutting shapes.

My sister-in-law's attorneys are with a law firm having a reputation for being a "predatory" law firm. They not only prey on those they are fighting in court. They also prey on their own clients, generating many, many times the number of pages to generate excessive costs. There are six lawyers involved in the cases that have come about because of my sister-in-law's actions. My sister-in-law, for instance, is paying $400 per hour to TWO lawyers. So, she is definitely VERY serious about grabbing 1/2 of the estate even before her parents are dead. If she wins, she will, no doubt, sell her parent's home, forcing her mom into a facility.

Why? The economy. My sister-in-law and her husband took out a $960,000 mortgage and an $80,000 line of credit on a $1.2 million dollar home. They could afford that if they were both working. But, that is not the case. And, in fact, neither are working right now.

So, we have to stop what she is doing to her parents. And, because of the excessive filings and paperwork keeping up is quite a chore. But, we WILL prevail. We will NOT give up. As part of our action, the courts asked that my father-in-law be tested again, and the outcome was no surprise. He tested 15/30 on the MME tests. Clearly, he did NOT have a miraculous recovery back in January.

The final court date was to be in the last part of December, 2010. But, it's been moved back to March 2011. Hopefully, after the holidays I will have a little respite to check out the new software more completely before having to pick up my research for the final trial.

So, that is my explanation for my absence at the very time you needed me to be on top of my game. But, it looks to me that the eCraft is going to be one of those products that developes slowly, over time. So, hopefully, by the time that they bring out the next phase of software, I'll be here for you.

But, by THAT time, I might only be able to test 15/30 on the MME!!!

Waiting Like You... On Purpose

2010-11-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

"Everyone is equal. But, Some are more equal than others"

George Orwell, "Animal House"

One of the things that first sold me on the eCraft was their reputed reputation for listening and responding to customers.

Because I, myself, am not an actual user in the traditional sense, I have focused on things not normally reviewed in craft circles. At first, I was sympathetic toward Craftwell because I knew that it was, effectively, a startup. This was true even if the manufacturing company behind it might actually be enormous.

But, as time has gone on, I am less and less inclined to have a favorable opinion of the commitment of management of Craftwell to its user base. And, that lagging optimism has everything to do with their almost utter lack of communication.

I can pick up the phone at any time to talk directly with the management at Craftwell. But, I am not because it is not fair to all those that CANNOT get through. I do NOT subscribe to the "Everyone is equal; but, Some are more equal than other's" view of users.

I will learn about what is going on when YOU learn what is going on. And, I will respond the way I think is best for YOU.

But, I want to make this clear. I am NOT upset that we are having to wait for the software. It's free and we get it when we get it. What is killing my enthusiasm for the eCraft is the fact that even as they have built up their staff, they have not dedicated anyone on that staff to be their consistent voice to hurting customers. That's right. HURTING customers.

People make a purchase for a purpose. And, they have high hopes when they finally bite the bullet and buy. When a vendor delivers less than promised it is MORE than simply a mild nuisance for some of those users. It can be traumatic for some. And, a management that seems to be callous to that reality is NOT a management that can hold my respect for long.

Communication, to be real communication, cannot simply be a one-way vehicle for good news whenever it's convenient. It has to be a two-way dialog that continues in tough times as well as good times. When I go up to Craftwell's Facebook Page, and see people pleading for help with no response, it does not encourage me to try to do Craftwell's job for them any longer. And, that is the primary reason I have not participated in discussions about the eCraft for the last month.

I have one eCraft set up and unused right now. I have another in a box, unopened. I am NOT going to subject my daughter to unnecessary frustrations as long as Craftwell remains 95% silent leaving users in limbo.

I don't hold grudges. So, the situation could change at any minute if and when Craftwell decides that customers truly are important enough to talk to publicly. Let's hope that is soon. In the meantime, I will not be calling them. When you find out, I will find out.

INSERT SD CARD Message - FIX

2010-10-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Never feel like you are bothering me when you send me emails with the problems you are having with your eCraft. This site can only be truly useful if it provides helpful information to the crafting community. And, for the most part, that information is going to come from you.

For instance, I received this email today...

Thanks Tom you've put my mind at rest.
However I am now experiencing another problem that I have not read anyone else has had and that is: yesterday I thought I'd give the software another try but all that happened was that it kept telling me to insert my SD card which of course was in the machine but just to see if it would work I took the SD card out and then put it back in again to no avail.

Now, even though I have tried numerous times and in every way I can think of, the machine display tells me to insert the SD card.....I cannot do anything with this machine as the display will not go to the categories. I have made sure the machine is switched off before inserting the SD card but nothing works. Its incredibly frustrating....I had resigned myself to being patient about the software but now I cannot use the machine at all. Do you have any ideas as to what the problem could be?
Many thanks
Virginia

Now, it turned out that Virginia discovered the fix as well as the problem. She found that removing the USB cable seemed to reset the console and restored it to function correctly. Nice find!

It sounds to me like there might be a bug in the firmware that Virginia stumbled across. And, bugs in firmware are not uncommon in new products, which is why the firmware is designed to be updated from time to time.

So, if you run into this particular bug, you can thank Virginia for helping you to quickly recover from it!

Thanks, Virginia!

One thing leads to another - Sliceform to the EXTREME!

2010-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

As you know, I just posted an article about SusanBlueRobots.

Maybe I have a soft spot for her robots because they are blue or because they give me another opportunity to sneak in a little personal history. In the 1980's Hasbro sold a toy robot that 'talked'. Casey was it's name and here is a short video of the ad for Casey.

In the mid-1980's I was hired by a brilliant engineer, John Perkins, to create some video to be used to create one of the first demos for a new video game system based on video tape. (This was prior to the advent of DVDs.) We were working for Nolan Bushnell of Atari fame and he, in turn, was charged with creating such a product by Hasbro. Hasbro picked it up as the NEMO project. (Look up NEMO on YouTube)

I used Casey, the Talking Blue Robot as the lead character in my demo video game. I still have the original videos and need to get around to posting them someday on YouTube simply for historical purposes.

It was one of the most fun projects I've ever been involved with but, unfortunately, Hasbro was forced to abandon it because they could not get the costs down low enough for Toys R Us to carry it.

But, I should also note that NEMO made the 25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming list at #19! It's a little disappointing that we only made #19. Maybe that's because they got their numbers wrong. They claim Hasbro spent $20 million. Actually, Hasbro spent $35 million on it before scrapping the system. That's GOT to be worth at least one or two higher positions on the list! LOL!

At any rate, I'm certainly partial to blue robots. But, I'm also appreciate of the fact that one thing often leads to another. My opportunity to work for Nolan Bushnell and Hasbro came from a person that had once worked as a consultant for Astrocade, the video game company for which I was an employee.

The point of this story is that one thing... John working for us... often ends up leading to another... i.e. My working for John. That's how opportunities grow.

And, in the immediate case, we have another instance of one thing leading to another great opportunity. And, it came from a comment on the SusanBlueRobot article.

A person that goes by the name CPEEP commented on the article about SusanBlueRobot's work in sliceform creations and I was so intrigued by the comment that I decided to see if I could locate CPEEP's work. Fortunately, I was successful in doing so.

CPEEP'S Blog is called EXTREME CARDS AND PAPERCRAFTING And, it is a great place to visit with lots of tutorials. Here is just one sample of what you will find there.

CPEEP'S work is quite broad in the methods used.In addition to sliceform, you'll find paper folding, pop up cards and paper animata (mechanical models) which are equally interesting. I wandered around for quite a while and was not the least bit bored by what I found.

Apparently, CPEEPS is not yet and eCraft owner and is able to cut to a Robo Craft directly from Corel so not all of their creations are available in SVG. Hopefully that situation will change in the near future! In the meantime I am enjoying the creativity of another person that thinks in 3D, all the while being thankful that one thing does, indeed, lead to another!

Cutting Chipboard Video at Nicki's Cardstock Creations

2010-10-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked me about cutting chipboard. Chipboard is such a generic class of materials, I could not confidently say that the eCraft would or would not cut the kind of chipboard preferred by most crafters. I have to reply on the label on the material and the only paper I had with the 'Chipboard' label would NOT cut. In fact, it acted more like sandpaper and simply dulled the blade.

I do NOT think that is the material most crafters mean when they ask about 'chipboard' so I'm going to defer to the experts. There is a new video on Nicki's Cardstock Creation blog that shows how well the eCraft actually DOES cut chipboard.

Chipboard Video

By the way, she reveals one other thing about the eCraft's console controls. If you hold down the arrows when selecting the shape from an SD card, it will swiftly go through all the choices! Now, why didn't I think of that???

Robots, Robots Everywhere! The eCraft and Robots!

2010-10-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about being a part of a community of crafters is being able to enjoy the vast differences in direction which human creativity can take us. Recently, I've been enjoying the work of Australian, SusanBlueRobot who publishes the SusanBlueRobot Blog.

I love the quirkiness of her creations. The best way I can think of describing it is thinking OUTSIDE the box by thinking INSIDE the box!

Using tree found on the eCraft Fundamentals #1 SD that comes with the eCraft digital die cutter she created this card. Of course, no tree is complete without a few robots enjoying it!

But, using this very same eCraft Shape, she has also created this sliceform 3D tree. Imagine a party table adorned with various sizes of these wonderful trees!

SusanBlueRobot may be the first person to post an image of a sliceform. And, in doing so, she has paved the way for an unlimited world of 3D art using a digital cutter with NO LIMITS TO LENGTH. Because the eCraft uses ROLLS of materials, as well as sheets, sliceform art of larger dimensions is possible.

Here are some samples of sliceform works that might inspire users to consider designing larger sliceform installations. They can be found at this link.

In the process of exploring sliceform, I ran across the blog of an amazingly prolific crafter that specializes in creating and selling sliceform designs. Perhaps the most useful way to introduce you to her work is to link to her video page. Here is the first video on that page. JennieBeanCrafts Videos

I want to thank SusanBlueRobot for sending us off on a great adventure. I can tell you that she got instant rave reviews on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo group and deservedly so! So, be sure to drop by her blog and see why everyone enjoyed her work so much!

Could the eCraft make the cut with Make The Cut?

2010-10-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

There was an intriguing message in the Make The Cut forums that Andy, the developer, and Craftwell have opened lines of communication. None of us know where this will lead; but, there are a number of reasons why I think Craftwell would benefit enormously by an arrangement with Make The Cut.

First, if Make the Cut or Sure Cuts A Lot can cut to the eCraft it takes a LOT of pressure off of Craftwell in an area in which they have the least experience. There is no doubt at all that the Craftwell team KNOWS hardware design. The eCraft, as I have said over and over, is BRILLIANTLY designed. THAT is their area of expertise and it shows.

But, what is also abundantly clear, is that Craftwell is NOT as skilled and experienced in the area of software. And, having a bit of a safety valve in place as they sort out and build that experience will not be a bad thing.

This would not preclude Craftwell from designing and delivering a world class software product down the road. In fact, in my opinion, it would HELP them in that quest by taking pressure off of constant fixes to a poorly designed initial product and let them back up, regroup and build a team of consultants and in-house experts in the management of software development that would know how to deal with farming out the actual software programming effort. Right now, the tail seems to be wagging the dog and the tail has the dog in a very bad place of dependence.

Craftwell needs something to break themselves away from that dependence. And, that something could be Make the Cut or Sure Cuts A Lot. Once that dependence is broken, Craftwell can step up and have more control over the development process in the future. But, to do so means reorganizing their development strategies, which will take some time.

However, it would be well worth it. As long as we can cut, using SOME software, I will be the first to urge every eCraft owner to give Craftwell the space to do what I know they want to do... provide a PRO product that more than lives up to the name. I don't think that will be as likely to happen if Craftwell doggedly pursues their own path without the help of 3rd party products like Make the Cut.

So, I'm hoping the lines of communication produce some cooperative efforts to support the owners of the best hardware in the business. That would be very exciting to a LOT of owners. And, frankly, increase the odds that Craftwell could eventually deliver a killer application of their own... which is our ultimate hope.

"What we've got here is... failure to communicate."

2010-10-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

As I scan the eCraft Facebook and Twitter pages I am reminded of that great line from Cool Hand Luke.

I find the silence much more incomprehensible than the problems with the software. And, that was puzzling enough. The last entry on Twitter was in August! And, while a Craftwell employee will randomly offer some insight on the Facebook page, most of the help users get is from other users who, themselves, are just hanging on and waiting along with everyone else.

You know something? That's just not good enough. Not by a long shot.

Craftwell, you have a machine that I am ready to support and support in a big way. I look at the hardware design and, as I've repeatedly said, I see a design that has the potential to dominate the digital cutter marketplace. But, a great machine design is NOT what makes for great success. It is only part of the equation... and, a small part at that.

The Mindset Computer was a great design. It's the ONLY computer on permanent display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City! But, I'll bet not a single reader knew it ever existed. It came. It went. It is forgotten.

So, much for great design being a deciding factor for success.

While I think the eCraft also deserves to be considered for such an honored place in design history, I would MUCH rather see it on thousands of tables in homes and businesses then in a permanent display in a museum with no users. But, that is where it is heading if the management of Craftwell doesn't set aside it's pride in building the first matless digital cutter and start realizing that communication, not engineering, is their ultimate ticket to success.

Cool Hand Luke ended badly. Mindset's brilliant design didn't keep it from ending it's race badly. Let's hope that Craftwell's "Failure to communicate" is corrected. And soon. Or, it too, might be just another footnote in history. And, none of us want that.

Added Video Link Gadget

2010-09-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

If you find the new Video Links feature to the right side of this blog to be helpful in finding the videos on this blog you can thank Debbie Keith, of the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group.

One of the problems with the blog format is that as every new post is added, the previous posts become harder to find. And, in the case of this blog, some of the most important posts where the earliest posts as we experimented with our new machine. And, that is true of the early videos. They had become too hard to find.

But, thanks to Debbie, that has been corrected.

I will be adding links to videos at Purple Paper Paradise , Nicki's Cardstock Creations and other sites as I find them or you bring them to my attention. So, be sure to let me know if you find a video that is not listed and I will add it.

User setting for Cutting Speed

2010-09-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

Cherice95405 had a problem and a husband.

Wait! I can see that you are getting the wrong idea from that sentence!!!

The problem was NOT her husband.

SHEEESH!!! You guys are ALWAYS jumping to conclusions, aren't you?

Cherice's problem, that she posted on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group was that she was unable to cut text reliably on the eCraft digital die cutter. So, she complained to the nearest person she could find, her husband. And, rather than simply walking off oblivious, as I have a tendency to do, he actually LISTENED. (Something my wife would claim that I do NOT have a tendency to do.)

Cherice calls her husband her "IT Superhero". I added that he is also my "ANALYTICAL superhero" because he went snooping to see if their was a way to solve her problem. He found it in the same place I found the name of the company that is currently responsible for developing eCraftShop... the eCraft's configuration file.

The file is in the same directory where eCraftShop is installed. It's called eCraftShop.exe.config and it provides a way to customize how the machine works on individual machines. It's an XML file. So, it is easily edited with a text editor. However, I would caution anyone that wants to edit that file that you should make a backup copy before doing so just in case things don't go as planned.

Look for the key word "CuttingSpeed" and you will find that it is set to 700 by default.

Cherice's husband slowed down the cutting speed by changing the value from 700 to 500 and she reports that she is now able to cut the characters that she was unable to cut previously. I've encouraged Cherice to badger her husband to sign up to the eCraft_Crafter's Yahoo group. We NEED his brain.

I love inquisitive people! Nice job!

Purple Paper Paradise - What to Expect With Update

2010-09-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

Among my heroes in the eCraft user community is Denise O'Connor. She sees the special quality of the eCraft cutter; but, recognizes that without equivalent quality software, it will have slow going in gaining the marketshare it deserves.

But, she also realizes that we have to be realistic about the progress of the software development. And, has written an excellent new article on the topic titled "Moving Forward"

As usual, she's right on target!

A Bit of Praise for the eCraft Engineers

2010-09-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Each morning, before heading off to my consulting clients that pay the bills, I take a few minutes to focus on the eCraft community by checking Craftwell's Facebook page and emails that I've receive from blog readers overnight. Since most current owners are waiting to see what the next software release will bring and the machines one the first boat to the U.S. have not yet begun to be shipped, things were slow this morning.

That gave me some time to sit and reflect on the quality of the design of the eCraft hardware. It really is unique and well done from both an aesthetic point of view and a mechanical point of view. Even the battery compartment design merits appreciation.

Some people comment on its deep footprint when the tray is attached. But, they forget that the tray is simply an added convenience. It can be removed. And, once it's removed it requires no more depth than any other cutter since the paper we use in all cutters is the same depth and it is the paper that determines how much room we need behind the machine.

The build quality is excellent. I love that the blade trolley is right out in front and easily moved by hand or buttons. The lift up design has allowed me to photograph the blade and blade cover quite easily and while it's easier and probably safer to change the blades with the provided tweezers, it's possible to pull out an old blade and pop in a new one by hand.

And, speaking of blades, when I first took delivery of this machine, I fully expected it to run through blades quite quickly. But, surprisingly, with all the testing and cutting I have done, I still have new blades I have not used and old blades I can still use in a pinch. Obviously, blade life depends on the materials you cut and the density of the tabs you've selected. And, it may be that I'm getting longer life now because I have found that I don't normally need a high tab density and can even cut successfully without any tabs at all with some material and shape combinations.

But, one of the things I most appreciate is the simultaneous blade and pen combination. When I first started to use the eCraft I didn't think much about how useful being able to chose between a blade or a pen without having to physically change anything would be. The pen is now my most used feature for testing rendering accuracy and it has not only saved me a lot of expensive paper; but, allowed me to use less expensive paper while testing the software.

Many, many years ago, when I first graduated from college I produced videos. One of my regular clients was an opinion research firm that would bring people into a conference room to discuss a product or service. And, one of the questions they invariably asked was, "Is this product was a car, what brand of car would it be?" That seems like a good question to pose this morning.

If the eCraft was a car, what brand of car would it be?

It's trickier than one might think to make that comparison. That is because the eCraft combines features that aren't generally common in the same automobile... built-in reliability and sleek looks. A Ferrari Enzo might be a good choice for comparison when it comes to the styling of the eCraft. The Honda Accord might be a good choice for it's rugged construction. So, the Ferrari Enzo has the looks; but, perhaps not the ruggedness and the Honda has the ruggedness and not the looks. So, there is only one thing we can do....

Why, choose the Bugatti Veyron 16:4, of course! Yes, if I had to choose a car that best reflects to design and performance of the eCraft the Bugatti is my choice. The big difference, of course, is the Bugatti is the world's most expensive automobile and the eCraft is not the most expensive digital cutter. Bugatti at a bargain. Now, that is a pretty good deal.

And, if I can be permitted to reflect on something else while we comparing the eCraft to an automobile. One of the factors in selecting an automobile is something I simply call Unity of Design. For a consumer to feel comfortable with a product, ALL the pieces of that product must be in UNITY. Just as a potential Bugatti owner would never accept cheap fabric seats, neither would a potential Hyundai Accent buyer want hand-crafted leather seats that cost more than the entire car! The Bugatti buyer wants seats that reflect every other aspect of that luxury car. And, a Hyundai buyer wants seats that reflect the frugality of their automobile choice. When ANY element of a product's design is not in perfect unity with all the other elements, people get very nervous. They may not know WHY they have an uneasy feeling. They just feel it in their gut and end up walking away.

The reason I bring this up is that when I look at the hardware design of the eCraft, I cannot help but want a software component that is in every way its equal. I don't want a Bugatti cutter being driven by Hyundai Accent software! I expect Bugatti software and nothing else. As I said in another post, in a different way, the hardware design deserves nothing less.

Reflections on John Perkins

2010-09-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

You'll have to excuse me for this seemingly off topic post. In fact, while none of you knew John Perkins he is an integral part of my history that made it possible for me to be in a position to be a part of the digital die cutter community. I just learned about John's death from a man named Dave Nutting who gathered together one of the most creative and brilliant group of people I've ever known. The reason for me taking this space now, on this blog, is that one can't find much information of John. And yet, he was a very important player in video game development history. And, I want to make sure that there is SOME reference to him for those interested in the history of video games when they go to make an internet search.

I first met John Perkins when I was working with Astrocade. At that time he was very much in the same situation that I'm in with eCraft... an engaged owner He was a Bally Professional Arcade fan and on his own had created some enhancements for the game system. The more we communicated with him the more we realized that we needed the expertise he brought to the table and we hired him as a consultant and video game designer. He created Artillery Duel, one of our most popular games.

John was one of those rare people that knew both hardware and software. Our software and hardware came from a Bally owned company called Dave Nutting Associates. As I said, Dave Nutting had pulled together a brilliant team of renaissance people. Just to give you an idea of the diversity of their talents I'll just point out that Dave, himself, designed the Willy's Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Enstrom helicopter and invented the electronic pinball game. But, the creativity didn't end with Dave Nutting. Jamie (Jay) Fenton, a programmer for Dave, went on to found MacroMind and MacroMedia. Gorf and Galaga were Jamie's creations. Dr. Tom DeFanti, was their graphics language guru. It was a fantastic team.

The lead programmer for Dace Nutting Associates was Bob Ogdon. Bob and John became a formidable team of game designers and after the video game system crash in 1983, which wiped out Asctrocade, they formed their own company, Action Graphics, which was responsible for many of the early ColecoVision games.

John, Bob and I worked together on the first demonstration of motion graphics on a CD for Microscoft's First International CD-ROM Conference in 1986. By today's standard it was very crude. But, John and Bob's work was the breakthrough that brought about everything you can do with DVDs on a computer. They even designed the now familar button style interface that most DVD video programs use to this day.

Bob and John taught me a very valuable lesson. Technically they worked UNDER Astrocade. But, in reality we saw each other as peers. The important lesson I learned was to always be nice to those that work for you because, if you do, they might remember you when they rise above you. I later worked for them! And, they were responsible for my being offered the position of VP of Electronic Games at Parker Brothers. Even though I did not take them up on the offer, I was flattered that such talented people would have referred me to such a great company. (At 39 I would have been the oldest member of the management team and really wasn't so sure if could deal with corporate politics It turned out that I made a good decision since they disbanded that division less than 6 months later.)

The last time I had the opportunity to work with John Perkins was the project that REALLY showed me his amazing genious. Talk about thinking outside the box! Nolan Bushnell had been given several million by Hasbro to develop a video game system based on video tape. (DVDs had not been fully developed as yet.) His team at Axlon, led by Tom Zito, a former Washington Post rock music critic, made a valiant effort in several different directions; but, they were in danger of coming up empty handed and having to pay back that money when someone found John Perkins, who then called me in on the project. John came up with an ingenious solution that involved interleaving multiple video streams into a single video stream! He built the encoder to combine the signals and a decoder to pick out any one of the videos. It was picked up by Hasbro and the development effort was code-named NEMO.

If you watch the YouTube video, John has his back to the camera on the far left of the screen. This is actually the second showing to Hasbro personnel; but, the first to include the Hassenfeld brothers, Steve and Alan.

Now, here is where I am going to correct some history. Wikipedia claims that Tom Zito developed the NEMO video game console. That's a bit misleading. I don't know if Tom brought John Perkins into the project or not. I only know that his team at Axlon had worked for quite a while and had failed come up with anything before John Perkins was brought in. Proof that it was John that invented that unique system can be found by reading just one of the patents for this innovative system officially named ISIX. He deserves the credit he is due for his contributions to the history of video gaming. After the NEMO project was disbanded, John Perkins was the ONLY person on the ISIX team retained by Hasbro. They thought that much of him. And, rightly so. I think Alan Hassenfeld would second everything I have to say about John... both professionally and personally.

But, while his achievements were notable... and, as much as I marvel at his accomplishments, what I really cherish was his friendship and that of Karen, his wife. That friendship was golden and will be with me forever. I'm very sorry to hear that he is gone. But, I'm also very happy to be able to insert a little bit of his history into the blogosphere and search engines. He deserves the credit he is due.

eCraft Owners Unofficial Bug and Feature Reporting

2010-09-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Dear eCraft Owners,

This is NOT an official Craftwell or eCraft project. We're simply setting this up until Craftwell sets up their own official communication and reporting forums.

As promised in an earlier article. I have set up email addresses to capture your observations about specific areas of the eCraftShop software. Hopefully, we can have assigned 'moderators' to check a specific email address daily for your messages and check to see if they can duplicate the behavior. If they can, they will forward it to me and I'll then I will post them to the appropriate 'sticky' message on the blog which will be available to users, eCraft and the developers. We'll invited the eCraft and the developers to ask questions at that same email address for clarification which the moderator will forward to you.

Until an eCraft forum is set up, this seems to be the most focused approach to gathering information from users. Here are the email addresses.

TextTools@createandcut(dot com) (Text and Keyboard Tools)
LineTools@createandcut(dot com) (Line and Curved Line Tools)
ModTools@createandcut(dot com) (Eraser, Flip, Kerning Tools)
ShapeTools@createandcut(dot com) (Shapes and Library Tools)
SVG@createandcut(dot com) (SVG Issues)
Rendering@createandcut(dot com) (Cutting and Drawing)
Performance@createandcut(dot com) (General Performance Issues)
Interface@createandcut(dot com) (General Interface Issues)

Lastly, there are multiple ways for you to communicate to Craftwell. We felt like it might be important to have one that functioned in a "Letter to the Editor" roll. We will periodically post these letters on the blog. It is up to you whether these communications include your name or not. If you want to include it, put your name in the body of the email., If not, do NOT include your name in the body of the email and that includes any automated signature information. If you don't want it published. remove it before sending your message.

OwnersVoice@createandcut(dot com)

RULES FOR PARTICIPATION

Of course, there are rules for ALL of these email addresses.

No profanity. No abusive language. We reserve the right NOT to publish an email that we feel is inappropriate for public consumption. We WILL block senders that ignore these rules or otherwise become too annoying.

We will disable these email addresses, except for the OwnersVoice, once Craftwell has established their own forums, etc.

These addresses are live right now.

If you would like to moderate one of these addresses or If you have difficulty reaching one of these addresses please email me at

tmeeks@createandcut(dot com)

Thanks!

Tom

Changing Focus Until the Software Patches are Delivered.

2010-09-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

If I thought it would help the software development effort, I would continue to test why an SVG does or does not render correctly with eCraftShop Pro. (I am using the term 'RENDER" to include either drawing or cutting. If a shape will not draw, it certainly will not cut.) But, the SVG import and rendering functionality is SO dysfunctional that it's probably best to just add it to the top of our triaged fix list and get on to other discoveries. So, here it is:

TRIAGE FIX #1: IMPORT AND CUT SVGs CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #2: IMPORT AND CUT SD SHAPES CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #3: IMPORT AND CUT MENU SELECTED SHAPES CORRECTLY

Now, let's move on....

In my mind, the product that you and I downloaded and have been trying to get to work has enough designed functionality to be the product that is delivered freely with every eCraft. My strategy at this point would be to take a step backwards and say to my customers...

"You will still get a free copy of eCraftShop Pro when it is ready... But, it is NOT this product. It will be MUCH more than this product. So, for now, what you have will be called eCraftShop Home Designer. And, it will be the basic foundation upon which our professional product will be built. We ask you to bear with us for while as we first work to stabilize the features in the product you now have and then begin to the work to complete the full eCraftShop Pro package. And, we promise you that the final eCraftShop Pro that is delivered to you will outperform any other digital die cutting software on the market today. "

Now, I'm not eCraft, so I don't know how they plan to move forward. I DO know that they have had the wake-up call that EVERY individual and company needs to have before than can be truly successful. I know a LOT of successful people and very few of them got to where they are without some real setbacks that forged the foundations of their ultimate success. One of my favorite sermons was titled, "Your Failures are NOT Final."

Few things have been as successful as the lightbulb. And, few inventors will ever be as famous as Thomas Edison. And there have been few inventors that endured more failures. It is estimated that he tried more than 10,000 materials before he found the one that worked. Each failure propelled him in a new, more promising direction until he created something that few of us would be willing to do without today. The Lightbulb. And, don't forget that phonograph he invented. It took him TEN YEARS to bring that to market!

Fortunately, I don't think eCraft will have 10,000 failures before they have the best digital die cutting machine in the marketplace. And, hopefully, their biggest failures are behind them with their maiden attempt at delivering eCraftShop software. I hope they are using the term FIASCO in their internal memos. Because FIASCOS spur us on to do things RADICALLY differently.

So, I would like to see us explore what we have and come up with fixes and minor changes that would suffice for now as the larger, long term effort for a spectacular eCraftShop Pro is fully developed. If we can accept that the product we have now could be the "LITE" version, whatever it would be called. then we can concentrate on getting this feature set rock solid and functioning smoothly. Period.

SVG IMPORT AND RENDERING A BASIC FEATURE

Of course, SVG Import is a must, even for a "Lite" product. A "Pro" product should go well beyond simply importing and rendering SVG files. The 'Pro' product should permit extensive modification of SVG files.

LINE FUNCTIONALITY

Even at the basic level some changes will have to be addressed with the LINE TOOL. The only time we want to draw without closing a path is in the PEN mode. So, how the LINE TOOL behaves should be determined by the current CUT LINE / DRAW LINE selection. The end of a line must be able to be snapped to close a path when in CUT LINE mode.

CURVED LINE FUNCTIONALITY

The current behavior of the CURVED LINE tool invokes a "What in the world were they THINKING???" response. Again, a curved line, by itelf might be useful to draw. But, it is NOT going to be useful to CUT. The ends of the curved line should be anchored in a path meant to cut. And, currently, the CURVED LINE tool is far too primitive to be of much use and it is VERY difficult to bring the ends together with other curved lines to form a real path.

GENERAL USER INTERFACE

One of the reasons why I would support trying to make our primary immediate goal that of stabilizing the product we've downloaded is that I am not all that confident that the language or foundation underneath the current product is robust enough to support a full set of 'PRO' features. I am using a computer with Windows 7, 64-bit and an i5 -750 processor with 6 GB of RAM. When I import a large SVG, it seems to choke more than one would think it should. So, it seems wise, to me, to maximize performance at this level of functionality before adding more. Even if C++ is used, there are two styles available to the programmers. The easiest is called "Managed Code" where the C++ run-time manages the use of memory. But, it may be that a truly blazing digital die cutter application requires compiling in an "Un-Managed Code" environment. Being able to observe the current product for a while will help determine if the underlying assumptions upon with the product is based are correct.

Foundations and assumptions should be based on the performance expected under the maximum specifications and functionality that can be reasonably predicted at full maturity of the product. So, the performance under the current feature load needs to assessed before moving forward. Otherwise,Craftwell could find itself in the same position down the road.

Let me give an example very near and dear to me. As some may know, I have a real interest in making 3D modeling much, much easier because I think that in the not-to-distant future we will have 3D printers in our homes and businesses. I published two blogs on two related products, Cosmic Blobs and CB Model Pro that had a marvelously simple user interface for creating 3D objects. But, unfortunately, Dessault was forced to abandon both because the underlying engine simply could not be expanded without slowing to a crawl. They started from ground zero, using what they'd learned from these two products and created 3DVIA, built on a new engine that COULD be expanded. They now have more than 500 million users!!!

So, as you can see, it is very, very important to get the basic engine right. If we can accept the current eCraftShop version for a while, to allow for complete stabilization and optimization, the development of the final eCraftShop Pro will have better legs on which to stand. Craftwell and the software developers will have time to evaluate the basic engine before proceeding.

It will also allow Craftwell to put a more comprehensive user input and beta testing structure into place before finalizing the eCraftShop Pro feature set for the final design specifications.

Frankly, if Craftwell or Digital Avenues thought the current feature set comprised a 'Pro' product then they really do need our input. I, for one, will not be satisfied with the moniker of 'Pro' until the feature set is BETTER and MORE ROBUST than any and all digital die cutter applications out there. And, that includes Make the Cut, Sure Cuts A Lot and Funtime 2010!

The marvelous eCraft hardware design deserves nothing less.

So, what am I saying... bottom line...

I'm asking the eCraft community to focus on what needs to be done to make the feature set of the product we've downloaded into a mature product distinct from eCraftShop Pro. The need to fix the SVG and cutting problems are a given. But, beyond those, what needs to be done to THIS feature set to make it USEFUL to you NOW. So, let's turn our attention on the LINE TOOL, the CURVED LINE tool and the other tools in the current product and suggest how these basic tools need to be improved until they meet your complete satisfaction.

Then, and only then. at least in my opinion, is Craftwell ready to move on to a true Pro product. Obviously, we need to hear what YOU think on this subject.

SVG Behavior - Size makes a difference

2010-09-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with files that people have sent me and it's been quite interesting to try to ferret out why the eCraft reacts so differently to seemingly similar paths. But, there are a couple of things I'd like to point out that I have found.

First, the best way to study the behavior of the eCraft with imported SVG is to change the output from CUT to Pen. Click on the shape and select the PEN radio button. The lines will turn red. However, you cannot rely on color alone to determine if a shape will cut or draw. If you copy and paste an image that was selected for PEN, the copy will show in red; but, it will revert to CUT. You must click on the object to see which radio button is selected for each object.

The pen allows you to observe the detail of the rendering WAY better than a cut permits. And, you can send the eCraft a file that could not actually be cut, such as the Penguin, by Ruthie Gedalovitch (UK) that you will see later.

But first, let's examine some drawings that were made to experiment with a file sent to me by Carolina Mejia of Tienda de Scrapbookin in Columbia, South America. In fact, she sent me three different SVG files and we'll examine the others later. But first left's look at Corazon.SVG that was created in CorelDraw and exported as an SVG. The first thing I do when testing a new SVG is to look at the XML style code inside the file. Here is what the CorelDraw SVG looked like.

As you can see, there are spaces between the letters. At first, I thought this was a CorelDraw issue. But, I believe it has to do with having been created on a machine having a CodePage for South America, But, it threw me at first. I then imported the SVG file, converted it to a PEN drawing rather than a cut and came up with this.

Kind of ragged, isn't it? But, this is a perfect example of why using the PEN is better than using the CUT when first testing an SVG shape in eCraftShop Pro. We can instantly see that this will not cut. And, because we were drawing rather than cutting we could use nice cheap printer paper for our tests!

Of course I wanted to see if the CorelDraw format was the problem. So, I imported the CorelDraw SVG into Inkscape and saved it in PLAIN format SVG. Here is the drawing that resulted from this test.

At first glance, that's quite an improvement. But, there are those pesky misalignments between the starting and the ending. And, there is some artifacting near the bottom. So, I wondered if I could make it smoother. So, I brought it back into Inkscape and examined the number of NODES that CorelDraw had used to form the heart. There were just four NODES and it looked like this.

So, I added some NODES to see if that helped at all. I hen saved this one in Inkscape's special format SVG that includes more information about the SVG than the PLAIN version.

Then I decided to use the three different SVG files together in various combinations to test them against each other. First there was the CorelDraw vs. Inkscape Plain. Whoaaa! What happened? The CorelDraw version seems cleaned up and the Inkscape version looks horrible!

This didn't make any sense, so I decided to compare the CorelDraw version against the new Inkscape version with the higher number of NODES.

Once again, I am shocked! Now the CorelDraw version appears to be PERFECT and while the Inkscape formatted SVG was better, it didn't match the CorelDraw shape. Now, I am REALLY confused. But, my motto is "When in doubt, do more!" So, I decided to put all three versions to the test.

The results were still puzzling until I realized that each of these looked like they were the same size. But, they were not. Each time I had manually resized each of them in eCraftShop Pro. So, each of them was a slightly different size. So, I tried one more test.

I removed the Inkscape versions an then copy and pasted the CorelDraw version two more times, changing the size each time. As you can see, the SIZE of an SVG shape makes a difference in how accurately it will be cut or drawn in the current version of eCraftShop Pro. This is why we saw a horrendous drawing when I first tried the CorelDraw version and then saw a perfectly clean rendering from that very same file in other tests.

So, if you are having problems with alignment or smooth path issues, try resizing the shape just slightly and see if it improves. Obviously, this will have to be fixed in future versions of the software; but, for now we might be successul with problem shapes simply by tweaking the size a bit.

Now, about Ruthie's Penquin. When I first attempted to render the penquin two of the paths in the SVG would fail and halt the process. In order to debud this file, I first moved all the PATHS around in Inkscape so that I could more easily see how each individual PATH printed.

It turned out that the offending PATHS were the Iris of his left eye and the white front piece. Looking at the code, it was impossible to see why it failed. The code looked perfectly OK and it rendered on the eCraftShop Pro virtual mat just fine. But, they hung up the machine. I replaced those two PATHS by copying one of the working eyes and resizing it. Once I'd found and fixed the bad PATHS, I recombined them.

Now, this would NOT be a valid layout to CUT as you see it below, But, it WAS useful to see how the eCraft and/or the eCraftSho Pro software thinks. Consider how the reconstituted and combined penguin was drawn.

The first thing to note is that there is a circle (GREEN ARROW) at the top of one eye that the eCraft seemingly created out of thin air. Rather than the deliberate stepping kind of cut, it zipped around smoothly to make that circle. The second thing to notice is that the eCraft or eCraftShop Pro does NOT always select individual PATHS to cut. It seems to combine the PATHS and then try to figure out how the COMBINED PATHS shoul be rendered. Notice the the area at the bottom of one eye is disconnected from both the body and the eye. (BLUE ARROW) And, in that same area, notice the little drop down just over the beak. The PATH of the 'White' part of a penquin seems to be connected and rendered with the eye as one drawing.

The feet and body overlap (RED ARROW) is handled in a VERY interesting way. When the foot was drawn, the pen created a little indentation or dip that corresponded with the body's PATH at the point. And, then, when the body was drawn, the pen went UP to follow along the top of the foot that overlapped the body. In other words, the foot wasn't rendered as the foot. And, the body wasn't rendered as the body along. Each of the lines that the pen drew contained elemonts of TWO different paths.

Obviously, this would NOT have cut well. But, it was a lot of fun trying to figure out how the eCraft handles PATHS. And, in particular, paths that intersect. I don't know how interesting this has been to you; but, I hope there was something helpful that you were able to glean from my curiosity.

By the way, I believe that the misalignment between the beginning and ending points that shows up in larger paths may be due to mathematical rounding errors in the software. It may be that the developers are not using enough decimal places in the conversion of the SVG paths to the rendering engine. The SVG files seem to prefer at least 5 decimal places. But, there is also the reality that rounding errors are common in application software.

SVG Import Examination

2010-09-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

There are two operations that must be completed successfully before the eCraftShop Pro software can be said to successfully deal with SVG files.

Australian Thomas Tweedie read about the research we were doing with cutting SVG files. All of them had been created in Inkscape. So, he sent me an SVG that was created in Adobe Illustrator. This was the starting point for the file we are going to be examining in this article.

I'm a programmer by profession, so I am as interested in the INSIDE of an SVG file as I am the shape it defines. After all, eCraftShop Pro can only recreate that shape by reading the code inside the SVG file we give it. The nice thing about this file is that while the shape is very conplex, the code within it is not. The entire shape is actually many small shapes and so the code consists of a series of small PATH definitions.

The code that is produced in applications like Inkscape and Illustrator is pretty ugly. They assume that no one is going to ever look at it. So, to use the file as a workable test file, I first organized the code into a form that was much more readable. The next step is to suck the code up and put each individual shape into a memo field of a database program so that I can use a checkbox to include that shape or exclude it on a newly written file. In this way, I hope to identify shapes that fail more easily so that I can compare the way the code is written between PATHS that work and PATHS that don't work. But, that comes later.

First we need to examine how well eCraftShop Pro imports a complex SVG. And, the best way to determine that is to compare the image that comes up on the eCraftShop Pro virtual mat with the image that Inkscape displays. So, here is our comparison.

Click on Image for full Size Comparison

In the above image, we have the inkscape image on the top and the eCraftShop Pro image on the bottom. The blue lines point out differences that may actually cause potential problems when the shape is cut. My conclusion from this is that work still needs to be done in the SVG Import functionality before we even get to the cutting functionality.

This may account for the fact that I am seeing a misalignment between the starting and finishing cut lines in SVGs that otherwise cut successfully.

The next step, of course is to step through adding each element to a computer generated SVG that writes out selected PATHS until we find one that causes eCraftShop Pro to fail to cut properly. We've already spotted some potential problem shapes, so it's natural to expect that we will find one. This process will also allow us to identify, for the eCraftShop Pro developers, those PATHS that did not import correctly. Each path has an ID number and we'll use that ID to communicate what we find to Craftwell.

I can tell you, from experience at Astrocade, the videogame manufacturer, that engaged users are invaluable to the software development and testing process. We had a very close relationship with several active user groups in Michigan and Illinois. And, though that has been almost 30 years ago, I still remember each one and how helpful they were to our company in debugging design and implementation issues with our games.

I'm hoping that Craftwell comes to realize that in a big way. And, quite frankly, I firmly believe that some of the recent issues we've seen with the software roll-out would have been uncovered and fixed long ago had they established an active OUTSIDE beta test program for the software as they did for the hardware. Rest assured that I am actively urging them to use some of you in this role in the future.

HELPFUL HINT - Use the PEN Rather Than the Blade to First Test Complex SVGs

When testing an SVG file it is helpful to first use the PEN instead of of the Blade. It is easier to follow the order in which the various PATHS are cut and you can use the same piece of paper over and over again as you work.

To do this simply select the entire shape that is imported into eCraftShop Pro and select the PEN RADIO BUTTON. The shape will turn a different color.

Going Forward with the Software

2010-09-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

My personal opinion about the software is that the basic design we see in the product before us is not up to the level of bearing the 'Pro' label. Not even close.

But, that is OK.

Those of us that have the current product will ultimately end up having a real Pro product. And, the current product, that we now have, will end up being quite useful in a very short period of time. Once it's cleaned up, it would be great 'Lite' product to be included in the box as long as they fix and keep the ability to bring in SVGs. I can be content with using a 'Lite" version until the real Pro product becomes a reality.

But, to become a true "Pro" product, a lot more functionality will have to be envisioned and implemented. It's hard to tell from this product whether a real "Pro" vision exists. And, that is where we, the owners of eCraft cutters come in. We have a lot of work to do if we are to ensure that there is a vision for a true Pro product that beats anything else out there, including Make the Cut, Sure Cuts Alot and Funtime. And, it is not work simply for Craftwell's benefit. It is work for OUR benefit.

Yes, communicating our needs and encouraging Craftwell to expand its vision for the software to support the eCraft WILL help Craftwell's bottom line. But, in the long run it will help US produce the kinds of products and projects that we have envisioned for ourselves as eCraft users.

The first step is to find and communicate the bugs in this product as it has been designed. There are many. But, bugs can be exterminated one-by-one and they will be. The order in which they are attacked is important and that is why we must find a way to communicate the order we hope the fixes will be done as well as what the bugs are. And, this requires some organization that isn't all that easy to accomplish without a dedicated web site. I'm hoping that Craftwell will eventually set up a system for bug reports that includes some sort of triage methodology that brings the developers of the software closer to the people for whom they are writing the software. More on this later in this post.

Among the many things I've done in my life, is that I was in the TV news business, with White House correspondent Forrest Boyd, out of the National Press Club Building in Washington, DC prior to getting into the video game and computer fields. So, I naturally have a nosey streak. It's interesting what you can find if you snoop around. :)

For instance, if you look in the CraftShop.exe.config file in the directory where eCraftShop.exe is installed you will find this line.

endpoint address="http://stage.digitalavenues.com/craftshopweb/CraftShopService.asmx"

This reveals the name of the company that is responsible for developing eCraftShop Pro for Craftwell. This company is in India. As you can see, their web site is http://www.digitalavenues.com and it is well worth exploring. It appears to be a company with a successful track record. But, they also seem to be quite large and quite broad in the service they provide. That is a two-edge sword. On the one hand, this made Digital Avenues a good choice for Craftwell because they clearly have the expertise to deliver quality software. On the other, it hints that there could be too many layers between the end user and the developers. And, that is never good.

You see, while eCraft is paying the development bill, we, ultimately, provide the income that covers those costs. And, while nominally eCraft is setting the standards and the specifications, we, ultimately are the final arbiters of whether those standards and specifications are attractive enough to convince us to buy. So, like it or not, the REAL customers of Digital Avenues is us. And, if that is not recognized very early by both Craftwell and Digital Avenues it will end up hurting the end product and it's respect in the marketplace.

The reason why we read about failure after failure of huge government development initiatives is that the honchos of Oracle and other monstrous IT companies talk the to the honchos at the IRS and other government agencies. The honchos are interested in reports and management tools. The end user is only interested in how easy it is to use and whether it makes his job easier. These different goals are generally at odds with each other and the systems go unused, crushed under their own weight.

The ONLY way to ensure that software is successful is to make the layers between user and developer as flat as possible. This is why, for instance, that beta testers from OUTSIDE the company's infrastructure are so important. Even a company as large as Microsoft recognizes this.

The great news is that no matter what the structure between Craftwell and Digital Avenue, we CAN have an active and vibrant role in the development of eCraftShop Pro by simply making our critiques and requests available in the open forum of the web. Critiques should be constructive and requests should be clear and communicate WHY a certain feature is desired. Sooner or later the lowliest developer will stumble across what we have to say and it is THAT person that really has the grunt and grind role of bringing us any and all features.

So, I would like to help make sure that there is the potential for peer-to-peer communication at every level of software design and development for products that support the eCraft. The best way for us to report bugs, until Craftwell sets up a formal system, is to gather the information in a way that it can be posted on the internet. And, the best way to do that is to set up email addresses that are based on the various functional areas in the software itself. If I set these up using the createandcut.com URL the Examples would be:

TextTools@createandcut(dot com) (Text and Keyboard Tools)
LineTools@createandcut(dot com) (Line and Curved Line Tools)
ModTools@createandcut(dot com) (Eraser, Flip, Kerning Tools)

ShapeTools@createandcut(dot com) (Shapes and Library Tools)
SVG@createandcut(dot com) (SVG Issues)
Rendering@createandcut(dot com) (Cutting and Drawing)
Performance@createandcut(dot com) (General Performance Issues)
Interface@createandcut(dot com) (General Interface Issues)

Having separate email areas allows us to set up individual passwords so that a volunteer can be assigned the task of collecting a particular area's submissions so that the weight is distributed among owners. It's just an idea for now. So, I need to know what YOU think of it. The submissions would be placed in either a single post or multiple functional posts that would continually be updated for the Craftwell and Digital Avenues staff should they want to see what you are saying directly.

So, let me know what you think.

SVG Mystery Breakthrough - Use PATHS not OBJECTS

2010-09-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

It was an international effort; but, I believe we have found a work-around that allows you to import and cut SVG files as long as you have the free Inkscape or other program capable of editing SVG files.

First I want to thank the people that provided the input that resulted in finding this temporary solution. Each of these people contributed shapes, testing and/or ideas that resulted in this discovery. As I said, it truly was an international effort!

Ruthie Gedalovitch - UK
Denise O'Connor - USA
Tina Mac Queen-Ladoucuer - Canada
Thomas Tweedie - Australia

Denise, I believe, was the first person that was able to get an SVG file to cut, so this let us know that it could be done. But, the rest of us were having no such luck. Ruthie then followed up with a Flower that she was able to cut correctly. So, that encouraged us to dig deeper. Thomas Tweedie still doesn't have his eCraft as yet. But, what he DOES have is a great analytical mind and Adobe Illustrator, so he was able to create a test file that contributed to the effort and to dig deep inside my files to provide some insight.

But, Tina provided the file that broke this thing wide open. I had a very simple file with very few commands that threw the eCraft each and every time I ran it. But, Tina's file was big and complex. Yet, it cut perfectly. This led me to explore the underlying differences and what I discovered was that my file made use of an OBJECT to create the circle and Tina's file made use of a PATH to define her scalloped circle.

So, this prompted me to convert my Circle OBJECT into a PATH using Inkscape and importing the modified file into eCraftShop Pro. And, BINGO! Success! Subsequent tests of building SVG files shows that SOME objects, like a box will work; but, other objects, like the circle will not work. But, all PATHS, so far, seem to work.

Here is the SVG text for the file that does NOT work. Notice that there is no section called 'path'. Instead, the circle is defined as an object with an X and Y location and radius.

Now, here is a view of the same basic file where the circle OBJECT was turned into a PATH. Notice that the circle now has a beginning and end with NODES defined along the path to define its shape.

Click Image to see full size

While you can see that Inkscape made a very compact file into a very verbose file, that is not where the reasl differences lie. The code at the very bottom of the example is the real meat of the find. Notice that you can no longer find a Circle Object in this code. Instead, at the very bottom, you find a PATH with a series of NODES that defines points along the path that draw the same circle we had before.

Apparently, eCraftShop Pro is able to decypher the circle as long as it's a path. But, has trouble if the source SVG code defines the circle as an object. So, our workaround, until Craftwell can deliver a patch that fixes this issue, is that if we try to import an SVG and it fails, we can bring that file into Inkscape and covert any offending objects into Paths and try it again.

If you do not have Inkscape, I would be happy to temporarily try to convert offending SVG files while we wait for a fix from Craftwell. Just email them to me; tmeeks(at)createandcut.com

We may find other reasons why an SVG file might not cut correctly. But, at least we've identified one cause. I hope this is helpful to you and I'm certainly hopeful that it is consistent as my limited tests have been.

An SVG I Have Yet to Get to Fail

2010-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

TinaScrapbooking, from the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo group has uploaded an SVG to the files section for the group that I have tested and have yet to get it to fail. It looks like this when imported into eCraftShop Pro.

The file itself is quite complex. And, that this is puzzling thing. The Inkscape version was 0.46 and that may be a factor. But, no matter what I tried... multiples...

And, even resizing and warping! I could not get her SVG file to fail.

One thing is clear when you start digging in the SVG file format. For a "standard", there sure seem to be a lot of variations exhibited from file to file!

At any rate, thank you, Tina for finding or creating a file that consistently works. This, along with a file that consistently does NOT work, should help the developers a LOT!

Again, this file can be found in the Files Section of the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group. It's called Scallop Circle.SVG

A Consistent SVG Test File and .CRW

2010-09-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

The best way to test software is to minimize it down to the barest essentials to remove the number of variables.

An SVG file is very much like the HTML that draws this page in your browser. It's just a special form of XML code. Here is a screen capture of a very simple SVG file that creates a circle and a triangle.

As you can see, it is a very small bit of code. It says, make a circle with a radius of 60. The X and Y locations aren't important since we will be moving the file inside the virtual mat area. And, it also says make a triangle by creating 3 lines connecting from point to point. The last points, apparently, are understood to go back to the starting set of points to close the path.

You cannot get an SVG file much simpler than this. So, it should make for an excellent file for testing importing and cutting SVG images. You can even use a text editor to create the file by simply typing what you see above. Unfortunately, the blog software tries to run the code if I give you the text itself. So, I had to display it as an image.

Here is how Inkscape sees this file.

And, here is how it is seen in eCraftShop Prom which is exactly as it should see it.

So, from a simple visual perspective, it appears that there is no problem IMPORTING a simple SVG. So, let's take it to the next step to get a consistent behavior from my eCraft. In a perfect world all of our machines would behave the same with the following setup. But, we're not in a perfect world and that is why we need to try this in many machines. Here is the layout.

I imported the SVG file and then did a copy and paste to get three identical shapes in a row. Then I cut it with this result.

As you can see, I can repeat the attempt to print over and over and I will always get the same result. It doesn't matter if I turn off the eCraft and back on so that it is the first thing cut or if I leave the eCraft on between cuts. It's always consistent.

Now, the real test is to see if your results are the same as mine. I'm going to put both the SVG and the .CRW files up on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo group File Upload Section so that you can download the SVG report back on how your system behaves.

The SVG file is called MinimalSVG.SVG and the eCraft project with three sets of the SVG is called MinimalSVG.CRW.

It will be interesting to see how various systems behave with this bare minimum SVG file.

UPDATE #1: Thomas Tweedie's Adobe Illustrator (CS5) File.

Australian Thomas Tweedie sent me a file, using the same shapes, that was created in Adobe Illustrator. Testing his file, the eCraft reacted COMPLETELY differently, yet THE SAME. With Thomas' file, the eCraft began the cut with the circle's rather than the triangles (the different) and failed consistently exactly 50% into the first circle (The Same). Thank you Thomas! I'll be working with him to try to see how my original file that has been imported and saved in Adobe Illustrator behaves. What is important for now is that in both cases the failure occurs at 50% of the first circle... a place where one would expect a tab or, possibly, a node in the path.

A personal note. I am really impressed by the observations and help that I've received from Australian's interested in the eCraft! And, they don't even have machine's as yet!! Can you imagine how much help they are going to be to all of us when they actually GET a machine??? Hurry and ship to Australia, Craftwell!

UPDATE #2: Paths vs. Objects in the SVG Behave Differently

Turning to using a simple SVG file has turned out to be a useful strategy. For instance, I brought the SVG into Inkscape and converted the circle OBJECT into a PATH. (The Scallop was a PATH.) And, it cut the entire circle. However, it continued beyond 360 degrees and then stuttered. At least there was an identifiable change in behavior. And, that is what we are looking for as we experiment. I'll continue to modify and experiment with the file to see if I can get it to stop at 360 degrees and not reach the stuttering point.

If you have a cut that is failing and you have Inkscape, try seeing if converting the OBJECT to a PATH is any more successful.

Taking Stock in What We Know

2010-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past 40+ years I have been involved with many, many situations where, for want of a better description, chaos reigns. That has been true of projects with small companies and with large ones, like Microsoft. It is inevitable in the computer industry.

It is never any fun to be in a chaotic situation where uncertainty reigns. And, from reading just about every message about the eCraft on the Yahoo group and Craftwell's Facebook page, it's clear that this is true in the situation in which eCraft owners find themselves. So, for what it's worth I would like to suggest something that has never failed me in W-A-Y worse situations than this one. (I once felt it necessary to return more than $30,000 to a client because the software I had tried to use was so bad that I felt I could not complete the project.)

In the rural area I grew up in, the method I use is generally called "Taking Stock". We step back and rather than looking at what we DON'T know, we focus on listing what we DO know. And, then try to use that to apply to the things that we don't know.

So, what do we know?

First, we know that the standalone eCraft is able to cut the shapes on an inserted SD card without stuttering. That tells us the the cutting engine, the firmware inside the machine dedicated to perfoming cutting operations is basically working. Yes, we've seen evidence that squares are not square. But, they ARE at least rectangles and not random jittering lines. So, our first known is this:

KNOWN #1: The basic cutting engine inside the eCraft is working correctly.

We also know that the basic design of the hardware is excellent. While we've had to learn the settings and when to use the blade cover or not, most of us, with a little experience under our belts, can cut most materials including heavy card stock, light papers, cloth and model airplane plywood. While we haven't had the luxury of seeing how it performs over several years, it certainly seems tough enough to take some erious punishment. So, our second known is this:

KNOWN #2: The eCraft hardware design is excellent and the build is rugged.

Beyond the machine, we know some things about the company. We know that the harware beta testers have said that the company has been very responsive when it came to hardware changes and that the machine we now have is a vast improvment over the machine they were first give to test. So, to me that is something that we should not and cannot forget when it comes to the current software situation.

KNOWN #3: Craftwell has proven responsive in the past

We now know a bit more about the structure of the organization behind the eCraft. We can visualize this structure as three arms... manufacturing, software and marketing (with support).

KNOWN #4: The Structure behind Craftwell has three arms

The parent company of Craftwell is Asian based and it is a large manufacturing company with what we Americans call "deep pockets". We have been told, and I believe it to be true that they have many years of experience in electronics manufacturing and that they have a large staff of engineers. Since I don't know any more than this about the company, I am going to limit my 'known' factor to one thing.

KNOWN #5: The Manufacturing Arm of eCraft is large and experienced.

The software company is revealed by eCraftShop Pro, itself. As I write this, I do not have the software available. So, I will have to modify this blog entry when I return home from traveling. But, it is an India based company that specializes in writing software for startup ventures. It appears to be a large organization and India has become a center of software development because of their combination of high education and lower wages. You would be very surprised to learn how many large U.S. Game companies rely on programmers and designers from India and China. My only concern about long distance programming is that direct contact is lost and this, I feel, is what happened with eCraftShop Pro. What appears to be a software problem is really a communication and software management problem. Given the size of the campany behind the software and the location where brilliant programmers are readily available, I think once the communication and project management issues are fixed, we will be quite pleased with the end result. But, for now, it is nothing less than disastrous for Craftwell. So, our knowns for this paragraph are three-fold:

KNOWN #6: The software arm of the Craftwell Organization is large

KNOWN #7: Because it was large, Craftwell might not have paid enough attention to managing the software development more directly

KNOWN #8: Fixing the communication and project Management problems will fix the software problems

A lot of people are surprised to hear me call Craftwell a start-up company. After all, the parent company is enormous and has many years of experience in the electronics field. Start-up companies are generally seen as little mom and pop operations working with a shoe string budget. So, how can I call Craftwell, that oblviously is NOT in that category a start-up.

Well, it's because I have been involved in many such start-ups over the years. IBM had been in the mainframe computer business for many, many years when it formed a team to market the PC Junior. The PC Junior team was a start-up within the umbrella organization. Moreoever, the thrust of the marketing of the PC Junior was completely outside the long experience of IBM. IBM knew corporate marketing. They were clueless about consumer marketing and that is why I was brought in by the PC Junior team to explain to their parent organization why their strategy was destined to fail if they did not change quickly. I still have the paper I presented, to no avail, and the PC Junior not only failed; but, failed miserably. What was the missing element in IBM's strategy? Emotion. IBM had opted for practicality and completely missed the emotional aspects of why people felt the strong need to "learn computers" at the time.

But, that is not my only example. Hasbro is the largest toy maker in the world. But, with Nolan Bushnell of Atari fame, they created a little startup video game company called ISIX in the 1980's that had to stand on its own to succeed. Time-Life Software was a startup within the giant Time-Life organization. Astrocade, sold the video game system developed and owned by the Bally empire. Cosmic Blobs was a small startup tean within the giant Dessault orgranization.

I worked with all of these projects that were effectly startups within much larger organizations. One of the things that made them a startup was that they were moving the company into a market into which they had never gone before. So, even though all of these large companies had years of experience, they did NOT have experience in the field in which the startup team was going to be taking them.

And, that is where the Craftwell offices in the U.S. come in. They are the startup team taking their parent company into the new market of digital die cutters and crafting. And, it is obvious that this startup team was more focused on getting the hardware right than on getting the software right. In fact, I believe that they were (and are) a bit naive about the level of sophistication that will be required by the software to satisfy this marketplace.

But, I also think that they will NOT make that mistake in the future. So, my knowns for these last paragraphs are:

KNOWn #9: The Craftwell team can be considered a startup

KNOWN #10: Start-ups by the very nature of moving in new directions, lack some of the operational experience they need.

KNOWN #11: Those gaps in expertise can be filled quickly.

The infrastructure is there. All the elements for total success are there when we take stock of what we know. Naivete is not surprising in a startup team since there are so many unknowns to the team. They are charting new waters. But, those gaps that resulted in the software we see can be easily corrected by better communication and stronger project management. This is a wake-up call and I think the Craftwell management knows this and is now VERY wide awake!

You wait and see. The end result of this current chaos is going to result in a stronger and more dominant product in the future. I LOVE working with people that have experienced some failure. They are the truly wise ones. Nobody knows better then they, what to watch out for in the future.

If you have already purchased an eCraft and are concerned, I think you'd be wiser to keep it than to return it. My experience says this a GOOD thing (although it looks TERRIBLE now) for all of us in the very near future.

Stuttering When Trying to Cut SVG Files.

2010-09-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more critical to us now then being able to import and cut SVG files. In my TRIAGE list it is right at the top.

Hopefully, the behavior that many, if not all, of us are experiencing when trying to cut a shape that was imported as an SVG can be fixed very, very quickly.

Here is a video that demonstrates the problem.

My operating system is a Windows 7 - Ultimate (64-bit) and you can see the driver that I'm using in this article.

If you are having similar problems with a different operating system, or NO problems with cutting SVG imports, PLEASE let us and the software designers know by posting a comment. THANKS!

NOTE: I have NOT seen this behavior with eCraftshop's internal shapes. So far. I THINK it's limited to SVG files. I'm importing SVGs from Inkscape both in Inkscape and Regular formats.

You don't see me panicking and I bought TWO!!!

2010-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

I know that everything that could go wrong has gone wrong when it comes to the debut of eCraftShop Pro. You've had problems getting it loaded. I've had problems getting it loaded. It's been tough.

And, on top of that the electricity and phones went out in the area in which the Craftwell offices are located and everyone is having to work from home. It's got to be a nightmare for them.

Then there is the software, itself, once it is loaded. I saw a rave review on Craftwell's facebook page touting how wonderful it is. And, I could not help but wonder what universe he is living in! I am NOT going to rave about how good the software is. That's because it is not.

BUT!!!

And, I mean this sincerely...

The eCraft is a better machine than my Gazelle in all the ways that are important to me. And, the Gazelle is among the best of the best. If you panic it is you that will lose in the long run, as all these startup glitches get put behind us.

Many, many years ago, I was in charge of a Washington Area telethon called the "Johnny Cash Youth Special" that we expected to bring in millions of dollars. But, just as the telethon went on the air, a popular local call-in program also went live on the radio. Unfortunately, we were on the very same 'choke' network. This network is designed to protect the entire phone system in a surge of calls by blocking calls on purpose. Our phones went dead as a doornail. And, we barely cleared expenses. We were devastated.

The Baltimore chapter of the organization was not on a 'choke' network. They DID make millons and they were estatic. At that time, neither organization could ever have guessed what the final outcome would REALLY be in a very short time.

A year later the Baltimore organization was almost broke having lost all their old support base because that base thought they were no longer needed. But, we still maintained our old support base because they knew they were needed. In the end, we came out AHEAD and the Baltimore chapter all but collapsed.

In a time of crises, chaos or just plain uncertainty it's easy to lose perspective. Don't let that happen here. The eCraft is, at it's CORE a superior machine. The fringes might be a bit rough right now. But, from all the testing I have done, I have to believe that the CORE is rock solid.

But, what of the Software?

Being honest, I have to say it's a huge disappointment. But, in my 30+ years of being a software designer, I've delivered big disappointments before. Yet, once we and the client saw what we'd delivered and how our original vision had fallen short of their actual needs, we were both able to more clearly communicate what they wanted and what we could deliver. SOFTWARE IS EASILY AND QUICKLY CHANGED!\

Once you know what you DON'T want, you have a better idea of what you DO want.

So, rather than bash anything and everything about the eCraftShop Pro, which I could easily do, I would rather work with my fellow eCraft owners to TRIAGE the software and communicate our priorities and our expectations back through the Craftwell channels to the developers.

PRIORITY #1: SVG IMPORTING AND CUTTING

For me, the number one priority is to get the SVG importing and cutting fixed... and fixed fast. With that working we have the safety valve of being able to use any number of products to create our own designs. Everything else is a distant also ran.

And, if that doesn't get fixed, then it's time to go in another direction.

Finally, I started out by pointing out that I have purchased two of these machines... and, remember, I am not even a crafter. I am helping my artist daughter do her art. And, along the way hoping to help you who can do such beautiful work to do YOUR art.

I could easily return them. But, I won't. I'm looking to where this can go, not where it is right now. And, I remain convinced that those of us that muscle through these uh... interesting... times. Will be VERY glad that we did.

TRIAGE... not TRASH... is the road I'm going to take.

I'll do it with my eyes wide open and my reality glasses on. I'm as sad as you are that we weren't delivered a much more mature product. But, we do have to remember we are dealing with not only an infant product; but, an infant company. It takes guts for a start-up to invest the kind of money they've invested in the hardware. So, I am willing to believe that after this wake-up call they are going to be willing to invest the same energy and money in the software.

Let's help them do it. You know what you want and you know what you need. This is your chance to mold a product to fit both of those criteria.

Maybe this blog is a good place to communicate your own priority or priorities. I allow comments as long as they are not totally outrageous or filthy. As you look at eCraftShop Pro, right now, what is YOUR number 1 priority? The great thing about the internet that people all over the world can work together to build a better tool for themselves. And, it's easy for those who are responsible for making the changes to see what you have to say.

I usually respond to comments. But, in this case I will not, letting you have a conversation among yourselves to build our community TRIAGE list.

eCraft Driver on a Windows7 (64-bit) Computer

2010-09-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Everything that I test will either be on a Windows7 - Ultimate (64-bit) or an XP Professional machine. I can't guarantee that the drivers loaded onto my machine for the COM port are the correct drivers. But, they are the drivers that Microsoft Windows 7 THOUGHT were the right drivers and they at least allow me to cut. When I first loaded the software the driver, for whatever reason, failed to install correctly.

The name of the driver on my machine is Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (COM3)

The settings are the defaults.

When we click the Advanced Button, we get some more information about the driver settings. Again, these are the default settings.

The third tab in this dialog box reveals the date of the driver, which in my case is 7/21/2010.

But, selecting the driver details reveals the most useful information for those whose drivers have failed to load correctly. If gives us the files and the locations of those files. If your is failing, you might want to check for these files.

This tab isn't all that interesting. But in the interest of showing all the tabs, it's included.

And, the same is true of the last tab. It may be that you might want to uncheck the auto power off. But, only if you suspect it's giving you problems.

HOW MINE FINALLY LOADED

I could not cut when I first installed the software. I knew not to connect the cutter before installing it. So, that wasn't the issue. And, I tried, several times, to unplug and plug in the USB cable without success.

So, I went to the System Device Manager and found that the device driver WAS loaded. But, at the time it was 'not working correctly' for whatever reason. It will be found under "Ports (COM & LPT)

I made sure the eCraftShop pro was closed and the eCraft was turned off. Then I deleted the entry. I cannot remember if I rebooted or not. But, once its was deleted I attached the USB cable and turned on the eCraft. At that point, Windows 7 went searching for the driver for the eCraft and installed it correctly.

Now, I THINK this is the correct driver. But, I have not seen any other machines and Windows could have found a close match. I am having some problems cutting SVG files. And, it's possible that it's a driver issue.

I'm a software developer. I don't claim to be a hardware guru. So, take this post with that in mind. It's at lease worth a try for you.

Important Message From Craftwell to eCraft Owners

2010-09-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

I picked this up from the eCraft_Crafter's Yahoo Goup. Sara and Paul are straight shooters in a tough situation. It was going to be tough enough to launch a new software product. But, adding the complexity of drivers for various flavors of Windows and then to lose power just puts that task right over the top. So, I'm certainly willing to give them some slack.

Hi All,

First, I want to thank everyone who has purchased an eCraft. We really appreciate your business and are working hard to provide the best customer service possible.

For a reason I am not aware of (the hurricane hasn't even hit yet and our weather is beautiful) our NY office lost phone and internet connection for 3 hours yesterday afternoon, and power is completely out today. Our entire staff is working from home and no one is at their desks to take support calls. As you can image, A LOT of emails have been coming in with questions and concerns, and please understand that we are doing our best to respond to everyone in a timely matter.

We are in the process of training an entire staff of customer service reps, but until that transition takes place, there are VERY FEW employees who are responding to your inquiries, so it might take more than the 1 or 2 hour turnaround time everyone is used to with us. I apologize for the inconvenience and your patience is GREATLY appreciated.

A side note: As with any new technology company, our first launch of the software is not perfect (as you are all aware), and there will be numerous updates and upgrades along the way before we get to a version that (almost) everyone is happy with. We are aware of the issues that have been pointed out by the first users, and our development team is working as we speak to fix these known issues. We hope everyone can be patient and optimistic during these next few weeks as we work hard to deliver an exceptional product.

Thank you for understanding.

Best,

Sara Wilenkin
Marketing Coordinator
Craftwell

Software Introduction at Purple Paper Paradise

2010-09-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

The software arrived at a tough time for me. For the past year, we have been dealing with defending my wife's elderly parents from a sibling that seems not to be content to wait for an inheritance to get her hands on their assets. Hopefully, we are nearing the end of this ordeal. But, we have 3 hearings from today until Tuesday. And, that is enormously time consuming and mentally exhausting.

Fortunately, others are doing a great job of analyzing the new software and creating videos for you to see.

So, hop over the Purple Paper Paradise and watch the videos.

I will try to put some together over the weekend. A Denise has found, this software is a start. But, it has a long way to go before we can praise it without reservations. So, we will follow two tracks. The first track is to help you use what IS there. And, the second track we will use to try to help Craftwell come up with an orderly list of developmental priorities so that the most critical broken or missing items get the highest priority.

There is one thing, in particular, that I would like to find out from those of you that have the software and try to import SVG files. The behavior I am going to describe is intermittent. But, I think it may be a driver problem. Sometimes when I attempt to import a simple SVG created in Inkscape, the cutter starts on the shape and then slows to a miniscule crawl, never completing the cut. At other times, with other shapes, it cuts just fine. I'd appreciate hearing from you about your own experiences in this regard.

There Aren't Many Times When I'm Speechless

2010-09-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

But, this is one of them.

Through more trials then one should have to go through to load a new piece of software I have eCraftShop Pro up and running.

I said, well before the release, that we were going to have to be patient with this first version. And, that was accurate. I have many observations. But, I don't want to make them immediately after the frustrations of trying to get the software up and running.

So, I will refrain for now, providing any critique of the program itself.

But, I will make some suggestions for Craftwell and for those of you that have not, as yet, downloaded the program.

.RAR File Format

Advice to Craftwell: PLEASE replace the .RAR file with the more common .ZIP file format. It will save you countless support calls. Since XP, the Windows platform KNOWS about ZIP files natively. It does not have a clue what a .RAR file is. Save the .RAR file format for the Mac version.

Advice to Owners: Find WinRAR and install it BEFORE you try to download eCraftShop Pro. It will save you a ton of grief.

Drivers

Advice to Owners: Do NOT start eCraftShop Pro before plugging in your eCraft machine and turning it on. Windows7 (64-bit) owners may find that they have to 'fix' the drivers. Follow Windows advice and let it find and install the latest drivers.

If you go into eCraftShop Pro and it will not cut, then the COM port is not configured correctly.

Installation on 2 Machines

Notice to Craftwell: I was having trouble, at first, getting the device driver to install correctly on a Win7 (64-bit) machine. So, knowing that my license allowed for 2 installs, I tried to load it on an XP machine. When I tried to use the same Key I'd received it told me that it had been used. OK, I'll go get a second activation. OOOPS! No I won't! It told me that I'd already gotten an activation key.

So, the second install was impossible.

Fortunately, I was finally able to get the drivers on the Win7 machine to load.

The software is up and running and I made a single cut before coming up here to alert everyone to the pitfalls I found while installing.

Everything else will have to wait until tomorrow when I have some more time to reflect on priorities in the review process.

The eCraftShop Pro User Manual is now online

2010-09-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

The manual for eCraftShop Pro can now be downloaded from Craftwell's web site.

Or, you can simply click on this LINK TO THE ECRAFTSHOP PRO MANUAL

We're getting closer!!!

This is going to be good news for those that have not purchased an eCraft as yet. Now, you can explore the features of eCraftShop Pro via the user manual itself.

From the looks of it, the software is very, very basic. From the manual it is impossible to see how intricately one can manipulate a path. Hopefully, this is simply an overview of the control structures. I'm certain it is not meant to be a comprehensive 'hot to' document.

eCraftShop Pro Email will be sent around noon September 1

2010-09-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

It was just posted on eCraft's Facebook Page that the emails with instructions as to how to download and install the software would go out around noon today. I assume they mean Eastern Time, since they are located in New York.

This means any review from here will have to wait until this evening.

You may want to check in on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo group during the day to see if anyone posts something earlier. Kim Bush, of Cutter's Creek, has created a VERY active eCraft group and the members include some very astute reviewers. You can bet that that's where I'll be checking all day.

Deleting a Shape through the Console Interface.

2010-08-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

In the short time that we've had our eCraft machines we've been able to cover a LOT of topics. All of these articles, up to now, have been limited to things we can do through the console of the machine.

In one more day, we will be able to turn our attention to the eCraftShop Pro software. But, I don't want to go there without covering one more very important console topic. And, that is the subject of DELETING a shape.

Most of the actions that we do from the console are pretty straightforward and relatively intuitive. But, if there is a function that defies all logic, it is that of deleting an unwanted shape from the cutting queue. It sounds simple enough, "Set Multicut to Zero." Yep! That'll do it alright! IF you can find out how to make it go to zero!!!

Here is a video that demonstrates this er... unique... and uh... original process.

Easy, eh?

But, you have to ask yourself this question, "Why can't I select a multicut of zero ANY TIME?"

Beats me? But, hey... like I said... we didn't design it, we just have to find a way to use it. And, we did. And, it works. Isn't that what really counts?

Now... on to a new month with our eCrafts and on to the software!

American Crafts Gold Glitter - Blade Cover Effects

2010-08-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

A potential eCraft buyer and her dealer had tried American Crafts Glitter paper with no success. As luck would have it, I happened to have a sheet to test.

As I pulled out the sheet it was immediately apparent that at some point I'd tried to cut the infamous 3" tree in it and had not been able to cut clear through the material. But, it was probably when I had taken the machine up to my granddaughters and I KNEW we had gotten glitter to cut. So, this find was puzzling.

Then it dawned on me. The actual pressure of the blade seems to be dependent on whether or not the blade cover is on. I've cut enough now to bet that I'd first tried cutting the paper with the blade cover on. So, this time I would run a little test.

I would first try a cut with the blade cover in place and see what happened. If it failed to cut this heavy paper in one pass with the blade cover on, I would attempt a new cut after taking the blade cover off.

Here is the result:

As you can see, the blade cover DOES seem to affect the ACTUAL PRESSURE of the blade on the material. That's puzzling, I know, since the cover had a hole in it that should have no effect on the blade. But, for some reason it does.

So, if you are having problems getting a cut at the highest Pressure Level (8) then try again with the blade cover removed.

Here are two hearts cut with the blade cap off. Pressure 8, Multicut 1, Size 3, No tabs.

Click for larger images

As you can see, these are nice clean cuts. But, the person that alerted me to the issue of not being able to cut the AC Glitter also sent me some photos that demonstrated very clearly that they did have real problems with the blade cover on even with multicut set to high numbers. There is always the possibility that the differences we see have to do with different machines. But, I didn't even try to test how many passes it would take to cut this with the blade cap on. I suspect mine would have looked exactly like hers had I not immediately removed the blade cap. Perhaps she can test it without the cap and let us know how the machine she was testing performs.

SVGCUTS.COM - The premiere source for SVG Files.

2010-08-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Note: Every now an then, I'd like to highlight some of the people that might be important to your success and fun with your digital die cutting machine. This is the first, of this genre. I hope you not only find it helpful; but, you find it helpful for a long time to come.

This is the story of a very special web site and two very special people that make it happen. For eCraft owners, I think SVGCuts.com is going to be an important source of information and SVG images to use with eCraftShop Pro.

Not all of us would see a stressful job with squabbling officemates or losing a great job at a major corporation as opportunities. But, that is exactly how SVGCUTS.COM was born.

In early 2008, Mary (the main artist for SVGCuts) was working as a project manager for a software company in Schaumburg, IL and she was getting fed up with her job. She found her job to be super stressful and all of the office squabbling was wearing her down. She ALWAYS wanted to have a store where she sold cute things, she just wasn't sure what or how!

At that time, Leo (the technical director at SVGCuts) was working as a network administrator for Chrysler's corporate office in Chicago. Counting on the stability of his position, Leo and Mary agreed she should quit her job and follow her dream. The first step toward that dream was to spend the next 8+ months learning Adobe Illustrator and testing out different creative ideas to see if she could generate income on Etsy and by creating stock illustrations for her istock.com portfolio.

In September of 2008, Leo was laid off due to the financial crises at Chrysler. Rather than panic, Leo turned his attention to doing what he really had wanted to do, shoot stock photography and market it through istock.com. At the same time he began to seriously study internet marketing. But, they still didn't have the direction they needed for them to truly thrive on the internet.

That's where Leo's mom came into the picture by giving Mary a Cricut for Christmas. Soon after, they found “Sure Cuts A Lot”, which allowed Mary to create and cut her own shapes with her Cricut and sell her own line of cards and scrapbook pages on Etsy. Mary was hooked!.

Mary spent about a month coming up with cute cards featuring her custom made die cut designs to sell on Etsy. People responded well to her products and one night she had an epiphany and thought "Duh, why don't I just sell my digital designs to people that have SVG compatible cutting machines!"

They realized that they had something here, but if this was going to work, they'd have to streamline the process so that she could spend time creating and not answering emails and sending files all day long. So, SVGCuts was born.

Both Mary and Leo are perfectionists and I've witnessed the fact that they just keep getting better and better at what they offer and what they do. In just under 18 months, SVGCuts has received over 10 million pageviews from crafters in more then 150 different countries! Mary's designs are marvelous and I love talking photography with Leo on their forums. In fact, it was the generous photographic help on their forums that first caught my eye. I could tell he not only knew his stuff with a camera; but, that he was very generous in sharing what he knew.

They continue to grow, adding their first design team member, Thienly Azim and Mary is filtering through hundreds of portfolios in search of new artists for their store! I REALLY like what I see at SVGCuts.com from top to bottom.

Check them out. Http://www.svgcuts.com And, be sure to check out their forums. I hope to test some of Mary's SVG designs on the eCraft as soon as the software is ready. And, I KNOW that I'm going to be linking to their site a LOT as we began using both Inkscape and eCraftShop Pro with our eCrafts.

Great people! Great site!

White Linen Weave - Medium Light Weight

2010-08-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

This paper is made in Germany for The Paper Company. It's a luxurious linen finish with a pearl like quality. It can be purchased through Joanne's. it's called White Linen Weave.

The Settings:

Method = Thin paper over a card stock stabilizer
Tab Density = 1
Tab Width = 1
Pressure = 6
Single Cut

I first tried this paper alone, without a stabilizer and it failed to cut properly. I then mated it to a card stock stabilizer with a pressure setting of 2. It cut clean; but, failed to cut clear through. A pressure setting of 4 was better. But, still was not cut through in all areas of the shape. A pressure setting of 6 did the trick and the cut was beautiful.

BUT... there are those tabs... So.... I wonder... could it? Would it? We just GOTTA go for it!

TAB DENSITY = 0 No tabs!!!

Whoaa!!! This is GREAT. Click on that image to see the wonderful texture of the paper and the equally wonderful nature of the cut. We're starting to get the hang of using this eCraft!

Either I am easily amused or this is REALLY FUN! (Hmmmm... probably BOTH!)

Holographic Paper - Self Stick

2010-08-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's too bad that I can't duplicate the true nature of this Holographic Paper available at Joanne's. It's Darice's Self Stick holographic paper and need I say that it is very shiny!

First the settings:

Method = No Extra Stabilizer
Tab Density = 1
Tab Width = 1
Pressure = 4
Size = 3

A pressure setting of 2 cut most of the shape cleanly. But, a pressure setting of 4 was perfectly clean. And, the tabs were no problem at all. It's true Holographic image and I KNOW that my granddaughters are going to find something cool to cut with this great paper. By the way, the back peels away very nicely without damaging the shape at all.

All the metallic papers I've tried so far work. But, this one is REALLY clean.

Ultra-Ultra-Ultra Thin Papers!

2010-08-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

This image might not impress you at all. If not, I will understand. But, it was amazing to me because I'd held this tissue thin paper in my hand before I tried to cut it. It flopped around like a Kleenex. First, the settings and the method.

Method - Thin paper over card stock
Tab Density = 1
Tab Width = 1
Pressure = 2
Size = 3

"Tom", you say, "That's TERRIBLE!" And, rightly so. But, wait, we're not finished yet. Did I tell you that this paper is as thin as Kleenex? I did? Good. Did I tell you it was like Kleenex with splinters? No? Well, it is. It's a magnificently difficult paper. And, the eCraft was able to cut it, first try, this far.

So, what happened? The thin paper moved. Not to worry. We'll just tape the bottom of the tissue to the bottom of the card stock and try again.

That was the ticket. Now, I am REALLY impressed. You see, I had a Pressure setting of 2 and that was perfect for the paper itself. But, it was a little low for the twigs or string or whatever is embedded in that paper. Because I had Tabs set to 1, it was natural that I yanked out some fibers at the tab points. So, if I had another sheet of this paper, I'd try it with NO tabs and a pressure setting of 3.

But, what of a less challenging shape with the same tabs and pressure settings. How'd it do?

I am, once again, going to say that I am super impressed that the eCraft could cut this wispy thin tissue-like paper. If the lightness of the paper wasn't enough of a challenge, the fibers IN the paper just added to the challenge.

The paper was from Joanne's and it's manufactured by The Paper Company. Mulberry White 10001-040.

I call this one an impressive success. But, don't forget to tack the thin paper to the card stock at the bottom with a little piece of tape.

More on cutting cloth

2010-08-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Silly me. Being a male with a country background I always thought freezer paper was for freezing next year's dinner after the hog count was down by one! But, now I find out that it is the crafter's and quilter's friend. It even says so on the box!

And, if you have an eCraft and you want to cut fabric without adding an adhesive backing, then that freezer paper is going to be your friend, too. Sara, of Craftwell, filled us in on their preferred method for cutting fabric and it involves applying freezer paper to both side of the fabric before cutting and then, obviously, removing it after the cut.

Now, I told you that Denise, over at Purple Paper Paradise was running her eCraft at full throttle, so she's already tested Sara's method. Check it out!

PURPLE PAPER PARADISE TESTS FREEZER PAPER WITH FABRIC

In a few minutes I'm going to also try it. But, I think I'll include felt and faux leather. More later. Expect this article to grow.

FELT

I don't even have a sample to show you. I sandwiched felt between to sheets of freezer paper and it was a complete and utter failure.

FAUX LEATHER

Same story, but I WILL keep trying. I got farther along with it this time. So, we might be getting closer. But, for now, it's a no go here. In this case, I think my problem was attempting to cut with too high a pressure in a single pass. I think the secret might be a lower cutting pressure and more passes.

PREVIOUSLY CUT FABRIC

Like Denise, the cut with the adhesive applied to the back of the fabric was a bit cleaner than the freezer paper technique. However, subsequent freezer paper attempts yielded unexpected results and I believe it was due to the iron being too hot. So, I am going to say that it works. But, until I can get it to work with no tabs, the cleanup is not as easy as I would like to see. So, for me, the jury is still out on finding THE definitive settings.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm posting this image of the cut with freezer paper. ALL problems you see (including the nick at the top of one leaf) have to do with my clumsy attempts to cut the tabs with a pair of scissors.

All of my attempts to cut without tabs ended in failure. But, as I said, I think this had to do with the temperature of the iron. In the first cut, above, a Pressure Setting of 8 went clear through in one pass. In subsequent tries, it did NOT cut clear through. That tells me that something happened to the freezer paper's properties that made it tougher to cut. So, for now, I think my failures are operator issues rather than eCraft issues. Even though I do NOT think the image above paints a true long-term picture, it was what I ended up with on this particular test and you deserve to see it and make up your own mind.

Personally, I honestly don't see this as an eCraft issue.

Cloth Yes! But, Method matters!

2010-08-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

I did a quick test of cutting cloth this evening.

First, the good news. Using a piece of paper and some repositionable adhesive, it IS possible to cut cloth. We actually knew that from the CHA show. But, it's not enough to know that it cuts cloth. We need to know how various fabrics react in the eCraft cutter.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what this cloth is that I have cut. My maleness shows in the way I purchased this piece of cloth. "Gimme the cheapest light cloth ya got!" Uh... NOT the most scientifically useful purchasing method. Hey!!! I WARNED you I was clueless when you began reading this blog!!!

Click on cloth to see the actual fabric Properties

Here is a close up of the lower left petal of the flower. You can see that I got exactly what I'd asked for... pretty cheap fabric.

Click on cloth to see the actual fabric Properties

Obviously, the cut was well done. But, the fabric, itself, failed. Even though the image shows a pretty ragged cut, a close look reveals that this was NOT the fault of the eCraft. I used no tabs. The next time I do this I will set the pressure a little lower to see it that helps. For this cut, I had it at 8 and I think it would have cut through this particular fabric at a 4 or 5.

The fabric stayed down flat. And, the cut IS the right shape. The fabric simply unraveled itself. I hope that I get a LOT of comments and suggestions for this article to guide me to a better purchase to test. Denise, for instance, got a much cleaner final cut. And, the cut in my backing was perfect.

So, as far as I'm concerned this was eCraft 1, Fabric 0.

NOTE: I did the opposite stabilizing test from the one Denise used. She put the adhesive on the cloth. I put the repositionable adhesive on the cardstock. The method that Denise used might have reduced the unraveling of the cloth.

UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE

Actually , I should have said "Breaking News" because I just tried Denise's method with MUCH better success. Instead of putting the Xyron repositionable adhesive on the cardstock, I applied it directly to the cloth and then put the cloth on a cardstock backing. The results were starkly different. Take at look at how much better this method works than the method I first used.

Click on cloth to see the actual fabric Properties

I'm VERY impressed! Thanks, Denise!

Tab Density Explored

2010-08-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Since the eCraft does not use a mat to hold the paper and cut shape in place it needed to have something to stabilize the cut shape while being cut from the base paper. The designers turned to something they called "Tabs" which are little uncut portions of the shape path that form a bridge between the shape and the base paper from which it is cut.

In an earlier video, we saw that the way the tabs are formed is that the blade of the eCraft is lifted from the material being cut for a split second by the Blade Solenoid. This action is what causes the clicking sound we hear as the eCraft cuts.

TAB DENSITY

There are two settings that we can use to control the way the tabs are created. The first of these is the Tab Density. We've already seen, in an earlier article how we set Tab Density. Now we will turn our attention to how it behaves while cutting and if it has any significant impact on the quality of the cut.

The first thing we need to know is that Tab Density is only going to be effective with larger shapes.

Tab Density adjusts the distance between tabs. In smaller pieces, there is little to gain by increasing the number of tabs. So, it seems to ignore Tab Density in smaller shapes. Consider this image: