Learning the New Wizard 8000

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In this thread I will not allow anything off subject. If you post any message off subject it will be deleted. (no you will not get into trouble with me if your message is deleted, just don't flame me for controling this thread.)

On to business.


The new Wizard is fantastic. If you never had a CMC before some of this might not be for you. What I want to start is a discussion about the new software and how new featurees relate to the old software. I'm finding a learning curve. I was getting a bit frustrated a while ago doing my first multi opening mat. The old software seem so easy and the new confusing. Then I took a step back read a bit and played with it. When I finally forced myself to forget the old, the new features started to shine. The boarders and guides features make it much more visual and easier to layout.

Any others with comments? Tips and howto will be appreciated.

framer
 
Framer,
I've just played with the beta version of the software and found the multi opening a little confusing also. What is it that you actually decided to do with multi's?
 
Same here ..the multiple opening was confusing. I called Wizard and asked them to "walk" me through it. The guy I talked to had me go into "defaults in the opening screen. Under there he had me go to "editor startup" and under that he had me check "Start with settings" then check off all of the items below. It was fine after that. It is a learning curve for me but easy once I learn. I fugure in two weeks I will be good at it.
I will have to say once we get the hang of the software it looks to be very good...nice large clear visuals ect.
 
What Judy is talking about is turning off the default features such as Dynamic Outside. These can be easily toggled on/off while in Multi (buttons are to the right of the screen). Just to explain, Dynamic Outside will adjust your outside dimension to the openings based on your border size. This is a very useful feature, but can be confusing if you don't realize that it is on and you drag another opening over to the Work Area and the outside dimension changes again. I love the feature but don't need it very often (want my outside dimension to remain a certain size) so I have it turned off in my Defaults as well.
 
The dynamic boarders was a unknown problem until I called tech support and toggled it off. It's almost a feature that should be off to begin with and toggled on when you figure out it's there. I'm sure it can be useful in the future.


framer
 
Try out the new merge feature! Design two openings, such as hearts, and overlap them a little. Go to the Cutting Preview Screen and click Merge. The two hearts are now merged as one opening.

Feel free to post any questions you have about any of the features so that we can all benefit.
 
Dani,
I have a couple of questions.

#1 - How well does the new software work with the old machine, and is the new software available yet for the old machine?

#2 - Other than too small radii cut's what other problems are issues using the new software with the old machine.

#3 - I notice that it has a blade depth setting in the software for the new machine, is this a problem for the old machine.

#4 - Being on the Jr. program do you feel it is cost effective , with all of the "extra's" to switch to the new machine being that you very seldom use all of the 1000 corners anyway?
 
#1 - How well does the new software work with the old machine, and is the new software available yet for the old machine?

The new software works great on the old machine. With the new cutting engine, it may cut even better than before. The new software is being shipped out soon so simply place your order with Help Desk.

#2 - Other than too small radii cut's what other problems are issues using the new software with the old machine.

Haven’t really come across any issues yet. If you are referring to the message that pops up when cutting CutArt, that is simply for your information and should cut fine (as long as you are using Original Size or larger for the more complicated designs).

#3 - I notice that it has a blade depth setting in the software for the new machine, is this a problem for the old machine.

No. Adjust your blade depth as usual.

#4 - Being on the Jr. program do you feel it is cost effective , with all of the "extra's" to switch to the new machine being that you very seldom use all of the 1000 corners anyway?

That I can’t answer (not my area of expertise) but will forward that on to someone who can.
 
The learning curve is there, but no where near as long as when we got the very first Wizard software. Now that you are used to doing it one way you have to sorta forget the the 4.8 version and it does not take that long to learn.
 
Jerry,

I will pipe in and answer your # 4 question.

You need to ask yourself two questions. 1) Do I cut 8 ply mats or do I see myself cutting more 8 ply mats in the future? 2) Is noise an issue for me?

If you answered yes to both of these questions, than you should definitely upgrade to the Model 8000. Otherwise, the model you have is more than adequate to meet your needs. Over time you may see designs created that can only be cut on the 8000 (particularly if they involve 8 ply mat) and because the 8000 is capable of tighter radius cuts, some of the cut art we develop in the future will cut better on the 8000 then the 5000.

I hope this helps.
 
I'm bringing this to the top for a couple of reasons. Our new Wizard 8000 is shipping this week which means that we should see it in our shop next week. I'm a little disapointed that I have not seen more great ideas and suggestions for using the new Wizard on this thread.
 
You have no idea how badly I want one of those!


We saw it in NY... wow!
 
One thing that is neat about the new software is the "fanning" feature. We recently did several kindergarten thru highschool mats.
It is really neat.. just put in rows then "FAN" it.
You can just point and click and move openings around. You can rotate each opening separately if you want to also.

Judy
 
OK,
Just talked to the Help Desk, New software still hasn't shipped for the older machines. No date given. I WANT MY MTV!
 
I saw the system demoed by Brian Wolf in Bozeman late April (love the V-groove button). Got the impression that shipping of the disks had started and would continue in batches through May. I have happy dreams about that program.

Yesterday the help desk told me not yet. Not sure when. (paraphrased)

Sure wish it was today. Heavy sigh!!! :(
 
I don't have a lot to add here yet, but wanted to keep this topic in view.

I received my Wizard 8000 a couple weeks ago. Since I was out of town a lot, I haven't been able to use it much at all yet. There were a few "birthing pains" involved but I spent some time on the phone today with the tech support department and it's runnig smoothly.

I can't wait to dive into it next week and start playing.
 
Help Desk says they are shipping the Software out now for those with old machines.

Has anybody received it yet, and used it?

I still Want my MTV!

I received the Wizard Newsletter today and they talk about the merge feature, this I can't wait for!

[ 06-25-2003, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: jvandy57 ]
 
The newsletter said they are shipping the new software but when I called to order mine they said they would ship it when it is available. I'm not sure what that means but like you I'm ready for my new toy!
 
Am beginning to wonder what the deal really is with the software upgrade. I was told several months ago that they were shipping the upgraded software CD but were only shipping 200 per week.
I asked if my name was on the list and they said yes. I asked when may I be getting mine. They could not tell me.

I would think that if our names were all on the list they could tell well your name is number 1234 or so and divide that by 200 and that is approxiamtely what week you will get yours. But I guess not. Now I hear from you guys that just called them that they have not been released yet??? I just don't understand.

I have been completely pleased with my Wizard but the way this upgrade has been handled I wonder.

[ 06-26-2003, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: wcox ]
 
My $.02 this new software has some features that are so cooool the fan feature for one. However the one I like the most and has the most potential for creativity is in fact the merge feature along with the rotation option. If you are waiting on this new upgrade just kick back relax get caught up on your back log of frame jobs so when it does come in you have a couple days to go through all the new features. If you have had the 4 ver. a long time you will miss it at first but after you get used to the 5ver. You will not even think back about the old once you have gleaned the merits of the new ver.
 
We have had our new machine with the new software for about ten days now. It is very nice, so quiet. I am having trouble in laying out multiple opening mats. I know I am still thinkinking in 4.8 but I have not been able to come up with a logical progression for multiple opening layout in 5.0. I'm going to the Philadelphia show tomorrow and I hope to pick up some pointers there. How are the rest of you doing with multiple opening? Is 5.0 klunky with this or have I not discovered the correct path?

[ 06-28-2003, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Bob Shirk CPF ]
 
Bob

At first it is strange you need to quit thinking english (ver4) and then translate into german (ver5) you need to just think german (ver5). I have been using ver5 now about 3 month and it really speeds up once you get over the old version.
Use the guides right click the top middle bottom vertical horizontal and then there is the other which is very handy. spend time and use everything. Speed will come

[ 06-28-2003, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: GUMBY ]
 
You can place Guides in two ways. First activate the Guides by Clicking on the 3rd button down under Toggles (the “+” button which will appear brighter when activated). With the Guides activated, openings will snap to the Guides (via the edge or center of the opening).

L-Click and drag cursor from one of the rulers and you will see the Guide Line. Click on the Properties Tab to enter in the desired distance; top number is distance from the left of the screen, bottom number is distance from the right (remember, you are designing from the front of the mat). You can now snap openings to this new Guide.

The second way to place openings is relative to an existing opening. R-Click on an opening and select either new Vertical Guide or new Horizontal Guide. Then select the direction desired (bottom, middle, top, left, right, or Other). Placing a Guide at the bottom of the existing opening will allow you to align other openings to it.

Selecting Other will allow you to determine the distance away to place the new Guide (i.e., 1” from the bottom of the opening).
 
I don't own a Wizard, but I believe they have a (private) discussion forum similar to this on their web page.

You'll need your serial # to register for access.

Mike
 
Thanks Mike, I don't officially have one yet either, my ship date is mid September. I am just trying to find all the info I can right now. Maybe the Wizard people will give me early access. I'll call and see.
 
I have been playing around with tiling today. I am having some problems. The outside of the mats are 12" X 9". I should be able to cut 9 of them from a piece of 40 X 32 inch mat board with a little room to spare. When I click on the tiling tab and enter 9 in the number of mats field and click on apply changes I get 2 columns of mats one is five mats high and one is 4 mats high. I also get a warning thatthe head will hit the clamps. What I realy want is 3 columns of 3 mats each. Help, what am I doing wrong?
 
Bob, unfortunately that's a bug. But you can work around it for now by adding more to your board size until you get the three columns you're looking for.
 
Concerning the 8000 and TTF's: What is the smallest font size that can be cut? Which TTF's cut best in small sizes? How many Cheetos are in a 7oz. bag? (oh, sorry, got off topic there for a second) Has anyone tried the Daniela font? Any helpful hints concerning fonts would be, well, helpful.

Thanks,
Nancy
 
Hi Kasey,

There's a couple posts about TTFs towards the end of this thread. Unfortunately there's literally tens of thousands of fonts out there. But there's some good rule-of-thumbs:
- if it looks bad on screen, it'll probably cut bad
- the more "reputable" the font source, the better the result
- Most fonts are not optimized for cutting - i.e. bad starting points
- test a couple letters of a new font before cutting on a full sheet of suede..


And remember, anything you design on screen, including TTFs, you can take into CADD and retrace if necessary (if you've bought CADD).

Hope that helps...
 
I hope this isn't considered off the topic. However could Steve or someone from Wizard please tell me when/If I could expect a copy of the upgrade? I received a new computer that was supposed to have the new program on it but due to some oversight it didn't. Then due to some computer germalins I needed to exchange the tower and still no 5.0. I was told it was coming but that was some time back. Then I was told there where BUGS and it would be delayed but not long. Now I am hearing all thses great things and I don't have a clue if they will work on my OLD cutter and new computer.So when will the 5.0 Up -grades be sent to every one?even a winner ,way down yonder like me?LOL
BUDDY

[ 08-04-2003, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: BUDDY ]
 
WizSteve...thanks for the insight concerning the fonts but I need to bug you a bit more. I understand that they are all different and that there are a cajillion of them, but what is the smallest size (of a very simple font) that the 8000 can cut? I need to cut some small sizes but everything I've read says 2 inches or more. This is really important to me.
Do the other cutters do better at lettering than the Wizard?
Kasey
 
Kasey,

I think what you're asking is what the smallest size "shape" of moderate complexity the 8000 (or most other CMC's for that matter) can cut, be it a font or CutArt or what not. While there's many factors that come in to play that affect the cut (such as calibration, mat material and thickness, etc.), there's a couple that impact greatly on how small / detailed you can cut.

The first is arc radius - Wizard's semi-official stance (I don't know what other CMCs say) is that anything less than a 1/4th inch isn't likely to produce a perfect cut. I'm not saying that you can't cut any smaller, just that bad things tend to occur, like the possibility of a broken blade tip and that the bevel has a tendency to flare out somewhat as the blade flexes. And again, other factors can improve / worsen this limitation.

The second has to do with the design of the cut. A real technical response would be "minimum aperature of negative space for interior cut sequences" but normally I just say "really thin danglers". The problem is that while framers like to limit the amount of overcut on the front of the mat, we still have to cut a certain distance past the hole due to the angle of the bevel and angle of the blade. This extra cut distance can considerably weaken the remaining piece of mat where two cuts come together, and in many cases it can trim it right off.

So to make a long story slightly longer, fewer curves and detail make a smaller cut. With a professionally produced san-serif font like good ol' Arial, I bet you can get moderately close to an inch on most letters, maybe smaller. We usually tend to be conservative when estimating limitations for people, so that's why you probably see the 2" thrown around (I can already imagine being summoned to Edd's office to answer why some customer thinks WizSteve told him that the 8000 can cut every font smaller than an inch :cool: ). If you retraced it as a v-groove you can go even smaller (which I think I'll try out tomorrow)...

[ 08-06-2003, 03:58 AM: Message edited by: WizSteve ]
 
Currently the Eclipse CMC's have been tested to consistently cut fonts as small as 1-1/4". What CMC users need to realize is this is a limitation of the blade and not the machine. I can't speak for other CMC manufacturers but Eclipse CMC's would cut a pin hole, however the blade would not stand up to the resistance and would probably break. Like WizSteve said, most CMC manufacturers will err on the side of caution when discussing limitations or minimums. With all of the fonts currently available to CMC users it will simply take some testing to determine the smallest possible cut with an acceptable result.
 
WizSteve, I was just about to head for the Tylenol till I got to your last sentence. So, you're saying that I can (or you can, at least, since you are the Wiz) redraw fonts as vg? I had not thought of that!! Please don't tell me I'm wrong. Let me float in this happy bubble a second!!
You see, my Wizard has not been delivered, yet, so all I have is this demo software to keep me happy. I design, but the mean thing won't even let me save. I have not played with anything but mat design, so, hopefully, I have only barely scratched the surface of what can be done.
Seriously, I don't care why the Wizard won't do a certain thing. I am just trying to find out what it will do so I won't waste time trying to make it do something its not ready for, and frustrate myself in the process.
Words are a huge, huge part of my life, and that is why I was trying to pin you down on the font size limitations. I was hoping to take a few words off the paper and put them onto the mat. Sounds like it will be quite a few years before that is feasable with a mat cutter. The small, delicate stuff is being done, but probably with some kind of laser.
Is anybody working on designing a different blade? You know, what we need is an intuitive blade--a blade with its own brain, instead of a plain blade being driven by a brain. That would really be something! And probably cost...ouch!
Please remember me if you get bored and play around with fonts and find something really cool!
Do you need Tylenol now?
Thanks,
Kasey
 
Mike, Thanks for your input on the font question. I need all the help, insight, and advice I can get. I find it interesting that CMC's are downplayed a bit as far as their expectations. It's refreshing in a world where so many things are overrated.

Thanks again,
Kasey
 
Kasey, yes you can export any cutting paths (TTFs, templates, CutArt, etc.) directly into our advanced trace utility, bypassing CADD completely, and then simply re-trace them with a different bevel type.

The ability to cut small delicate openings and designs is the "holy grail" of the CMC world. I haven't seen anything recently cut with a laser, so I don't know if the technology has improved, but the last sample I did see had visibly brown edges. The detail was pretty amazing though. Looks good on black core I guess.

I did also like mats I saw cut with the Eclipse router head (with fresh bits) but I assume that comes with its own set of limitations, such as losing the ability to cut acute angles. Shrug.

Unfortunately, even given the tools to do otherwise, most framers probably still cut ovals and rectangle 90% of the time, and therefore that's what every CMC is going to focus on first before everything else. And after seeing some of the cuts Brian Wolf can do by hand, I can only shake my head and wipe the drool off the floor.
 
WizSteve, Thanks so much for all the information. I'm sure that I'll find the Wizard immensely wonderful. There will not be enough hours in the day...
The intricate designs that I saw were from an artist in Florida. They couldn't have been hand cut because they were mass produced. They were immaculate cuts on rag board--very clean, very nice, and they were very small designs. I wish I still had some of them, but I sold them all.
A guy from Picture Frame Warehouse here said that they used a laser in their shop. I would have thought a laser would burn the edges too.
After fifteen years in framing I still can't hand cut anything. I am in awe of those who can. They are true artists.
Thanks again,
Kasey
 
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