I Love the Erase Tool in MTC!

by | Dec 4, 2012 | Editing, Erase, Eraser, Free Videos, Make The Cut, MTC

Reason #20: Erase Tool
Reason #21: Inverse Erase Tool

These are two more reasons to check out Make The Cut software! The ability to simply drag the mouse to erase parts of a vector image and, equally handy, to add to a vector image provide easy modifications to your cutting files. The eraser size can be anything from 0.03 mm thick (we’re talking eyelash on a ladybug thin!) to, basically, unlimited.

And not only can the Erase tool be used to erase or add to images, but the 0.03 mm provides a great tool for slicing and dicing shapes. While there is a Knife tool available for this purpose, I personally prefer using the Erase tool in most cases, because it results in a closed shape, rather than leaving it open. Here’s the difference:

The Knife tool always does a straight line cut. The Erase function has the option of a freehand movement or you can hold the Ctrl key while using and achieve a straight line erase, as show in the right heart above. Of course there are situations where the open path resulting from the Knife tool could be exactly what is needed. The nice thing is that you have a choice!

As always, videos are the best way to show you how these cool tools work! So, have a look at how the Erase tool was put to use in several different ways in these two demonstrations:

Erase and Inverse Erase

Using the Inverse Eraser to Edit a PNC Trace

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment here. As always, MTC is available for sale in my online store here. Also, be sure to check out other free MTC videos available at this link, as well as the downloadable user manuals for MTC, which have been recently updated!

Erasing Line Segments

by | Sep 9, 2008 | Erase, Free Videos, Polyarc

Jo, a member of the Klic-N-Kut Yahoo group, needed assistance with erasing line segments in a bookplate file she was designing. Because she was trying to adjoin an open arc to a closed rectangle, it wasn’t possible to simply weld one to the other to remove the portion of the rectangle not needed.
But not to worry… there is a feature inside the polyarc editing mode which makes it simple to erase line segments that aren’t needed. This video shows you how:

If you like this feature, then you’ll equally enjoy the many others in that same editing mode. I sell a downloadable video called “The Power of Polyarc Editing” which details each of the functions in this mode and also comes with a pdf printout guide to help you remember how to use the tools AND sample files (in both .knk and .gra formats) that are used in the video to show how each tools works. Here is a link to that video:

How to Create a Bumble Bee Path

by | May 31, 2008 | Erase, Graphic Edit Tools, Outlining Images

Today’s tutorial is a design question that’s never come up before. Karen wants to create a swirling path of small rectangles resembling the path a bumblebee might take. 🙂 I had to think about this one for a while and finally came up with ONE method. I’m not sure it’s the easiest one in KNK Studio, but it will get the job done.

Select the second icon under Graphic Edit Tools and just randomly draw a path as shown in the figure on the left.

Select your path and go to Arange>Convert to Polyarc, then go to Arrange>Reduce Nodes and enter 0.05. Click on OK. Double click your image to bring up the nodes, as shown on the right.
Click on the second trash can icon up on the Smart Bar:


The purpose of this icon is to erase path segments. So move in a little ways from the start of the path and click once, then go a little further and click again. The path between the two clicks will be erased as show by the two arrows in the diagram to the right.

Skip ahead, repeat with two clicks to erase another path segment. While you can’t be exact in the spacing, in the end the result will be fine. Continue until you reach the end of the path.

Click on Apply and the resulting image will be as shown on the right.

With the image selected go to Transform>Outline. Uncheck Inline, make sure Keep Original is not indented. Then enter a value of, say, 0.04″. Click on Close and the end result will be as shown below!