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Warning

MillMage is in active development and in a prerelease state. Many operations and functions are not feature complete. Please report any unexpected behavior by searching for and reporting the issue or question in the MillMage Beta User Forum. Please include screenshots and as much detail as possible.

Beta Users: Finding Help

Find help and download the latest release candidate of MillMage in the MillMage Beta User Forum.

Users new to MillMage should follow the Getting Started guide.

Warning

This documentation is in active development and in a prerelease state. These documents are not complete and may include missing pages, broken links, and placeholders. Content is being updated as feedback is reviewed. Your patience is appreciated.

Images vs. Vectors

Understanding the difference between vectors and images is essential for creating and editing custom projects. It influences the tools and methods used in MillMage, as well as the settings, speed, and quality of jobs.

There are two main ways a computer can describe something visually:

Images Vectors
image with colored border in LB zoomed in area shows pixels anatomy of a vector
Images are made up of pixels — tiny blocks of color in a grid. Sometimes called bitmaps or rasters, Images include digital photographs, flatbed scans, digital drawings, and computer-generated renders. Vectors are essentially lines made of mathematical formulas. Thankfully, you don't need to know the math! MillMage takes care of that behind the scenes, and provides you with a visual way of editing these. No matter how far you zoom in on a vector it will always be perfect quality, so it's a great way to make logos and graphics.

Both Images and Vectors can either be made within MillMage, or imported from files made in other software. See Importing for more information about file types that are compatible with MillMage, and read on for more information about images and vectors.

Images

Converting Between Images and Vectors

You can turn images into vectors using Trace Image. This is often used by people wishing to engrave "clip art". Trace Image is best used when you cut, edit, or scale up an image that is too small to result in a nice engraving at the current size — vectors can be upscaled infinitely without losing quality.

You can turn vectors into images using Convert to Bitmap. This is often used by people wishing to repair a vector that was not well optimized for manufacturing with an CNC router. However, this conversion process eliminates the ability to scale infinitely and edit the vector directly, so it is usually better to repair the vector with tools like the Edit Nodes tool.

Trace Image

Use MillMage to create clean & intricate vectors by using the Trace Image tool to trace images and bitmaps. This is useful if you want to edit an image that has high contrast or well-defined edges, including logos, silhouettes, cartoons, sketches, and handwriting. You can trace photographs as well, but results will vary based on the composition of the photograph.

LightBurn Video

This video features our sister software, LightBurn. While there may be slight differences in appearance and layout, the demonstrated processes are similar in MillMage.

Window

In the image above, the purple lines are the vectors that MillMage has produced from the image being traced. As you adjust settings in the Trace Image window, the purple lines will change to reflect the new vectors that will result from the updated settings.

Vectors

Creating and Editing Different Types of Vectors

The most simple form of vectors in MillMage are paths, created using Draw Lines and edited using Edit Nodes. These paths can be open or closed.

types of vectors

MillMage also offers more intelligent vectors in the form of built-in shapes. These have properties that remain editable so long as the object isn't converted to a path.

Shapes built into MillMage include:

  • Primary Shapes like:

  • Rectangles and squares

  • Ellipses (ovals) and circles
  • Triangles
  • Pentagons
  • Polygons with an adjustable number of sides
  • Octagons
  • Stars
  • Dual Radius Stars
  • Smooth curves and straight lines with the Draw Lines tool
  • Rich, vector-based text objects
  • Over 25 different types of Bar Codes, including QR Codes, retail bar codes, and AprilTags
  • Complex shapes made by adding or subtracting two objects to and from each other with Boolean Tools

Output Vectors to CNC Machine

vector creations

Each vector object within the MillMage Workspace can be assigned to one or more CNC Operations to

  • Engrave and cut through material using Profile operations
  • Clear out the area within a vector object with Pocket and Rest Pocket operations
  • Create multicolor or mixed material objects with special dedicated Male Inlay and Female Pocket operations
  • Create Drilling locations
  • Establish edges and planes for Chamferred edges
  • Add Dogbone slots to vector elements to improve fitment in made to assemble designs

For more help using MillMage, please visit our forum to talk with MillMage staff and users, or email support.