Simplifying Complex Paths for Better Cutting

Complex paths with too many nodes can cause cutting issues, slow down your cutting machine, and create jagged edges. Simplifying reduces the number of points while maintaining the shape's appearance.

Paths with many nodes often come from: imported images that were vectorized, traced designs, or text converted from complex fonts. These can have hundreds or thousands of unnecessary points.

Click on the path you want to simplify. You can check the complexity by selecting it and viewing the node count in the properties panel.

With your path selected, open the Properties panel and find the 'Path' section. Look for the 'Simplify' option with a tolerance setting.

The tolerance controls how much simplification occurs. Lower values (0.1-1) keep more detail, higher values (2-5) simplify more aggressively. Use the preview to see the result before applying.

The simplify tool shows a preview of the simplified path. Compare it to the original to ensure important details aren't lost. Adjust tolerance until you're satisfied.

Click 'Apply Simplify' to finalize. The path will have fewer nodes while maintaining its overall shape. This makes cutting faster and more reliable.

• Start with low tolerance and increase gradually • Check sharp corners and curves after simplifying • Some paths may need multiple simplification passes • Always preview before applying to avoid losing important details • Simplified paths render faster and create smaller file sizes