metaSVG: A Portable Exchange Format for Adaptable Laser Cutting Plans

Nur Yildirim, Matthew Franklin, Daniel Zeng, John Zimmerman, James McCann

Keywords: laser cutting, fabrication, metadata, annotation, portability

Abstract: 2D cut paths for laser cutters are specific to material parameters (type, thickness), design parameters (overall size, desired joint fit), and laser settings. Changing any of these parameters -- because, e.g., one wants to cut a design from a new material, or on a different machine -- requires by-hand adjustment of the cut path to compensate. This adjustment is complicated by the fact that 2D path formats lack information about how high-level parameters influenced the design, leaving makers to infer the original author's intent when adjusting paths. We present metaSVG, an exchange format that includes joint parameters as metadata when exporting cut plans from parametric 3D CAD. This allows our software tool, metaSVG Print, to automatically adapt metaSVG cut plans to new sizes, materials, material thickness, and laser cutters. We demonstrate the effectiveness of metaSVG by augmenting existing designs with metadata and fabricating them with different materials and laser cutters.