Hi Graham,
Intarsia is also used in jewelry work with semi-precious stones cut to shape so that they fit together to make an image.
There might be unique considerations to take into account for wood working, but the basic method of tracing a pattern is probably the same.
Pilou has a tutorial on how to get started using an image to create a design.
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=510.2
For the example you've posted of the tiger, once you've determine your desired dimensions, draw an appropriately sized rectangle as a frame or template for your artwork, centering it at the Origin (the center of the workspace). 0,0,0
Then, bring the image into MoI by going to the View> Image Tab, select your photo or 2D drawing, and then position it into the rectangle. It takes a bit of trial and error to get it in the right position and scale..There are some tips that Michael posted that you can do a search for on the forum under the topic "Is there a 'fill' or 'skin' command in Moi?"
The next step is to draw curves to outline each particular section that you want to mill. So for instance, each stripe of the tiger's coat must be encompassed by a closed curve. I like to define a shape with as few points as possible, because it makes for cleaner models, so if you lay down some curves and the shape doesn't accurately conform to the shape on the image, you can turn on control points and move them around or add a few new points where needed, to accurately outline the shape. You'll discover some tricks which will make drawing pretty easy, as you work with the program's drawing and editing tools and by read tutorials and topics on the forum.
To make a solid object out of a curve, it's very important that curves defining a pattern section be closed, which means that the ends are joined so the curve is continuous, (even if was drawn in segments), rather than made up of end-to-end segments that can be taken apart by just moving them with the mouse. To join the ends, the Osnap tools are a great help. Don't rely on just your eyes to get the ends to meet and join.When you see the Osnap tool-tips pop up to notify you that the curves intersect or meet at various points, such as "end", then you'll know you've made an accurate connection between curves that must be closed by using the "Join" tool.
You might want to do a complex design in sections and copy a curve from one color section, hide the original and then and split out segments from the copy which are common to both sections, so you can draw the adjacent curve that shares the same border. I'm assuming that with wood,
you want the parts to fit together snugly, with no gaps....there might be some other considerations for wood, so you'll have figure them into your plan
when you begin your drawing.
After the pattern is completely outlined with closed curves, use the Extrude tool to extrude the curves into a solid object to the desired depth that you want Boolean subtract from your base material as a negative space, or extrude as a solid shape that you can mill from sectional material and insert into the spaces.
I hope this gives you some clue as to how to get started..I'm not a wood worker, so I hope I haven't steered you wrong.... give it a try and post your results if you have any other questions.
-Jesse
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