Let’s Explore v4 – Media Layout Setup Panel

Do you have the Business Edition upgrade? If not, there are so many neat features that are unlocked with it.
I have to admit that I have not used this much as all, but after today, that will be changing.

Media Layout Setup Panel

What is it? If you have the Business Edition upgrade this is an additional way to view your design to be cut and make some changes to it, without actually altering the design on the Design View.

So let’s explore the different views.

Design view is the normal view a user sees when the Silhouette software is opened.  The drawing tools are located on the left side, the panels are on the right side, and the document tools and Quick Access Tool bar are at the top.

Media view is an option if you have the Business Edition upgrade active on the software. This view shows how things are processed as they appear for a cut job. The Media view does not show color or patterns.

The Media Layout Setup Panel is found on the right side of the Silhouette Studio software, at the very bottom.

If you have a larger computer screen, you may see all the icons displayed on the right side like this.

If you have a smaller computer screen, then you may have a fly out arrow to click on and then more icons will appear like this.

The Media Layout view will open up with a split screen panel and you can choose between either side for which one is active and you are making changes in.

*Believe in the Magic of Christmas by Lori Whitlock – Design #162472

Now, let’s take a more detailed look at the Media Layout Setup Panel.

1. Show Media Layout Split – Screen – Check the box if you would like the Media layout to split screen with the Design View layout.
2. Media Layout Setup Tabs – there are 4 tabs to chose from
   – Tab 1: Media Size, Cut Border & Orientation
   – Tab 2: Copy & Separation
   – Tab 3: Nesting
   – Tab 4: Tiling
3. Media Size – Change the Page Size, Width & Height of the Media Layout View
   You’ll notice that changes made on the Media Layout Screen do not change the Design View side on the left side. This is a way you can make changes to what will be cut without changing the actual Design mat itself.
4. Cutting Mat – Change the Cutting mat size of the Media Layout View
5. Reveal Mat – Slide the arrow over to reveal the cutting mat grid on the Media Layout View
6. Cut Border – Change the Cut border left, top, right, and bottom dimensions.

   As you can see above, on the right side the red cut border line changes as the measurements are changed under the Cut Border section.
   You could adjust these to where the material is placed on the mat or place it anywhere on the mat you like and it would only cut there.
   This might come in handy if the top left corner is no longer sticky but the middle of the cutting mat still has lots of stick left to it.

7. Orientation – Rotate Cut Job – this will rotate the design on the cutting mat on the Media layout.
   Checking this box, will rotate the design 90 degrees on the cutting mat shown on the left side, but the original design stays in tact on the left side.While those features can be useful, I find the other tabs are even more interesting.

Media Layout Setup – Copy Tab

Next, is Tab 2 – the Copy Tab. Here is where you can tell the software to cut multiple copies of a design without actually adding images to the original Design mat.

1. Copy rows – Add the number of rows you would like to cut and the Media Layout View will duplicate the design that many rows. It will show this on the right side in the Media Layout View only and leave the original design unchanged.
2. Copy columns – Add the number of columns you would like to cut and the Media Layout View will duplicate the design that many columns.
3. Limit to Media – Click this button to limit the design to only the Media area selected, no matter how many columns or rows you enter, the software will change it to fit on only the Page Size and mat you have entered on the first tab.
4. Horizontal Separation – Increase or decrease the horizontal spacing between the designs on the selected media.
5. Vertical Separation – Increase or decrease the Vertical spacing between the designs on the selected media.

This is another way you could tell the software to cut multiples of an image without actually having to Replicate the design on the Design view.

Either way will work, but it is another option and one I will be using in the future when cutting multiples of the same design.

Media Layout Setup – Nesting

And to add even more options to the Media Layout, the 3rd tab is the Nesting tab. This has several options in how it will nest the designs together before cutting.

1. Nesting Active – Check this box to turn the Nesting feature on.
2. Interlock – The software looks for more paths to move shapes together. This works well for designs that are not square or hexagons.Here the Interlock is off:
   

   In this one, the Interlock has been turned on and you can see it Nests the design a little different.
   

3. Maintain Grain – This option allows the design to rotate only 180 or not at all, in order to work with materials that may have a grain to them. So the design stays on the same grain of the material.
   For example, if you were cutting an object out of a wood grain paper and you wanted to make sure that the grain of the paper ran the length of a wood piece you were cutting instead of cross ways through it.
4. Align – When align is on, the software will align the pieces of the design that are at an irregular angle.Here the Align is on:
   
   Notice the leaves are vertical.Here Align is off:
   
   Now the leaves are rotated to a different angle.
5. Whole Words – Choose whether the software divides the text into a whole word or individual letters to place it for the cut.Here whole words is on:

   And here, whole words is off and it rearranges the individual letters:
   

6. Maintain Groups – When on, this maintains the items that are grouped together and treats it as one object. When off it will treat each piece as an individual object.Maintain Groups on:
   

   Maintain groups off:
   
   As you can see above, it treats it quite differently depending on what option you choose.

7. Rotations Parameters – Tells the software how many rotations of an object is allowed when nesting it on the mat.This is 2 Rotations:
   

   This is 4:
   
   You can see above how it changes the spacing a bit when more rotations are allowed.

8. Padding Parameters – This is the minimum distance between 2 shapes after it’s been nested.Here the padding is 1:

   And here the padding is 3:

   
   Once again, it changes how the nesting is done by the software.

This is just another way that shows the possibilities of the Silhouette software. I do learn new things everyday about what it is capable of.

So many projects to create, so little time to do it!

I hope you take advantage of the Media Layout Setup Panel in a future project.

I would love to see it on my Facebook group if you do.
Find me here at Silhouette Secrets+ with EllyMae.

Enjoy!

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