Clipping & cropping
Cropping and clipping both keep only part of each design — they're how you fit production to the material you actually have, or turn a large pattern into many small pieces. The difference is the shape: crop keeps what's inside a rectangle; clip keeps what's inside any outline, given as an SVG path.
You'll find them in three places, with the same meaning everywhere:
- Job editor — the Crop/Clip button under the canvas. Choose crop or clip and enter the values: they apply as you type, and the canvas shows the result. A value that doesn't make sense is highlighted and never applied. Remove Crop/Clip takes it off again, settings included.
- Job templates — Crop or clip: Neither, Crop to a rectangle or Clip to a shape.
- Workflows — Clip or crop on a Job node: From the template, None, Crop to a box or Clip to a shape (SVG path).
When to use which
| If you have… | Use… |
|---|---|
| A design larger than the piece — keep just one area of it. | Crop. |
| A pattern to engrave onto shaped blanks: dog tags, pendants, coasters. | Clip with the blank's outline. |
| An irregular offcut from a previous job. | Clip with a path traced around the offcut. |
| A jig with fixtures you mustn't burn over. | Clip with a path that leaves the fixtures out. |
Crop to a rectangle
Cropping trims the G-code to a rectangle. The output stays valid G-code, just shorter: moves that cross the edge stop at it, and everything outside is dropped.
| Job template | Workflow / job editor | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| From X | Min X | 0 mm | Left edge of the rectangle. |
| To X | Max X | 100 mm | Right edge. |
| From Y | Min Y | 0 mm | Near edge. |
| To Y | Max Y | 100 mm | Far edge. |
Clip to a shape
Clipping keeps what falls inside any outline, given as SVG path data — the d of a path — in millimetres from the design's corner. Everything outside is removed at the G-code level by GRBL Server's built-in path clipper, which is fast: clipping a full sheet of designs against a curved outline takes milliseconds.
| Job template | Workflow | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape (SVG path) | Shape (SVG path) | (empty) | The outline's path data — the same string you'd put in <path d="..."/>. |
| Curve accuracy | Approximation | 0.01 mm | How closely curves in the outline are followed. Smaller follows curves more closely but is slower; 0.01 suits visible cuts, 0.1 is plenty for engraving. |
Getting the SVG path
You need an SVG d string. A few ways:
- Draw it in Inkscape or Illustrator, then copy the
dattribute out of the saved SVG (Inkscape's XML editor shows it directly). - Hand-write it for simple shapes — rectangles, polygons, rounded tags.
- Photograph the offcut on the bed, drop the photo into Inkscape, run Path → Trace Bitmap, and copy the result.
Example: a hexagon
M 50 0
L 150 0
L 200 86.6
L 150 173.2
L 50 173.2
L 0 86.6
ZPaste that string into Shape (SVG path) and every design is cut down to the hexagon.
Check it before running
Before any job runs, look at it. The job editor's canvas shows the crop or clip as soon as it's applied, and the Job Station previews the actual toolpath that will run. Use them. A five-second look prevents most wasted-material situations.
Combining with layouts and templates
Clipping composes well with grids and nesting: lay the designs out across the bed, and each is trimmed to its outline. For repeat use of the same shape — the same blanks, the same jig — save it in a job template so you don't paste the path every time.