Why this matters
Use Offset Fill deliberately for contour-following fills and recognize designs that can make the calculation unnecessarily expensive.
How it works
- Offset Fill generates fill paths that follow the contour of closed vector shapes instead of ordinary straight scan lines.
- The calculation is more computationally expensive than a standard Fill.
- Very detailed paths, tiny line intervals, stray nodes or unusual geometry can greatly increase computation time.
Practical workflow
- Use Offset Fill only when its contour-following appearance or motion is useful for the job.
- Clean traced or imported vectors before applying it.
- Start with a reasonable line interval rather than an unnecessarily tiny value.
- Preview the result and inspect for unexpected islands or gaps.
- If computation becomes excessive, compare the same design with ordinary Fill.
What to watch for
- Offset Fill is not automatically 'higher quality' than Fill.
- A complex vector can become a computation problem before the laser ever starts moving.
