Materials
- 3 mm plywood or MDF sheet
- wood glue
- optional cord or screws for hanging
Software and equipment
- Laser cutter or engraver
- calipers for measuring thickness
A layered sign is a back plate, a front layer with a border and raised or engraved lettering. This tutorial uses the layered name sign template so you can focus on personalising it.
What you will learn
- Editing a parametric component's text and size.
- Why measured thickness matters even for flat signs.
- Reading the manufacturing check and the output preview.
Before you start
Have your sheet and calipers ready, or use 3 mm as a placeholder and measure before cutting.
After the tutorial
Buy the package when you are happy, or keep experimenting. The assembly guide in the package numbers each layer and shows the gluing order for your exact sign. Glue the front layer centred on the back layer, then the raised letters if your sign has them.
Steps
The same steps appear in the studio, where each one is checked against your design.
- 1
Select the sign
Click the sign on the canvas. The Properties panel on the right now shows the sign's dimensions, options and text.
- 2
Make it yours
Change the text in the Engraving field to the name you want, or change the sign's width. The letters, border and hanging holes regenerate as you type.
- 3
Enter your real thickness
Press Esc to clear the selection. In Material, type your caliper reading in Measured. Layered parts and raised letters are built from it.
- 4
Run the check
Open Check & output. Look for Geometry validated. Script fonts with tiny letter pieces are flagged here; fix them by enlarging the sign or choosing engraved text.
- 5
Preview the files
Click Generate files and open the Preview step. Red lines are cut, black are engraved. Count the parts against the list in the step.
Final result
Compiled by the same engine as the studio: 4 parts on 1 sheet. Red is cut, black is engraved.