Automatically add tabs

Hi all,

I’m new to laser cutting but not to computer design, having been a broadcast animator for 25 years +.

Is there a way in any of the software you guys use that will automatically add tabs to stop the central islands falling out ? It sounds lazy (and is) but I don’t really want to have to trawl through my quite complex designs, spotting the bits that might fall out and adding tabs.

Obviously some bits are supposed to fall out, so I was thinking a mechanism which analyses the design and highlights the islands that will fall out, the user can then deselect the ones they want to fall out, then at the click of a button, the others are tabbed automatically.

Surely, someone must have been as lazy as me?

any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Matt

Not automatic like you’re asking:
You could create a custom dashed stroke style in Inkscape, and convert that stroke to separate paths. Would not be as tedious as drawing tabs.

Thanks for taking the time to respond Neil, interesting thought. I will have a look.