Using ShaperTape

Origin uses ShaperTape to digitally augment your workspace and to track its position while you are working.

Before you begin your project, you will need to apply ShaperTape to your worksurface or surrounding coplanar material. For best results, tear off strips of tape measuring no longer than 3' in length. Lay the tape out so that there is no more than three inches of space between each strip.

We find that laying ShaperTape out in roughly parallel lines is easiest, but there is no need to be precious about this, as the strips do not need to be exactly parallel or exactly uniform in length. The orientation of tape in reference to your workpiece (parallel/perpendicular/diagonal) is not critical, and should be adapted to suit your project. However, no tape should overlap.

The most important thing to remember is that Origin's forward-facing camera must always be looking at tape. It is best to apply ShaperTape to the area you plan to cut, as well as the area 6"-12" in front of the cutting area. This way, you will have plenty of tape visible, even after you have cut through some of the strips.

ShaperTape is how Origin tracks its position in your workspace. This means that the tape cannot be moved after you have scanned—this can cause serious issues with cut accuracy! Make sure that any surface that has ShaperTape on it is secured, with either a clamp or double-sided tape.

Only apply ShaperTape on the same plane as your cut surface.  Placing ShaperTape at different heights will impact cut accuracy and quality

Because taping is a little different for every project, you may need to get creative with your tape arrays.