Hello Bobharterink,
I'm not sure if I can be of any help, but I will try.
My area of expertise is solely NodeBox 3. I do not use Nodebox Live and am unaware of any active community supporting NodeBox Live. Both were invented by Frederik De Bleser, but Frederik has drifted away from supporting either product. Nevertheless, I have added him to this conversation on the off chance he might see this and be able to contribute something.
It would make sense for this forum to have a separate section on NodeBox Live. If there is ANYONE out there who still regularly uses NodeBox Live and would like to help contribute to such a section, please reply to this thread and say hello.
Both products are similar and share a core set of the same basic concepts, including many nodes. I cannot help you with anything on NodeBox Live, but I COULD help you if you were to attempt doing your project in NodeBox 3 instead. You would have to use the Mac or PC Nodebox app and recreate your network there. You could then export your final product as an SVG file, which should be able to import into Axidraw.
Unlike Nodebox Live, Nodebox 3 does not have a built-in way of accessing PNGs or JPEGS. However, I have created a Cartan NodeBox Library, free for use with no restrictions, that does include a node, image, that makes this possible. With that node and other standard Nodebox 3 nodes, you could create something similar to what you have built on Nodebox Live. You could take an image and do some processing to turn it into a bunch of curves. (There are several plotter enthusiasts on this forum who have done exactly that.)
At that point you would face the same challenge of making smoother curves with fewer inflection points. This can be tricky, but is possible.
You can resample any curve Into a spline of straight line segments using a resample node. In the resample node, you can simplify the curve by reducing the number of inflection points (or by increasing the length of each segment which achieves the same effect). You can then turn that simplified spline back into a smoother curve, using the standard round_segments node, or the fit_curve node from my Cartan Node Library.
You might be able to do something similar even in Nodebox live. Feed your curves into a resample node and feed that into a round_segments node (if they have one). You can then adjust the number of inflection points in the resample node while rendering the round_segments node to see the final result. The number of inflection points and the curviness factor you need will vary depending on the curve, so this will require some experimentation.
It is also possible to do a more precise form of surgery on your curves by turning them into individual points, modifying those points, and then reconnecting them into a modified curve. Bézier curves in Nodebox are comprised of 3 types of points. Type 1 are used in straight lines and in the start of a curve, Type 2 points are the endpoints of curves, and Type 3 points are the two control points in between.
In theory you can do some calculations based on how close these points are together, the tangents of the curves they form, etc. and devise an algorithm to simplify the curves. I have done some work like this, but there's some trigonometry involved and it is not easy. General purpose algorithms are very hard to make, but if your curves are relatively simple and predictable, such an approach might work.
To summarize...
If Nodebox Live has a resample node and a round_segments node, try using those to smooth your curves.
If that doesn't work, and you are sufficiently desperate, download NodeBox 3, try recreating your project there, and then come back to this forum for more help.
And again, IF THERE ARE ANY NODEBOX LIVE USERS OUT THERE, PLEASE REPLY TO THIS THREAD. If I can't help, maybe there is someone else out there who can.
John
