1. Gather information and sketch out your design
2. Study the object's position in the picture, mostly front and back position.
3. Then determine which layer is more appropriate for the particular objects, typically, I will do a minimum of 3 layers, but try to keep it under 6 layers, otherwis, it will look too heavy.  For example, the stem of the flower should be lower than the flower itself; petrals of a full bloom flower should have front and back, so they could sit on different layers. In this lesign, the tea pot itself has a body, so the handle, spout were on middle layer, the bamboo wrap on the spout is on the different layer than the handle to give a 3D effect. Tea cup and the front leaf are on the top layer to indicate that they are in front of the tea pot…..
4. And also decide what details to engrave or score, the rule of thumb, for larger areas, I will do the engraving with a outline scoring to give a more defined look, as for finer detail areas, scoring usually is sufficient.
5. Of course, always test out the design, and make sure all the pieces are at the correct layer, sometime, it might take a few try to get it right.
6. When finish, if the design is using other software, you need to convert them to vector format to get ready for XCS, I use SVG format.

I use my M1 10w with the riser base, xTool honeycomb, and 1.5mm basswood, so the setting provided here is for M1, but with the newest version of XCS, finding the proper setting with your machine and material is so simple these days.

So upload the design SVG file, load the material of your choice, and go ahead and proceed with the scoring, engraving then the cutting.

In the design file, I use different color for different tasks, and they are:

Purple: for engraving

Orange: for scoring

Red: for cutting

Blue: are reference line

Color or not color is a personal choice, I did one with cardboard, without color, and it looks fantastic. I also include two photos with color, which type do you prefer?

If you choose to color, you should do it before assembly. I use acrylic paint pen most of the time, except if it is a large area, I might paint the material first, then proceed with the laser.

After you are satisfied with the paint job and the paints are dried, it is the time to see the magic happen, assembly.

I began with the upper layers, and glue the smaller pieces together, and built it downwards. When the whole painting is done, I will seal it with clear Lacquer spray to protect the artwork.

Then you can choose to frame it or just leave it as is.