1. Picture drawn in Inkscape, ready to be exported as a .png for autotracing.

2. Because I want to use the image for a pop-up, I will need to add dotted lines for the folds. Knowing where the spline in Robo splits, I add rectangles as shown. This will become clearer as you move on.

3. Image exported as .png, saved as jpeg, and bought into Robo. This shows the autotrace screen partway though. I am using the flood fill to get rid of the overlapping lines. I also fill the rectangles and space around them.

4. The fill finished ready to convert to outline.

5. Ungroup the image as usual and move the jpeg out of the way. Now we split the spline. It always splits at the lowest point . If there is no lowest point, as here, it will split on the left hand side. Right click on the unwanted nodes and delete.

6. Here I do the same for the shape on the right of the image. Again it splits on the left.

7. The top is split by turning the jpeg upside down and doing another autotrace. We only need the bit around the stem, so the rest is discarded. Again it splits on the left hand side.

8. Mirror the new stem tracing horizontally and vertically. Now remove the closed stem and replace with the open one. See the GSD for the finished pop-up design.

The ability to split the spline has a lot of uses. It is especially useful if you are designing in Inkscape, as simply by adding a couple of small rectangles, you can ensure the split point it always where you want it. By adding an inverted L made up of 2 rectangles overlapping, you can split the side of an image. You only need to delete 6 nodes to do this. A bit of thought and planning will enable you to split almost anywhere you want.