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VCarve Pro How-To's

Pocketed Texturing

In this How-To, we’ll take a look at how to create a pocketed, textured background around other vectors such as text or logos. You will see two different methods based on the style of texturing you use. By the end of this How-To, you should have a pretty good idea how the Texturing function works in VCarve Pro and how to use it in projects of your own.

Overview: The process for creating a custom form cutter is pretty simple; you need to create a profile of the cutter and then add it to the tool database.
 

Example 1:

The Process: There are almost an unlimited number of texturing styles you can create in VCarve Pro. In the first example, you will create an overlapping texture that will be pocketed around the text ‘VCarve Pro’. On the right is a picture of what you’re going to create.
  Step 1:
For this example, create a new project with a material size of 15 inches by 12 inches and a thickness of 0.375 inches.
  Step 2:

Create a boundary or a square to define where you want the texturing to be. To do this, click the square icon and enter 14 inches for the width and 11 inches for the height, then click ‘Create’ and then click ‘Close’.

Next select the square you just created, and create some text with a box around it (in this case use the text ‘VCarve Pro’). I will assume you know how to add text using VCarve Pro’s ‘Draw Text’ functions . If you need to review how to do this, check out the ‘Adding Text’ How-To.

  Step 3:

Create an offset around your text. This needs to be done to keep the tool that’s creating the texturing from cutting into your text. To create the offset, select the text you created in Step 2 while in ‘Selection Mode’ , and then click the ‘Offset’ icon . Select offset ‘Outwards’, enter 0.125 for the distance, press ‘Offset’ and then click ‘Close’.
 

  Step 4:

With the offset now created, you can make your texturing toolpath. Select the new offset vectors from step 3 and the square you created in step 2. The easiest way to do this is to press ‘CTRL-A’, and then while holding the ‘Shift’ key down, click on the original text vectors. Now you should have just the offset vectors and the square selected. In the ‘Toolpaths’ tab, click the ‘Create Texturing Toolpath’ icon . Select a 0.25 inch ball nose bit with a start depth of 0.2 inches. For this example, here are the other settings you’ll want to use in the ‘Texture Toolpath’ window:

Max Cut Depth: 0.085 inches
Max Cut Length: 1 inch
Max Overlap %: 30.0
Stepover: 0.1 inches
Angle: 0.0

Once you have entered all the above values, click on the ‘Calculate’ button. Notice that the stepover is less than the diameter of the bit you’re using. This will give an overlapped textured effect.  
 
  Step 5: You’ll now see the 3D View screen and the texturing toolpath. There are just a few more toolpaths to create to finish things up. Click back to the 2D view and select the vectors for the text you created in step 2. You need to create a 2D profile toolpath around these vectors to clean up the transition between the texturing and the text. Click the ‘Create Profile Toolpath’ icon . The cut depth for this example should be 0.2 inches and the tool will be a 0.25 inch ball nose bit. Make sure you select to machine ‘Outside’ the vectors and to check the ‘Sharp external corners’ box. Click the ‘Calculate’ button to create this tool path.
 
  Step 6: This step will create a toolpath around the square created in step 2, cleaning up its edges just like was done to the text in step 5. Cleaning up the squares edges comes down to personal preference, between a rustic or a clean look. To clean up the squares edges, select the square’s vectors while in ‘Selection Mode’. Then click the ‘Create Profile Toolpath’ icon . The cut depth for this example should be 0.2 inches and the tool will be a 0.25-inch ball nose bit. Make sure you select to machine ‘On’ the vector. Click the ‘Calculate’ button to create this tool path.
 
  Step 7: If you haven’t already you can preview the entire job in the 3D view by clicking ‘Preview All Toolpaths’
 

Tips and Pitfalls:

  • The larger the bit used to create the texturing, the harder it is to get good definition on whatever you’re texturing around.
  • Using a ball nose to do the clean up paths in steps 5 and 6 will give a smooth transition from the edge of the vectors to the texturing.
  • A general rule of thumb for figuring out the correct offset distance in step 2 is this: the offset should be no greater than the radius of the texturing tool and no less than ½ the radius of the texturing tool. In this example, the texturing tool was a 0.25 inch ball nose bit. The offset should be between 0.125 and 0.063 inches. The smaller you can make the offset, the closer you can get the texturing to whatever you’re texturing around. But depending on the size bits you use, you’ll have to experiment and find the best settings for your projects.
  • If you use a large bit to create the texturing, you’ll want to use a smaller bit to clean up around the text. In this example, you used a 0.25 inch ball nose for both the texturing and the text cleanup. As a general rule of thumb, the bit used to clean up around the text can be no smaller than the radius of the bit used to create the texturing. In this example, the smallest bit you could use to clean up the text would be 0.125 inches. Also note that if you do use a different sized bit to do your clean up paths, you may need to make the depth of your cut more shallow.

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