VCarve Pro Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Tips & Tricks

Shortcuts in Drawing Mode

Shortcuts in Node Editing Mode

The material size for a job can be changed at any time by selecting,

Edit > Material Size

The Units, Width, Height, Thickness and Z Origin can all be changed on the form.

The origin for the job can be specified to be any of the four corners or the middle of the job, and an offset distance can be entered to move the selected origin by the required X and Y distance.

Checking - Center vectors in material – will automatically reposition the vector design central to the new material size

Important – If the Z Origin is moved, all calculated Toolpaths MUST be recalculated.

We recommend that you recalculate toolpaths whenever the material has been changed.
This will ensure the toolpaths cut correctly on the CNC machine.

Generally we would recommend that when V-Carving you set the material surface as the Z Zero origin. This is because for V-Carving to be succesfull it is extremely important that the Z height of the tool is set correctly.

With materials such as wood which often have a natural variation in thickness, you should set the tool zero height at the centre of the most important area you will be carving in to minimise distortion.

VCarve Pro accurately simulates the pointed tip of a VBit in the preview window. If you want to produce a 'smoother' looking preview for say marketing purposes, you can create the simulation with a V Shaped engraving cutter with a small flat to get a better looking simulation. Using an engraving cutter instead of a V-bit can generate better looking simulations, as the small flat area on the bottom of engraving cutters will not leave machining marks if the stepover is less than the flat size. Click on the following pictures for an example of the difference:

Note: By convention the half included angle is specified on engraving cutters, so a 45 degree engraving cutter with zero tip diameter has EXACTLY the same geometry as a 90 degree V-bit tool

Preview Using V-Bit		Preview Using Evgraving Cutter
Click For A Larger View		Click For A Larger View

VCarve Pro comes with several options for speeding up the 3D preview mode. This can be useful if you have a slower machine or very complex toolpaths.

1. Before previewing the toolpath uncheck the 'Animate Preview' check box in the Preview Toolpaths menu.

2. Lowering the Preview Quality can make a dramatic effect on the amount of time it takes to generate the toolpath and preview it. The 'Preview Quality' can be changed from the Main menu by,

   Opening the 3D window

   From the Main menu select,

   View > Preview Quality > Standard Quality

When cutting hard materials or very deep carvings the tool may vibrate or chatter causing marks on the job.

A tip for improving the the surface finish is to,

1. Calculate the toolpath using multiple Z Level passes

2. On the machine - Set the Z zero position for the tool slightly high (ie 0.02" or 0.5mm) and run toolpath 1.
(this will leave material on the job)

3. Calculate a second toolpath that cuts the job in a single pass
(Set Cut Depth = greater than the actual Min Z depth displayed for toolpath 1)

4. On the machine - Set the Z zero position correctly and run toolpath 2. This toolpath will remove the remaining 0.02" / 0.5mm cleaning-up the surface finish.

When VCarve Pro has calculated a toolpath it displays a summary of the toolpath data on the 'background' of the toolpath tab. This is only visible when no other form is open on the toolpath tab, so you may have to close the Preview form to see it.

As you click on different toolpaths in the Toolpath List this information will be updated.

As well as showing the minimum Z value for the selected toolpath, this information also includes feed rates, tool information and estimated machining time.

Generally we would recommend that when V-Carving you set the material surface as the Z Zero origin. This is because for V-Carving to be succesfull it is extremely important that the Z height of the tool is set correctly.

With materials such as wood which often have a natural variation in thickness, you should set the tool zero height at the centre of the most important area you will be carving in to minimise distortion.

Most modern CNC machines will certainly be able to cut 3D V-Carved jobs.

If your machine can move the X, Y & Z axes simultaneously (all at the same time), then it will almost certainly be capable of V-Carving.

You can confirm that the software is compatible with your CNC machine by simply Downloading the Evaluation version and saving the Toolpaths in a format that's suitable for your CNC machine.

If you have any additional questions E-mail them to our Technical Support Team: support@vectric.com 

Tool Suppliers

Supplier	Country	Contact
Onsrud	USA	www.onsrud.com
VTC	USA	www.vanguardtool.com
MLCS	USA	www.mlcswoodworking.com
Pacer Systems	UK	www.pacersys.co.uk
Trend	UK	www.trendm.co.uk
Crown Norge	Europe	www.crown-norge.no
	V Shaped tools are typically available with included cutting angles of;       60,  90,  100,  120,  130,  140,  150 degrees The maximum cut depth of a tool is controlled by the included angle and the diameter. The tools are supplied with the standard diameters of,
	1/8" - 3mm	3/4" - 19mm
	1/4" - 6mm	1" - 25mm
	1/2" - 12mm	1 1/4" - 32mm