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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Tips & Tricks

Here are some useful tips and tricks to make using the Vectric software more enjoyable and productive.

If you have any tips or tricks you would like to share please visit the Vectric Tips and Tricks Forums. 

To see a series of mini 'How To' articles on common tasks visit the How To page.

To view and download a more comprehensive selection of tutorials visit the Tutorials page.

 
 Drawing / Editing FAQs

VCarve Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts in Drawing Mode
F Zoom to Full Screen
M Move command
N Toggle Node and Selection Mode
R Rotate Selected Vectors
T Scale (Transform)Command
Z Enter 'zoom box' Mode
Ctrl+P Pan View
   
   
Esc Key
Unselect Selected Vectors
F1 Key
Help
F2 Key
Switch To 2D View Screen
F3 Key
Switch To 3D View Scree
F5 Key
Refresh Screen
F6 Key
Zoom To Fit Material
F9 Key
Center Selected Vectors On Material
CTRL-A
Select All Vectors
CTRL-C
Copy Selected Vectors
CTRL-N
Start New File
CTRL-O
Open A File
CTRL-V
Paste Copied Vectors
CTRL-S
Save Current File
CTRL-Y
Redo Last Edit
CTRL-Z
Undo Last Edit

Arrow keys
Nudge Selected Vectors
Shift + Arrow Keys
Quick Nudge Selected Vectors
CTRL + Arrow Keys
Micro Nudge Selected Vectors
Wheel Mouse
Rotating wheel zooms in / out
Middle Button / Wheel
Click and drag pans 2D view
Shift
 Holding the 'Shift' key down while sizing vectors sizes from center point
Shift Holding the 'Shift' key down while dragging vectors constrains drag to vertical or horizontal
Shift Holding the 'Shift' key down while rotating vectors rotates in 15 degree increments
Node Editing Shortcuts

Shortcuts in Node Editing Mode
A
 Convert a Line or Bezier span to an Arc I Insert a node
B
 Convert a Line or Arc span to a Bezier P Make current node Start Point for machining
L
 Convert a Bezier or Arc span to a Line S Toggle 'smooth' setting for current point
C Open or cut the vector    
D Delete a node or a span    
Changing the Job / Material Size

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.
Where should I set my Z Origin?

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.

Can I open Corel Draw files?

Yes, Corel Draw files can be opened in VCarve Pro but not directly.

The design needs to be Exported from Corel using the EPS file filter, which is is very easy to do,

Instructions

  1. Select the required lines / shapes / geometry in Corel
  2. Remove any Fill Patterns and set the Line Thickness = Hairline
  3. From the File menu select Export
  4. Tick the option Selected only
  5. From the Files of Type select the EPS or AI options
  6. Click the Export button
  7. Click the option to Export Text as Curves

The file can now be opened / imported and toolpathed in VCarve Pro
Problems Importing DXF files

When importing DXF files in from other CAD systems, such as AutoCAD, TurboCAD, Rhino, etc.

The files will be opened in the original size and position.

DXF files from CAD systems such may often appear as individual lines and arcs after being imported, and cannot be v-carved, or pocketed between, unless the vectors are joined together using the tools supplied within Vectric Products.

These lines can be profile machined, but the individual vectors will machine separately and as such, may machine with a jerky movement on many machines.

Solution

Use the Join Open Vectors tool to join the lines and arcs together so they can be machined more efficiently.

The Join Open Vectors tool is started using this icon Join Open Vectors and can be found within the Edit Vectors section of the Drawing Tools of Cut2D, VCarve Pro and Aspire.

 

If a DXF file fails to import at all, this may be due to the DXF version and that the DXF file contains entities that Vectric software does not support. If this is the case, try re-exporting the file from the original CAD system in AutoCAD R12 or R14 format. These tend to be more compatible.

(Many CAD systems that export in later formats as standard, offer this option)

 

Selecting a different DXF standard

Below is an example of how to export a DXF file from TurboCAD Deluxe version 15, in R14 standard.

From the Main menu, select “Save As” and select DXF as the “Save as type” to

“DXF - Drawing eXchange Format”

TurboCAD "Save As" screen

To select the standard, click on the “Setup” button.

From the “DXF and DWG Export” form select “AutoCAD R14 Drawing”.

 

TurboCAD DXF and DWG Export screen

Obviously the method for selecting the DFX standard may vary greatly between different CAD applications.

Please consult your CAD application documentation for full details.

 

Has this answered your question?

If you have any suggestions on how to improve any of the answers supplied,

Please email your suggestions to help@vectric.com

 

 


 Toolpath Preview FAQs

Preview Screen Shortcuts

   Left Mouse Button Down - Interactively Rotate 3D View
   Right Mouse Button Down + Mouse Forward - Zoom-In View
   Right Mouse Button Down + Mouse Backward - Zoom-Out View
   Right & Left Mouse Buttons Down - Pan View
   Mouse Wheel Forward - Zoom-In View
   Mouse Wheel Backward - Zoom-Out View
   F2 Key - Switch To 2D View Screen
Adding Custom Preview Materials
Although the standard list of job preview materials provides a reasonable selection of woods, stones and metals to choose from, you may have a project that requires a special material type. For example, a customer may require their work to be carved into a special wood that isn’t in the default list of materials.

The Job Preview material list can very easily be edited to include your own material types and selection names, allowing your work to be previewed and saved in the same materials that you are actually planning route or engrave.

Instructions explaining how to add your own materials can be downloaded from,

Hiding Preview Machining Marks From A V-Bit Tool By Previewing Using An Engraving Bit

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
    
Speeding Up The 3D View In VCarve Pro

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
Saving Images with a plain background
The gradient filled colour background looks very good, but sometimes makes the images difficult to use for customer quotes or marketing materials such as web site images etc.

The background can be changed to a solid pale blue colour by,

Opening the 3D window

From the Main menu uncheck,

View > Use Shaded Background

Having a solid colour around the design makes it much easier to crop out and include in other files.



 Machining FAQs

Machining Hard / Tough Materials and Deep Carvings

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.

How can I tell how deep my V-Carving is?

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.
Where should I set my Z Origin?

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.

Will my CNC machine do V-Carving work?

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 
Where can I purchase V Tools?

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

 

 

 

 


Minimum System Requirements

The Aspire, VCarve Pro, Cut3D, PhotoVCarve and Cut2D software products will all run on virtually all home PC's and do not require any special hardware or graphics card.

The minimum PC specification for Cut3D, PhotoVCarve and Cut2D is:

  • 1 GHz Pentium 4
  • Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista
  • 256 Mb RAM
  • 60 Mb Free disk space
  • 1024 x 768 Graphics display

For running Aspire and VCarve Pro 5 we recommend a slightly higher minimum PC specification:

  • 2 GHz Pentium 4
  • Windows Vista with 2Gb RAM
  • Windows XP & 2000 with 1Gb RAM
  • 60 Mb Disk space
  • 1024 x 768 Graphics display
  • DVD Drive

Aspire and VCarve Pro 5 will run on most home PC's but not on Windows 98.

Note - The Intel 82810 & 82815 integrated graphics cards must be set to run in 16 bit color mode.

 

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