VCarve Pro 3.0 Update

[tony_mac]

Hello Everyone,

We are very pleased to announce that VCarve Pro 3.0 has been released and this is a Free Upgrade for and all VCarve Wizard customers.

Important - If you haven’t received your New License Code and the Download details please contact us – support@vectric.com (mailto:support@vectric.com)

VCarve Pro is the successor to the extremely popular VCarve Wizard program which has been renamed to reflect the enormous increase in design and machining functionality in the new release.

For a summary of the functionality in version 3.0 see the Vectric web site (http://www.vectric.com/index.htm).

If you would like to take a closer look at VCarve Pro please Download the Trial version (http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/products/download.htm)


4129

Interactive Tabs / Bridges including 3D tabs


4130

Bevel Edge Profiling with Sharp internal and external corners


4131

Combine 2D and 3D Toolpaths from the Free VA3D Machinist software


4132

Unique Carved 3D Textures - Efficiently machined


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Work with PhotoVCarve designs inside VCarve Pro

The software has rapidly developed from a world class wizard based VCarving program to a fully functional and complete sign making, engraving and wood carving solution. VCarve Pro provides all the tools needed for everyday 2D profiling, pocketing and drilling, plus advanced tools for quickly and easily machining decorative 3D textures and clipart elements when required.

Features such as text entry, powerful shape editing tools, user definable tabs / bridges, automated tools for identifying open and duplicate vectors, form cutters, an advanced toolpath simulation engine and many more, have all been designed to enable you to work more quickly and efficiently.

Remember that you can purchase VCarve Pro and PhotoVCarve directly from ShopBot (http://www.shopbottools.com/software.htm)

Please let us know if you have any questions or require more information.

Tony

[matt_r]

Just thought I'd throw in some praise here. This new "PRO" update is FANTASTIC! I have been very impressed at how almost everything we had discussed or even slightly mentioned here in the forum was incorporated as an upgrade. Bravo!
My favorite upgrade of the day is the tabbing feature. Cutting foam parts out of 1" thick gator foam has always been a headache for me. My other programs did not do tabbing easily or well. VCP does them very well. Cut some gator this morning. Only 1 bum letter out of 24 (letters are 2.5" tall), and that was my fault for putting the tabs in the wrong places. But, the ease of editing tabs, adding them, subtracting them, moving them. A+.
Thanks guys for a great tool, at a very affordable price.

-Matt

[simon]

I would like to second that. The tabbing feature has changed my whole approach to cutting.

Have you noticed how the same file made from PW is about an eighth the size of that made with VcarvePro? It seems VCP divides circles into straight segments. The results are the same though.

[Brian Moran]

Hi Matt,

Thank you for the positive comments, we’re delighted that you are pleased with VCarve Pro. We monitor these forums and other CNC forums on the web very regularly to see what people are struggling with and what features they would like to see in software. If anyone has suggestions please visit the Vectric forum at http://vectric.com/forum/ and let us know.

Simon, you’ll be pleased to know that we are currently in the final stages of Beta testing circular arc output for version 3.1 of VCarve Pro and this should be released within a couple of weeks. This should make the file sizes for jobs containing arcs pretty near identical to the output from PartWizard.

Version 3.1 will be a free upgrade to all existing customers. Circular arc output (CG commands for ShopBot, G2/G3 for gcode type machines) is the main feature for 3.1, but the ‘welding’ of vectors has also been improved to maintain the curves and arcs in the vectors after welding. We have also fixed a number of small bugs which have been reported since the release of Version 3.0.

We will email all registered customers when the new release is available, so if there are any customers who have changed their email address or haven’t yet registered can they please contact us at support@vectric.com (mailto:support@vectric.com) so we can update our records.

Regards

Brian

[mklafehn]

I know this post is for V-Carve, but I have a question for Matt Roylance.

You stated you cut alot of 1" gatorboard. I have a job coming up where I need to cut 1/2". What bit, RPM and ips are you at for cutting this material? Thanks

[matt_r]

Hi Mike,
I wouldn't say I cut a lot of it, but I've cut some. Most recently I've been using a 4 flute 1/4" end mill (solid carbide - the kind used for metal working). I got this one because I had to cut some 2" Gator a while back, and I didn't have time to order a foam cutter bit from Hartlauer Bits, so I went with what I could get locally - that had a 2" LOC.
Anyway, the bit cut wonderfully. I set my Porter Cable router at 10,000 rpm, and run at 1.7 in/sec. But if you've got the time, you might check out Hartlauer bits, or Onsrud. I know that they have specific bits for cutting foam.

I also cut the foam in a single pass, using those tabs that I mentioned to hold things in place.

Hope that helps.

-matt

[mklafehn]

Thanks Matt.

Sounds good. I have some time so I ordered a couple of bits from Hartlauer.

And your right, V-Carve is a fantastic program. Wish all programs were this simple and powerful at the same time.

Mike

[paco]

Extra length foam cutting bits; beware of HSS, it will wobble even at low RPM and you won't get anything good from 'em. Keep with the solid carbide. Two flutes being the best... if you ask me.

[richards]

I finally tried cutting some raised lettering plaques and signs in pink styrofoam using V-Carve. What a fantastic experience!

The last time I tried running this very simple stuff was early last summer, before I got rid of my alpha's 'chatter' problem - and the results at that time were less than what I'd hoped for. (I knew that it had nothing to do with the V-Carve software because it was a mechanical problem, not a software problem.)

Anyway, tonight my back isn't sore from lifting 100-lb. sheets of MDF, and my ears haven't been assulted with shrieking tools chomping their way through manufactured wood products, AND I have a pile of plaques and small signs that are ready to be painted. I can truthfully state that the loudest noice in the shop is the Fein vacuum. The Colombo, running at 8,000 RPM, is so quiet that I've mistakenly thought a few times during the day when I've stepped in the room adjacent to the shop, that a file had finished because I couldn't hear the usual spindle noise. What could be better? (I should have listened more carefully to Bill P. at the two camps I attended last year when he tried to get us to understand that a Shopbot can be used for more than cutting out cabinet parts.)

[bruce_clark]

Mike,

It is a fantastic program. Just wait to see what is instore! It is amazing how fast you can knock out some really great signage. I am now in the business of making "room" signs for all the neices and nephews--and even a few in-laws (out-laws).

One thing I like is the preview is VERY close to what your finished cut peice will actually look like. Maybe I will post up a few "preview" versus "cut" plaques I did.

Bruce

PS Hows that coding coming?

[richards]

Bruce - you've got mail.

[harryball]

I too can hardly wait for the next releast of VCPro. With just a few measuring tools it will completely replace PartWizard. Awsome program, fantastic. Last I heard the next release would be around Spring.

Robert

[richards]

Robert,
I should have clarified my post to Bruce. He and I have worked together on a doors program that is entirely separate from the V-Carve software. (The email that I sent him is a trial G-code version of the doors program. I'm hoping that the G-code version functions identically to the Shopbot version.)

As far as V-Carve software goes, I'm an avid customer of their products just like everyone else.

-Mike

[conceptmachine]

anyone know when vectric has a software upgrade coming out?currious to what enhancments there will be.
--shawn

[bruce_clark]

Shawn,

This is strictly rumorsville but I have heard that is will incorporate Inkscape or some other type of bitmap to vector tracing. Also, some more drawing tools (measuring tools?).

As for time frame, again this is rumorsville but sometime in the next month or two. There was some request for additional features on Vectric's website a few weeks ago from users and I think Brian said something was in the works.

Thats all I know,

Bruce

[harryball]

I know tabbing will be activated for machine ON vectors which will be nice. I heard measureing tools would be added. Don't know if that includes guide lines but that'd be great.

Vector tracing!!! I'd love it if they added a face wizard type function to extrude to 3D. THAT would indeed drive some serious sales for them.

Robert

[bruce_clark]

Robert,

I am not familar with the Artcam face tool. What exactly is "special" about it?

Better yet, send me an email with what you are trying to do. Maybe it your desired results can be achived by using existing tools that you already have such as the ShopBot BMP to ShopBot/DXF converter.

You can reach me at bwclark1 (at) gmail (dot) com

As for the 3D in VCarvePro, I thought I read somewhere that they were trying to keep the 3D stuff to Cut3d and the 2.5D stuff to VCP, but I could be wrong. Maybe the face wizard type stuff is something to suggest as an addition to the Cut3d program. They seem to be very receptive to suggestions and fix problems pretty quickly.

To be honest, I have not really looked into Cut3d, since I don't do much 3d stuff, other than to play around or make an occasional fancy sign.

Bruce