Have ArtCAM; now VCarve Pro vs. ArtCAM Insignia

[bahed]

I am looking at VCP or ACI to enhance my font selection, but I also love the chipped\gouged out look that VCP offers. I don't believe ACI does that. Any other affordable softwares that can do that cool gouging thing ?

Also, since I already have ArtCAM what other +\- am I looking at between the two packages ?

[Brady Watson]

Bret,
What do you have now? ~ ArtCAM Pro or ArtCAM Insignia?

-B

[bahed]

I have ArtCAM version 9. I am needing more font capabilities and I also kind of dig that gouging utility that VCarve Pro offers.

[Brady Watson]

When you say more font capabilites, I'm not sure I am following you...what do you mean? I think I have about 3000 fonts loaded in Pro...You do know you can create your own style font from scratch too, right?

As far as the 'gouging' goes, you can do that in ArtCAM. It isn't automated, but you can do it. This is something that I am going to feature in my ArtCAM video...whenever time allows me to complete it!

VCW is better than Pro at Vcarving. It is cleaner and faster. The texturing utility is very easy to use as well, but it is limited. Doing it in Pro is a lot more work, but it's also more powerful. You'll have to ask yourself if you really need it or not.

-B

[garyb]

Bret, you can download and install as many fonts as you like into AC Just as Brady has done.
Then as far as textures such as the chip carve, well your pretty well unlimited there too.
here's a chipcarve in AC

19330.jpg

[rhfurniture]

Brady,
Do you know where it is possible to download or buy VCW from? Vectric seem to have erased all trace of it from their website.


R.

[Brian Moran]

Ralph,
When Brady said ...
quote:VCW is better than Pro at Vcarving. It is cleaner and faster. The texturing utility is very easy to use as well, but it is limited. Doing it in Pro is a lot more work, but it's also more powerful. You'll have to ask yourself if you really need it or not.

The 'Pro' he is refering to is ArtCAM Pro not VCarve Pro. When he wrote VCW, he meant VCP, so the comparison he is making is between VCarve Pro and ArtCAM Pro. VCarve Pro replaced VCarve Wizard and contains all the VCarving functionality which was in VCarve Wizard but also added a huge amount of functionality for general CNC machining (including the texturing), so what would have been VCarve Wizard V3 was renamed VCarve Pro (and the price remained the same). Therefore only VCarve Pro is listed on the web-site and it is also available directly from ShopBot.

Gary,
The texturing you show in ArtCAM is very different from the method used in VCP. Although ArtCAM can model extremely varied textures, the machining times are usually very long as they have to be machined with a relatively small ball nosed tool using a raster machining strategy.

The VCP approach uses the shape of the tool to create the textures with relatively simple toolpaths which machine much faster. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses and people can download the demo version of VCP to experiment with the VCP approach to see if it suits their needs.

Brian

[rhfurniture]

Brian n Brady,
OK. I am only looking for something to do lettering a bit better than part wizard - something I get asked for VERY occasionally. I am well sorted for general 2d cnc.
If ever I get asked to carve the Magna Carta, no doubt I will be buying it.

R.

[Brady Watson]

Ralph,
The Vectric software is suited for most of the sign making & lettering/carving needs that you will likely have at an affordable price.

Brian,
Thanks for the corrections.

Yes the VCP proces is faster than the method that Gary suggests because it is essentially a 2D strategy (XZ or YZ), instead of rastering back & forth in a 3D strategy like any other relief.

-B