newbie question.

[Jan.vanderlinden]

Hello all,
I'm very new to the world of CNC.
I have been a (hobby) woodworker for more than 20 years.
I am very much interested in CNC wood working and after much research, I have zeroed in on the X Carve from Inventible and have place my order.
I ordered the machine with a copy of the V carve desktop software.
I have downloaded the free trial version and have been working with it for a few weeks and found it to be very interesting.
However, I have run into the following problem
I want to make a bottle cap with a logo on it.
I have successfully imported the logo and created vectors for the carving, and the software produces the finished product.
However, when I import the 3D model of the bottle cap, and import the 2D logo it (to place on top of it) will not show up on the 3D model preview, and I cannot produce the vectors of the 3D cap model either.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

Jan VanderLinden
Columbus, Ohio

[mtylerfl]

Hello all,
I'm very new to the world of CNC.
I have been a (hobby) woodworker for more than 20 years.
I am very much interested in CNC wood working and after much research, I have zeroed in on the X Carve from Inventible and have place my order.
I ordered the machine with a copy of the V carve desktop software.
I have downloaded the free trial version and have been working with it for a few weeks and found it to be very interesting.
However, I have run into the following problem
I want to make a bottle cap with a logo on it.
I have successfully imported the logo and created vectors for the carving, and the software produces the finished product.
However, when I import the 3D model of the bottle cap, and import the 2D logo it (to place on top of it) will not show up on the 3D model preview, and I cannot produce the vectors of the 3D cap model either.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

Jan VanderLinden
Columbus, Ohio

Put either the vectors or the model on a separate layer. Then go into the layer menu and change the order of the vector layer so it is below the model layer.

[Jan.vanderlinden]

thank you for the reply.
I cant seem to make it happen.
is it because I'm working with the free tryout copy of the software?

[Jan.vanderlinden]

it looks like my 3D model of the bottle cap is on layer 1 and my 2D logo is on layer 25

[martin54]

Has nothing to do with it being the trial version, the trial version allows you to do most things.

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think 2d vectors show up in the 3d view, you would need to toolpath & preview the results to see how it will look I believe

Sorry can't check don't have the software on this laptop

[Jan.vanderlinden]

but the logo will still not show up on the 3D model.
and it will not show me the finished product.

[martin54]

Have you toolpathed the model & the logo ? When you toolpath the logo you need to tick the box that says project onto 3d model (about 2/3 way down page), you will need to preview both toolpaths to see the results

[Rcnewcomb]

Try the following steps:
Open Vcarve and create a new project that is 6"x6" with a thickness of 1"

select the ClipArt tab a tthe lower left of the screen
Click on "Clipart" at upper left and select Domes (Dishes)
Drag the Dome_Dish_30.v3m design onto the center of your workspace


Click on the Drawing tab at the lower left of the screen
In the "Create Vectors" area of the drawing tools look for a T in a box and click on that (draw text within a vector box)
Enter the following text (pressing <Enter> goes to a new line)
This is
my text
projected on
a 3D shape

Click Apply
Click Close to dismiss the text screen


Press <F12> to go to the Toolpaths setup screen
Under Material Setup in the upper right of the screen click the Set button
In the area that says "Model Position in Material" set the "Gap above Model to 0
Click OK


Click the 3D finishing toolpath icon
Choose a 0.25" ballnose tool
"For the Machining Limit Boundary" select "Model Boundary"
Click Calculate
It goes the the preview screen. We're not quite ready for that. Click the Close button
It goes to the 3D view. Click on the 2D vector tab (probably labeled "New")

Select the text if it isn't already (it looks pink when selected)
click on the Vcarve toolpath operation
Select a Vbit (a 60 degree will probably work well)

REALLY IMPORTANT STEP: Click the checkbox for "Project toolpath onto 3D model"

Click Calculate

Now we are in the Preview screen.
Click Preview

You should see the Vcarved text on the 3D dome.

[mtylerfl]

but the logo will still not show up on the 3D model.
and it will not show me the finished product.

I may have misunderstood your question. I thought you wanted the 2D logo vectors to be visible on top of the bottle cap model's greyscale representation. In that case, the layer order is important. Perhaps Randall has interpreted your question more accurately and will do the trick for you. I hope so. (I'm also wondering how you have 25 layers?? That doesn't make sense to me. Even very complex layouts I create rarely have need for more than 8-10 layers if organized well.)

[Jan.vanderlinden]

thank you for all your help.
I don't know why, but apparently I don't have clipart.
when I click on it nothing happens.
I did however go back to my file that I was working on and clicked on the all important button to Project toolpath onto 3D model.
I'm getting much better results now.
this is going to be a very steep learning curve for me.

[Adrian]

Everything you need to know about the product is in the training videos and help manual. Just take it slow, start from the first steps (don't try to run before you walk) and you'll be up to speed with it in no time. [

[martin54]

Clipart in the demo versions is limited but there should be some you can experiment with.

If you are new to the whole process, cnc machines, drawing/cad software & the toolpathing side cam software then yes it can be a very steep learning curve but just think of all the people who have climbed that hill before you

Vectric make the whole process less painful by providing excellent help & support, the tutorials are pretty easy to follow & there are some real experts on the forum who are happy to help if you have problems or questions you can't find answers to elsewhere.

As Adrian has said take things one step at a time, start from the beginning with the tutorials & work your way through them at a speed that suits you. Don't just watch them, all the tutorials come complete with downloadable files which allow you to actually follow along, a dual monitor set up is useful for this if you have one. This will give you a very good grounding as you progress, it's like most things, take your time & make sure you have the basics down pat because this will make learning the more complex stuff a bit easier, most of all enjoy

[Jan.vanderlinden]

inventibles has not shipped my order yet.
would it behoove me to call them and upgrade my software from the cheaper "desktop" to either desktop pro or aspire?
the extra couple hundred might be cheap compared to frustrations.

[RobH063]

No, you will have the same frustrations and triumphs as you learn, regardless of which program you purchase. The only differences that I'm aware of between VCarve Desktop and VCarve Pro are the ability to Create Merged Toolpaths, Job Setup Sheets, Toolpath Templates, Nesting, No Size Limit of projects and Gadgets. There is no reason to spend the extra money now. If you decide you want the Pro version later on, you can buy it for the difference in price. I too have an X-Carve and VCarve Desktop and I've been very happy. The largest project I've made measured 16" X 20" and most of what I've made is much smaller.

[martin54]

The software packages are laid out the same way as far as the user interface & operation goes so if you learn on one product it is easy to change to another. As RobH063 says you only pay the difference in software price when you upgrade, Vectrics upgrade policy is very good that way. You may well find you want to upgrade at a latter date but it's pretty easy to do & the desktop version will probably contain all you need to get you started, if desktop looks to do all you want to start with then I would just leave your order as is for now. Have a look at the software comparison table, it may help you decide.

http://www.vectric.com/products/compare.html