Resolution Issues.........?

[oneusageek]

Aspire Preview Screen

I am trying to carve simple 2D pieces using images downloaded from the web, but am having an awful time of it. I am including 2 pictures, one is what it should look like, as you can see, all of the vectors are properly highlighted. The second photo is what the preview screen looks like. Sometimes it will show part of the picture and a bunch of dots for the rest of the picture. I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I suspect a resolution problem, but I have tried increasing the resolution in Microsoft Paint, with no success. I have also tried increasing the DPI, again with no success. Can anyone here tell me where I am going wrong? Thanks for any insight you can provide.........................

[Rcnewcomb]

With a pocket tool path it can only carve areas where the bit will fit. you would need to use a much smaller bit

A v-carve took path will work better.

[Adrian]

At the bottom of the toolpath list check the box that says Solid. Your toolpath preview will then change to show a solid blue line where the bit can reach. As Randall says you need a much smaller bit or a VCarve toolpath. If the gap between two vectors is 1/8" of an inch a 1/4" tool isn't going to fit.

[rej]

There is no substitute for tutorials.
And they are free.

[dealguy11]

Also, for what it's worth, increasing model resolution has no effect on 2d toolpaths. Increasing DPI in Paint may have the effect of decreasing jaggies when the picture is imported, but won't help with the issue here which, as Adrian pointed out, appears to result from the tool being too large to fit in the pockets.

[MarkJohnston]

As Adrian said checking the box that says solid gives you a picture where the bit will fit is a great resource. I use this all the time and when adjusting vectors to fit a certain bit, I draw a circle the size of the bit or a little larger to help adjust the vectors. Sometimes it just takes a little widening to get the bit through without messing up the look of the item being cut.

Mark

[mtylerfl]

As Adrian said checking the box that says solid gives you a picture where the bit will fit is a great resource. I use this all the time and when adjusting vectors to fit a certain bit, I draw a circle the size of the bit or a little larger to help adjust the vectors. Sometimes it just takes a little widening to get the bit through without messing up the look of the item being cut.

Mark

+1

Also, as already mentioned, this job is suited for a v-bit (vcarve toolpath) not a pocket toolpath.

[oneusageek]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I have changed it to a vCarve toolpath, and the result is very very good. Tutorials are great, but the only problem is that there's no possible way I have time to watch them all, and I don't know how to be able to tell which one has the information that I need for whatever problem I might be having at any given time. Speaking of problems that I'm having at any given time, I really don't want to bother anybody in here but there are a few other things that would be really helpful to know in order for me to finish this project. The very last line on this project says " aged to Perfection since 1775". It is the one part of this that is not clearly defined in the preview screen. I have tried it by doing just that line as a vector using all of the 3v bits that Aspire offers me. Is there anything that I should be doing in order to get that line to show up better? Another thing is that in the tool menu, all three V bits that are there end with a size. One of them is 60 degree .25, another one is 90 degree .05, and the other one is 90 degree .125. What would the significance of that number be? And finally, when I go to put an image into Aspire, is there some way for me to know ahead of time what kind of a tool path I should be using? Again, I hate to bother everybody constantly with a million and one questions, but at this point in time, I'm getting so frustrated with this that I don't know what to do anymore. But I have noticed that every time I can manage to get something done, it just makes me more determined. Thanks for all your help!

[dealguy11]

The problem with the last line is that the vectors are malformed. The text is apparently so small, and the contrast in the original picture so low, that it was not able to put together full vectors for those letters. Why not just replace them with actual text in a similar font? It's a separate line from the rest of the piece, so a slightly different font (or perhaps even a contrasting font - how about some kind of italic font?) should not look too out of place. Frankly, if I were doing this piece, I would replace all the text with real text anyway, as there are a lot of jaggies and badly formed letters in the smaller text areas.

The default bits that come with Aspire are just that - default. You need to set them up to match the bits you actually have, or add new bits as necessary. The numbers in the bit names are supposed to indicate the diameter of the bit, but the numbers you listed - .05 for example - don't sound right. V-bits come in a variety of diameters, which you define in the tool setup for that v-bit. For example, one of my 90-degree v-bits is 1.25" in diameter, and I've included that in the tool name. The value of knowing the diameter of the bit is that it helps you to understand how many passes it will take to reach the full depth of the v-carving. A wider bit can generally do in one pass what a skinny bit will require several passes to do.

I know the tutorials are time consuming, but you really need to find the time if possible. Many of your questions are addressed there.

[mtylerfl]

Hello,

Glad to help with your questions.

The bits that "Aspire offers you" are just a starting point as a list of bits. It's up to you to define the ACTUAL bits you have on hand (along with setting appropriate RPM and Feed Rates for a particular job). So, what bits do you own? Those are the bits you can use. Most often, you can match up the bit(s) you have on hand with an entry in the Tool Database, then make edits if necessary to the RPM, Feed Rate, Depth of Cut per Pass and so on. Again, this is a "user responsibility".

As far as the different sizes for V-Bits...smaller angles can reach deeper into the material than larger angles. For vcarving, the outer boundaries of closed vectors determine the maximum reach down into the material (the outlines of your lettering, for example). The physical size (diameter of the angled bit itself, not necessarily the shank size) is useful to know. Perhaps you have a design situation where you need to use a smaller v-bit (physically) to avoid hitting an adjacent item in your design. As far as the depth-reach, they will be the same, not matter what physical size the bit end itself is. A "too small" v-bit will just have to have more passes between closed vectors than a larger bit with the same angle.

EDIT: Steve is a faster typist. I see he has responded with helpful info too

[Leo]

Looking at the two pictures I do NOT see a preview pictures.

FIRST picture is a "toolpath" preview but NOT the preview that shows the actual toolpath AFTER running the preview.

SECOND picture is - I really don't know what that is but it does not look like a preview pic.

On to the tutorials ------

You are not going to be successful at this if you do not STUDY the tutorials. I will NOT recommend watching the tutorials, as in like watching a movie. Watching them will get you little to nothing. What I am suggestion is to STUDY them. That means watch, than watch again, and practice. Watch, stop, rewind, watch and listen slowly, rewind, watch again. Try it on your own, then go back and watch again. SOOO - if you don't have time to watch, as in watch a movie, which is what I am saying is not a good way to do it, then you are NOT liking what I am saying about STUDYING.

Truth is - you will need 10,000 hours at this before you will start to "get it". You are not going to get it, just by asking other users what is wrong. You really need to get past the "I don't have time" thing, and get into studying the tutorials.

All this stuff is REALLY COOL - and REALLY FUN. Guys like Adrian, Michael Mezalick, Michael Tyler and so many others here have WAY WAY more than 10,000 hours - more like 50,000 or 100,000 hours into it, or even more. NOBODY, gets good at this in 20-100 hours of actual working at it.

Soo - bite the bullet - study the tutorials - START at the BEGINNING. Get good at the basics.

I really don't mean to be harsh, but that my nature - I am not good at being diplomatic.

[Mike-S]

You can delete the tiny "Aged To..." text vectors and add your own text to replace it. Looks like Times New Roman.
You could do that with the "ESTABLISHED..." also for better looking letters. Probably Arial there.

[rej]

want to learn fast?
go to a workshop.
i have a free one aug 5 and 6
leo has one on east coast
mezalick has some across the country.
vectric has a few over here.
jim mcgrew has some.

just go to one and you will learn a lot in a couple of days. and you will meet some nice people.
i dont have 10000 hours in this, but i did watch every tutorial more than once.

[joeporter]

Along with studying the tutorials, there's the "Help" button at the top of the Aspire window. The Help button opens up the complete up to date user instruction book. I use the Help button all the time to refresh myself on just some of the questions you are asking, like tool data bases and V-Carve vs. Pocketing etc. I have been using this program for a long time and have studied each tutorial as it comes out and over the years, that is a considerable amount of study time, but, as Leo and others have said, you have to read and study and practice and like my old school teacher always told us,"...study and study and it will eventually dawn on you." You will start to get this, but it ain't going to happen overnight. Hang in there, and good luck...joe

[oneusageek]

At the bottom of the toolpath list check the box that says Solid. Your toolpath preview will then change to show a solid blue line where the bit can reach. As Randall says you need a much smaller bit or a VCarve toolpath. If the gap between two vectors is 1/8" of an inch a 1/4" tool isn't going to fit.

Great tip, I need to remember that! Thank you!