Vectric Customer

I thought I'd post a couple tips about going from Sketchup to VCarve. I admit I am an amateur so these may be wrong or dated and any corrections/additions would be welcome.

• 1. Import the model as VECTORS. I don't know what the use is of importing a 3d model when the results are so horrid. I could not get smooth curves or angles at importing as a 3d model. By importing vectors you are left with a flat design that you will need to apply toolpaths to when you want to carve your 3d version.

• 2. Importing as vectors seems to increase the size of the model slightly. I expected this to be a really accurate import but when I tested and imported a 80mm square it imported as an 84mm square (about). Sizing by 95% corrected this for me.

I was hoping there was some way to take the Sketchup model and simply import into VCarve and then hit "carve" and have my wonderful creation. It has taken 3 days to get the simplest object to come out correctly. I know the next one won't take half as long and I'll keep getting better at it. I was expecting a bit more from software as expensive as VCarve but I still enjoy using it. I'd love to see VCarve and Sketchup team up for a single software that can design as amazingly as Sketchup and create toolpaths as well as VCarve.

The import will import what you've made in Sketchup. By default Sketchup uses a very low segment count for anything that is curved. If you increase the segment count in Sketchup when you draw your models then results you get in VCarve will be better as it's Sketchup controlling the quality not VCarve provided you've set your sizes sensibly. For example if you define your material as 8'x4' and then import a 6" square Sketchup model you will get horrible results. The material size should always be as close to the model size as possible. Also make sure that the modelling resolution makes sense for the size of your model.

A lot of the time people try to import items from Sketchup that are 2D as far as CNC is concerned which is where the vector import comes in.

This new video from Vectric may interest you, as it details these concepts:

http://support.vectric.com/tips-and-tri ... ideo_id=36