help with 3d cut

[gscherer]

How do you carve a 3d shape so all of the surrounding material is removed? I have a .5 inch thick piece that I want to carve down to .25 inch. The 3d object should be raised up .25 then. The problem I am getting is that when I import it into VCP from Machinist I am left with all of the surrounding material at .5 thick. It only seems to be carving around the 3d art. What toolpath do you need to create to remove all of the extra material so the 3d art is the only raised up portion?

Hope this kinda makes sense. I have the trial versions and I dont want to buy them until I can figure out how this works.

Thanks,
Gary

[Turtle49]

I would set up a vector around the 0.5 area and use the pocket tool path in VCP to bring it down to 0.25".

Does that make sense?
Tim

[gscherer]

I added a square around my material and selected that along with the 3d art. I made a pocket toolpath and it left a ridge all around the outside. So I made a square .1 inches larger around the material and that left a little peg sticking up at each corner.

Am I on the right track here or what? Do I need to make it even bigger? It makes sense that there would be something left since it is making a pocket.

Guess it takes a little trial and error.

I would set up a vector around the 0.5 area and use the pocket tool path in VCP to bring it down to 0.25".

Does that make sense?
Tim

[Turtle49]

It does take a little trial and error. Your doing well.

At this point with the box 0.1 larger and material being left in the corners, you may want to try putting a "Dog Bone" fillet in the corner of your square. You will find it in the fillet function. That way you won't have to make the entire square larger, just the corners.

Let us know how it works,
Tim

[gscherer]

Got it to work with a square .2 inches bigger than the material. I will try the dog bone idea as well.

Thanks for all of your help.
gary

It does take a little trial and error. Your doing well.

At this point with the box 0.1 larger and material being left in the corners, you may want to try putting a "Dog Bone" fillet in the corner of your square. You will find it in the fillet function. That way you won't have to make the entire square larger, just the corners.

Let us know how it works,
Tim

[gscherer]

If I want to add text after the 3d is carved and the pocket toolpath makes the depth .25 inches, how do I tell it that the depth has changed?

[Turtle49]

Put the 0.25" depth change in the "Start depth" field in the tool path. It will then understand that you zeroed the bit on top of the material at the full thickness of 0.5" and removed the 0.25" in a previous tool path. It will run the tool path 0.25" down from the zeroed position.

Does that make sense?
Tim

[gscherer]

Got it. I swear I must be brain dead after trying to search through all of the posts here and try to remember all of the tips and tricks. That was obvious - I just did see that when I set up the toolpath.

[gravirozo]

hi

on the cut2d forum, i have that, i posted a small plate...
i have a lot small leftover of a woodshop and i "fit" everything for these scraps...
for vectorart 3d you can find the *.eps files, they really exact fit for the models... to put in your drawing you can place easy on your exist boardsize...
draw a frame, and between frame and 3d model still you can place letters... pending how you going to cut your letters, just simple straight cut or angled sides, vcarve, you might have to add ""offset"" around your letters, after this choose a bit wich one fit in corners, and still goes trough between shapes...
my suggestion is, rough out as deep as, like in the machinist you computed, after the 3d is ready, you can set finish deep to the groove around your 3d island, and for last cut the letters, on way, first just set close to the final deep, and after a testcut, with a caliper you can figure out the letters final depth...
just a little guiding for the letters, they should be not higher like the tightest point 70-80 percent of letters... eg in some typeset the K the C has slim neck... so these points can help you to set the letters z height...
I guess for first read it's a little too much... but after you fallen in this vcarve story.... you learn fast )

[DanielBEE]

I had a similar question to this. I am trying to carve a raised linen fold into a panel, however VA3DM doesn't seem to want to finish the raised model. Picture it like the letter "H" the spaces above and below the center get roughed, but not finished.

So I tried to pull it into VCP5 and do the whole pocket thing, however a rectangle won't cut it for me, I need to get down in between the sides that stick out. It would be nice if there was a create vector around imported vector, like the create vector around bmp.

Is there an easier way to do this or do I have to zoom in and free hand a vector around the imported linen fold the best I can?

[gravirozo]

hi

there's a free vector, that match exacly around... this is you looking for?

thanks
viktor