Help opening VCarve File

[leonw]

Hi,

I was reading an old thread from 2010 about making an inlaid Chessboard viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8423 . The thread has a zip file containing the Aspire file.

I have Vcarve Pro 10.5.15 and I downloaded the file. I then download the latest Aspire 11 Trial Version and saved it as a Vcarve Pro file. However, I cannot open it in my older version. I then tried exporting the file but the export function dosen't work in the trail. I then tried copying and pasting, that didn't work. I then tried installing the trial of Aspire 10.5 but that dosen't let me install as it is an old version. I then tried installing the trail of Vcarve Pro 11 which opens the file but again I can't open it due to an older version..

I think the software should have an option to save in older versions. However, that isn't going to help me at the moment.

Can anyone with Aspire 10 please help me by saving the file so it will open in my version?

Cheers
Leon

[martin54]

I can't help with converting it to a vcarve file for V10.5 but I did have a look at the project & this is a really easy project to draw so might be worth spending a little bit of time learning how to use the software, If you can open the file with the aspire trial edition you have all the info you need to recreate the vectors & then toolpath it

It is simply 3 vectors, one at 2.5 inch, one at 20.75 inch & one at 23 inch.

Use the array copy tool to create the grid of small squares, the gap between the squares is 0.6 inch

[leonw]

I have been using the software commercially for several years and know how to use it. Time is the factor here and I shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel as the file contains all of the toolpaths as well. I have not come across any other software which dosen't allow you to open files or save files between versions. It is a significant flaw and limitation for ease of use.

[Tex_Lawrence]

.... I then download the latest Aspire 11 Trial Version and saved it as a Vcarve Pro file. However, I cannot open it in my older version....

You're problem is most likely that you can't read the file from a "Trial Version" with any version of Vectric software.

[leonw]

The file was created in 2010 in Aspire. It opens and the tool paths run a preview so all is working fine on Aspire 11 Trial software. I then save it as a Vcarve Pro file and can open it in the trial version of Vcarve Pro 11. The issue is I cannot open the file in my full version Vcarve Pro 10.5 because it says the file was created in a later version.

Aspire needs to have the option to save a file in an earlier version of Vcarve Pro and at least have some sort of backward compatibility because the file was created in a much earlier version of the software. I cannot understand why the software dosen't have this capability. How do other CNC users exchange their files if they are on different versions?

[leonw]

.... I then download the latest Aspire 11 Trial Version and saved it as a Vcarve Pro file. However, I cannot open it in my older version....

You're problem is most likely that you can't read the file from a "Trial Version" with any version of Vectric software.

I'm not sure. Why would it have the option to Save the file in the trial version if this was the case? unless you wanted to open it in another trial version. Anyway looks like I will be buying a chessboard now

[dealguy11]

You can save the file from the trial version and reopen it in the trial version. You can't open it in a registered version. That's always been the case as long as I've had the software.

As far as saving to prior file formats, you can send the suggestion to support@vectric.com.

As far as how I personally deal with older file formats, I guess it really isn't a problem as I keep the software up to date. Later versions have always opened earlier file formats, so that's not a problem. I haven't had a reason to step backwards to an old version unless I'm trying to answer a question for someone with an older version. I suspect the reason for how it works now is to encourage users to keep their software up to date...but I don't know that for a fact. I do know that Vectric has been pretty frank that they provide their monthly projects in the most current version at the time the project releases for that very reason.

[adze_cnc]

Time is the factor here and I shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel as the file contains all of the toolpaths as well.

I don’t know. You’ve probably spent more time on posts here lamenting the lack of backward save compatibility than if you just follow the instructions in the 2010 post to create the geometry (draw a sqaure, array copy to get the piece spaces, draw a couple sqaures around that as borders) and replicated the toolpaths with trial and your v10 open side by side.

For that matter there are 4 toolpaths for cutting out the squares’ recesses only because that allows them to be coloured black and white on the preview. They could be rolled into 1 toolpath as they are all cutting the same depth.

Better to light a candle than stand and curse the dark.

[leonw]

Time is the factor here and I shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel as the file contains all of the toolpaths as well.

I don’t know. You’ve probably spent more time on posts here lamenting the lack of backward save compatibility than if you just follow the instructions in the 2010 post to create the geometry (draw a sqaure, array copy to get the piece spaces, draw a couple sqaures around that as borders) and replicated the toolpaths with trial and your v10 open side by side.

For that matter there are 4 toolpaths for cutting out the squares’ recesses only because that allows them to be coloured black and white on the preview. They could be rolled into 1 toolpath as they are all cutting the same depth.

Better to light a candle than stand and curse the dark.

So you are saying, forget about the softwares limitations and redo the work that has already been done. That's more affordable for a hobbyist point of view unfortunately. It's not a sound Project Management principle. What I am pointing out is not unreasonable. Instead it is a practical issue. Its not just about this one project. The question is why does almost every other software program have the option to save in multiple formats for backward compatibility. Forget about my chessboard, what about more complicated files? just take the time to light the candle and reinvent the wheel for hours? Is that the way forward? What about users who only use the software occasionally and don't have the need or money to keep upgrading it? They may need a file from an associate with a later version and are unable to open it. There are a lot of scenarios why it is an important feature to have in the software, which is why it is an industry standard. On that note, it is probably worth the time to highlight the issue because so far a reasonable solution hasn't been offered.

[Adrian]

What are the size of the companies making the software that lets you save in every previous version? It's a huge amount of work to do that testing wise and it leads to a LOT of support issues when people complain that they've lost settings/detail etc when saving to an older version.

I have a lot of software on my machine for my various businesses and a quick count shows about a quarter of them allow saving to an older version.

After all the whole idea of newer versions is to add features that the older version didn't have so it's impossible for the older version to maintain an exact 1:1 conversion. The more complex the project the more likely that it would use the newer features so that info would be lost. Imagine saving a multi-sheet project with merged toolpaths from v11.5 to v9. There would be so many compromises in the v9 file it would probably cause more issues than just exporting the vectors and re-creating the toolpaths.

If you want the ability to save to older versions to be added then raise an enhancement request with Vectric (support@vectric.com) and, if there are enough people who want it compared to other enhancements, you may see it in a future version if it's technically possible.

[martin54]

+1 on what Adrian has just said, what Industry is this a standard in? When I started it seemed to be quite clear which software was CAD, desktop publishing, signmaking etc etc but these days the lines seemed to be blurred as each of the software has evolved & new software has come onto the market
Looking at the software on my computer it is only the very large Companies that have any sort of backward compatibility although I don't have as large a range of software as it sounds like Adrian has, I am also not working full time anymore so I am not running the latest versions of some of those programs.

[adze_cnc]

So you are saying, forget about the softwares limitations and redo the work that has already been done.

No, I’m saying that in this instance you are wasting time, energy, and (apparently) money.

The question is why does almost every other software program have the option to save in multiple formats for backward compatibility.

Now you’re being disingenuous. The Vectric software has plenty of options to export in plenty of formats. It just doesn’t back save its native format. In that respect it shares much with Solidworks (a vastly pricier program from a much larger company). Given enough effort that this doesn’t deserve I could cone up with other examples.

[SteveNelson46]

I suggest that you buy the software that that you need for your business. Complaining will not change Vectric's policies and the only thing you will accomplish is to inspire anger. This is not the first thread on this subject and it has been talked about many times over the span of many years.