How appropriate is Aspire for this?

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paorawiremu
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How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

Hi, I'm new to CNC cutting, and I'm still figuring out whether I'm using the correct technology for my intended result.
I have a series of line based images I want to V-Carve, however the intersections and overlapping nodes are causing trouble. I've applied bezier curves and deleted zero length spans, but there are still thousands of the troublesome guys. The DXF file was created through Illustrator.
I've watched many tutorials but they're mostly working on basic shapes that don't seem to apply to this project, which requires an masse approach. If the only solution is to edit them individually then I will have to find different software - hopefully someone out there has some helpful advice?
Image one: Engraving design in Aspire Vector Validator.
Image two: A shallow engraving into paint made using a sandblaster and sandblasting mask - I want to create a more dramatic result by V-Carving instead of sandblasting.
Image three: same as image two.
Thanks :-)
Attachments
Capture3.JPG
269703230_300646328711262_3138607231599926518_n.jpg
270455244_1040907816467087_8379691225308839162_n (1).jpg

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Adrian
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by Adrian »

Do you really need to v-carve it? By the looks of the intended result using a profile toolpath set to be On the vector with a v-bit would give you very similar results and you wouldn't need to worry about the overlaps.

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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by jfederer »

Have you considered turning it into a 3D model? There are various online resources for generating STLs from bitmaps, and the "Create component form selected or imported bitmap" tool in the Modelling tab can do it as well. Then play with the Z dimension until you get something usable. I don't know if this would work at all, just a thought.
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by Leo »

That would be countless hours of node editing to make that into a V-carve Engraving pattern. V-Carve or Aspire can do it. There is nothing in Aspire that would make the job easier. Personally, I would see that as not worth the effort.

Adrian has the better idea. Use a profile "ON" the line, with a depth setting.
I would use a 30 or 60 degree cutter, about 1/16 - 1/8 deep.
The depth is set in the tool database.
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adze_cnc
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by adze_cnc »

  1. can we see a version image 1 that is not in the vector validator and doesn’t have the vectors selected?
  2. how was the sandblasting mask created? i.e did it use the same Illustrator file?
  3. have you tried importing the Illustrator file rather than the exported DXF file? DXF is notoriously bad at expressing curves other than true arcs.

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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by wb9tpg »

I've spent countless hours fixing that type of thing in the past. I did what I had to do
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dealguy11
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by dealguy11 »

A couple of thoughts. I can't see from your pictures exactly what's being imported into Aspire. Is it single-line vectors or is it intended to be closed vectors where the lines have a width? You would need the latter to v-carve.

If the vectors have thickness in Illustrator, you might consider exporting them as a high-quality bitmap file of some kind - as high quality as possible to minimize jaggies. Then import the bitmap into Aspire and use its Trace Bitmap tool to create closed vectors around the bitmap, adjusting parameters as needed to reduce jaggies. It should give you a file with far fewer intersection and overlap problems. It might have other problems, but it's worth a shot.
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dealguy11
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by dealguy11 »

A couple of thoughts. I can't see from your pictures exactly what's being imported into Aspire. Is it single-line vectors or is it intended to be closed vectors where the lines have a width? You would need the latter to v-carve.

If the vectors have thickness in Illustrator, you might consider exporting them as a high-quality bitmap file of some kind - as high quality as possible to minimize jaggies. Then import the bitmap into Aspire and use its Trace Bitmap tool to create closed vectors around the bitmap, adjusting parameters as needed to reduce jaggies. It should give you a file with far fewer intersection and overlap problems. It might have other problems, but it's worth a shot.
Steve Godding
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by ElevationCreations »

I would try to place the vectors on separate layers to help make editing easier.

Illustrator tends to create multiple nodes which need to be cleaned up.

If you export to a PDF from Illustrator, then into VCP or Aspire is it less work to clean up?

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

Adrian wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 11:30 am
Do you really need to v-carve it? By the looks of the intended result using a profile toolpath set to be On the vector with a v-bit would give you very similar results and you wouldn't need to worry about the overlaps.
Hi Adrian, yes, a profile toolpath is something that I will use too. I've got a lot of works so will be using a range of tools. The v-carve line has qualities that I really like and I wanted to see if I could achieve these first, before moving onto secondary options.

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

jfederer wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 2:44 pm
Have you considered turning it into a 3D model? There are various online resources for generating STLs from bitmaps, and the "Create component form selected or imported bitmap" tool in the Modelling tab can do it as well. Then play with the Z dimension until you get something usable. I don't know if this would work at all, just a thought.
A friend mentioned this to me also. It's definitely a worthwhile string to the bow so I will try one like this too.

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

adze_cnc wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 4:14 pm
  1. can we see a version image 1 that is not in the vector validator and doesn’t have the vectors selected?
  2. how was the sandblasting mask created? i.e did it use the same Illustrator file?
  3. have you tried importing the Illustrator file rather than the exported DXF file? DXF is notoriously bad at expressing curves other than true arcs.
Hi adze_cnc, thank you for your suggestion!
1.) I have attached some file images for you.
2.) The sandblasting mask was originally a vector file in Illustrator and the stencil mask was cut on a large format vinyl cutter, using GreatCut software.
3.) This is the answer! Oh my gosh, so simple. The errors went from thousands, down to ten. I hadn't realized I could import the Illustrator file directly. It's so much cleaner. Thanks!
Attachments
Capture5.JPG
Capture6.JPG

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

wb9tpg wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:00 pm
I've spent countless hours fixing that type of thing in the past. I did what I had to do
A direct import of the Illustrator file fixes them all, skip the DXF stage.

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

Leo wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 3:48 pm
That would be countless hours of node editing to make that into a V-carve Engraving pattern. V-Carve or Aspire can do it. There is nothing in Aspire that would make the job easier. Personally, I would see that as not worth the effort.

Adrian has the better idea. Use a profile "ON" the line, with a depth setting.
I would use a 30 or 60 degree cutter, about 1/16 - 1/8 deep.
The depth is set in the tool database.
Hi Leo, I will take on your suggestions and give them a go. I have found that a direct import of the Illustrator file fixes all the errors, skipping the DXF stage. Thanks!

paorawiremu
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Re: How appropriate is Aspire for this?

Post by paorawiremu »

dealguy11 wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 11:16 pm
A couple of thoughts. I can't see from your pictures exactly what's being imported into Aspire. Is it single-line vectors or is it intended to be closed vectors where the lines have a width? You would need the latter to v-carve.

If the vectors have thickness in Illustrator, you might consider exporting them as a high-quality bitmap file of some kind - as high quality as possible to minimize jaggies. Then import the bitmap into Aspire and use its Trace Bitmap tool to create closed vectors around the bitmap, adjusting parameters as needed to reduce jaggies. It should give you a file with far fewer intersection and overlap problems. It might have other problems, but it's worth a shot.
Hi there, thanks, I tried the bitmap thing, but I couldn't do it without compromising the quality of the image. Found another good solution anyway though, Thanks for replying.

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