See also the Rulers, Guides and Snap Grid section.

	Pan	Click and hold the Left mouse button and drag the mouse about to Pan - Esc to cancel mode Shortcut: Click and drag the Middle mouse button or if using a 2 button mouse, Hold Ctrl + drag with Right Mouse button.
	Zoom Interactive	Mouse with Middle Wheel - Scroll wheel in / out Mouse without Middle Wheel - Hold Shift + Push / Pull with Right Mouse button.
	Zoom Box	Click top left corner, hold mouse down and drag to bottom right corner and release. Clicking the left mouse button will zoom in, Shift + click will zoom out.
	Zoom Extents	Zooms to show material limits in the 2D window
	Zoom Selected	With objects selected Zooms to the bounding box of the selection

Numerical edit boxes generally support simple calculations.
A sum can be entered directly into the edit box:

Having typed an equation, pressing the = key will perform the entered calculation and fill the edit box with the answer.

As well as the simple numerical calculations, such as 3+(4/5), several of VCarve Desktop's stored values can be accessed by using certain letters (which are not case-sensitive): When used, VCarve Desktop substitutes the character with the appropriate value in the calculation.

New Document Variable names must begin with a letter and then may consist of letter, number and underscore characters. Once created, they may be edited in the table beneath the New Variable section of the Document Variables Dialog.

Variables can be exported to a text file and imported into another job. When importing, any existing variable values with the same name will be replaced.

Once created a Document Variable may be used in any Calculation Edit Box by enclosing its name within a pair of curly braces as illustrated in the figure below.

Right clicking in a Calculation Edit Box provides a Popup Menu that provides shortcuts for creating new Variables and inserting existing variables into the Edit Box.

Once a Document Variable has been created from the Popup Menu it will be inserted into the Edit Box.

The Job Setup form is displayed whenever a new job is being created, or when the size and position of an existing job is edited.

In most cases a new job represents the size of the material the job will be machined into or at least an area of a larger piece of material which will contain the part which is going to be cut. Clicking OK creates a new empty job, which is drawn as a gray rectangle in the 2D View. Dotted horizontal and vertical Grey lines are drawn in the 2D design window to show where the X0 and Y0 point is positioned.

Single Sided job type should be used when design only requires the material to be cut from one side. This is the simplest type of job to design and machine.

Double Sided Job type is useful when it is desired to cut both sides of your material. Aspire allows you to visualise and manage the creation and cutting process of both sides of your design within a single project file.

Rotary job type enables the use of a rotary axis (also called a 4th axis or indexer).Aspire will provide alternative visualisation, simulation and tools appropriate for rotary designs.

This section of the form defines the dimensions of the material block you will be using for your project in terms of width (along the X axis), height (along the Y axis) and thickness (along the Z axis).

It also allows you to select which units of measurement you prefer to design in - either inches (Imperial/English) or millimeters (Metric).

This sets the resolution/quality for the 3D model. When working with 3D models a lot of calculation and memory may be required for certain operations. Setting the Resolution allows you to choose the best balance of quality and speed for the part you are working on. The better the resolution quality chosen, the slower the computer will perform.

As this is completely dependent on the particular part you are working on and your computer hardware performance, it is difficult in a document like this to recommend what the setting should be. Generally speaking, the Standard (fastest) setting will be acceptable for the majority of parts that Aspire users make. If the part you are making is going to be relatively large (over 18 inches) but still has small details, you may want to choose a higher Resolution such as High (3 x slower) and for very large parts (over 48 inches) with small details then the Highest (7 x slower) setting may be appropriate.

The reason that the detail of your part needs to be taken into account is that if you were making a part with one large item in it (e.g. a fish) then the standard resolution would be OK but if it was a part with many detailed items in it (e.g. a school of fish) then the High or Highest setting would be better. As previously stated these are extremely general guidelines as on slower/older computers operations with the highest setting may take a long time to calculate.

As the Resolution is applied across your whole work area it is important to set the size of your part to just be big enough to contain the part you plan to carve. It would not be advisable to set your material to be the size of your machine - e.g. 96 x 48 if the part you plan to cut is only 12 x 12 as this would make the resolution in the 12 x 12 area very low.

The Job Setup form is displayed whenever a new job is being created, or when the size and position of an existing job is edited.

In most cases a new job represents the size of the material the job will be machined into or at least an area of a larger piece of material which will contain the part which is going to be cut. Clicking OK creates a new empty job, which is drawn as a gray rectangle in the 2D View. Dotted horizontal and vertical Grey lines are drawn in the 2D design window to show where the X0 and Y0 point is positioned.

This option selects along which axis the material block will rotate.

• Selecting Along X Axis means that X coordinates represent movement along the cylinder, whereas Y coordinates represent the angle around the cylinder.
• Selecting Along Y Axis means that Y coordinates represent movement along the cylinder, whereas X coordinates represent the angle around the cylinder.

This sets the resolution/quality for the 3D model. When working with 3D models a lot of calculation and memory may be required for certain operations. Setting the Resolution allows you to choose the best balance of quality and speed for the part you are working on. The better the resolution quality chosen, the slower the computer will perform.

As this is completely dependent on the particular part you are working on and your computer hardware performance, it is difficult in a document like this to recommend what the setting should be. Generally speaking, the Standard (fastest) setting will be acceptable for the majority of parts that Aspire users make. If the part you are making is going to be relatively large (over 18 inches) but still has small details, you may want to choose a higher Resolution such as High (3 x slower) and for very large parts (over 48 inches) with small details then the Highest (7 x slower) setting may be appropriate.

The reason that the detail of your part needs to be taken into account is that if you were making a part with one large item in it (e.g. a fish) then the standard resolution would be OK but if it was a part with many detailed items in it (e.g. a school of fish) then the High or Highest setting would be better. As previously stated these are extremely general guidelines as on slower/older computers operations with the highest setting may take a long time to calculate.

As the Resolution is applied across your whole work area it is important to set the size of your part to just be big enough to contain the part you plan to carve. It would not be advisable to set your material to be the size of your machine - e.g. 96 x 48 if the part you plan to cut is only 12 x 12 as this would make the resolution in the 12 x 12 area very low.

The Job Setup form is displayed whenever a new job is being created, or when the size and position of an existing job is edited.

In most cases a new job represents the size of the material the job will be machined into or at least an area of a larger piece of material which will contain the part which is going to be cut. Clicking OK creates a new empty job, which is drawn as a grey rectangle in the 2D View. Dotted horizontal and vertical Grey lines are drawn in the 2D design window to show where the X0 and Y0 point is positioned.

Single Sided job type should be used when design only requires the material to be cut from one side. This is the simplest type of job to design and machine.

Double Sided Job type is useful when it is desired to cut both sides of your material. Aspire allows you to visualise and manage the creation and cutting process of both sides of your design within a single project file.

Rotary job type enables the use of a rotary axis (also called a 4th axis or indexer).Aspire will provide alternative visualisation, simulation and tools appropriate for rotary designs.

This section of the form defines the dimensions of the material block you will be using for your project in terms of width (along the X axis), height (along the Y axis) and thickness (along the Z axis).

It also allows you to select which units of measurement you prefer to design in - either inches (Imperial/English) or millimeters (Metric).

This sets the resolution/quality for the 3D model. When working with 3D models a lot of calculation and memory may be required for certain operations. Setting the Resolution allows you to choose the best balance of quality and speed for the part you are working on. The better the resolution quality chosen, the slower the computer will perform.

As this is completely dependent on the particular part you are working on and your computer hardware performance, it is difficult in a document like this to recommend what the setting should be. Generally speaking, the Standard (fastest) setting will be acceptable for the majority of parts that Aspire users make. If the part you are making is going to be relatively large (over 18 inches) but still has small details, you may want to choose a higher Resolution such as High (3 x slower) and for very large parts (over 48 inches) with small details then the Highest (7 x slower) setting may be appropriate.

The reason that the detail of your part needs to be taken into account is that if you were making a part with one large item in it (e.g. a fish) then the standard resolution would be OK but if it was a part with many detailed items in it (e.g. a school of fish) then the High or Highest setting would be better. As previously stated these are extremely general guidelines as on slower/older computers operations with the highest setting may take a long time to calculate.

As the Resolution is applied across your whole work area it is important to set the size of your part to just be big enough to contain the part you plan to carve. It would not be advisable to set your material to be the size of your machine - e.g. 96 x 48 if the part you plan to cut is only 12 x 12 as this would make the resolution in the 12 x 12 area very low.

The Job Setup form is displayed whenever a new job is being created, or when the size and position of an existing job is edited. It allows to create following types of job:

• Single Sided
• Double Sided
• Rotary

The License Dialog is used to set the details you need to activate the software. This dialog can also be used to activate optional modules. The page that initially appears will give you the option to set your license details either automatically from your V&Co account or manually.

The "Online Method" section below covers the process to follow if Online is selected.

The "Manual Method" section below shows the process to follow if you wish to type in your license details manually or do not have an Internet connection available.

This method will allow you to retrieve your details automatically from your V&Co account. To use this select 'Online' and then click Next > on the form. The online section of the form will then be displayed.

Pressing Login... on this dialog will launch a web browser which will take you to the V&Co login page if authentication is required.

After logging in here with your V&Co account details another page may appear asking for permission for VCarve Desktop to access your license details.

This page will only appear if you have not already granted access. If this appears you should select "Allow" to enable VCarve Desktop to retrieve your license details automatically.

At this point VCarve Desktopshould be being displayed and the dialog should be automatically populated with any licenses available on your account.

You can select any of the product licenses available and information on the type of license will be displayed in the status area. Once the license and any modules have been selected by clicking on them Next > can be pressed to activate these and proceed to the summary page.

This page displays the selected license and module details. If you are changing current license details or adding a module a restart will be required for these to fully take effect. In this case a check box will appear allowing you to restart automatically. If this is checked then when you press Finish VCarve Desktop will automatically be restarted to apply the license changes. If you do not select this option the license changes take effect the next time VCarve Desktop is restarted.

The manual method allows entry of license details without requiring an Internet connection. Selecting "Manual" and clicking Next > will cause the manual entry form to be displayed.

The "Registered User Name" from your license information should be entered into the "Licensed To" area of the form and the license code can either be copied and pasted into the middle row of the dialog or manually typed into the lower section if "Enter license code manually" is selected. The Next > button will become available when a code of the expected length has been entered.

If the product is already licensed then a module code can be entered at this stage instead of the product code. If you wish to manually activate both a product and module code the product code should be added here and there will be an opportunity to add the module code later. Pressing Next > will set the license and display the summary screen.

The summary screen shows the current licensed user and has an Add Module button to allow additional modules to be added. Pressing this button will display the manual entry form again and allow the module details to be entered.

If the licensed user is changed or a new module is added a restart will be required for these to take full effect. In this case a check box will appear allowing you to restart automatically. If this is checked then when you press the finish button the program will automatically be restarted to apply the license changes. If you do not select this option the license changes take effect the next time the program is restarted.

This tool helps existing users migrate their data from an older installation into the new version. You can migrate things like the Tool Database, Post-Processors in My_PostP, Options and various Defaults.

• My Post Processors; This will only copy the Post Processors in My_PostP folder.
• Options; Copy the most of the options on Options Dialog.
• Custom Material Textures for use in simulation and job setup.

The sheets you wish to be exported to PDF can be selected from within this section. Clicking Clear All will deselect all of the sheets and clicking Select All will cause all of the sheets to become selected. You can also manually select/deselect individual sheets by clicking on the check box to the left of the sheet name.

The layers you wish to be exported to PDF can be selected from within this section. All the visible layers with content on them will show up in this list.

When All visible layers is chosen all of the vector layers will be selected. Only vectors on the layers selected will be exported into the PDF file. When Selected layers only is chosen individual layers can be manually selected/deselected by clicking on the check box to the left of the layer name.

Export Job Bounds - If this option is selected a vector representing the boundary of the job will also be output to the PDF file.

Clicking Export will prompt you to choose a filename and location for your file and save your drawing in PDF format at that location.

SketchUp files with a .SKP extension (see www.sketchup.com) can be imported as 2D data suitable for machining into a VCarve Desktop job using the File ► Import Vectors... command from the menu bar or the import vectors icon on the Drawing tab. To import data from a SketchUp file you must already have created or opened a job to import the data into.

As a SketchUp model is usually a 3D representation of the part, the SketchUp importer offers a number of options to allow you to start manufacturing the model.

We will illustrate the two main choices for how the model will be imported using the SketchUp model shown to the left.

The model shown in the screenshots is a cabinet constructed by following the instructions in the Fine Woodworking 'Google SketchUp guide for Woodworkers: The Basics' DVD which is available via the Fine Woodworking site at www.finewoodworking.com. Vectric have no affiliation with Fine Woodworking, we are just using screenshots of the model constructed while following their tutorials to illustrate the process of importing a SketchUp model.

In the first section there are two main choices for how the data from the model will be imported, 'Exploded Flat Layout' and 'Three Views - Front, Top, Side' as shown below.

Exploded Flat Layout

Three Views - Front, Top, Side

This option will take each component in the model and orientate it flat ready for machining.

Once this option is selected a number of sub-options also become available.

Part Orientation

This section controls what Aspire considers to be the 'top' face of each part.

Auto Orientate

If this option is selected, for each part in the model, the 'face' with the largest area based on its outer perimeter (i.e. ignoring holes etc.) is considered to be the 'top' face and the part is automatically rotated so that this face is facing upwards in Z. This strategy works very well for models which are to be manufactured from sheet goods where there are no features on particular faces which need to be on the 'top' (such as pockets).

Orientate by material

This option allows the user to control more explicitly the orientation of each part in the model. Within SketchUp the user can 'paint' the face of each component/group with a material/color of their choice to indicate which face will be orientated on top when the model is imported. When this option is selected simply chose the material which has been used to indicate the top face from the drop down list. If a part is found in the model which does not have a face with the specified material, that part will be oriented by making the largest face the top.

Gap between parts

This field lets the user specify the gap between parts when they are first imported. After importing, the nesting functions within VCarve Desktopcan be used to layout the parts with more control and across multiple sheets

This option will create an 'engineering drawing' style layout of the SketchUp model as shown in the screenshot below.

The size of the model is preserved and it is relatively simple to pick up dimensions for parts you are going to manufacture from the various views. The colors of the lines you see are taken from the colors of the original SketchUp layers the various parts of the model are on.

SketchUp does not maintain true arc or circle information for the boundaries of its parts. This is a problem when it comes to machining as the 'polygonal' SketchUp representation can give very poor machining results. For this reason, VCarve Desktop offers the option to refit circles and arcs to imported data.

Options Checked ✓

Options Unchecked

The screenshot above left shows the results of importing a part with a filleted corner and hole with these options unchecked. The 'fillet' is made up of a series of straight line segments and the circular 'hole' is actually a polygon made up of straight lines.

The screen shot above right shows the same part imported with both these options checked ✓. The 'fillet' now consists of a single smooth arc and the circular 'hole' now also consists of arcs rather than straight line segments. Both these features will machine more cleanly in this form.

A SketchUp model will often contain parts that you do not wish to machine (such as hinges, knobs etc.) or data which will be cut from different thicknesses of material and hence different parts need to be imported into different VCarve Desktop jobs. To allow control over what is imported you can choose to only import parts of the model which are on particular layers using this section of the dialog.

To only import data from selected layers, choose the 'import visible data on selected layers' option and click the check box next to each layer to indicate if you want to import data from that layer. Note that the number of parts on each layer is displayed next to the layer name.

It is very easy to assign different parts of the model to different layers within SketchUp to help with the import process into VCarve Desktop. The screenshot below shows the result of only importing data on the 'Door' layer from the example.

This option is normally selected for all but the simplest models as it allows each 'part' of the model to be selected, moved and nested easily after import. You will need to ungroup the imported data after nesting etc. to allow individual features to be machined. By default, VCarve Desktop will treat each SketchUp group / component as a single part UNLESS it contains other groups or components within it, in which case each lowest level group / component will be treated as a separate part.

Items which you retain in groups can be ungrouped at any time in the usual ways.
If the right-click menu-option to Ungroup back onto original object layers is used (which is the default option when using the icon or shortcut U) then the software will place the ungrouped items back onto the original layers they were created on in SketchUp.

There is a style of 'building' with SketchUp where individual 'parts' are made up of several components 'butted' against each other. The screenshot below shows such a component.

This object is made up of many smaller components representing the tabs on the top, the connectors at the end and the support at the bottom as shown below.

Although when can treat this as a single 'part' when imported by starting its name with __ (two underscores), the imported part is still going to be difficult to machine. The screenshot below shows the part imported into VCarve Desktop without the 'Replace outer boundary' option checked ✓. The part in the image has been ungrouped and the central vector selected.

As you can see, the outer boundary is made up of separate segments for each 'feature'. VCarve Desktop does have the ability to create an outer boundary for vectors but this can be time consuming if it has to be done manually. If the 'Replace outer boundary' option is checked, ✓ for every part VCarve Desktop will try to create a single outer boundary and delete all the vectors which were part of this boundary. The screenshot below shows the result of importing the same data with this option checked, ✓ this time the part has been ungrouped and the outer vector selected.

This data is now ready to be machined directly. It is important to understand the limitations of this option. It can be substantially slower. Creating robust boundaries for each part can consume a lot of processing power. Any feature which shares an edge with the boundary will be deleted. If the tabs on the top of this part were to have been machined 'thinner', this approach would not have been suitable as the bottom edge of the tabs has been removed.

Your project is represented using 2D and 3D workspaces, each viewed via independent windows; the 2D View and 3D View, respectively. This division usefully maps to the typical workflow in which you will initially focus on the 2D design and layout of your project before moving to the 3D stage of modeling, toolpathing and previewing your finished part.

You can switch between the views using the tabs at the top of each window. In addition the shortcut-keys F2 and F3 will toggle the display between the two windows.

It is sometimes useful to see both the 2D and 3D representations at the same time. The Page Up and Page Down keys will arrange the 2 views either horizontally or vertically so you can see both workspaces simultaneously. To return to the tabbed display, simply click on the standard Windows Maximize button in the top right corner of either view window.

Many of the controls for manipulating the view in your project are similar in both 2D and 3D.

From within each view you can also directly interact with the objects that make up your job using the Object Selection Tools.

• View Toolbar
• 2D View
• 3D View

Above the view window is a handy toolbar that allows easier access to common tools. With the ability to create a double sided project you have easy access to switch between the Top and Bottom Sides of your project. The Layers Drop down bar has now moved from the drawing tab to the View Toolbar, making it accessible at all times. The other icons displayed in order of left to right are as follows

When you are working on a two-sided job additional icons will appear on the View Toolbar. On the left you will see an icon indicating whether the job you are working on will be flipped horizontally or vertically. This is important because the software will automatically mirror your toolpaths and geometry around different axes depending on this setting. To maintain the correct alignment of your toolpaths you must physically turn the material on your CNC machine in the same direction as you have specified during the design process.

	Turn horizontally from left to right
	Turn vertically, end over end

The next button indicates which side you are currently working on. It is a toggle button that can be clicked. Clicking this button swaps the active side of your job.

	Top side is active, all operations will apply to the Top side.
	Bottom side is active, all operations will apply to the Bottom side.

The final additional tool for two-sided job is on the right hand side of the View Toolbar and it allows you to toggle the 3D composite relief to show either the currently active side or your model only, or both sides of your model as a single solid block.

Toggle Two-Sided View

When you are working on a rotary job an additional icon will appear. This button allows you to toggle the 3D view between wrapped display mode and flat display mode.

Toggle Wrapped 3D view.

Allows you to export selected Vectors as either an eps, dxf, ai, svg or pdf format vector file. If no vectors are selected, the all visible vectors will be exported.

• EPS
• DXF
• AI
• SVG
• PDF

The contents of either the 2D or 3D view can be printed using the Print... command on the File menu. Simply select the view you wish to print (2D or 3D) and then click the Print... command. The standard Windows printer dialog allows you to select the printer and adjust its properties. When the OK button in this dialog is clicked, the view will be printed. To adjust the printer settings without printing, you can open the same dialog using the Print Setup... command on the File menu. When used in this way, the OK button on the dialog will store the settings without printing immediately.

The Print Preview... command on the File menu allows you to check the layout of your page before you print. If you are happy with the preview, use the Print... button to begin printing the document directly from the Print Preview page.

Gadgets are small programs that add additional functionality to Cut2D Pro, VCarve Pro and Aspire. They can be used to add new features to the software or automate common sequences of tasks. Examples include adding the ability to cut dovetail style joints with a standard end mill and applying toolpath templates to every sheet in a nested job followed by automatically post-processing and saving the files for your machine tool.

You can expand your Gadgets library by downloading and installing more from the Gadgets website.

These Gadgets will install into your public documents folder (Public Documents/Vectric/VCarve Desktop/Gadgets). If you wish to delete any of these Gadgets, simply navigate to the location above and delete the folder.

Each Gadget has specific requirements in order for it to run, it is recommended that you read the instructions in full before use. Some Gadgets require that you select vectors before running the Gadget, others may need to be run before a job in the software is created. When there is a requirement that has not been met before running, you will receive an error message, stating which requirement has not been met.

Installed Gadgets are accessible from the main Gadget menu, which is built dynamically each time VCarve Desktop starts up.

Alternatively Gagdets can be assigned shortcuts.

Shortcut can be set to run a chosen gadget from the list of gadgets. To set the gadget shortcuts select the Gadget Shortcuts button from the Gadgets menu.

You may then assign one of the predefined shortcut keys to run a chosen gadget. The available shortcut keys are Ctrl and a function key.

A number of Gadgets are included as part of the default installation of VCarve Desktop. These are all available from the Gadgets menu:

• Celtic Weave Creator
• Dragknife Toolpath
• Keyhole Toolpath
• Setup Sheet Editor

Wrapping Sub-menu:

• Wrapped Fluting Layout
• Wrapped Spiral Layout
• Rounding Toolpath

Gadgets can also be created by our users using the LUA scripting language, we provide an SDK and tutorials on the gadgets website.

The SDK and the Tutorials are provided as is, Vectric cannot provide support on the development of user Gadgets.

Gadgets have their own section on the Vectric Forum, you can get news on the latest releases from Vectric and fellow users.

This is export option will save the Composite Model (Working Model + visible Components) as a raster based image file (.bmp/.jpg/.gif format). This is mainly intended for users of Laser engraving equipment and CarveWright/CompuCarve machines. It could also be used to export the 3D as a grayscale for use with graphics programs.

When the image is exported the highest areas in the model will be white and the lowest will be black, all the other depths in between will be assigned graduated levels of gray depending on their relative position between the top and bottom of the part.

Composite Model

Saved Grayscale image

To use this function you must have either visible Components or something in the Working Model.

This will take the current Toolpath Preview and create a Component model from it. There are two main applications for this feature:

• It can be useful for helping to identify areas which have not been machined so a smaller tool can be used to carve them with more detail.
• It can be used to create model Components where some of the shape has been created using the tool shape such as fluted veins on a leaf or a texture toolpath]. This second application would be particularly beneficial for customers who plan to save a grayscale image of the 3D model (for Laser or CarveWright) rather than running the actual toolpaths from the software.

Once this is selected the current Toolpath Preview will be converted into a Component. This is then added to the Component List and will be called Toolpath Preview.

If the part has been cut-out and the Delete Waste Material option has been used then just the parts left on the screen will become the Component. If the part is not fully cut-out or the waste material has not been deleted then the whole Toolpath Preview block will become the Component, including what may be scrap material. It is possible to avoid this even without deleting the waste by using the Shift key - see below for more information.

By holding down either the Ctrl or Shift key, there are two options that can be activated when the Create Component from Toolpath Preview feature is selected.

If you press the Shift key when you create the Component, the areas of the Toolpath Preview over transparent areas in the composite model will be discarded. This will give you a Component that represents the Toolpath Preview but deletes anything that is not within the area of the 3D model the toolpaths were created on in the first place.

If you press the Ctrl key, the Component created will represent the difference between the composite model and the Toolpath Preview. The model this creates will look odd as it will just represent the material that was left by the radius of the tool on the finish cut. This can be useful if you want to machine those areas with a smaller tool as this model may then be used to create the vectors to limit the toolpath for that operation, minimizing the time to create a more detailed finish.

The images below show the 3 options available. Below left is the standard Component created from a machined model which includes the waste block. The middle option shows the option when the Shift key is pressed which discards the Preview model outside of the original area of the machined part. Finally the right hand image shows the Component which is created when holding the Ctrl key down which is the different between the original part and the Middle image.

Standard Component

Shift Key held

Ctrl Key held

The Copy to Layer, Move to Layer, Move to Sheet, Copy to other Side, and Move to other Side options are unique to this Right click menu.

• Copy to Layer allows you to copy an object onto an existing Layer or to create a New one to copy it onto.
• Move to Layer gives you the same choices but moves the original object rather than making a copy.
• Move to Sheet can only be used if you have generated additional Sheets through the Nesting process, in that case it allows you to move objects from one Sheet to a different one from the list available.
• Copy to Other Side copies the selected objects onto the other side in a two-sided job. It will be transformed so that they match up when looking through the material.
• Move to Other Side moves the selection similarly to the Copy operation.

When a Level in the Component Tree is selected and you RIGHT mouse click on it then the menu shown below will appear.

The first section allows you to make alterations to the selected level where you can change how the level combines with levels below it, you can choose to show or hide the level's visibility (and consequently the Components on it). Using the Select components option will select all the components within the level.

The next section contains the level effects which apply an effect to the level without affecting the individual components.

• The Clipping effect will dynamically clip the combined components on the level to the closed vectors which were selected when the effect was checked on.
• Mirror Mode allows you to mirror the combined components on the level in various ways.
• Wrapping is available for rotary jobs only and will allow components outside the job area that would otherwise be truncated to wrap around to the other side.

The next section allows you to insert new levels, delete the level and rename the selected level.

The final section of the menu allows you to export the complete contents of the level as a .3dClip file - when re-imported this would come into Aspire as a group.

This menu appears when a Component is selected in the Component Tree and you RIGHT mouse click on it:

The first option allows you to select the way the component combines with the other objects on its Level. You then have the option to position the components grayscale in the 2D View, by moving that to the Front or the Back. You then have the options to Copy and duplicate a component along with the option to Export the selected component as a .3dClip file. If you have more that one component selected you have the option to Group/Ungroup the components. You can delete and rename a component. There is also the option to show components, where you can choose to Show This, Show Only This, Show All But This and Show All. You can Hide a component, where an extra menu allows you to Hide This or Hide All. You can open the properties form for the selected component and the last option allows you to move the component to a new or existing Level within the Component Tree.

When a component(s) is selected in the 3D view you can RIGHT mouse click and make changes to that selected component(s). You can check the combine mode of a component. You can Unselect a single component or Unselect All depending on how many components you have currently selected. You can hide and delete a component. You can open up the properties form for that component and you have the option to move the selected component(s) to an existing or new Level.

If you choose New Level you will be presented with the box below, where you simply add in the name for the new level and choose a combine mode from the dropdown menu.

When you RIGHT click on a toolpath name within the Toolpath List there are various options you are presented with to alter this toolpath. You can show a toolpath where you have the option to

• Show This,
• Show Only This,
• Show All But This
• Show All With This Tool
• Show All.

This toggles the visibility of the Toolpaths according to your choice. The next option allows you to Hide This or Hide All your toolpaths.

You can Edit, Rename or Duplicate the selected toolpath. Selecting Recalculate All will work through the toolpath list recalculating each toolpath with any updated geometry selections.

The last option allows you to delete one or more toolpaths, where you can Delete This, Delete All Invisible, Delete All Visible and Delete All.

This option moves the selected items to be positioned in the middle of the material. The short-cut key for this is F9.

Align items centrally in the material only moving them along the X axis so the vertical position will not be changed.

The different items comprising your design in the 2D View can be aligned relative to one another using the following selection sequence:

• Select the item/s you wish to align / move (use single or multiple selection options).
• Hold the Shift key down.
• Select the final item - this is the object that the rest of the selected items will be aligned to Click the required alignment option.

There are 7 alignment options for aligning the selection to the inside edge:

Center selected items in the middle (both horizontally and vertically) of the last selected item.

Align the selected items vertically centered to the last selected item.

Align the selected items horizontally centered to the last selected item.

Align the selected items to the left or right edge of the last selected item.

Align the selected items on the outside top or bottom edge of the last selected item.

The final section is different from the preceding two. The tools here evenly space the selected objects either horizontally or vertically whilst maintaining the relative X or Y positioning of the items. The top and bottom items (for vertical spacing) or left and right items (for horizontal spacing) will remain in place and the other items will be spaced evenly between them.

Alternatively if CTRL is pressed the order of selection will be taken into account and the selected objects will be spaced evenly between the first and last object selected.

If Inside last vector is checked the items will be evenly spaced within the bounds of the last object that was selected.

If this option is checked, ✓ the most common alignment tools will be displayed on the drawing tab in their own section called Align Objects. The Alignment form can still be accessed from the original icon in the 'Transform Objects' section (or by pressing F10).

There are two ways to specify the spacing between elements in array:

• Gap : The X and Y fields will be used to specify the gap between edges of each object copy.
• Offset : The X and Y fields are used to define the offset of the position of each object copy, relative to the preceding one.

The symmetry area of the form gives you the ability to mirror and rotate objects. This allows for more advanced pattern making, by default the block symmetry form is set so there is no symmetry or rotation. To alter the pattern you can simply press the block symmetry buttons to create your desired pattern.

Reversing direction of top row

Entering values in the Row/Column displacement allows you to offset every other row or column by the value specified.

Displacement in x

This option automatically sizes a block of text to fit inside the boundary box (width and height limits) of a selected vector or vectors. If no vectors are selected the text is scaled to fit the size of the material.

The procedure for Drawing Text in the 2D Window is:

• Select the vector inside which the text is to be fitted
• Click the Draw Text icon
• Enter the required text content
• Select the font either True Type or Single Line as required and alignment options

The Larger Edit... button opens a larger text entry window that makes it easier to enter text that needs to run on longer line lengths.

The Single Line Radio Button changes the Fonts list to show a selection of fonts that are very quick to engrave.

This example shows text (in an Engraving Font) drawn in an ellipse. The bounding box of the ellipse is used for the layout:

The distance between the text and the bounding box where:

• None - Scales text to fit the rectangle width or height of the bounding box
• Normal - Scales text to fit within 80% of the bounding leaving a 10% border to the left and right.
• Wide - Reduces the size to 60% of the rectangle width leaving a 20% border to the left and right.

When the text fits the width of the box and there is space above and below it, the text can be made to fill that vertical space using one these methods:

No Vertical Stretch

Stretch Line Space to fit

Stretch Characters to fit

When the text fits the height of the box and there is space at the sides, the text can be made to fill that horizontal space using one these methods:

No Horizontal Stretch

Stretch Spaces between words

Stretch Kerning (space between letters)

Stretch Character size

This is the absolute XY coordinate around which the objects will be rotated when copied and pasted. The default Rotation point is the middle of the selection. You can set the rotation center coordinates explicitly using the X and Y edit boxes on this form or by clicking the selected geometry to show the transform grips, then double-clicking the center one to show the pivot-point and dragging the Pivot Point handle associated with the selection in the 2D View:

This option controls whether the copied objects are each rotated as they are placed around the circle, as shown in the diagrams below. If this option is selected, each copy is rotated according to its position on the circle. If the option is not selected then each copy maintains the orientation of the originally selected object.

Rotate Copies selected

Rotate Copies not selected

With this option selected this angle is used to copy the selected vector(s) by this angle x the number of Items.

Converts selected text object into vector form, creating lines, arcs and Bezier spans that can be interactively edited. After conversion the text cannot be edited as a text object.

In most cases all the text created in VCarve Desktop can be VCarved, Engraved, Pocketed and Profile machined without converting to the curves.

Some fonts do occasionally include loops and problems that need fixing using the Node Editing tools before it can be utilized for other functions.

This tool automatically creates repeating patterns of objects by placing copies of them along the length of one or more selected vectors. The tool allows any existing object to be used but it also has an option specifically for the creation of circles, which is a common design element for patterns of this sort.

Enter the diameter of the required circles

Selected Vectors

Circles Copied along curves

With this option selected the pasted objects are automatically aligned 'normal' or perpendicular to the curve they are being copied onto. If this is not selected, the copied objects stay in the orientation of the original.

Selected Vectors

Stars Copied along the curve

To use the filleting tool we select the icon from the drawing tab. Choose a radius for the fillet and the type of fillet you would like to use.

When the mouse cursor is near a node that can be filletted, the mouse cursor changes to show a check-mark ✓:

When the check-mark ✓ is visible, click the left mouse button to fillet the corner

This creates a standard corner fillet based on the Radius defined, typically this would be used for design purposes and not for editing a slot for fitting purposes. Below left the image shows the vector before filleting the two inside radii, on the right is the filleted version

Straight Line Span Vectors before Filleting

Straight Line Span Vectors After Filleting

This creates a circular cut-out style of fillet, the circles will be placed so the upper right part of the circle touches the original sharp corner and are created with the Radius specified. This option should not be used if the slot width and the tool are similar in size. Below left is the vector showing the slot before filleting, on the right is the filleted version using the 'Dog-Bone' option.

Vectors before Dog-Bone Filleting

Vectors after Dog-Bone Filleting

This creates a circular cut-out style of fillet, the circles will be created with the Radius specified. This option should be used if the slot width and the tool are similar in size so the slot can grow out to the side to ensure there is space for them to fit. Below left is the vector showing the slot before filleting, on the right is the filleted version using the 'T-Bone' option.

Vectors before T-Bone Filleting

Vectors after T-Bone Filleting

The placement of the fillet is an interactive process; you can choose which side of the 'corner' the T-bone filet is placed. If you click on a 'corner' the fillet will be placed automatically on the longest side. By clicking to the side of the corner you want the fillet placed you can choose which side the fillet is placed on.

vertical edge clicked near the corner

Horizontal edges clicked near the corner

Fillets can be removed in the same way that we add fillets: move the cursor over the fillet that you wish to remove.
If this fillet can be removed then the cursor shows a cross to indicate that it is possible to remove a fillet:

Clicking removes the fillet:

Before removing fillet

After removing fillet

When removing fillets the software does not store what kind of geometry the fillet was created from. It always defaults to using straight lines to return the fillet to a sharp corner. As such if the fillet is across multiple spans or is derived from arcs or Bezier curves then it will not go back to its original state and instead it will remove the radius and extend two straight lines to create the new corner.

Original Vector

Vector with Fillets

New Vector after Removing Fillet

To enter text:

• Click in the 2D view to choose the anchor position
• Enter the text in the Text box
• Edit the styling options. All changes are automatically applied

Sets the position of your text block. Either enter values directly, or use the mouse cursor to set the position values interactively:

• For new text simply left click in 2D view in the desired location
• For existing text object, left click the anchor point handle and drag it to the desired location

To edit text properties or content of previously created text:

• If the Create Text form is open, click the text you wish to edit or
• If the Create Text form is closed, click the left mouse button on the text in the 2D View to select it before opening this form. The form will now allow you to edit the properties of the selected text.

Select the image you would like to crop. Then using shift + left click select the closed vectors you would like to use to crop the image. You may select multiple vectors but the image must be selected first. Click the crop bitmap button to clear the image outside of the vector. If multiple vectors are used for the cropping then the crop tool leaves only the area of the image that lies inside the selected contours.

Unless specified separately below, the dimensions are created using these steps:

• Select the dimension type you wish to need: length; height; width; angle or the radius or diameter of an arc.
• In the 2D View, click with the left mouse button to set the points the dimension needs:
  For an Angle Dimension, the first point is the centre-point.
• Click where you need the arrow-tips to be.
• Click to set the location of the dimension-line.
• Click to set where the annotation text will appear.

Use this to dimension a straight-line length in any orientation between two points.

The text preview box will snap to to the middle of the dimension line, unless a Shift key is held down while dragging.

These two options also allow any two points to be selected, but the resulting dimension will be locked to indicate a vertical or horizontal distance (respectively) between the two points.

The text preview box will snap to to the middle of the dimension line, unless a Shift key is held down while dragging.

This option allows any arbitrary angle to be measured. The process is similar to creating a 3 point arc. First you must pick the center of an angle you wish to measure - typically a corner point. The next 2 points clicked will set the extents of the sweep you are measuring. The next Click will determine the dashed dimension line positioning and the final click will set the position of the text annotation.

• Angle Dimensions' arrow-heads will pop outside small angles if there is not room to draw them inside.
• Angles are extended with a dashed extension-line where required, allowing the dimension to be placed anywhere. The text snaps to the angle center and the leader-line angle snaps to horizontal, vertical or diagonal (disable snapping by holding down a Shift key).
• Angle Dimensions use a separate Decimal Places value to the other dimensions (as you change dimension-type you may notice the Decimal Places value change).
• Angle dimensions can now have up to six decimal places.

With this option selected you will only be able to select arc spans with the first click of dimension tool (Bezier curve spans are not supported). The second click will set the position of the dimension annotation, which will show the radius (or diameter) of the selected arc span.

• To display the diameter of an arc dimension simply check ✓ the Show Diameter box.
• Arc Dimensions recognise when a circle has been selected and allow placement anywhere around the circle. Arcs will now be extended with a dashed extension-line where required, allowing the dimension to be placed anywhere. The text snaps to the arc/circle center and the leader-line angle snaps to horizontal, vertical or diagonal (disable snapping by holding down a Shift key).

By default this option is checked ✓ and the dimensions will be placed on a mid-gray Dimensions Layer. You can edit the name of the layer in the Name edit field. If a layer of this name does not exist, it will be created automatically.

This tool allows you to bend and flex a vector or component by manipulating a distortion envelope using standard node editing tools. You can select one or more vectors or components and then use one of the three different tool modes to create your initial distortion envelope.

Once the distortion envelope has been created, you can use the node editing tools to add or edit its nodes and spans. As you alter the shape of the envelope the associated object will be distorted to reflect the changes.

This option is only supported if you only have one object selected to distort. It makes use of the local rotation of the object as shown in the Selection Tool.

When this option is ticked,

• The initial distortion envelope is created along the transformed bounds of the selected object.
• When distorting along a curve (or two), the object is distorted on the curve in its local transformation. This is useful if you're distorting a rotated object onto a rotated curve, for example.

This option is only available if the last item in your selection is an open vector that can be used to define a curve, above which the other selected objects will be distorted. The distorted object can comprise one or more vectors or one or more components, but not both.

Using this option, you will usually end up with your objects bent to match the curve in your original selection. The distortion curve itself is left unchanged by this operation.

This option will become available if the last two objects in the current selection are open vectors, between which the other objects can be distorted.

Once an object has been distorted, node editing will always relate to the object's distortion envelope. If you wish to edit a distorted vector directly again, you will first need to permanently apply the distortion to the shape.

If you select an object that already has a distortion envelope while in the Distort Object tool, the Bake Distortion button will be available. Clicking this button will permanently apply your current distortion and you will then be able to either distort the object again (with new settings), or node edit the shape directly.

• Left click the mouse in the 2D View to set the start point of an arc.
• Click again to set the end point position.
• Move the mouse and click a third point to set the arc's radius.

• Left click the mouse in the 2D View to set the center point of the arc.
• Click again to set the start point of the arc.
• Move the mouse and click a third point to set the end point of the arc.

Circles can be created interactively with the cursor and Quick Keys or by entering the exact coordinates and diameter / radius with typed input.

The default mode and the procedure for drawing circle is:
Click and drag the Left mouse to indicate the center point followed by releasing the button at the required radius / diameter (depends on what is set on the form).

As the cursor is dragged across the screen the radius is dynamically updated. The increments will depend upon your snap radius and the job size.

The radius or diameter can be specified while dragging out a circle:

Type the value while dragging followed, by D if it's a diameter, or R if it's a radius:

Example:

1 2 R Gives a radius of 12

Circles can also be drawn by entering the required XY origin, selecting either Radius or Diameter and entering the required size on the form.

Click Create to update the circle.

Open the Draw Circle form and select the circle to modify.

The selected circle is displayed as a dotted magenta line. Edit the Center Point and Radius or Diameter

Click Apply to update the circle

To modify another circle without closing the form hold a Shift key down and select the next circle.

To finish drawing with the tool, you can:

• Click Close on the form
• Press the Esc Key
• Click the Right mouse button in the 2D View

This tool creates a smooth, flowing, continuous curve through clicked points.

• Click in the 2D View to begin drawing at the clicked point.
• Move the mouse pointer within the 2D View and click the left button to insert as many points as you require. A curve will be created that smoothly joins your points.
• Click the right mouse button or press Esc to finish drawing your curve and close the tool.
• Alternatively, press Space Bar to finish drawing one curve, but keep the tool active so that you can immediately begin drawing another curve.

An existing open contour can be extended by holding down the Ctrl key and then clicking on either its start or end point.

CTRL clicking on the start point of a contour will cause the contour to be reversed before extending.

Ellipse / ovals can be created interactively with the cursor and Quick Keys or by entering the exact coordinates for the center point, height and width with typed input.

The quickest and simplest way to draw an ellipse is:

• Click and drag the left mouse button in the 2D View to begin drawing the ellipse from its corner.
• While holding the left mouse button, drag to the required size.
• Releasing the left mouse button.

• Holding Alt and dragging creates an ellipse from the middle point.
• Holding Ctrl and dragging creates a circle.

Instead of releasing the left mouse button when you have dragged your shape to the required size, you can also type exact values during the dragging process and set properties precisely.

• Left-click and drag out your shape in the 2D View.
• With the left mouse button still pressed, enter a quick key sequence detailed below.
• Release the left mouse button.

By using specific letter keys after your value, you can also indicate precisely which property it relates to.

• Value X - Creates an ellipse at current dragged height but with set width
• Value Y - Creates and ellipse at current dragged width but set height
• Value W Value H - Creates an ellipse with set width and height

Examples

• 1 x Current dragged height with width (X) of 1
• 1 y Current dragged width and height (Y) of 1.

To edit an existing ellipse:

• Select the ellipse to modify and open the Draw Ellipse form.
• The selected shape is displayed as a dotted magenta line.
• Edit the Width and Height values.
• Click Apply to update the ellipse.

To modify another ellipse without closing the form hold a Shift key down and select the next ellipse.

The quickest and easiest way to draw a line is by clicking within the 2D View using the mouse.

• Click the left mouse button to indicate the start point of your line.
• Move the mouse pointer and click again to set the next point in your line.
• Repeat this process to add as many line segments as you require.
• Right-click or press Esc to finish your polyline and exit the form.
• Alternatively press the Space bar to complete this polyline but keep the form open and begin drawing another polyline.
• Press the Tab key to automatically close the vector.

The polyline tool can also be used create lines that are tangent to arcs in your existing drawing.

To create a line tangent from an arc to a point click on the arc to insert a point and then hover the cursor over the next point position and press T

To create a line tangent from one arc to another click on the arc to insert a point and then hover the cursor over the second arc and press T.

Instead of releasing the left mouse button when you have dragged your shape to the required size, you can also type exact values during the dragging process and set properties precisely.

• Left-click and drag out your shape in the 2D View.
• With the left mouse button still pressed, enter a quick key sequence detailed below.
• Release the left mouse button.

By default, entering a single value will be used to add a point at the specified distance along the line direction currently indicated by the mouse pointer position, relative to the preceding point. With polyline drawing underway, move the mouse pointer in the direction you wish to create a new line segment and type Length Value Enter to extend the line by the specified distance in that direction.

By default two values, separated by a comma, will create the next line point at the absolute X Y coordinate indicated by the two values, respectively. While drawing, type X Value, Y Value Enter to place the next point precisely at specified X and Y position

Examples

• 3 . 5 Enter - Adds the next point at a distance of 3.5 along the line direction indicated by current mouse direction
• 1 , 2 . 5 Enter - Adds the next point at the absolute position 1 in X and 2.5 in Y

By using specific letter keys after your values, you can also specify the line segment in terms of angle and length. Using the key sequence value A value L cretes the next line segment at angle (A) degrees from the last point and with a length(L)

Examples

• 45 A 3 L - Creates a line segment at 45 degrees and length 3

You can also use the form to enter values for each line segment as you go along. The segments can be defined using:

• The absolute X Y position of the next point
• The Angle and Length to the next point
• The relative offset in X (dx) and Y (dy) to the next point.

Once you have entered the values you wish to use:

• Click the Add button to enter a new point.
• The Undo button deletes the last point entered and allows a new point to be added.
• The Finish button completes drawing the current line and leaves the form open to allow additional lines to be drawn.

The quickest and easiest way to draw a polygon is by using the mouse in the 2D View.

• Click and hold the left mouse button to indicate the center point.
• Drag the mouse while holding down the left mouse to required radius.
• Release the left mouse button to complete the shape.

Instead of releasing the left mouse button when you have dragged your shape to the required size, you can also type exact values during the dragging process and set properties precisely.

• Left-click and drag out your shape in the 2D View.
• With the left mouse button still pressed, enter a quick key sequence detailed below.
• Release the left mouse button.

By default, entering a single values will be used to set the radius of your polygon. While you are dragging out the polygon, type Radius Value Enter to create a polygon with the precisely specified radius.

Example

• 2 . 5 Enter - Creates a polygon with a radius of 2.5. All other settings as per the form

By using specific letter keys after your value, you can also indicate precisely which property it relates to.

• Value D - Creates a polygon with the diameter specified, with all other properties as per the form.
• Value S Value R - Create a polygon with the specified number of sides (S) and the outer radius (R)
• Value S Value D - Creates a polygon with the specified number of sides (S) and the outer diameter (D)

Examples

• 1 R - Outer radius 1, number of sides as per form
• 1 D - Outer diameter 1, number of sides as per form
• 8 S 1 R - An 8 sided polygon with outer radius R of 1
• 6 S 2 . 5 D - A 6 sided polyon with an outer diameter of 2.5

Polygons can also be drawn by entering the required XY origin , selecting either Radius or Diameter and entering the required size.

Click Apply to update the circle

The quickest and simplest way to draw a rectangle is:

• Click and drag the left mouse button in the 2D View to begin drawing the rectangle from its first corner.
• While holding the left mouse button, drag to the required size.
• Releasing the left mouse button.

Instead of releasing the left mouse button when you have dragged your shape to the required size, you can also type exact values during the dragging process and set properties precisely.

• Left-click and drag out your shape in the 2D View.
• With the left mouse button still pressed, enter a quick key sequence detailed below.
• Release the left mouse button.

By default, two values separated by a comma, will be used to set width and height of your rectangle. One value will create a square with that side length. While you are dragging out the rectangle corner, type Width Value , Height Value Enter or Side Length , Enter to create a rectangle with the specified width and height.

Example

• 1 , 2 . 5 Enter - Creates a rectangle of width 1 and height 2.5

By using specific letter keys after your value, you can also indicate precisely which property it relates to.

• Value X - Creates a rectangle at the dragged height but with the width set to the entered value
• Value Y - Creates a rectangle at the dragged width but with the height set to the entered value
• Value R Value X - Create a rectangle with radius R and width X
• Value R Value Y - Create a rectangle with radius R and height Y
• Value W Value H - Create a rectangle with width W and height H
• Value R Value W Value H - Create a rectangle with width W and height H

Examples

• 1 X - Current dragged height with a width of 1
• 1 Y - Current dragged width with a height of 1
• 0 . 1 R 1 X - A corner radius of 0.1, a width of 1 and current dragged height
• 0 . 1 R 1 Y - A corner radius of 0.1, a width of 1 and current dragged height

Corners of the rectangle can be Square, Radiused Externally or Radiused Internally.

To edit an existing rectangle:

• Select the rectangle to modify and open the Draw Rectangle form.
• The selected shape is displayed as a dotted magenta line.
• Edit the Width and Height values.
• Click Apply to update the rectangle.

To modify another rectangle without closing the form hold a Shift key down and select the next rectangle.

The quickest and easiest way to create a star is by clicking and dragging the shape to size in the 2D View using the mouse.

• Click and hold the left mouse button to indicate the center point.
• Drag the mouse while holding down the left mouse to required radius.
• Release the left mouse button to complete the shape.

As the cursor is dragged across the screen so the outer radius is dynamically updated. The increments will depend upon your snap radius and the job size.

Instead of releasing the left mouse button when you have dragged your shape to the required size, you can also type exact values during the dragging process and set properties precisely.

• Left-click and drag out your shape in the 2D View.
• With the left mouse button still pressed, enter a quick key sequence detailed below.
• Release the left mouse button.

By default, entering a single value will be used to set the outer radius of your star. While you are dragging out the star, type Radius Value Enter to create a star with the precisely specified outer radius.

Example

• 2 . 5 Enter - Creates a start with an outer radius of 2.5 all other settings as per the form

By using specific letter keys after your value, you can also indicate precisely which property it relates to.

• Value D - Creates a start with the outer Diameter (D) specified with all other properties as per the form
• Value I Value R - Creates a star with the inner radius percentage (I) and the outer radius (R). The inner radius is defined in terms of a percentage of the outer radius or diameter. All other properties are as per the form.
• Value P Value R - Creates a star with the specified number of points (P) and the outer radius (R).
• Value P Value I - Creates a star with the specified number of points (P), inner radius percentage (I) and the outer radius (R).

Examples

• 1 R - Outer radius 1, other properties as per form
• 1 D - Outer diameter 1, other properties as per form
• 6 P 1 R - A 6 pointed star with an outer radius of 1
• 6 P 2 5 I 4 D - A 6 pointer (P) star with an outer diameter (D) of 4 and an inner diameter that is 25% of the outer (i.e. 1).

Stars can also be drawn by entering the Number of Points, Center Point, Outer Radius and Inner Radius Percentage.

• Click Create to update the star.

Rectangular Border

Oval Border

Fades the edges of the image based on the border type and the width of the fading.

Rectangular Border

Oval Border

This tool allows you to extend two vector lines to their common point of intersection.

With the Extend Vectors tool active, moving the mouse pointer over the ends of open vector shapes (without clicking) will highlight a dashed preview extension line from that shape. The line will change dynamically as you move the mouse over the end spans of different open shapes. Clicking with the left mouse button at this point will set it as the target line to extend and the magenta line will remain visible.

The mouse can now be moved over existing spans along the length of the preview extension line, or over the end of another shape to create a second, intersecting, preview extension line.

Clicking on any of the intersection points indicated by the mouse cursor will extend the initial shape to that point and complete the operation.

First click creates a preview extension line from the selected vector span.

Moving the mouse over another span will display a second preview extension line to the point of intersection. Click the line to apply this change.

The tool can be closed at any time using the Close button on the form. Right-clicking in the 2D View will reset the tool so that it is ready to select another target line to extend.

Checking ✓ this option means the selected vectors will be approximated using arcs:

Before Fitting

After fitting

Checking ✓ this option means the selected vectors will be approximated using Bezier curves.

Fitted with Bezier spans

The same bezier spans in Node-edit mode

Checking ✓ this option means the selected vectors will be approximated using straight lines.

The vector before fitting

The same vector fitted with straight lines

Checking ✓ this option will make the Curve Fitting routine keep sharp corners which have a difference greater than the Max Angle value specified. Any corners where the difference in angle is less than this value will be modified within the specified tolerance.

Initial Vectors

Result after Keep Sharp Corners (max. angle = 20 degrees)

Vectors can be Grouped allowing any number of vectors to be included as a single object that can easily be selected, moved and scaled etc. The Shortcut key for this operation is G.

Grouping vectors is particularly useful for machining purposes, where different vectors will be used for a single toolpath operation. Clicking any member of the group will select the entire group.

Grouping objects allows you to select, move and manipulate them as if they were one entity. The process is entirely reversible by Ungrouping.

See Grouping and UnGrouping.

This opens the File Open dialog window and allows image files to be selected and imported into the current open job. File types - BMP, JPG, TIF, GIF, PNG

Images are imported to sketch vectors over the top of them, generate traced vectors or to be used to generate a 3D Component directly from the image. These functions will be covered in more detail in the 2D

This opens the File Open dialog window and allows 2D DXF, EPS and AI and PDF files to be imported into the 2D View. The imported vectors will always be read in at the size and scale they were created in their original design software. Once open they can be scaled and edited in the same way as vectors created in Aspire. All the Vector tools will be dealt with in that section of this manual.

To import toolpaths from PhotoVCarve and Cut3D (.PVC and .V3D file extensions), use File ► Import... ► Import PhotoVCarve or Cut3D Toolpaths from the file menu bar. Any Toolpath data saved as .PVC or .V3D files can be imported and will be visible in the Toolpath List.

See the 3D Toolpath Files section for detailed instructions on importing PhotoVCarve(*.pvc), Cut3D(*.v3d) or Vectric 3D Machinist(*.v3m) files.

The Interactive Move, Rotate, Scale Selection tools can be used to quickly and easily modify vectors and components.

Clicking twice on one of the selected objects and the interactive scaling, movement and rotation handles are displayed in the same way as selecting this icon. Lines, Arcs and Bezier spans will be displayed as dotted magenta lines and text and grouped objects will be displayed as solid magenta lines:

When in this mode the mouse is used to click on one of the handles which has appeared on the selected Vector/s. Each handle is used for a specific editing operation as detailed here:

• Middle - Move the vectors (Or +Alt Move the selected objects in one axis)
• Corner (White) - Scale the vectors proportionally (Or +Alt Scaling non-proportionally, +Shift Scale around the centre)
• Edges (White) - Scale the vector in one axis (Or +Shift Scaling proportionally)
• Corner (Black) - Rotate the vectors (Or +Alt Rotate in 15° increments)

To deselect objects,

• Click the white background unless Shift is pressed.
• Press Esc
• Right click menu ► Unselect All

The interactive trimming tool allows the user to just click on sections of vectors they want to delete.

The program finds the closest intersections either side of the clicked portion of the vector and removes the piece of the vector between the intersections. Optionally, when the form for this command is closed, the program can rejoin all the remaining trimmed pieces automatically.

Without using this tool, to remove an overlapping section of a vector, the user would need to insert extra nodes into both vectors, manually delete the intermediate sections and then manually join the resulting pieces. These operations can be performed with a single click using this tool.

When the tool is selected the cursor changes into a 'closed' scissor shape. When the cursor is moved over a vector suitable for trimming the scissors 'open' to show you can click and trim.

Join with a Curve finds the closest end points on 2 selected, open vectors and joins them together with a smooth curve.

VCarve Desktop has two smooth joining methods:

• A smoother method (new for V9.5)
• A more symmetrical shallower join method

Example of smoother joining (left) versus symmetrical joining (right)

The icons to join and close vectors are located under the Edit Vectors section of the Drawing Tab.

Open vectors are automatically identified and closed or joined to other vectors where the end points lie within the user definable tolerance.

The type of span you have clicked.
Possibilities include:

• Line
• Arc
• Bezier Curve

Selected vectors/bitmaps/component grayscale previews can be mirrored to a new orientation.

Selected objects can also be mirrored about axes of symmetry relative to the bounding box of the selection, using the standard options on the Mirror Form.

• Select the object or objects to mirror.
• Click on the Mirror icon to open the Mirror Form.
• Select the Create a mirrored copy option to leave the selection and create a new set of objects.
• Click the Close button to accept the changes.

The following shortcuts can be:

• H - Mirror Horizontally
• Ctrl + H - Create mirror. Copy Horizontally
• Shift + H - Mirror horizontally around center of material
• Ctrl + Shift + H - Create mirror copy horizontally around center of material.
• V - Mirror vertically
• Ctrl + V - Create mirror. Copy Vertically
• Shift + V - Mirror vertically around center of material
• Ctrl + Shift + V - Create mirror copy vertically around center of material.

With this option selected, the values entered in the X Position and Y Position fields will incrementally offset the object from its current position, by the distances entered. The Anchor options are not relevant in this mode and so will be disabled.

The keyboard shortcut Mopens the Move form in interactive mode.

Once selected the objects will form parts, with part outer boundary highlighted with a thicker line.

The basis for forming parts is overlapping. If selected object contains another or overlaps with it they will be considered the same part.

The Clearance value will be combined with the specified Tool Diameter to create the final minimum spacing between the nested shapes. For example a Clearance of 0.05 inches combined with a Tool Diameter of 0.25 inches would create a minimum spacing gap of 0.3 inches (0.05 + 0.25 = 0.3).

Clearance less than Tool Diameter

Clearance greater than Tool Diameter

The Border Gap value is applied to the edge of the area which is being used to nest the vectors into. It will be added to the Clearance value around the edge of this shape to create the minimum distance that parts will be nested in respect to the nesting boundary.

No Border Gap

Border Gap

Checking ✓ this option will allow the software to rotate the selected vectors in order to try and better fit them. The increments of rotation the software will use is based on the Rotation step angle.

Rotate Parts Enabled

Rotate Parts Disabled

Checking ✓ this option will allow the software to nest within the internal areas of shapes that have gaps in the middle.

When this option is active, the internal areas that will be considered in nesting will be highlighted.

Original

Parts Nested inside other parts

This option is only available for double-sided projects and allows nesting on both sides simultaneously. When this option is active, any visible objects on the other side will be included, if they intersect with objects selected on active side.

When using this mode it is recommended to perform selection on the side that contains cut-out contours.

When part is selected, the included vectors on the other side will be highlighted as can be seen below.

Double-sided part before selection

Double-sided part when selected

The options in this area of the form are used to select how the parts will progress as they are positioned within the sheet. The best way to think of this (for the purposes of this section) is that they 'pour' out of the selected corner filling the sheet in one axis then advancing along the other defined axis (X or Y) .

Along X

Along Y

Checking ✓ this option means the last vector selected will be used as the boundary for the nesting area. This can be useful if you need to define a non-rectangular shape to Nest Parts into, such as large off-cuts from a previous job. It's important to note that using this option will not respect the currently defined Job Area if the selected boundary vectors goes outside of it.

The Node Editing tool can be selected from the Editing window or by pressing the Keyboard shortcut N to toggle between Selection and Node Editing modes.

Vectors Selected

Bezier node editing

When the Node Editing tool is active the cursor changes to a Black Arrow indicating that individual points (nodes) and their connecting spans can be edited. Nodes can be interactively moved by clicking and dragging the left mouse button on a node to select and move the node to a new position.

The shape of lines, arcs and Bezier (curve) spans can be edited by clicking and dragging on the nodes or control points to move them. Multiple nodes and control points can be selected and moved by using the multiple selection options such as the Shift key and dragging to make a selection.

The shape of individual spans can also be edited by dragging the span itself using the left mouse button.

Holding down the Ctrl key while dragging an arc or Bezier span will move the entire span rather than change its shape.

The start and end directions of Bezier curves can be fixed when being dragged directly, by toggling on Keep Bezier Tangency mode.

If you right click on nodes or spans a context sensitive popup menu will be displayed which allows you to insert or delete points and nodes, cut the vector, move the start point, etc.

Node editing vectors is a very powerful way to be able to make changes to the vectors in your part.

Once vectors have been created within VCarve Desktop or have been imported from other design software packages you may want to make changes to them. These changes may be to prepare for machining or for use as construction vectors for making 3D shapes using the Modeling Tools. There are a number of functions for editing vectors which will be covered in this section of the manual. All the icons under the Edit Vectors section of the Drawing Tab will be referenced along with the icons under the Align Objects section of the menu.

Editing Modes

From the 2D view a vector can be selected and then three different editing modes allow different dynamic edits to be made to the vector(s) depending on which option is selected from the Edit Vectors section.

The three editing modes are:

• Vector Selection
• Node Editing
• Interactive Selection

By default the software is normally in the Vector Selection mode.

Selected vectors (open or closed) can be offset either inwards or outwards to create new vector shapes that might be useful for edge patterns or borders etc. To offset a vector shape, use the following steps:

• Select the vectors to offset
• Select the required direction - Outwards / Right or Inwards / Left
• Enter the Distance
• Click the Offset button

Will retain any sharp corners in a design.

Offset with Sharp Corners on

Offset with Sharp Corners off

When offsetting open shapes, the options are either to the Right or Left side of the selection. The direction of open vector(s) is very important as this is used to decide the right and left side of the selection. Selecting Node Edit mode (pressing N on the keyboard) will display a Green node at the start of the vector. Looking along the vector(s) from the green node indicates the direction and the image below shows offsets to the left and right of an open vector.

Selected closed vectors that overlap can be merged together to create a new shape. These tools consider the closed vectors to be solid areas.

The following examples begin with these five vector shapes where the rectangle was selected last.

Only areas of the first selected parts (the circles) that are covered by the last selected vector (the rectangle) remain after this operation.

Create a New job and specify the Material Size to equal the Sheet size the badges will be cut from.

Layout the badge / plate at the required size and using the Text Tools add variables where imported data / text is required. Variables are defined using double exclamation marks ('!!') at the start and end of the variable name.

The left side of the Plate Production form is used to layout the plates / badges on the selected sheet of material, and shows the total number of plates that can be engraved / machined from each sheet of material.

This specifies the border margin between the edge of the material sheet and the plates.

Independent margin spacing can be set for the Top, Bottom, Left and Right sides of the material

Equal Margins ensures the same space is added around all 4 sides of the plates.

If toolpaths have been calculated for the master Template this option is available.

Checking ✓ this option automatically calculates toolpaths for all the plates / badges in the project.

Unchecking this option only creates the vectors for each plate / badge.

The right-hand side of the Plate Production form is used to select the data that will be merged into the template, and how the data will be interpreted to create each plate / badge

Import the required text / data file using Import from file... and select the appropriate format separator.

The data file is commonly created using a spread sheet such as Windows Excel. Use the option to Save As or Export to obtain the required file format that includes the correct Separator information.

Click to select a Variable Name then select the data field from the imported file that is required on each badge / plate i.e. the person's name

Repeat for each of the Variable Names listed on the form

Click Calculate to create all Badges and associated Toolpaths

If toolpaths have previously been calculated for the vectors in the Master Template, the option to automatically Create Toolpaths for each badge / plate is switched on in the bottom left corner of the form.

Multiple Layers are automatically created if multiple sheets of material are required to engrave all of the badge data from the imported text file. Layer named Sheet 1 is displayed in the 2D view showing the badges on this sheet.

Each of the Sheets is on a different layer and can be set visible or invisible using the Layer Manager.

For precise control of the rotation, or to use a point other than the selection's center as the rotation center, you can open the rotation form from the Drawing Tab.

Selected items in the 2D View can be rotated to a new orientation using this tool. The rotation options form can be activated from the tool icon on the Drawing Tab. Alternatively you can use the interactive transform mode (where the form is not required) directly from the 2D View.

With this form open the additional Pivot Point handle is available (two concentric circles initially positioned at the center of your selection) for you to click and drag in the 2D View. The Pivot Point (around which the selection will be rotated) responds to the currently enabled snapping options to help you to position it precisely on significant locations within your artwork. Hold down the Shift key to temporarily disable snapping while you drag the Pivot Point.

This controls what the angle value does.

• Relative will simply rotate the object by the given angle. For example, you can enter a small angle, and then rotate multiple times to nudge the object a little bit at a time. A positive angle results in a counter clockwise rotation. A negative angle results in a clockwise rotation.
• Absolute will set the rotation of the object to the given angle. For example, setting a zero angle here will reset the rotation of the object back to its original orientation (as long as the rotation hasn't been baked).

Keep in mind that when rotating an object, it's rotation is maintained so that you can restore the rotation or scale along its original axes later on if required.

Generally the most convenient way to rotate an object in the 2D View is to use interactive transform. This mode is initiated by clicking the selected object twice with the cursor. The process is:

• Select the object by clicking on it in the 2D View (or multiply select objects using box selection or by shift-clicking on them).
• Click the selection a second time to activate the interactive options rotation handles on the selection box.
• Click and drag on the blue handles (solid squares) at the far corners of the selection to rotate it.

This option opens the File Save As dialog window and allows the job to be saved as a Aspire file. Navigate to the required folder, enter a suitable name for the job and click the Save button.

You can also change the Save As Type using the Dropdown menu. This will allow you to save your file in the .CRV VCarve Pro file type. Saving with this file type will remove all 3D clipart and other 3D Data that is not usable in VCarve Pro, and will allow you to open a file from Aspire in VCarve Pro.

The default mode is to enable selected items to be scaled interactively by clicking twice with the mouse.
The process is:

• Select the vectors
• Click a second time to activate the interactive options - handles on the selection box
• Click and drag on the white handles

The keyboard shortcut T opens the Scale form in interactive mode

Guide Lines are used to help layout designs and make it very easy to sketch shapes by clicking on the intersections of Guides. Guide Lines are easily be added to the 2D view by pressing the left mouse button down on the appropriate ruler (left if you want a vertical guide and top if you want a horizontal guide) then holding the button down and dragging the mouse into the 2D view.

While dragging a Guide into position it automatically Snaps to the units displayed on the ruler. This snapping behavior can be overridden by holding down a Shift key while dragging the guide. After positioning a Guide it can easily be moved to a new position by clicking the right mouse button on the guide to open the Guide Properties form as shown later in this section. If you hover the mouse over a Guideline then its current position is displayed next to the cursor

Additional guide lines can be added relative to an existing guide line by interactively placing the cursor over an existing guide (the cursor changes to 2 horizontal arrows), Holding a Ctrl key and dragging to the required position. The incremental distance between the guide lines is displayed next to the cursor. Releasing a Ctrl key changes to display the absolute distance from the material origin.

Guides can also be added and other edits made by right clicking on the Guideline which will bring up the Guide Properties form:

The exact position can be specified by entering a New Position.

Guides can be given an angle by either entering an angle into the New Angle box or dragging the slider and clicking Apply. Angles are measured in degrees counterclockwise from the x-axis. From an angled guide you can only create relative parallel guides.

Guide lines can be locked in position to stop them from being inadvertently moved by ticking the Lock Guide option.

Additional Guide Lines can be added that are positioned using absolute or incremental coordinates. Enter the Absolute or relative positions and Click Create New Guide.

Guides can quickly be toggled visible / invisible by clicking in the Top Left Corner of the 2D view:

Alternatively the visibility can be changed using View Menu ► Guide Lines from the Main MenuView Menu ► Guide Lines ► Delete All Guides from the Main Menu

These options can be used to help create and edit vector geometry.

The Snapping Options form can be accessed by selecting Edit ► Snap Options from the Main MenuF4.

Used to control the position at which the cursor will snap when drawing and moving objects. When drawing, the cursor will snap to items on vector geometry depending what options you have selected in the form under this section.

Object centers, Span End points, Span Mid-points, Arc centers, intersections Horizontally, Vertically and the specified Angle and Distance Guide lines and the intersection of Guides

Snap to Nodes, mid-points, centers

Snap to Guides, matching horizontal and vertical points, plus angle and distance

Smart snapping works by snapping the cursor to imaginary lines related to vectors and/or nodes. These lines will appear as dashed, and sometimes coloured, lines that go through the vector or node and the cursor point. You can snap to the intersection of those lines by hovering over the nodes that you're interested in. This reduces the need to create construction geometry (for example, for aligning nodes or vectors), and can be used in almost all the shape creation tools, node editing and transforming vectors.

Snapping lines can be drawn from:

• Nodes that were woken up by hovering the mouse over them or their span
• Vector properties, such as their bounding box or center point
• Material properties, such as extensions from the edge and the middle

Cursor	Type	Description
	Object Bounds	The theoretical bounding box surrounding the active vector + horizontal and vertical lines passing through the centre
	Horizontal and Vertical Lines	Horizontal and vertical lines passing through a node or a span midpoint.
	Tangents	Tangents originating from a node or a span midpoint.
	Perpendicular to Tangents	Lines which are perpendicular to tangents from nodes or span midpoints.
	Connecting Lines	Lines connecting two nodes. Includes mid-point.
	Span Geometry	Snap to the geometry of the vector.
	Angular Constraints	Snapping to specific angles, as defined in the snap options F4.
	Job	Horizontal and vertical lines through the center of the job.

These snap lines appear on the bounding box edges of the vector, and in the middle horizontally and vertically.

Bounding Box

Object Center

Nodes

The snap lines appear when the cursor is near the horizontal or vertical line passing through the woken nodes.

Vectors

Snap lines become available while moving vectors so that it is used for aligning them with other vectors.

Vertical

Horizontal

These snap lines originate from the woken node and will appear as an extension along the end of the belonging span.

Tangent

These snap lines will be 90° from the tangent snap line.

Perpendicular

If you wake two or more nodes, you could snap to the line connecting them. You could, also, snap to the mid-point of that line.

Connecting Lines

This allows you to snap to the geometry of the vectors.

Span geometry

If you have the job snapping

Job Center

Geometry Snapping, Smart Snapping and Grid Snapping can be switched on and off from the View Toolbar

Any change to the snap settings F4, through the Main Menu or the toggles on View Toolbar will be remembered for subsequent sessions.

Selected closed vectors that overlap can be merged together to create a new shape. These tools consider the closed vectors to be solid areas.

The following examples begin with these five vector shapes where the rectangle was selected last.

Areas in the first shapes that overlap the last selected shape are removed. In this case, the last selected shape was the rectangle, so the rectangle is cut away from the circles anywhere that overlaps.

This tool requires the user to select a single line of text with the Draw Text tool and a single vector curve/line. It will take the text and fit it onto the selected vector to follow the curvature. Options within the tool allow position, space and location against the line to be edited.

To edit properties of text object that was already on a curve, just select the text object. To place it on another curve select both the text object and a vector.

It is also possible to use a closed vector to wrap the text around it.

Will not change the size of the text block

The 3 options allow the text fitted to the curve to be aligned to the left, middle or right hand side of the selected curve. Or, when using a closed vector curve, relative to the Start Node.

Characters in the text string can also be aligned 'normal' to the drive curve or left in the original vertical position.

Align to Curve

Keep Vertical

The text's position on the curve can be adjusted interactively, by dragging the anchor point handle in 2D View.

Dragging text on a curve

The text object that was wrapped on a curve can be detached from it.

To detach text right-click on the selected text object and select "Remove Text From The Curve" option.

The Text Selection tool allows the user to adjust kerning, line spacing and bending the text on an arc. The text will be displayed as magenta lines with 2 Green handles in the middle for arching the text.

If the selected text was placed on a curve the handles will not appear, as such text cannot be arched.

The interactive kerning and line spacing cursor is shown when placed between letters or lines:

The interactive letter kerning allows default text to be modified so that adjacent pairs of letters sit more naturally together. A typical example is shown above where the capital letters W A V are placed next to each other and the default space is excessive.

Place the cursor between 2 letters and click the Left mouse button to close the gap.

Holding a Shift key and clicking the Left mouse button moves the characters apart.

Holding a Ctrl key when kerning doubles the distance each letter moves on each click.

Holding Shift and Ctrl keys together and clicking the Left mouse button moves the letters closer together in larger increments.

Line spacing can be modified by placing the Edit Text cursor between lines. It will change to the line spacing cursor:

Clicking Left mouse button will move the adjacent lines of text closer together.

Holding the Shift key and clicking the Left mouse button will move the lines apart.

Holding the Ctrl key doubles the distance each line moves on each mouse click.

Holding the Shift and Ctrl keys together and clicking the Left mouse button moves the lines apart in larger increments.

The interactive rotation and movement cursor is displayed when the cursor is placed over either of the Green Handles to indicate that the text can be arced either Upwards or Downwards:

Bend Text Upwards

Bend Text Downwards

Click and Drag the Bottom Green box to arc the text Downwards.

Click and Drag the Top Green box to arc the text Upwards.

The text can easily be dragged back into the horizontal position again.

After arcing text, additional Red and Blue handles are displayed for Rotating and Moving the text.

Clicking and dragging the Red boxes rotates the text around the center point of the arc.

Holding the Ctrl key forces the rotation to be in 15° increments. This allows the text to be positioned exactly on the horizontal or vertical quadrants, even after it may have been moved slightly.

This tool automatically traces or fits vectors to image files so they can be machined. Use the Import Bitmap tool and select the image in the 2D view, then open Fit Vectors to Bitmap.

After importing an image the Tracing option allows vector boundaries to be created automatically around colored or black and white regions in the image.

You can define an area within the bitmap, such that only that part of the bitmap will be traced. This can be done by selecting the bitmap (if this hasn't been done already), and then clicking and dragging the mouse over the area you want, to define a rectangular region on the bitmap. This will be highlighted with a dashed black rectangle.

Clicking on the Bitmap again will remove a selected area if one has been specified, in which case, the entire bitmap will have vectors fitted to it.

When working with Black and White images the slider can be used to change the Threshold and merge the levels of gray between all white (min), and all black (max).

When the image being displayed in the 2D view looks correct then clicking the Preview button automatically creates vector boundaries either around the selected Trace Color or the grayscale.

Color images are automatically reduced to 16 colors and the slider allows the visible number of colors to be set as required. Colors are merged with the closest match.

Colors can be temporarily linked together by clicking the check boxes next to each of the colors displayed. This changes the color displayed in the 2D view to the selected Trace Color. This is very useful for merging similar color's together to allow complete regions to be traced.

If a new Trace Color is selected the linked colors are displayed using this color in the 2D view.

The Reset button unlinks all the checked ✓ colors and the image displayed in the 2D view reverts back to the original 16 color image.

You can define an area within the bitmap, such that only that part of the bitmap will be traced. This can be done by selecting the bitmap (if this hasn't been done already), and then clicking and dragging the mouse over the area you want, to define a rectangular region on the bitmap. This will be highlighted with a dashed black rectangle.

Clicking on the Bitmap again will remove a selected area if one has been specified, in which case, the entire bitmap will have vectors fitted to it.

The Corner Fit control determines how accurately the vectors are fitted to the corner edges in an image.

Loose

Tight

The trim tool allows you to trim all the objects inside a given boundary. It is much more efficient than manually trimming all the contours with the trimming scissors, and allows the trimming of closed contours, open contours and components.

To use:

• Select objects you wish to be trimmed
• Select the object you wish to trim against (hold shift to add to selection)
• Choose to clear inside or outside

If the Clear outside boundary option is selected then all the objects that intersect this boundary are clipped, and the area outside is removed. If the Clear inside boundary option is selected, then the parts of the selected objects which lie inside the boundary are removed.

Geometry before trimming. Select the lines first and then the circle

Trimmed vectors using Clear inside boundary

Trimmed vectors using clear outside boundary

If you want to use multiple vectors for the trimming boundary, they must be grouped for trimming. To group a collection of vectors select the vectors, right click and choose Group Objects from the drop down menu, alternatively select all the vectors and press the G key.

Trimming with Group

Ungroup a set of Grouped vectors back to its individual vectors before it was grouped.
The Shortcut key for this operation is U.

Ungroup to the group's layer

By default, when grouped objects are ungrouped they revert to the layers on which they had previously been located before the grouping operation. However this is sometimes inconvenient. For example, when you have copied a group of vectors to a new layer, it is easier for subsequent editing if the copied vectors to remain on the new layer, even after ungrouping. An alternative right-click pop-up menu command has been added to make this process easier.

A shortcut key combination is also available to provide support for both of the ungroup operations. In summary, therefore, the group and ungroup shortcut options are as follows:

• GGroup the selected objects
• U Ungroup the selected objects to their original layers, sub-groups remain grouped.
• Ctrl + U Ungroup the selected objects to the group's layer, sub-groups remain grouped.
• Shift + U 'Deep' ungroup the selected objects to their original layers. Sub-groups are also ungrouped.
• Ctrl + Shift + U 'Deep' ungroup the selected objects to the group's layer. Sub-groups are also ungrouped.

When this is checked ✓ the created boundary is the result of stretching a rubber band around the currently selected vectors.

The images below demonstrate the difference between the two types of boundary that the form creates. The picture on the left illustrates the standard offset output and the one on the right shows the result when Rubber band boundary option is checked ✓.

Offset Boundary only

Offset Boundary and Rubber Band together

When the Vector Selection Tool is chosen, the selected vectors are shown as dotted magenta lines. Vectors need to be selected before any of the editing tools such as scaling and moving etc. can be used.

Vector selection methods

Multiple vectors can be selected in the following ways:

1. Manual multiple selection:
   Hold down the Shift key while clicking the Left mouse button on each vector required. Objects can be deselected by simply clicking on the object again with a Shift key pressed.
2. Moving the cursor from Left to Right selects only fully enclosed objects:
   Click and drag the left mouse button moving from Left to Right selects all objects completely inside the selection rectangle.
3. Moving the cursor from Right to Left selects all objects inside or touching the selection rectangle:
   Click and drag the left mouse button moving from Right to Left selects all objects inside the selection rectangle + any that the selection touches.
4. Pressing the keyboard keys Ctrl+A will select all vector objects in the design:
   Selected vectors are displayed as dotted magenta lines.

Deselecting Vectors

Selections can be cancelled by:

• Left clicking on an area outside the selection
• Pressing the Esc key
• Pressing the Right mouse button and clicking Selection ► Unselect All from the pop-up menu.
  You must click on the white drawing background to get this option in the pop-up menu.

Repeating texture patterns can be created using the Create Vector Texture tool. These vectors can be machined in a variety of ways to create attractive textures.

To use the tool click the icon on the drawing tab. If required, select any contours that you wish the pattern to be created within. By using the sliders and edit boxes on the form the style of the created pattern can be varied. Click Preview to see a preview your created texture as you adjust the form's parameters. When you are happy with the preview, click OK to create the pattern.

The lines in the texture are created at an angle. This value can be set to any value between -90 degrees and 90 degree.

Angle of 30°

The line spacing controls the distance between the contours created by the tool. Use the edit box labeled Max. Spacing to enter a maximum value of line spacing. The slider underneath the edit box controls the degree of variation in the line spacing. If the slider is to the far left then this mean variation is at a minimum and so the lines are evenly spaced. If the slider is to the far right the variation is highest and so the distance between created contours varies between zero and the maximum spacing specified.

Minimum variation

Maximum Variation

The wavelength describes the length over which the contours shape repeats itself. A bigger wavelength gives a long wave while a small wavelength gives a short wave.

Short wavelength

Long wavelength

The amplitude describes the height of the wave. Larger amplitude means a taller wave and smaller amplitude means a shallow wave.

Small amplitude

Large Amplitude

The noise slider controls the degree of randomness applied to the above values and can be used to create less regular patterns.

No noise

Medium noise

High noise

This tool converts a vector into another vector suitable for using with the two-rail sweep tool to create rotary models from a desired cross section.

To unwrap the vector, to the following:

1. Select the contour you wish to unwrap
2. Use the options or the drag handle to select the center of the unwrapping
3. Press Apply

The contour generated can now be used with the two rail sweep tool to create rotary models.

Vector before unwrapping. The drag handle and a circle demonstrating the diameter of the model are shown.

Vector after unwrapping

Sets the center of the job to be a specified point. The custom point can also be chosen by selecting the drag handle and dragging to the desired point.

Drag Handle

The Vector Validator is intended to help find issues with contours after file imports that are stopping tool-path creation such as overlapping contours or intersections. It also indicates zero-length spans.

The Vector Validator dialog can be opened with a selection to work on. If there is no selection, all visible vectors on the current Side of the current Sheet on visible layers will be validated. The selection can be changed while the form is open.

The text on the Search button changes to show whether all vectors or just the selection are going to be searched. While searching, the Search button becomes a Stop button.

To cancel a search, click the Stop or Close button.

Issues found so far will be marked.

Examples of the marks described on the form are shown below:

If zero-length spans are found, the Fix zero length Spans button is enabled. Clicking this will remove the zero-length spans and clear their markers

When this is checked, the Vector Validator will perform its checks on vectors as it is performed and necessary for V-Carving.

For example,

• It will ignore intersections that may exist within text as it may be because of issues in the font. If you get intersections involving the text, then you could try to weld it and run the Vector Validator on the result.

Selected closed vectors that overlap can be merged together to create a new shape. These tools consider the closed vectors to be solid areas.

The following examples begin with these five vector shapes where the rectangle was selected last.

Welds overlapping vectors together to create a new shape which follows the outermost edge of all the selected shapes.

When welding text, the internal regions of characters are preserved.

Overlapping text before welding

Overlaps removed by welding, but internal regions preserved

Vectors, Bitmaps and Component Grayscale's can be assigned to different layers.

All the objects assigned to a layer can then be simultaneously selected, labeled, colored, temporarily hidden or even locked (to prevent accidental editing) using the Layer Management tools. Even for relatively simple designs, organizing the elements of your artwork onto layers can make managing your project much easier.

Each layer in the list has five elements:

Status Icon

Status Icon

The leftmost icon indicates whether the layer is currently visible or hidden. Click on this icon to toggle the visibility of the layer.

The presence of a padlock shows that the layer is locked and cannot be accidentally edited.
Right-click the layer in the list and select the Unlock command to alter this.

Layer Colour

Layer Colour

The color swatch can be used to color all the vectors on a layer. Click on the swatch icon Layer Color Icon and select a pre-set color from the color selector dialog, or choose More Colors... to create an entirely custom color.

Layer Content

Layer Content

The layer content icon will be grayed-out as an additional indicator that the layer is not currently visible. Layer Empty Content Icon a blank white sheet indicates that the layer does not currently contain any objects or vector geometry. If you import files from 3rd party CAD drawing packages via DXF or DWG format it is common for the file to include empty layers. This icon allows you to identify these empty layers and delete them.

Layer Name

To change the name of a layer, you can double click on this part of the layer item in the list to trigger in-situ editing. This works in the same way as file renaming in Windows Explorer. Alternatively you can right-click or use the layer's Pop-Up Menu icon to select the Rename command.

Pop-up Menu

Pop-up Menu

Click the pop-up menu icon Pop-up Menu Icon for access to Activate, Lock, Insert, Delete and Merge layers as well as further ways to choose which layers to show and hide.

Select All on a Layer

Double-clicking on a layer in the Layers List will select all the objects on that layer. Alternatively you can choose the Select Layer Vectors command from the layer's pop-up menu.

Layer Ordering Arrows

Adjacent to the Layers List heading label are two arrow buttons. These move the selected layer up or down in the Layers List. This can be important to set the drawing order of objects that might otherwise obscure one another (specifically Bitmaps and 2D Component Previews). Objects on the top layers in the list are always drawn before objects in the lower layers and will, therefore, be 'underneath' them in the 2D View. You can use the Layer Ordering Arrows to resolve this issue.

The Clipart tab provides quick and convenient access to V3M files or 2D vector artwork.

This tab includes the library browser that allows you to add folders containing V3M Files into the software or you can use the local files option that allows you to quickly see the contents of several folders of V3M files in one place.

To import a file as a piece of clipart you can simply double click its thumbnail to position the clipart in the center of the job. You could also Right click on a piece of clip art and choose the Import to Level option, this has a sub-menu that allows you to choose an existing Level or to create a New Level. When creating a New Level you will be prompted to enter a name and choose a combine mode. You can also click on a preview image and 'drag and drop' its thumbnail from the clipart browser, into the 2D or 3D View. To do this:

• Move your mouse over thumbnail image in the clipart browser.
• Press and hold down the left mouse button.
• While holding down the left mouse button, move the mouse back into the 2D or 3D View.
• A copy of the thumbnail image will be 'dragged' with the mouse pointer.
• Release the mouse button to 'drop' the clipart file into the 2D or 3D View.

The selected component clipart model or vector outline will be imported at the location of the dropped thumbnail and, if appropriate, added to your model's Component Tree

The library browser provides quicker access to folders on your computer which are in frequent use, or perhaps hold the data for the current project you are working on.

To add a folder into your library click on the Add Folder button which opens up a dialog asking you to choose the folder you would like to add. Navigate through the tree to choose then folder and click OK. Unlike the Local Files browser the Library browser will only show the clipart that within this folder and folders within this folder. You will not be able to see the whole of the file tree beneath this folder.

Once you have populated your library with folders then clicking on a folder will populate the clipart browser with the objects which are contained in this folder and show you any subfolders immediately below it.

To better understand this, consider the following example: My current project is a western saloon themed sign. I have split up all the resources I am using for this creation into three folders, so that I have the following file folder structure:

The local files browser allows you to select a folder using the file explorer tree in the top section of the page. When you select a folder containing Vectric files (*.crv or *.v3m) the bottom section of the page will fill with thumbnail images of the V3M or CRV files within each folder.

V3M files automatically include thumbnails. Windows Explorer can make use of these thumbnails to show you a preview of each file when you browse a folder.

Aspire supports Windows drag and drop functionality to quickly add V3Ms into an existing model directly from Windows Explorer.

With Windows Explorer and Aspire both open, simply click and drag the V3M thumbnail of the file you want from the Explorer Window into either the 2D or 3D View window of Aspire. The selected V3M file will be imported automatically and added to the Component Tree

For some applications it can be useful to eliminate vertical walls on 3D models, especially if the machined part is intended to be used as the basis for a mold or vacuum forming tool.

The Add Draft tool will automatically add a minimum angle to any steep walls that exist in your model. The draft angle is specified by using the slider or entering a typed value in the form.

When the Apply button is pressed, the tool creates a new 3D Component by baking the visible Components and applying the draft angle across all the walls of the composite model. Note that you do not select the Component/s to apply the draft angle to, just ensure that they are visible in the 3D view. The resulting Component will not have any wall angles that are steeper than the specified draft angle. Once complete, both the original Component/s and the new Component will be visible, although the original may be obscured by the new Component. The Component with the draft angle will be named appropriately indicating the amount of draft that was added. The images below show how a Component looks before and after adding 20° of draft.

Original Model

With Draft Added

In general, the most useful feature of individual Components is that they can be manipulated entirely independently of each other to build up simpler design elements into a sophisticated 3D model. There are some editing functions that require the individual element to be consolidated into a single object. For example you may wish to smooth one shape into another using the sculpting tools or bend a group of Components around a curve using the distortion tool. In Aspire, consolidating a selection of Components into a single, new object is a process called 'Baking'. Once baked, the selected Components will become a single Component object and you will no longer be able to access the individual elements.

VCarve Desktop will prompt you when you have a group or Component selection that requires baking before a particular modeling tool or operation can proceed. Alternatively, you can use the Bake command to perform this operation yourself. By manually baking-in existing fade, tilt or distortion, for example, you are then free to apply further dynamic properties 'on top of' the previously applied ones. In addition, consolidating multiple Components towards the end of the design process allows your computer to recover system resources and may give it a welcome performance boost - particularly if you have been modeling using a large number of high resolution or complex Components.

The options to clear areas of a 3D Component, inside and outside of vectors or to slit a vector into multiple pieces are very useful modeling tools. There are many occasions where the standard modeling options may not allow you to create or control the exact shape that you need. Often you may need to create the general shape then crop (cookie cut) the resulting Component either to leave just the part of the shape you want or to make a hole in it. Many examples of this will be covered in the video tutorials supplied with the software.

Original Vectors

Selected Vectors with 2 Rail Sweep

Resultant Cropped component

In the image above and left you can see the vectors selected for a 2 Rail Sweep to make a simple flowing shape. The result of this sweep is shown in the middle image. Our actual leaf edge vector can be seen in the left hand image after cropping the swept shape back to the leaf outline vector.

To use the cropping function you need to select the Component or Components you want to edit first and then select the object last that you want to use as the cropping region. If multiple Components, or a Component group, are selected for this tool, Aspire will prompt for you to bake the Components before continuing. See Baking Component for more information.

The Component Properties form allows you to adjust a number of dynamic properties for a selected Component or Level. Adjusting these properties does not make permanent changes to your Components and can be further edited or reset any time until the component is Baked, in which cases they will be made permanent in the Component shape and this form will be reset.

Adds the selected component/s to the result of all the previous components in the list.

Subtracts the selected component/s from the result of all the previous components in the list.

Where they overlap, this Merges the selected component/s into the result of all the previous Components in the list keeping the highest part of the overlapping area. This means the higher part of each shape will be what remains in this area.

Where they overlap, this Merges the selected component/s into the result of all the previous Components in the list keeping the lowest part of the overlapping area. This means the lower part of each shape will be what remains in this area.

Where there is an overlap, this Multiplies the result of all the previous components in the list by the heights in this component.

Use the slider or type in a specific percentage to scale the height of the selected Component(s) up or down based on its current height (100%).

Enter a value in the Shape Height edit box directly, or use the slider to adjust the height of your component selection interactively. In either case, the 3D view of the component will update automatically as you adjust the value. The range of available heights on the slider is determined by your current material thickness setting. If these values appear to be inappropriate you can still enter any value you like into the associated edit box, or you can close the tool and select Edit ► Job Size and Position from the main menu. In the Job Setup page you can then correct the current setting for the material thickness before continuing.

Enter a specific value into this box to raise the Component or Level up on a flat plane of the thickness you specify. This can be useful to help move an object up so it sits proud of another component it is Merging with. If you are not sure of the value you need, then enter an amount and hit the space bar to apply this. If this is not correct, type in another value and hit space again to apply the new value, look at the 3D View to judge the result - repeat until you get the value you need.

You can also apply a Base Height to a Level. Adding a base height to a level will add the same base height visually to the components in that Level, however the components themselves will have no base height added to them within their properties. This is useful to raise a set of objects on a Level above things that need to appear to be behind them (for example above a textured area).

VCarve Desktop gives you a lot of control over the appearance of the 3D shaded image for visualization purposes, such as customer approval proofs or marketing material. Each component can be given an individual color or material.

When this is selected the user can choose from the list of pre-defined material effects by clicking on the box immediately below the Appearance choice. These include many wood grains, metal effects, stone and plastic.

Additional materials can be added to the library. See Preview Toolpaths for more details.

The model that you see in the 3D View is the result of progressively combining all of the visible components from the bottom of the Component Tree, to the top. The resulting model is known as the Composite Model. The order in which components are combined can have a significant impact on the final shape of the composite model and so you will often need to move components relative to one another within the Component Tree in order to achieve the end result you are intending.

For more information, see the 3D Design and Management page.

To help you understand how the components are being combined, each component in the tree has an icon indicating how it is currently being combined with the components below

Add

Subtract

Merge

Low

Group

Grouped components are also indicated by their own icon and the presence of a plus or minus control to the left of the visibility checkbox. These controls allow you expand or collapse the group to show or hide the group contents, respectively.

Every component exists on a single Level. These levels can be used to organize your modelling process. During the compositing process the contents of a level are combined first before the levels themselves are combined together.

Components can be selected in 3 ways:

• By left-clicking on the component's name in the Component Tree
• By left-clicking on the associated grayscale component preview image in the 2D view
• By double left-clicking directly on the component in the 3D view

In all cases, the new selection will subsequently be reflected in all three locations. So, for example, selecting a component in the Component Tree will simultaneously cause the associated 2D component preview to become selected in the 2D View, and the same component to become highlighted in red (or green if the selected component is obscured by another component) in the 3D View.

There are, however, some minor differences between the three methods of selection. Also, depending on the circumstances, there may be some advantages to selecting your components using one method rather than another.

The component tree works in a similar way to the Window's file explorer. To select a component, simply click on it. To select multiple components, hold down a Ctrl key while clicking on each component you wish to add to the selection. While in this mode, clicking on a component that is already selected will cause it to be removed from the selection.

Pressing a Shift key allows you to select a range of components. Click on the first component in the range to select it, then holding a Shift key and pressing the last component you want selected will select all the components between the first and last selection.

Double-clicking a component or level in the Component Tree will automatically open the Component Properties tool - see the Component Properties section for more information on how to use this tool to modify the selected components.

Right-clicking an unselected component in the Component Tree will select it, and open its pop-up menu of related commands. Any commands you select will apply to this selected component only.

Right-clicking a component that is already selected, and is also one of several selected components, will open a similar pop-up menu of commands. Any commands you select from this menu will apply to all of the currently selected components.

Because the left mouse button is used for twiddling the 3D view itself, a single left-click cannot be used for component selection directly. However, VCarve Desktop's 3D view supports most of the standard selection concepts described above, using double-clicks instead. Therefore, to select a component in the 3D view it must be double-clicked with the left mouse button. To select multiple components in the 3D view, hold down a Shift key and double-click each of the components you wish to add to the selection. To access the pop-up menu of commands associated with a component, double right-click it in the 3D View.

Because components may overlap or merge through one another when forming the composite model, you may find that some components become difficult (or are even impossible) to select directly from the 3D view using the double click method. In this case you may use the right click menu. If you right click on a point above the component you wish to select then you are presented with a list of all the components that lie under this point.

Right clicking on a point gives a list of all components under this point. Choosing a component selects this component.

You can also double right-click the selected component (highlighted in red) in the 3D view. The options offered include showing/hiding components, or setting their combine mode within the composite model.

In the 3D view selected object will often be tinted red. On some occasions parts of some components will be obscured by other components. In this case then the red tint will not be seen. The parts of the objects that are obscured will be tinted green so they are still visible from within the 3D view.

The parts of the selected component which are obscured are tinted a different color.

Many of the dynamic component editing tools can now be accessed directly from the 3D View. Editing the components in the 3D View makes it quick and easy to see the immediate effect of the changes to the Composite Model. To access these editing options a component or components must first be selected. Once selected then either clicking the component again in the 3D view or clicking the Transform Mode icon (Move, Scale, Rotate Selection) will activate the 3D Transform Handles. These take the form of solid and hollow blue squares around the component/s in the 3D View.

Clicking a selected component in the 3D View will activate the Transform Handles.

The majority of these will function in the same way that they do with objects in the 2D View. The additional larger solid blue square below the middle of the bottom edge of the model can be left-clicked to open a floating form that allows access to some of the components properties. This form can be moved if it is covering an important area of the job. From this form you can adjust the Combine Mode, Shape Height, Base Height, Fade and Tilt for the selected component/s. If you edit Fade or Tilt using this form, then when you click the Set button you must click the positions for this in the 3D View.

Clicking a blue square below the component opens a floating Component Property form.

This tool lets you automatically create a 3D Component from a Bitmap.

If no Bitmap is selected in the 2D View, then a File dialog will open allowing you to select an image file from one of the drives on your computer. This method of component creation bypasses the need to convert the image when importing which potentially reduces the number of color shades, so this second method is the best way to directly convert Bitmap files to components in Aspire.

The Component from a Bitmap is automatically scaled and set to Add to other Components by the software so will typically need to be edited using the Component Properties icon to adjust height or Combine Mode and the Transform tools to adjust its size and position.

The Create Component from Visible Model feature allows you to quickly create a single component which is a copy of the model shown in the 3D View (the Composite Model). The new model created is placed on the active level.

It is common when working with lots of components to find that a number of levels have been used. If, as a final step, you want to edit the models using a tool like the sculpting (which requires the components to be baked together) then they all must be on the same level, however placing the models on the same level may change the appearance of the composite model. In this case we can use the Create Component from Visible Model tool. This resulting component may then be sculpted without any of the previous modelling information being lost.

Consider the following example of a lioness we are modelling, and all of its current levels.

Model Tree

Model

If we want to sculpt this model we must first bake it, but we currently can't bake it because the components lie on different levels. Also, baking them together will mean we lose all our structure that we have carefully built up losing the potential to edit the individual parts. So instead we use the Create Component from Visible Model tool. This creates a copy of what is visible. We can then bake this new component, and we can now sculpt without losing our structure

Model Tree after creating copy

Sculpted Model

The Create Shape tool allows the user to create Components based on one or more closed vectors. The vectors can be selected either before the icon is clicked or after the form is open. The user works through the form specifying the profile and strength of the shape and modifying options to govern its height. There is also an option to Tilt the shape on an angle. Once any of the parameters have been defined it can be previewed by hitting Apply.

This shape can be easily changed by altering the parameters in the form and hitting the Apply button to update the preview. Once you are happy with the shape created then you have two choices, to Start New Component (which will save your current component and start a new one) or Close the form.

Changing values with the slider on the form will immediately update the 3D view when you release the slider. If you make changes to the edit fields such as Angle or Base height, pressing the 'Space' bar on your keyboard after you have finished entering your value will apply the changes and update the 3D preview or you can hit the Apply button again.

If you select another vector, then the current shape will be discarded, so remember to hit Start New Component if you want to keep a copy of it.

Applies an angular profile (pyramid) to the selected vector/s outline E

This will define the angle of the edge of the rounded or angled profile shape - the higher the angle, the steeper the shape. Angular shapes can have a maximum angle of 89°. The slider bar to the right can also be used to change this as well as typing a specific angle into the form.

Checking ✓ this option limits the height of the shape by scaling the shape up or down while retaining its general specified profile. It is scaled to the height entered in the Height area of the form which becomes available once this option is selected. The slider can also be used to change the final height.

When this option is checked ✓ the user can set a direction and angle to tilt the shape up at an angle in Z. The first part of this operation (once the option is checked ✓) is to press the Set Anchor button - then click two points in the 2D view.

The first click specifies the point which will remain at zero (the pivot point of the tilt).

The second click specifies the point that will be tilted upwards by the specified angle (the point that will be raised up).

The default angle (10°) can be edited by clicking the arrow next to the value and using the slider or by typing in a specific value and hitting the Space Bar on the keyboard to apply the angle.

This section includes options to allow you to name your Component and control the way it will be combined with other objects in the Component Tree.

The Create Texture Area tool assists in the creation of components with a repeating pattern or texture. It requires a single component and optionally one or more closed boundary vectors which define the region in which the tiling should take place.

The Create Texture Area form is accessed from the modelling tab.

The first step is to select the component you wish to be tiled. If you want to restrict the tiling to a region then you should also select one or more closed vectors which will represent the boundary when the texture is created. If no boundary vector is selected then the tiling will fill the entire job space.

The Create Texture Area form contains options to adjust the spacing, overlap, positioning and symmetry of the texture which are discussed below. When you click the Apply button then the software will create a Component based on the settings in the form and any vector you may have selected for the boundary.

At this moment the original selected Component will be made invisible to avoid confusion with what you can see in the 3D View.

Once you click Apply then this will effective fix the basic outline or silhouette of your Texture Area either based on the selected vector or the job area. It is possible to edit the size, position and rotation of this but if you wanted to change to a different border shape then you would need to start again with a new selection.

Seed Component

Tiled Result

By default the form has Transform Object selected at the top. In this mode you can click on the Texture Area Component and use the drag-handles to move, scale or rotate it. Note that this will not change the size of your Tile (original seed Component). To change the size of the Tile you would use the Edit Textured Area Component option which is covered further down in this document.

The spacing edit box or sliders can be used to control the degree of spacing between the tiles in a pattern component. You can adjust the spacing between the components horizontally and/or vertically. The amount of horizontal spacing is given in terms of a percentage of the width of the tile component. The amount of vertical spacing is given in terms of a percentage of the height of it. To control the amount of spacing, use the two sliders in the box marked Spacing. Drag and release the slider to set the percentage, or alternatively type an exact amount into the edit box above and either hit Apply or press the Space bar on the keyboard to update the result. You can enter both positive and negative values. Positive spacing values open gaps between the objects in the texture and negative spacing has the opposite effect making the tiles overlap one another as shown below.

Shape with -25% X and -25% Y spacing

The X/Y shift option can be used to move all the tiles in alternate rows horizontally or alternate columns vertically by the specified amount. As with the spacing, the X/Y shift is given as a percentage of the size of the component in the appropriate dimension and can be adjusted using either the sliders or the edit boxes. For example entering a shift value of 50% horizontally (X) would move the second row over by half the width of the object, the third row would be as the first, then the fourth shifted, this shift would also be applied to every other row after that within the Textured Area. Similarly entering a value of 50% for the vertical shift (Y) will move every other column up by half the height of the object.

Shape with 50% X shift

Shape with 50% Y shift

The reflection tool consists of four buttons. Each button represents one tile in a mini-group of four, starting from the lower left copy which is represented by the original Tile. Each button has 4 states of reflection, each time the button is clicked, the icon representing the button will change to show the current state. Click Apply to update the Texture Area Component with your new choice.

No reflection

Horizontal reflection

Vertical reflection

Both horizontal and vertical reflection

When you have created a pattern you can edit the size of the individual Tile component you are creating a pattern from by selecting the Edit Textured Area Component option at the top of the form. Within the 2D View this will then put an orange transform box around the lower left component in the pattern. You can alter the size of this by left clicking on one of the handles and dragging it to size, when you let go this will update the pattern to fit the new size within the Texture Area boundary. You can also move the location of this Tile by clicking the center node and dragging it with the mouse to a new location. This again will change the layout of the pattern.

Pattern in Edit Texture Area Component Transform Box Appears

Pull handle on Transform Box to Alter Size and the Pattern Updates to the New Size

A Texture Area component will remember that it is in a special state and not a standard component. This means that they can be further edited using the Texture Area form even after Closing and re-entering the function. To edit an existing Texture Area component, select it and then open the Create Texture Area tool. Alternatively, open the Create Texture Area tool and then select the existing component. This will then let you continue to make changes to it using the form.

Texture Area components do not behave like standard components when they are scaled in X or Y. When a Texture Area component is resized, then this resizes the boundary in which the tiling takes place so the size of the individual Tiles will not change, just the area that they are covering will be updated.

Typical baked component resize - shapes scale

Texture component resize - shapes do not scale

This section includes options to allow you to name your Component and control the way it will be combined with other objects in the Component Tree.

This icon can be used to create a vector around the outermost boundary (silhouette) of one or more selected components. The most important use is to generate a vector that can be selected as a toolpath boundary, particularly for 3D Roughing, 3D Finishing and also Profile (cutout) toolpaths.

VCarve Desktop will create one or more closed vector boundaries around the edge of the selected components. If more than one closed vector is required to create the boundary, these will be created as a group to make it easier to select them. They would need to be ungrouped before they could be edited individually.

Embossing a component can be used in some cases to reduce the height of a model while preserving important surface detail as an alternative to the standard method for scaling a components height using the Shape Height option on the Component Properties form. A component must be selected before the tool can be used.

The images below show the same model, both results are scaled to ten percent of their original heights. The image below left was created using the standard Shape Height scaling from the Component Properties form and the image below right using the Emboss function.

Original model

Embossed Model

The STL file format is an industry standard for representing 3D models as meshes made up of a skin of triangles. It is a very robust way of exporting a version of your 3D composite model to external applications or even Rapid Prototype (RP) machines. Models can also be exported as an OBJ file, which includes the component colors and is primarily used for ray-traced rendering of your model.

In general, triangle meshes are not able to hold as much detail as Aspire's 3D Components. As a result, you must choose which strategy Aspire will use to reduce the detail in your STL file.

This creates a mesh with an open back. This creates a shell with the 3D shape on its face and an open back side.

This creates a mesh with a copy of the front of the model on the back. This is used when a solid 2 sided model is needed for output. An example of this might be a 2 sided fish.

This creates a mesh that has its back sealed off with a flat plane. This type of closed model may be required by Rapid Prototyping (3D Printing Software) to allow the part to be prepared for the production process.

In the case of two-sided jobs, this option can be selected. It will triangulate both sides of a job and produce a single closed mesh.

Once the mesh looks correct, then clicking this button enables it to be saved onto your computer as an STL format file by default. The file save dialog also allows the selection of Wavefront (*.obj) and POV-Ray Scene (*.POV) as an alternative triangle mesh format using the Save as type option.

The Extrude and Weave feature is a very powerful and flexible modeling tool. It uses one or more vector drive-rails to define the path that the shape will follow, this allows you to extrude either vector cross-sections or 3D Components along these vectors to create the model.

The first stage is to select the drive rails and then choose whether you want to use either vectors or Components to extrude along your curves. There are many options both on the form and under the context sensitive right-click menus that can be used to control the shape that is created.

From the 2D View use the mouse to select one or more open or closed vectors you wish to use as the drive rails for you to extrude or weave along. Then click the Use Selection button.

In the 2D view your rail vectors will be highlighted orange and now show a green square (start node) indicating the start of the vector from which the extruded shape will begin, and arrow markers along its length to show the direction of the extrusion.

The default start point and direction shown may not be what you intended. To change the direction, right-click with the cursor on the vector line and select Reverse Rail from the context sensitive menu, you will now see the arrows on the drive rail change direction. On a closed vector you can change the start point by placing the cursor over an existing node in the drive-rail vector, right-clicking and selecting Make Start Point or you can right-click anywhere on the vector and select Insert Start Point to create a new node which will become the start point.

The Clear Rails button can be used at any time to empty your current selection. This will delete your current shape and deselect all the drive rail and cross section vectors. This can be used if you do not want to create a Component before you exit the form or if you want to select new vectors in the 2D view to use as the drive rail for your shape.

The next step is to select one or more cross-section vectors to sweep along your rails to form a 3D shape. In order for vectors to be used as valid cross-section shapes, they must be open.

Select a vector that you wish to use as a cross-section in the 2D View by left clicking on it with the mouse.

If you are using just a single cross section then you just need to make sure it is selected and then can proceed with the other settings in the form and calculate your shape. If you want to edit cross section positions or add more than one cross section then you will need to attach them to the drive rail.

Select a vector that you wish to use as a cross-section in the 2D View by left clicking on it with the mouse. Now click on the drive rail to attach the cross-section to that vector.

As you move the mouse over a selected drive rail it will indicate with a check mark ✓ that it is a valid place to add the cross section. Once a cross-section has been successfully attached to your drive rail, the 2D view will show a preview using line markers to indicate how the cross section will be positioned when it is extruded.

Two Cross-Sections are always created when you attach the first cross-section to the drive rail - one at the start and one at the end. The intermediate lines along the entire length of the rail indicate how the shape will flow between the defined cross sections. You can click the Apply button to create your 3D swept shape.

To add a new Cross-Section to an existing extrusion, simply select an open vector in the 2D View that you wish to use as a cross-section. With the vector selected, click on the point along the rail to which you wish it to be attached. A new Cross-Section will be inserted at this point. On applying the change, the resulting 3D sweep will blend seamlessly between all the defined Cross-Sections along the rail.

In some cases it may be advantageous to add a cross section at all node positions on a drive curve, for example on a closed rectangular border. This can either be done manually, or automatically after you have added the first Cross-Section by right-clicking on the cross section you wish to duplicate and selecting Add To All Rail Nodes. This will add that same cross section to every node on that specific drive rail vector.

To remove a Cross-Section, position the cursor over the cross section and click the right mouse button. Select the option to Delete Cross Section from the menu.

If you remove the start or end Cross-Section and fail to replace them with a new cross-section vector then the preview will no longer show intermediate lines to that point on its length. This means the shape will start or stop at that cross section and not go all the way to the start/end of the line. You can either add a new cross section or drag an existing one to that position if you need to resolve this.

You can remove all the Cross-Sections on a drive rail by positioning the mouse arrow over a part of the curve that does not contain a cross section. This will bring up a different context sensitive menu and you can select the options to Remove All Cross Sections.

If this option is checked, ✓ then the tool will create a sharp corner in the Component where there are discontinuities in the drive rail vector. When unchecked the shape will be rounded as it goes around the discontinuity. Below you can see a rectangular drive curve with a simple cross section being extruded around it, the one on the left has the Create sharp corners option selected and the one on the right without.

Create sharp corners checked ✓

Create sharp corners un-checked

When checked ✓ this option will ensure that as the shape is extruded that it goes from a particular span/node in one cross section to the same span/node on the next cross section. For some applications this can give the user more control over the way the shape flows.

Using the above vector selection, the shape below left will be created with Sweep between spans checked ✓ and the shape on the right is created with the option un-checked. Note that on the left hand picture the crease in the shape goes from node to node in the cross sections as the spans flow exactly from one to the next. On the second picture the shape just linearly flows from one cross section to the next evenly with no additional control.

Sweep between spans checked ✓

Sweep between spans un-checked

As the extruded shape passes through each cross section the default is for it to flow smoothly through the profile. This can be edited by right-clicking over a cross section and unchecking the Smooth option. The middle node on the cross sections preview in the 2D View will be blue if it is smooth and white if it is un-smooth.

Profiles for Extrude

Using the above vector selection, the shape below left will be created with the Smooth option checked ✓ and the shape on the right is created with the option un-checked. Note that on the left hand picture the shape flows smoothly through each span, on the second it goes directly from cross section to cross section in a straight transition.

Smooth checked ✓ on all cross sections

Smooth un-checked on all cross sections

The Extrude and Weave feature also allows the option to use a 3D Component instead of using vector cross sections to define the shape being created. To activate this feature choose the Use a Component option under the Cross Sections / Sweep Interior section of the form.

Once this option has been selected then you need to select a single Component that will be used for the operation. This can only be done within the form and not from either of the views or the Component Tree. Use the arrow at the side of the name in the drop down list to access a list of all the Components and select the one you want to use. By default the first Component name in the Component Tree will be shown in this section of the form. If the form is opened with a single Component selected, the selected Component will be the default in the list. Once selected a preview of the extrusion will be shown in the 2D view.

The orientation of the Component in your part will control how it flows along the vector. The direction along the X-axis of your Component will govern how it flows positively along the drive curve. Another way to think of it is you need to position your Component so it faces from left to right to orient how it will point along the curve.

Once your Component has been selected from the list you need to choose whether it will be used as a single copy stretched along the curve or repeated multiple times at its original size.

Picking this option will take a single copy of the Component and stretch it along the full length of the selected drive rail vector.

Selecting this option will keep the Component at its original size and repeat it along the drive curve. Specifying an Overlap value will set each copy of the Component to overlap the previous one by this percentage of its length. Each overlapping piece will be merged together. In addition to overlapping the parts you can also check ✓ a box to flip alternate copies of the Component. This will flip every other copy of the original as if it had been mirrored vertically.

Fill with multiple copies 0% Overlap

Fill with multiple copies 25% Overlap

Flip alternate copies 25% Overlap

With either vector or Component based extrusions you have the option to activate the Weave part of the function. This gives the ability to raise and lower the extruded shape at positions where the drive rail vector or vectors cross over. The effect of this is a Component that appears to be weaving the extruded shapes as you can see below.

Preview of weave vector selection

Result of weave with 70% Z Under and 130% Z Over

The order of the weave is determined by the direction of the first vector picked as part of the drive-rail selection. To change the order of which overlapping positions are raised up and lowered you can right mouse click on the first drive rail vector you selected and choose the Reverse Rail option.

There are two options to control the way the shape is scaled at each overlapping point in the drive rail vectors, Scale Shape and Add Base.

The Scale Shape option uses the percentage values entered into the form to scale the height of the original shape up and down at the cross-over positions. For example entering a Z Under percentage of 50% will force the locations which are being weaved under to be half their original height. Entering a Z Over percentage of 150% would force the locations of the shape which are being raised as they weave to be 1 ½ times their original height. This will distort the cross sections or Components to stretch or squash them.

Scale Shape - 80% Z Under and 120% Z Over

Scale Shape - 30% Z Under and 150% Z Over

The Scale Shape option will give a natural looking weave but for certain shapes will mean the detail in the shape may become heavily accentuated or reduced at the overlaps. In these situations the Add Base option may create a better result.

The Add Base option will retain the height of the original cross section or Component and raise it up adding material under the shape depending on the percentage values indicated. This will typically create a higher final Component than using the Scale Shape option but gives a consistent shape to the strands of the weave.

Scale Shape - 0% Z Under and 50% Z Over

Scale Shape - 0% Z Under and 100% Z Over

This section includes options to allow you to name your Component and control the way it will be combined with other objects in the Component Tree.

It is possible to make edits to the vectors that you have selected while using the Extrude and Weave tool. To do this you can click in the whitespace of the 2D View to ensure you have focus on that window. Then on the keyboard hit either N to go into Node Editing mode or T to go into Transform mode.

You will notice the drive rails and cross sections will become deselected and the Use Selection button will change to say Reselect Rails. You can now make edits to the vectors using the dynamic Node Editing and Transform functions in the 2D view. When you are happy with your changes you can click on the Reselect Rails button and the vectors will be selected in the same order they were before. Now you can click the Apply button to create a new shape based on the edited vectors.

Choose one of the 6 options to determine the most suitable direction on the model that defines the top surface (upper Z) that you want to use when it's converted into a Component.

You can also use the five options for Rotation about Z Axis to modify the position of the part being imported at this stage.

Applies the values you have entered for the X, Y or Z dimensions.

Many mesh files do not inherently have the units that they were made in embedde in the files, so the software is not able to tell if the files are supposed to be inches or metric, they will just have a particular value. Therefore it is quite common to need to scale the part from inch to metric or vice versa. If you import your model and you wish to work in inches and the file seems very large or if you work in Metric and the file seems very small then you will probably need to use the Scale mm/inches option. The next two items on the form cover this need.

Choose the unit of measurement (mm or inches) that you are working in, within the part the file is being imported into.

Changing the units will result in resizing the model. For example, if you had 5x5 mm dimensions, they would become 5x5 inches so the model becomes a lot larger.

This slider bar determines where the 3D model will be cut-off when converting to a Component. You can move this up and down with the mouse or use the Middle or Bottom buttons to locate the plane in the correct position.

If you are working in a 2 sided setup you can check ✓ this option and two components will be created - one looking down the Z axis from above to the zero plane and one looking up from below. Each side of the model will go onto a side. This will provide you with the geometry that can be edited to cut the original imported 3D part as a 2-sided job.

If you were importing a model that contains a non-convex surface for instance a bowl you can import the entire model on each side by sliding the slicing plane all the way to the bottom.

This command opens the File Open dialog window, allowing existing VCarve Desktop files (CRV3D extension) and importable 3rd party 3D files to be selected and opened. If you select a 3rd party 3D model format, the Orientate Model form will open (see below) to allow you to manipulate the 3D model before it is converted into a Component.

When one of these formats are chosen for 3D file Import, the imported model needs to be oriented and scaled before it can become a Component. A special import window is opened and a set of orientation/scaling tools enabled. Depending on the job type, import window will be different:

• Importing a 3D Model into Single or Double Sided job
• Importing a 3D Model into Rotary job

Allows the nature of the imported model to be specified. Depending on the selection, the form will change to allow the most appropriate workflow. You can choose from the following model types:

• Full 3D model - a model that is suitable for rotary machining as is,
• Flat model - a model that is only suitable as a part of design, similar to clipart provided with VCarve Desktop.

The purpose of this section is to roughly position the imported model within the material block. One can choose one of the 6 options to determine the most suitable direction on the model that defines the top surface (upper Z). This can be combined with one of the five options for Rotation about Z Axis.

This section can be used to fine-tune the model position in relation to the material block. The default choice XYZ-View allows the usual use of the mouse to rotate the 3D View, so the imported part can be seen from different angles. While this mode is selected, the orientation of the part will not change. Selecting one of the other four options above the word Model will enable adjustment of the actual positional orientation of the imported part. Choosing the XYZ option will allow rotation around all three axes simultaneously. Selecting X, Y or Z will only allow rotation around the specified axis. It will also automatically switch the 3D View to show the part from that axis.

This section can be used to adjust the position of the model in relation to the rotation centerline. By default VCarve Desktop will position the model in the center of the material block, so the material is used more efficiently.

When the Off option is selected, panning the 3D View will happen in the usual manner.

When the On option becomes selected, using the 3D View panning controls will move the rotation axis instead.

By default VCarve Desktop assumes that the imported model is using the same units as specified during job setup. If that is not the case, the model units can be changed.

By default VCarve Desktop assumes that the imported model is using the same units as specified during job setup. If that is not the case, the model units can be changed.

The Offset model tool creates a 3D offset of the composite model.

To use the tool, specify the distance that you want to offset the model.

Click on the Preview button to see the results of the offsetting.

Click OK to proceed or click Cancel to exit the form.

The Clip Z values to the Zero Plane option will ensure that the final result will always be positive. When used on models with areas that end up lower than the zero plane these parts of the model will be removed leaving only the positive values. This can be helpful when you have a flat plane as part of the model to avoid it being effectively lowered by the offset amount.

Using this function you can offset with either positive or negative values.

Original model

Negative Offset

Positive Offset

This feature allows you to trim (or flatten) the bottom off a component or multiple components. This could be useful if you've imported an STL model that has some undesired thickness, for example, when it has come from a 3D scan. Also, sometimes you could end up with an undesired negative part of the components (when sculpting, or combining with a deep subtracted model). This tool will allow you to remove anything below a certain height, and (optionally) drop the model by that height.

The result of the operation will be a component that will appear in the Component Tree.

• If only a single component is selected, it will be replaced.
• If multiple components are selected (or a level with more than one component is chosen), they will be baked into a single component, then the operation will applied to the baked component.

The Sculpting function in VCarve Desktop is a very powerful way to edit (or create) 3D shapes. It allows the user to perform truly dynamic interactive editing of 3D Components. Once activated, the user chooses from a variety of tool options which determine how the model will be changed and then uses the mouse (or a pen tablet) to actually edit the 3D model. This is done in the 3D view and requires the user to click and move the mouse cursor in the area of the model they want to apply the tool. The best way to understand this tool is to actually try it and to watch the Tutorial Videos that are supplied with the software as it is very much a visual tool (which is what gives it its power).

One or more Components can be selected for Sculpting. If you select multiple shapes or a Component Group then the software will need to Bake your selection into a single Component, if applicable you should ensure you have a safe copy of your selection before proceeding.

In addition to components, you can also select bitmap. The bitmap will be overlaid on the sculpted model. This is useful when sculpting based on the photo.

As the user moves the mouse over any area of the 3D model that has already been sculpted then the area under the red cursor will be gradually returned to its original state. This can be used to undo some of the sculpting if you make a mistake.

Alternately you can use the Key combination Ctrl+Z to undo the last move that you made without using the Undo Brush.

Allow to quickly toggle between overlaid image being visible or not. This allows the user to work with overlaid image hidden and only displayed periodically to guide the sculpting process.

This option can also be accessed by pressing the O key.

The slicing feature allows the user to divide the Composite Model into Z-Slices each of which will become a Component. This is for customers who need to cut a part which exceeds the Z depth of their machine gantry, the cutting length of their tools or the thickness of the material they are using. Once the slices have been cut on the CNC then they can be re-assembled to make the finished full depth part.

When this function is executed each slice will become a Component in the Component Tree and can then be moved into position and have toolpaths calculated on it. An example of this is shown in the images below, on the left it shows a scallop shell component that is 3 inches thick, the image below right shows this divided into two separate components, each a 1.5 inch slice of the original.

When the icon is clicked the Slice Model form will appear. This can be used to control the number and thickness of slices which will be created. At the top of the form it will display some reference information showing the thickness of the current Composite Model and also the currently defined Material Thickness (for machining).

Checking ✓ this option will let you define a particular value for each slice. Right below this the Number of Slices will be displayed which is determined by the Composite Model thickness divided by the Slice Thickness. The model will be sliced from the bottom up and if the Composite Model thickness does not divide exactly by the Slice Thickness then the top slice may not be a whole number. To help indicate how the part is going to be divided the Top Slice Thickness is displayed in the form.

Checking ✓ this option will divide the model into a specific number of slices. The slice thickness will be determined by the Composite Model thickness divided by the Number of Slices defined. This may be a good option to use if the specific slice thickness is not important (for instance if it does not relate to material thickness).

Clicking Slice Model will apply the choices made in the form and create the Components which represent each slice of the Composite Model.

Often it is advantageous to apply a general smoothing effect over the whole of a component (rather than smooth a particular area with the Sculpting Tools). To use this tool, select the components you wish to smooth and then click the Apply smoothing filter to selected components icon on the Modeling tab. The form will appear and VCarve Desktop will take a few seconds to prepare the model for the smoothing operation. You will see a progress bar at the bottom of the screen while it is doing this.

One or more Components can be selected for Smoothing. If you select multiple shapes or a Component Group then the software will need to Bake your selection into a single Component, if applicable you should ensure you have a safe copy of your current Components before proceeding.

If you wish to smooth individual components one after another, potentially with different amounts of smoothing, you can do this by selecting one component, apply a suitable smooth filter value with the slider and then hit the Bake Current Smoothing button in the form and then proceed to selecting the next component you wish to smooth. When pick a new Component the software may take a few seconds to pick it and apply the smoothing filter to it at the default of 50% strength. If you do not click on the Bake Current Smoothing button before you select a new component then the effects of the smoothing will be lost on the previously selected component.

Turn takes a profile and turns (rotates) it around line from start point to end point to create a rounded symmetrical shape. To turn a shape select the vector cross section you want to turn and use the Turn (Rotate) option, this cross section should represent the silhouette of the shape you wish to create. You can click Apply to create your 3D turned shape.

Vector Cross Section to Turn around line from Start Point to End Point

Result of Turned Shape in 3D View

The profile to be turned can run beneath the line between the two end points

Vector Cross Section to Turn (Blue) around line from Start Point to End Point (Red)

Result of Turned Shape in 3D View

Spin takes a profile and spins it around the left end point of the cross section to create a circular component based on the profile shape of your cross section. To spin a shape select the vector cross section you want to spin around the left end point and click Apply to create your 3D spun shape.

Vector Cross Section to Spin around Left End Point

Result of Spun Shape in 3D View

This section includes options to allow you to name your Component and control the way it will be combined with other objects in the Component Tree.

Two Rail Sweep uses a combination of vectors to define a swept 3D Component. The shape is based on two drive rails which can be open or closed vectors and multiple cross sections which are positioned on the drive rails and have to be created using open vectors.

The first stage of using this tool is to select the vectors which will represent the Drive Rails. From the 2D View use the mouse to select two open or closed vectors then click the Use Selection button.

In the 2D view your rail vectors will now be colored red (first selected vector) and green (second selected vectors) and show a square green start node indicating the start point of each rail and arrow markers along its length to show the direction the shape will be swept.

The start point and direction may not be what you intended. To change the direction, right-click with the cursor on the drive rail you want to edit and select Reverse Rail from the context sensitive menu, you will now see the arrows on the drive rail change direction.

You can also change the order the rails were selected by clicking on Swap Rail Order this will swap so the red rail becomes green and green becomes red, doing this will cause the cross-sections to hang in the opposite direction. On a closed vector you can change the start point by placing the cursor over an existing node in the drive-rail vector, right-clicking and selecting Make Start Point or you can right-click anywhere on the vector and select Insert Start Point to create a new node which will become the start point.

The Clear Rails button on the form can be used at any time to empty your current selection. This will delete your current shape and deselect all the drive rails and cross section vectors. This can be used if you do not want to create a Component before you exit the form or if you want to select new vectors in the 2D view to use as the drive rail for your shape.

After you have chosen your drive rails the next step is to select one or more cross-section vectors to sweep along those vectors to form a 3D shape. In order for vectors to be used as valid cross-section shapes, they must be open.

Select a vector that you wish to use as a cross-section in the 2D View by left clicking on it with the mouse.

If you are using just a single cross section then you just need to make sure it is selected and then can proceed with the other settings in the form and calculate your shape. If you want to edit cross section positions or add more than one cross section then you will need to attach them to the drive rails.

Select a vector that you wish to use as a cross-section in the 2D View by left clicking on it with the mouse. Now click on the drive rail to attach the cross-section to that vector.

As you move the mouse over a selected drive rail it will indicate with a check mark ✓ that it is a valid place to add the cross section. Once a cross-section has been successfully attached to your drive rail, the 2D view will show a preview using line markers to indicate how the cross section will be positioned when it is extruded.

Two Cross-Sections are always created when you attach the first cross-section to the drive rail - one across the start nodes of each vector and one across the ends. The intermediate lines along the entire length of the rails indicate how the shape will flow between the defined cross sections. You can click the Apply button to create your 3D swept shape.

Adding Cross Sections

Result From Two Rail Sweep

To add a new Cross-Section to an existing extrusion, simply select an open vector in the 2D View that you wish to use as a cross-section. With the vector selected, click on the point along the rail to which you wish it to be attached. A new Cross-Section will be inserted at this point and automatically attached to the second rail. On applying the change, the resulting 3D sweep will blend between all the defined Cross-Sections along the rail.

Adding Cross Sections

Result From Two Rail Sweep

By default, Aspire sweeps the cross-section along the drive rails connecting points at the same proportional distance along each rail's length. So, for example, the positions halfway or three-quarters of the way along each drive rail will be connected by the cross section in the resulting 3D shape.

As the images above show, when the matching proportional positions along each rail do not match the appropriate features of the shape it can produce undesirable results. In this example the corners of the frame design are at different proportional positions along each rail and so the two-rail sweep does not connect the corners. Instead the cross-section appears stretched around the frame, as it is used to connect other points that do match in their proportional distance along each rail.

To resolve this, the software allows you to force the connection of pairs of points along the drive rails. This can either be done manually by inserting and re-positioning the cross-sections across the corners (see sections below for more information on this), or if both the drive rails have the same number of nodes it can be done automatically after you have added the first cross section by right-clicking on the first cross section preview position and selecting Add To All Rail Nodes. This will add that same cross section to every pair of nodes on each drive rail. When the cross section positions are set up correctly then Aspire will sweep the shape between each cross section location and create clean corners as shown in the images below.

To remove a Cross-Section, position the cursor over the cross section and press the RIGHT button on the mouse. Select the option to Delete Cross Section from the menu.

You can remove all the Cross-Sections on the drive rails by positioning the mouse arrow over a part of the curve that does not contain a cross section. This will bring up a different context sensitive menu and you can select the options to Remove All Cross Sections.

As the cross sections are extruded along the rails the user can either choose to retain the exact shape and height of the cross sections or for a more natural look the Scale cross sections with width option can be checked ✓. This will alter the height of the cross section in proportion to the distance between the rails. This means that as the rails get further apart the shape gets higher and as they get closer together the shape gets lower. The image below left shows the result if this option is un-checked and below right with it checked ✓.

Scale cross section with width un-checked

Scale cross section with width checked ✓

This option only becomes active if all selected cross section vectors have the same number of spans and nodes. When checked ✓ it will ensure that as the shape is extruded that it goes from a particular node/span in one cross section to the same node/span on the next cross section. In certain shapes this can give the user more control over the way the shape flows.

Sweep between spans checked ✓

Sweep between spans un-checked

If you are sweeping two closed vectors to form a border or boundary shape, you can have Aspire automatically find the height that the cross-section forms on the inner boundary and then fill the shape to this height. To activate this check ✓ the Fill center of inner closed vector rails option in the form. This tool is perfect for sweep decorative bases, plaques or stands. Below left you can see a shape created with this option off and on the right an option with it activated.

Fill center un-checked

Fill center checked ✓

As the swept shape passes through each cross section the default is for it to flow smoothly through the profile. This can be edited by right-clicking over the end node of the cross-section and unchecking the Smooth option.

Smooth checked ✓ on all cross sections

Smooth un-checked on all cross sections

This section includes options to allow you to name your Component and control the way it will be combined with other objects in the Component Tree.

Profile Machining is used to cut around or along a vector. Options provide the flexibility for cutting shapes out with optional Tabs / bridges plus an Allowance over/undercut to ensure perfect edge quality.

Profile toolpaths can be outside, inside or on the selected vectors, automatically compensating for the tool diameter and angle for the chosen cut depth.

When working with open vectors the profile toolpaths can be to the Left, to the Right or On the selected vectors.

Clicking this icon opens the 2D Profile Toolpath form which is shown at the right; the functions in this form are described on the following pages.

If you have vectors which are nested (like the letter 'O'), the program will automatically determine the nesting and cut the correct side of the inner and outer vectors. In addition, the program will always cut the inner vectors before the outer vectors to ensure the part remains attached to the original material as long as possible.

This specifies the depth at which the toolpath is calculated from.

When cutting directly into the surface of a job the Start Depth will often be 0. If machining into the bottom of an existing pocket or 3D region, the depth needs be entered.

When a toolpath is created, the Pass Depth value associated with the selected tool (part of the tool's description) is used to determine the number of passes needed to profile down to the specified Cut Depth. However, by default the software will also modify the precise step down by up to 15% in either direction, if by doing so it is able to total number of passes required to reach the desired cut depth. It is nearly always desirable to benefit from the significantly reduced machining time of cutting using less passes if possible. Nevertheless, there are some occasions where the exact step down for a given profile pass needs to be more precisely controlled - when cutting into laminated material, for example. The Passes section page indicates how many passes will be created with the current settings.The Edit Passes... button will open a new dialog that enables the specific number and height of passes to be set directly.

The Pass Depths section at the top of the form shows a list of the current pass depths. The relative spacing of the passes is indicated in the diagram next to the list. Left click on a depth value in the list, or a depth line on the diagram, to select it. The currently selected pass is highlighted in red on the diagram.

To edit the depth of the selected pass, change the value in the Depth edit box and click Apply.

The Delete button will delete the selected pass.

The Clear All Passes button will delete all the passes.

To add a new pass, double left click at the approximate location in the passes diagram that you wish to add the pass. A new pass will be added and automatically selected. Edit the precise Depth value if required and then click Apply.

The Set Last Pass Thickness option will enable an edit box where you can specify the last pass in terms of the remaining thickness of material you wish to cut with the last pass (instead of in terms of its depth). This is often a more intuitive way to specify this value.

El primer método simplemente establece las pasadas según la propiedad Profundidad de paso de la herramienta seleccionada. De forma predeterminada, este es el método utilizado por Aspire cuando crea pases de perfil inicialmente. Sin embargo, la opción Mantener la profundidad exacta de paso de la herramienta está marcada, el software no variará el tamaño del paso para tratar de optimizar el número de pasadas (ver arriba).

El segundo método crea pasadas espaciados uniformemente según el valor especificado en el cuadro de edición Número de pasadas.

Para aplicar cualquiera de los métodos, haga clic en el botón Establecer pasadas asociado para crear el conjunto resultante de profundidades de pasada en la lista de pasadas y el diagrama.

There are 3 options to choose from to determine how the tool is positioned relative to the selected vectors.

Outside

Calculates a profile toolpath around the Outside of the selected vectors, with options for the cut direction to be either,

Inside

Calculates a profile toolpath around the Inside of the selected vectors, with options for the cut direction to be either; Climb (CCW) cutting direction or Conventional (CW) cutting direction

On

Calculates a profile toolpath around the On the selected vectors, with options for the cut direction to be either, Climb (CW) cutting direction or Conventional (CCW) cutting direction

A separate allowance can be specified for the last pass. If this allowance is given then all but the last pass will be undercut by the specified allowance with the final pass being the only pass which cuts to size.

The final pass (shown in blue) cuts to size. All previous passes (shown in red) are cut with a small allowance offset

If the Reverse direction button is checked ✓ then the cutting direction of the last pass is reversed. This feature is can be useful if for minimizing witness marks on the edge of profile cuts.

The last pass allowance will also take into account any allowance offset and so the two options can be used together.

The last pass allowance will respect any allowance offset also specified

Use Start Point can be selected to force the toolpath to plunge and start cutting at the first point on the shape. This is very useful if you need to ensure the cutter doesn't plunge onto a critical part of the job. For example, setting the Start Point to be on a corner will often be the best position to plunge and cut from as this will not leave a witness / dwell mark on the machined surface.

The Start Points are displayed as Green boxes on all vectors when this option is selected. Start Point on a vector can be moved using the Node Editing Tools. Select Node Editing cursor or press N. Place the cursor over the node to be used as the Start Point. Click Right mouse button and select Make Start Point (or press P) Remember, you can also insert a new point anywhere on a vector using the Right mouse menu or pressing the letter P - this will insert a new point and make it the start point.

When this option is selected the tab will be triangular in section. This is shape is created as the cutter ramps up to the specified Tab Thickness then down the other side. The 3D Tabs will often allow the machine to run quicker and smoother because it does not have to stop to move in Z at the start and end of each tab.

3D Tab

If this option is unchecked, the 2D tabs will be used. The cutter stops at the start point for each tab, lifts vertically by the specified Thickness runs across the ramp, stops and plunges down the other side.

How the lenght and thickness change the tab size

The Profiling options section of the toolpath form contains five additional pages, each of which allows a particular set of Profile machining options to be specified. The precise number of option pages will depend on which Toolpath strategy you are currently using. The full range of option pages are:

• Ramps
• Leads
• Order
• Start At
• Corners

These help control ways to ensure the parts are held in place and machined as easily as possible while ensuring the highest quality edge finish.

Each set of options can be accessed by the tabs at the top of the Profile options section.

This option creates a smooth ramp into the material using either the specified Distance or Angle.

When a Lead In distance has been specified, the option Ramp on Lead In disables the distance and angle options and automatically limits the ramp moves to only be on the lead in portion of the toolpath.

This option ramps into the material by Zig-Zag backwards and forwards using either the specified Distance or Angle and Distance.

The Distance option ramps into the material, zigging for the specified distance in one direction then zagging back over the same distance.

The Angle option is typically used for cutters that cannot plunge vertically but have an entry angle specified by the manufacturer.

Checking ✓ this creates a continual spiral ramp, these are only available when the toolpath does not include lead in moves.

This option ramps into the material over the complete circumference of the profile pass. The angle is automatically calculated to ramp from the start point to full depth over the perimeter distance around the job.

The rate at which the cutter ramps into the material is determined by the Pass Depth specified for the cutter. For example, Spiral Profiling 0.5 inch deep with a cutter that has a Pass depth of 0.5 or greater will spiral down in 1 pass. Editing the Pass depth to be 0.25 inch results in the 2 spiral passes around the profile.

This option creates a linear lead onto the cutter path using the Angle and Lead length distance specified.

The toolpath will lead onto the selected edge at the specified Angle.

Checking ✓ the Do lead out option results in an exit lead being added at the end of the toolpath off the machined edge.

The Overcut Distance forces the cutter to machine past the start point and is often used to help produce a better edge quality on parts.

This option creates an arc lead onto the toolpath using the Radius and Lead length distance specified.

The toolpath will curve onto the selected edge, tangent to the direction of the vector at the point it reaches the actual geometry edge.

Checking ✓ the Do lead out option results in an exit lead being added at the end of the toolpath off the machined edge.

The Overcut Distance forces the cutter to machine past the start point and is often used to help produce a better edge quality on parts.

Influence the start point by defining which part of the bounding box of the profiled vector it should start near.

This will look for the nearest point, from all of the spans' endpoints, and will start the toolpath from that point.

Finish Machining is used to machine the final pass on the finished 3D part.

For most 3D Finishing cuts a Ball Nosed end mill is used with a reasonably small stepover (8 - 12% of the tool diameter is typical). Variations on this tool type such as a tapered Ball Nosed cutter will also work and may offer more strength with smaller tool sizes. The size of tool will depend on the size of the part and the detail within the 3D part. Use the preview function to check the finish quality and detail; if they are not to a high enough standard then the job may require smaller tooling or a smaller stepover. 3D cutting is always a tradeoff between time and quality and an optimum balance of tool size, finish quality, and time to cut. The choices made will always depend on an individual's personal preferences or the specifications of the job.

The machining limit boundary is the area in which the tool will operate. There are several options:

Model Boundary The combined boundaries of all the components in this job are used. This is the area of the composite model which has components on it. Note: this is not the boundary of the selected models.

Material Boundary The boundary of the entire material block is used.

Selected Vector(s) Selected vectors are used as the machining boundary.

Selected Level The combined boundaries of all the components on the specified level. This is similar to Model Boundary, but only specific to the named level.

Your choice of Climb or Conventional cutting will largely be dictated by the material that is being machined and you're tooling options. Talk to your tooling suppliers for details about what is most appropriate for your specific application.

Calculates a raster pattern (lace cut) projected onto the 3D surface and machined inside the selected vector(s), with control over Raster Angle - Between 0 and 90°. 0° will give you a pattern that is mainly parallel to the X axis and 90° is mainly parallel to the Y axis.

The Stepover Retract Value can be applied to the Offset Machine Strategy. If the value you enter is greater than 0 then the tool will lift off the surface of the composite model by this amount when stepping between each offset contour. Depending on your material and tooling, adding a small lift will eliminate perpendicular tool marks between the toolpath contours to potentially improve the finished surface.

Rough Machining is used when carving 3D parts to clear away excess material when the part is too deep for the finishing tool to cut in a single pass.

Clicking on this icon opens the toolpath form shown to the right; the functions available within this are described below.

The machining limit boundary is the area in which the tool will operate. There are several options:

Model Boundary The combined boundaries of all the components in this job are used. This is the area of the composite model which has components on it. Note: this is not the boundary of the selected models.

Material Boundary The boundary of the entire material block is used.

Selected Vector(s) Selected vectors are used as the machining boundary.

Selected Level The combined boundaries of all the components on the specified level. This is similar to Model Boundary, but only specific to the named level.

The machining allowance is a virtual thickness which is added to the 3D model when the Roughing Toolpath is calculated. This ensures that the toolpath leaves some extra material on the roughed part.

This is beneficial for two main reasons, the first is that when roughing it tends to be done with relatively large tool and aggressive cuts and so is more prone (depending on the material) to chip, this skin helps to prevent the chipping affect the finished surface. The second reason is that most tools cut well when they are constantly removing material. Therefore leaving an allowance of material on ensures that there is always at least some material for the finishing toolpath to remove.

Z Level Roughing essentially uses a series of 2D Pocket toolpaths which take into account the 3D model and hog-out the material around it within the specified boundary.

The first setting is the choice of Profile, this controls whether each level has a profile cut around its boundary or not and if so whether it cuts before the raster or after it. First does the profile before the Raster on each level, Last does the profile cut after the raster and None eliminates the Profile cut leaving only the raster pattern. These choices depend a lot on the material and tooling being used. For example, more brittle material may benefit from the profile first option to reduce chipping.

The second setting is the choice of Order. The Z Level can be performed in Level by level manner. This means to generate a complete pass at a given depth over the whole model, before advancing to the next level. This is the default option.

The user can also select Depth-first. In this case if at a given depth the model consists of separate regions, the generated toolpath will generate all passes at increasing depths over such region. Then it will advance to another such region.

By default, when using raster direction Along X the tool will move from one raster line to another from bottom to top. In case of raster direction Along Y the tool will move from right to left. This option allows to reverse that stepover direction.

To use the Array Copy Toolpath, open the form and turn on the visibility for each of the toolpaths you wish to be part of your array using the visibility checkbox next to each toolpath in the list below the form. The current selected toolpaths appear in the Toolpaths list at the top of the form.

The position of the resulting grid of toolpaths is always created to the right and above the source toolpaths. Therfore, you should always position your source toolpaths in the bottom left corner of the area you wish the array to fill.

Array Copy Toolpaths are displayed in the Toolpath List in different way to other toolpaths. The source toolpaths (the ones originally selected as the basis of the array) are now shown below the array copy toolpath item in a tree structure. For complicated jobs you can hide the source toolpaths in the list using the small + and - controls next to the Array Copy Toolpath in the Toolpath List. The usual visibility checkboxes are also available for both the array copy toolpath and its source toolpaths.

You can rearrange the order of the source toolpaths within the array copy group either by dragging them up or down using the mouse, or by click the up and down ordering arrows at the top of the Toolpath List. These features give you total control of each toolpath type within the array and are particularly important for saving the toolpaths

As far as possible, array copy toolpaths are saved in exactly the same way as other toolpaths except that each source toolpath in the list represents all of its copies. If you switch off the visibility of a source toolpath before saving, noneof the copied instances of that toolpath will be included in the saved toolpath. Thus you can use the visibility controls to save a toolpath that will cut all of the copies, but limited to a particular subset of the source toolpath types.

In general, the sequence of cutting will be to cut all of the included toolpath strategies for each copy in the grid before moving on to the next copy.

Job sheets contain a summary of the information you will need when you come to run the toolpaths for your project at your CNC machine. Aspire will create a self-contained HTML document that can be viewed using most web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox. To create a job sheet for a given project, simply select Create Job Sheet from the Toolpaths menu and then select a filename and location to save the document. If your job contains multiple sheets, Aspire will automatically create a Job Sheet for every sheet that contains toolpaths. If you are working on a two sided job you will need to create a job sheet for both sides by simply switching between the sides and selecting the create job sheet icon, when you save the .html file the software will automatically add “_Top” or “_Bottom” to the name to differentiate between the two sides once the file has been saved.

Each job sheet document comprises the following information:

Job Layout

A thumbnail image representing the vectors on your current job / sheet, surrounded by an outer rectangle representing your material size.

Material Setup

A summary of the important pieces of information you will need to correctly position and datum your work piece at your CNC machine. This includes the dimensions of the material block used within Aspire to create and simulate your toolpaths. The home position from which your machine will start and return to. The clearance above the material for any rapid moves between plunges. For Two Sided Jobs you will also be displayed which side the setup sheet belongs to (top or bottom) along with the flip direction.

Toolpaths Summary

A summary of each of the toolpaths in the file, including the name of the toolpath, the tool required and an estimate of how long it will take to cut.

Toolpaths List

Details of each toolpath, including feed and plunge rates plus the intended spindle speed.

This tool is used to delete calculated toolpaths from the Toolpath List. Simply select the toolpath to be deleted and click the Delete Toolpath button to remove it.

Alternatively, you can delete one or multiple toolpaths in the Toolpath List by right mouse clicking on a toolpath. Then from the drop-down menu click on the Delete option. This will present the options as shown in the image: Delete This, Delete All Invisible, Delete All Visible, Delete All.

Delete This will delete just the toolpath whose name you right mouse clicked on.

Delete All Invisible will delete any toolpaths in your Toolpath List that do not have a check-mark ✓ next to their name and are therefore currently not visible in the 2D or 3D Views.

Delete All Visible will delete any toolpaths in your Toolpath List that have a check-mark ✓ next to their name and are therefore currently visible in the 2D or 3D Views.

Delete All will delete all the toolpaths in your Toolpath List.

If you have incorrectly deleted a toolpath (or multiple toolpaths) then you have the option to Undo the toolpath(s) deletion via the Undo command on the Edit drop-down menu, the Undo icon on the Drawing Tab or the Undo shortcut key combination Ctrl + Z.

This specifies the depth at which the toolpath is calculated from.

When cutting directly into the surface of a job the Start Depth will often be 0. If machining into the bottom of an existing pocket or 3D region, the depth needs be entered.

With this option checked, ✓ the Dwell Time value is used pause the drill at the bottom of each peck drill pass before retracting. The dwell time value is measured in seconds.

The Duplicate Toolpath option creates and adds a copy of the selected toolpath to the Toolpath List. An index number is automatically added to the name of the new toolpath. For example:

Cut out - 1/4 inch End Mill will create a copy with the name Cut out - 1/4 inch End Mill (1)

Copying externally generated 3D toolpaths (as, for example, from PhotoVCarve) will also create a duplicate grayscale thumbnail image in the 2D View, which can then be used to position the toolpath within your job.

This option is used to modify an existing toolpath. Click to select a toolpath in the list then click the edit option to open the form.

The vectors associated with each toolpath are automatically remembered, so editing a toolpath will automatically select the vectors in the 2D window.

Make the required changes to the toolpath parameters Click the Calculate button to update the toolpath

A toolpath can also be edited by double-clicking on its name in the toolpath list.

The nature of different styles of toolpaths means that they may be simple 2D cuts or require simultaneous 3-axis moves, the more complex the toolpath then the more chance the CNC machine may not actually achieve the programmed feed rates. This can be compensated for by multiplying the times by the Scale Factor.

The scale factor in the program lets you approximate this slowdown for your machine, but it will vary depending on the type of work you are doing. Many people will use one scale factor for simple 2d work and another for 3d or VCarving. The best way to calculate it is just to take a note of estimated and actual machining times of a period of time.

For machines where the controller provides an estimated machining time, these should be more accurate as the controller can determine where the machine is accelerating / decelerating and take account of this.

Fluting Toolpaths machine along vectors while varying the depth of the tool, creating extremely efficient machined decorative patterns.

This toolpath is similar to the option to Profile On a selected vector. The difference is the toolpath at the end of each vector can be ramped to taper the cut. This can be used for cutting standard woodworking Flutes or can be used for artistic engraving and marking effects with other types of artwork. In this section the options on the form will be covered along with some examples of the use for different applications.

When the Fluting Toolpath form is open, the selected vectors will have their start points indicated in the 2D View by solid square green nodes, this is important as it will determine which end the ramps are added depending on what options are chosen on the form. An image of this is shown below where all the start points are to the left end of the selected vectors.

If you need to move the start points, go into node editing mode (press N on the keyboard or select the node editing icon in the Edit Vectors section on the left tab).

Select the vector you want to change the start point Move the cursor over the end you want to be the new start point Press P on the keyboard or Right Click and select Make Start Point from the pop-up menu. Exit node edit mode (press N again) Reselect all the vectors you want to flute

Selecting the Linear type will create a ramp which is a diagonal line (following the vector) from the Start Depth to the Flute Depth. Below you can see a Linear Ramp Type shown from the side. This ramp is set to only ramp from the start and to go 50% of the flute length.

Selecting the Smooth type will create a curved ramp (following the vector) from the Start Depth to the Flute Depth; this will smoothly transition from the ramp into the full depth of cut. You can see an example of this shown in the image below.

The Inlay toolpath functionality can be used to calculate either profile or pocketing toolpaths with automatic compensation for the tool radius; this allows the cut-out parts to fit into the corresponding cavities. This is a great feature for creating decorative woodwork and is also particularly useful for sign makers for creating inlayed letters and graphics.

How Inlays Work

When using a CNC machine to cut out shapes then the tool will always leave a radius on any internal corner. When cutting holes or pockets the tool conversely leaves a radius on the external corners. If no changes are made to accommodate this then there would be no way to fit one part into the other. This is shown highlighted on the letter 'T' shown in the image below. On the left you can see the internal corners with a radius on the part being cut out (highlighted with red ovals). On the right you can see the radiused external corners on the hole (highlighted with green ovals). As you can envisage trying to slot the 'T' into the hole would not work as it is the proverbial square peg in a round hole!

It is not possible to avoid the added radius as it is formed by the tool size and shape. The Inlay function though, will create toolpaths which take the tool radius into account and compensate for it by rounding off the sharp corners so the resulting parts will fit together. This can be seen in the images shown below where the same letter has been cut using the Inlay toolpaths, you can see all corners (internal and external) now have the same radius so they will slot together

When creating an Inlay toolpath the radius is automatically compensated for, so it is very important to make sure you specify the same tool for both parts of any inlay (male and female). If you do not do this the Inlay will not fit together.

If creating a Pocket then the main Tool (the finish tool) not the larger (clearance) tool should be the same as the one as used for creating the Male Inlay.

This option is for cutting out stepped sided parts to act as the inserted piece of the inlay. This style of inlay is typically used for what are referred to as 'Push Through' letters and shapes. These are parts which are inserted from the back and use the step as a shelf to invisibly mount them to the back of a sign. As with the Straight Inlay option it uses a variation on the Profile toolpath with the addition of the ability to specify a Step Depth and Step Width.

As the diagram shows in the form, the Step Depth is the vertical height of the step from the Start Depth down, the Step Width is how far from the edge of the original vector the part will be cut out (creating the step).

This option is selected for cutting out a Pocket to act as the cavity for the corresponding Male shape to inlay into. It uses the same options as the standard Pocket style toolpath including the new option where you can use a larger and smaller tool to clear the pocket (smaller tool size should match that used for the Male Inlay). In order to make it work as an inlay pocket any internal corners will be rounded based on the tool radius to allow the male parts to fit into them (shown in the image below).

As has been previously discussed it is common to leave an allowance on one or both sides of the inlay, typically when working with letters the allowance would be left on the Pocket so the size and shape of the lettering itself is not affected any more than necessary.

This option is for cutting out a Hole to act as the cavity for the corresponding Male shape to inlay through. The standard Profile options are available for Female Hole Inlays except there is no option to Profile Outside or On as this does not apply to this toolpath type and this option does not allow the use of the Corner options as these are also inapplicable to this type of toolpath. In order to make it work as an inlay, any internal corners will be rounded based on the tool radius to allow the male parts to fit into them (shown in the image below).

Laser Cut - Fill is used for cutting out shapes or marking areas.

Cut-outs can take into account the kerf, or width, of the laser beam to maintain the precise internal or external size the selected vector shapes. Shapes can also be filled with stripes or hatching to create simple shading effects.

This setting allows you to add an additional offset for the Cut Outside, Cut Inside strategies without adjusting the laser kerf settings and can be useful for easing or tightening the fit of shapes resulting from these cuts.

Once calculated, your toolpath is stored in the central Toolpath Tree and can be saved, edited or output to your machine at anytime using the Save Toolpaths command. In addition though, this form also includes a convenient Immediate Output section that allows you to save or send the most recently calculated toolpath directly from this form without having to close it.

Once calculated, your toolpath is stored in the central Toolpath Tree and can be saved, edited or output to your machine at anytime using the Save Toolpaths command. In addition though, this form also includes a convenient Immediate Output section that allows you to save or send the most recently calculated toolpath directly from this form without having to close it.

When you load a previously saved toolpath template (using Toolpaths ► Templates ► Load Template...) you will have an empty toolpath which can be edited by double clicking on its name in the toolpath list or selecting the Edit Toolpath icon in the Toolpaths tab. Once the toolpath form is open, the vectors to be machined can be selected and the toolpath calculated using all the saved settings.

If you load a toolpath template which has toolpaths associated with layers which don't exist in the current file, the Missing Layers for Template dialog will be displayed. It lists all the missing layers and offers you the choice of having them created automatically, deleting toolpaths associated with missing layers or just loading the toolpaths as is.

Choosing to allow the dialog to automatically create the missing layers allows a toolpath template to be used to create 'standard' layers for machining operations and load the toolpaths ready to be calculated. All you then need to do is move vectors to the appropriate layers and recalculate all the toolpaths.

Choosing the Delete all toolpaths associated with missing layers option allows you to create a single template with many toolpaths and have the ones which aren't appropriate to the current job automatically deleted.

The Material Setup section of the Toolpaths tab provides a summary of the current material settings. Some of these values will have been initially set when the job was first created (see Job Setup for more information). When you come to creating toolpaths, it is important to review this information and ensure it is still valid and also to set the machining clearances. To access all these properties for editing, click on the Set... button to open the Material Setup form:

Different form is displayed depending on the job type:

• Single- or double- sided job,
• Rotary job.

Select relative to the Material Surface or relative to the Machine Bed. This is a very important setting because the tooling used on the CNC machine must be setup in the same way, ensuring the toolpaths cut to the correct depth.

If you are working in a 2 Sided job, this will set the Z Zero for your current side only,

• The side you are setting up will be displayed in brackets e.g. (Top).
• You can set the Z-Zero for both sides through the Job Setup form.

The thickness of your model must be less than the thickness of the material you wish to cut it from. You can position your model within the material block wherever you wish by defining the gap distance either above or below your model. You can also double left click on either of the three lines next to the slider to position the model at the top, center or bottom of the material.

For all toolpaths, as well as specifying a rapid clearance gap for rapid positioning moves above the workpiece, the user can also specify a much smaller gap that the tool will rapid down to during plunge moves. By default the plunge gap is set to the same value as the Clearance gap which means that there will be no rapid plunges. If you set the plunge gap to a smaller value than the Clearance gap, the tool will plunge at rapid feed rate to the specified distance above the material surface before changing to the specified plunge rate. For jobs where a large value for Clearance gap has to be specified to avoid clamps etc, this feature can save a considerable amount of machining time if there are a lot of plunge moves in the job.

For all toolpaths, as well as specifying a rapid clearance gap for rapid positioning moves above the workpiece, the user can also specify a much smaller gap that the tool will rapid down to during plunge moves. By default the plunge gap is set to the same value as the Clearance gap which means that there will be no rapid plunges. If you set the plunge gap to a smaller value than the Clearance gap, the tool will plunge at rapid feed rate to the specified distance above the material surface before changing to the specified plunge rate. For jobs where a large value for Clearance gap has to be specified to avoid clamps etc, this feature can save a considerable amount of machining time if there are a lot of plunge moves in the job.

When the Merge By Part check box is selected, the toolpath merge not only tries to optimize the whole toolpath, it also tries to group related geometry to cut together.

Merge By Part option unchecked: The Squares profiled after all the Circles have been pocketed.

Merge By Part option checked ✓: Each Square is cut after its circles have been pocketed.

Merging by part tries its best to respect the ordering of the toolpaths in the toolpath list, and the order of contours within a given toolpath. In particular, if contours of two different toolpaths lie within the same part, the contour of the first toolpath will be cut before the contours of the second toolpath. The following examples show how the toolpath order in the main toolpath list alters the results of toolpath merging.

Merged from main toolpath list going A ► B ► C

Merged from main toolpath list going B ► C ► A

From the 2D view, select the drive rails for the toolpath followed by the profile you wish to extrude. You may select multiple rails. The last selected vector is the Profile that you are extruding.

In the 2D view your rail vector will now be colored orange and will show a green square indicating the start point, along with arrows along the vector showing you the direction.

The direction and start point may not be what you intended, you can change the direction (and start point location on an open vector) by right clicking in the 2D View on the vector and choosing Reverse Rail.

The Clear Rail button on the form can be used at any time to empty your current selection; this will deselect the drive rail and if already selected the cross section too. This can be used if you want to change the selection without exiting the form.

After you have chosen your drive rail the next step is to select a cross section that will be swept around the drive rail to create the moulding. The cross section needs to be an open shape in order for this to work.

To select a cross section click on the appropriate vector in 2D View and it will turn orange as with the drive rail, arrows and a green square will appear on it. In addition the drive rail will now have red lines shown on it. These indicate the side of the vector that the shape will be swept along. If this is not correct you will need to reverse the drive rail vector as documented in the previous section.

The arrows and green square on the cross section indicate the direction and the start point. The start point of the cross section will be attached to the start point of the drive rail. If you need to change the start point of the cross section you can do so by selecting the cross section with a right click and choose to Reverse Profile as shown in the image below. Doing this will change the arrow direction and move the green square and also change which end of the cross section is effectively hung on the drive rail when the toolpath is created.

You now need to determine the toolpath position within the material. The Z Height of the toolpath is determined by the height of the selected cross section. You can interactively position the toolpath by pulling on the slider or you can enter exact values in the edit boxes.

The next step in this form is to select a tool to finish-cut the moulding shape. This would typically be a ball-nose or tapered ball-nose tool but that may vary depending on the shape you plan to cut. To select a tool use the Select... button to access the Tool Data Base. If the tool you require is already shown as the selected tool, you can use the Edit option to check and/or modify the tool settings for this particular toolpath.

Close up of calculated toolpath showing lifts at ends of an example created with an open drive rail.

Preview of toolpath created from the cross section and drive rail shown on the previous page.

Typically the Stepover value specifies the horizontal distance that the tool will step over and this is projected onto the 3D model. Checking ✓ the Vary Step Over option will instead adjust the step over based on the shape of the cross section profile vector rather than just projecting the standard pattern down Z. In cases where there are steeply curved, angled or near vertical edges this should result in passes that are closer together, in most situations this will improve the finish quality but also potentially increase the machining time

Toolpath calculated with standard Stepover.

The same shape with the Vary Step Over option checked ✓.

This choice will only become available when the option is checked ✓ to Machine Flat Regions when using the Larger Area Clearance Tool in the next section of the form. When this is active the software will look to identify flat areas of the cross section profile that can be machined with the larger tool. If these regions are detected and Skip Flat Regionsis also checked ✓ then the finish tool will avoid re-machining those flat areas as in most cases they should already have been completely finished by the Larger Area Clearance Toolpath.

Finish toolpath calculated with Skip Flat Regions. This avoids machining these areas if the Larger Area Clearance tool can fit and is selected.

If this option is selected, then two tools are used to cut the shape. In effect the Larger Area Clearance Tool is similar to a 3D Z Level Roughing toolpath and would be cut first. It will use the tool parameters to generate multiple depth 2D pockets following the direction of the selected rail to clear away excess material. This should be used if the material is too deep and/or hard to cut directly with your selected finishing tool. As documented above and below using this option with a flat shaped tool can also be very beneficial to the machining time and finish on cross section profile shapes with flat/horizontal regions.

When you use the option to Use Larger Area Clearance Tool, the software will calculate two toolpaths, the first will have [Clear] in its name to differentiate the two, [Clear] being the toolpath associated with the Use Larger Area Clearance Tooland the other, is the finish toolpath using the smaller tool. The [Clear] toolpath should be run first on the machine:

If this option is checked ✓ then the software will try to detect flat/horizontal areas in the cross section profile. If the specified Larger Area Clearance Tool can fit into these areas then they will be machined as part of the roughing operation. When using a flat tool this should give both a superior finish and also help to reduce the cutting time. Having this option checked ✓ will also allow you to choose the option Skip Flat Regions in the finish tool section which will stop the secondary toolpath from re-cutting these areas.

The machining allowance is a virtual thickness which is added to the moulding profile when the Use Large Area Clearance Tool is calculated. This ensures that the toolpath leaves some extra material on the part cut with a larger tool.

This option can be checked ✓ when working with rails that have sharp corners, allowing you to force the software to try and emulate these in the Moulding toolpath. Below you can see the effect of checking ✓ this option on a closed vector shape with the standard corners option on the left showing the toolpath rolling around the shape edge and the Sharp Corners option on the left where it has forced mitre style corners in the machined shape.

Moulding Toolpath - Create Sharp Corners Un-Checked

Moulding Toolpath - Create Sharp Corners Checked ✓

This option can be used to force the toolpath to cut past the edge of the part that is parallel to the drive curve vector. By default the center of the tool will go to the edge of the ends of the selected profile vector as its extruded along the drive rail. It may be desirable to extend this distance to either force the tool down the edge of the profile shape with vertical or steep edges or to ensure the toolpath has gone far enough past the edge to cleanly cutout the final shape with a profile toolpath. The value entered for the Boundary Offset will force the tool past the ends by the specified amount. As such if you want to ensure a vertical or very steep edge at your profile ends is machined you will need to specify a value which is at least the radius of your tool plus a small additional amount (say an additional 10% of the radius). For example if you are using a 0.25 inch (6mm) diameter ball-nose tool for the finish cut then you would specify a minimum of 0.15 inch or 3.6mm (= tool radius + 10%) to ensure the tool would be forced down the edges of your shape. If you wanted to ensure the roughing had also been able to machine these areas then the value should be based on your Larger Area Clearance Tool size instead.

With no Boundary Offset the toolpath will not cut down the front and back vertical faces of the shape.

With a Boundary Offset value specified you can see the toolpath cuts over the edges.

This strategy requires a source bitmap image or photograph to be selected in the 2D View.

Your source bitmap can be edited in a number of ways before using this form to create your Photo V-Carve toolpath. You can use the Crop Bitmap command to trim a bitmap to a vector outline. This will allow you to remove any parts of a bitmap that you do not require.

The Edit Picture tool can also be used prior to creating the toolpath in order to adjust many important aspects of your image - such as brightness and contrast. In addition it can be used to add a feathered border the image. For the best results you should use this tool to highlight and accentuate out the important details of your image before creating your toolpath.

The fields on the form are as follows.

Clicking the Select button opens the Tool Database from which the required VCarving or Engraving Tool can be selected. See the section on the Tool Database for more information on this.

Clicking the Edit button opens the Edit Tool form which allows the cutting parameters for the selected tool to be modified, without changing the master information in the database.

This slider adjusts the gap between the raster stripes - tight striping produces a denser image reproduction, but will take a lot longer to etch. The line spacing is expressed in percentage of the tool width at maximum carving depth .

At 100% the line spacing is calculated to create a 'knife edge' ridge in the deepest regions of the design - no flat left on the material surface. This is the maximum definition / resolution based on the specified Depth.

Increasing the Line Spacing, reduces the number of lines and increase the width of the flat regions on the material surface.

This specifies the depth at which the toolpath is calculated from.

When cutting directly into the surface of a job the Start Depth will often be 0. If machining into the bottom of an existing pocket or 3D region, the depth needs be entered.

When a toolpath is created, the Pass Depth value associated with the selected tool (part of the tool's description) is used to determine the number of passes needed to profile down to the specified Cut Depth. However, by default the software will also modify the precise step down by up to 15% in either direction, if by doing so it is able to total number of passes required to reach the desired cut depth. It is nearly always desirable to benefit from the significantly reduced machining time of cutting using less passes if possible. Nevertheless, there are some occasions where the exact step down for a given profile pass needs to be more precisely controlled - when cutting into laminated material, for example. The Passes section page indicates how many passes will be created with the current settings.The Edit Passes... button will open a new dialog that enables the specific number and height of passes to be set directly.

The Pass Depths section at the top of the form shows a list of the current pass depths. The relative spacing of the passes is indicated in the diagram next to the list. Left click on a depth value in the list, or a depth line on the diagram, to select it. The currently selected pass is highlighted in red on the diagram.

To edit the depth of the selected pass, change the value in the Depth edit box and click Apply.

The Delete button will delete the selected pass.

The Clear All Passes button will delete all the passes.

To add a new pass, double left click at the approximate location in the passes diagram that you wish to add the pass. A new pass will be added and automatically selected. Edit the precise Depth value if required and then click Apply.

The Set Last Pass Thickness option will enable an edit box where you can specify the last pass in terms of the remaining thickness of material you wish to cut with the last pass (instead of in terms of its depth). This is often a more intuitive way to specify this value.

El primer método simplemente establece las pasadas según la propiedad Profundidad de paso de la herramienta seleccionada. De forma predeterminada, este es el método utilizado por Aspire cuando crea pases de perfil inicialmente. Sin embargo, la opción Mantener la profundidad exacta de paso de la herramienta está marcada, el software no variará el tamaño del paso para tratar de optimizar el número de pasadas (ver arriba).

El segundo método crea pasadas espaciados uniformemente según el valor especificado en el cuadro de edición Número de pasadas.

Para aplicar cualquiera de los métodos, haga clic en el botón Establecer pasadas asociado para crear el conjunto resultante de profundidades de pasada en la lista de pasadas y el diagrama.

If this option is selected two tools are used to clear the pocket. A large tool to do the bulk of the area clearance and a smaller tool (the first tool selected) to remove the remaining material and do a final profile pass.

When a pocket toolpath is created, the Pass Depth value associated with the selected tool (part of the tool's description in the Tool Database) is used to determine the number of passes needed to pocket down to the specified Cut Depth. However, by default VCarve Desktop will also modify the tool step down by up to 15%, if by doing so it is able to reduce the total number of passes required to reach the desired cut depth. It is usually desirable to benefit from the significantly reduced machining time of cutting pockets using less passes if possible.

Nevertheless, there are some occasions where the exact step downs for a given profile pass needs to be more precisely controlled - when cutting into laminated material, for example. The Passes section of the Pocket Toolpath page indicates how many passes will be created with the current settings. The Edit Passes... button will open a new dialog that enables the specific number and height of passes to be set directly.

There are two choices of the type of fill pattern that will be used to clear away the area to be machined with the Pocket Toolpath, Offset and Raster.

Clear Pocket - Offset Strategy

Clear Pocket - Raster Strategy

Calculates an offset area clearance fill pattern to machine inside the selected vector(s). Options for Cut Direction to be either: Climb (CCW) cutting direction Conventional (CW) cutting direction.

Offset larger than 50%

Tails to clean out corners

Calculates a Raster based area clearance fill pattern to machine inside the selected vector(s). Cut Direction for the final pass to be either:

• Climb (CCW) cutting direction
• Conventional (CW) cutting direction

This option is used to leave material on the inside of the pocket for the Profile Pass to clean-up. This is often very useful for ensuring the cutter does not mark the edge surface of the pocket when roughing out.

The pull-down list offers a range of material types to shade the 3D model.

Additional materials can be added to the library using the list itself. You can add a category (folder) which groups your textures using <Create mew category...>. You can also add extra textures under any category using <Add new texture...>.

Alternatively, you can copy an image file (JPG, BMP or TIF) of the material or image you wish to render the job with into the Textures folder within the 'Application Data Folder'. You can open the Application Data Folder from within the program using the File ► Open Application Data Folder menu command.

Shading textures can be obtained from sources such as the internet, clipart libraries or simply create your own from a digital or scanned photographs. For good quality results the image needs to be approximately 1000 pixels x 1000 pixels. The texture image is simply scaled proportionally in X and Y to fit the longest side of the job.

With this setting, the areas of your preview will simply be colored using the material defined above. Effectively this switches off independent material settings for your machined areas.

Paints all the machined regions with the selected color. Selecting the associated pull-down list opens the default color selection form. Click on one of the preset colors, or click More Colors... to create a completely custom color.

If this option is selected, each toolpath can have a different color assigned. If the 'No Fill' option is selected from the color picker form, the current toolpath will be shown in the material color.

Choose the color you want for the fill of that toolpath and it will be applied to the areas that the toolpath has carved when they are previewed. Once you assign an individual color a small square of that color will be displayed next to the name in the toolpath list. This can be seen top left of each tool icon:

Side and top down views of lithophane shading

Lithophane mode allows the preview to be shaded to give the effect of a semi-transparent material which is being lit from behind. The thinnest areas of material will appear brightest and then the brightness will be reduced to be lowest at the full material thickness.

Lithophane mode will work with whatever material or solid color is selected. The brightness of the material will vary between white at 0 material thickness and the selected color at full material thickness.

How a lithophane appears can vary depending on many factors including ambient lighting in the room, how strong the light behind the lithophane is and the properties of the material being used. The slider bar next to the lithophane option allows you to adjust the slider to account for these and to pick a value that looks right to you.

The below image shows the effect of changing the brightness slider. A white material has been chosen, as the slider increases from the left to the right the effect changes from being very high contrast to a much lighter appeance like you might see if no backlighting had been applied.

The preview controls provide full video-like playback control of your toolpath. You can use this mode to analyze the tool moves in detail, step-by-step. To begin using Preview Control, click on either the Run, Single Step or Run to Retract buttons

Begins Preview Control simulation

Moves the toolpath on by one tool move.

Runs the toolpath to the next retract move, then pauses the tool.

Temporarily halts the tool in its current position and enables the Stop button so you can exit Preview Control mode

Exits Preview Control mode.

This option animates all calculated toolpaths cutting into the material

Prism carving gives a raised 'bevel' effect to shapes and letters similar to a 'hand carved' look.

Prism Carving uses an angled tool to create a raised prism shape on the top of the selected vectors. The tool will profile at a given depth creating a nice sharp finished shape such as the lettering shown in the image below. This is often paired with a Profile or Pocket toolpath to carve the vertical edge around the shapes or clear out the material between them. This type of toolpath is often, though not exclusively, used on lettering.

This sets the depth of the Prism Carving toolpath relative to the Start Depth, the total depth of the base of the prism shape (within the material) will be the combination of the Start and Flute Depth. This depth is particularly important to set correctly as if it is too shallow then the prism shape may be truncated so it will have a flat top (shown in the image below right). The minimum depth needed to avoid this is determined by the widest point on the vector/s selected (W) and the angle of the tool (A). This can be calculated automatically by using the Set Depth for Full Prism function (see below for more details).

Full Prism

Truncated Prism

When using Conventional Engraving and End Mill cutters the Depth to engrave / mark is specified and this z depth dimension is output in the toolpath file sent to the CNC machine. The 3D Preview of these toolpaths shows the specified depth of engraving.

When using a Diamond Drag marking Tool the Pressure setting is used to pre-load the spring to ensure the tip of the diamond stays in contact with the material surface, especially when marking uneven surfaces. The 3D Preview of the depth these toolpaths will mark using the Angle of the diamond and the Width of the Line.

For example, when using a 90° Diamond Drag Tool with a 0.010 inch Line Width specified. The depth shown in the 3D preview will be 0.005 inch (with 90° the depth = half the line width).

The ratio of Depth to Line Width will change when using diamond drag tools with different tip angles. When the option to use a Nose Cone is selected (see below) the actual depth specified on the form is used when previewing the toolpath in the 3D view.

When using the Quick Engraving Form the Stepover for the cutter is specified on the form and is NOT automatically set from the Tool Database.

The selected text or vectors can be Outlined or Filled.

The tip of the cutter runs on the selected lines engraving / marking the material surface

Example of outline engraving

A pattern is used to engrave / mark inside the selected text or vectors. There are 3 fill pattern options.

Fill engraving with Offset pattern

Fill engraving with 45° Hatch pattern

Fill engraving with Cross Hatch pattern. Cross Hatch Fill pattern engraves 2 sets of lines, with the second set at 90° to the angle specified.

A nose cone is often used when engraving or marking material that is not flat. The nose cone is spring loaded forcing it to slide on the surface of the material. The engraving cutter is set to extend / protrude out of the bottom of the nose cone by the depth of engraving / marking required. This is typically set at around 0.010 inches to 0.020 inches.

When the option to use a Nose Cone is selected the actual depth specified on this region of form is used when previewing the toolpath in the 3D view.

Once calculated, your toolpath is stored in the central Toolpath Tree and can be saved, edited or output to your machine at anytime using the Save Toolpaths command. In addition though, this form also includes a convenient Immediate Output section that allows you to save or send the most recently calculated toolpath directly from this form without having to close it.