What's New in Aspire V11.5

Toolpaths

Define Circular Leads By Angle (V11.55)

When using circular leads in the profile toolpath you can now lead onto the edge of the part at a specified angle without having to guess the distance. It’s worth noting that the maximum angle will be capped at 90 degrees.

Overscan for Laser toolpathing (V11.55)

We’ve made improvements to the way in which we handle the laser output when using the laser picture toolpath and the hatch fill strategy in the laser cut and fill toolpath.

The new over scan field ensures that the laser head runs past the edge of the picture or hatch at a percentage that you can set in the form, by doing this it will help eliminate any overburn that may be visible by turning the laser off exactly at the end of the picture or hash line, whilst the machine over scans at a given percentage.

*Please note: the add on laser module is required for this enhancement

New Laser Geometry Selector & Toolpath Templates (V11.55)

We have included the vector selector option in the laser cut and fill toolpath allowing you to select vectors based on filters that you set in the vector selector dialogue, this also opens up the opportunity for the saving and loading of toolpath templates with laser projects.

*Please note: the add on laser module is required for this enhancement

Twiddle while Simulating

When simulating a toolpath the camera can be twiddled around and zoomed in while the simulation is running and animating to allow focus onto areas of interest, ensuring for better visibility of your toolpath moves.

Toolpath Calculation Speed Improvements

We’re making better use of the CPU cores in some parts of the Pocket Toolpath, V-Carve Toolpath and 3D Finishing Toolpath calculation, noticeably in toolpaths with lots of vectors. This results in speeds up to 2x faster in some cases.

Drawing

Filler Nesting (V11.55)

We’ve introduced a new option in the nesting form that allows you to fill your sheet with a given part, this is useful for scenarios where you want to fill your sheet with parts but don’t know exactly how many will fit and so the software calculates that for you. Simply mark the part as “filler” using the check box in the form and the software will identify the filler part with a green star in the 2D view, hit preview and see the results.

You can also combine filler parts with other nested items, for example if you want to nest 20 of one part and then fill the remaining space with a filler part you can do just that. First select the part you want to nest, enter the number of copies required and press apply. Then select your filler part and mark it as 'filler' and press apply, then preview the results. You can add in further filler parts where the software will prioritize the largest filler part before moving to smaller filler parts, enabling you to maximize your material and minimize waste.

Freehand Drawing Tool

In this release we have introduced a brand new freehand drawing tool, which closely mimics the flow of drawing with a physical pencil. Allowing you to create quick sketches and trace organic shapes much more easily. Within the form there are various options to control the drawing. The smoothness setting helps with the post smoothing of your vectors and the stabilisation setting helps to stabilise the cursor for a more accurate drawing. Within the form we have also included the ability to adjust the fading of your bitmap, saving you the hassle of having to exit the tool to make changes to the bitmap ready for tracing.

Select Duplicates

The software now has the ability to identify and select duplicate groups and text entities in your file, making it much easier to clean up duplications ready for use with other features in Aspire.

Getting Started

Pre-populated File Templates (V11.55)

We’ve included a set of predefined templates based on standard industry sheet sizes and thicknesses, all of which can be accessed through the Vectric files folder. Simply open a new template, choose your desired sheet and off you go.

Tooling, Machines and Saving

Remote Tool Database (V11.55)

We’ve introduced the ability to share your tool database using a link from your V&Co account. This is particularly useful for users wanting to share their tool data and settings without the end user overwriting their own database.

The owner of a tool database can update their database and push newer versions that will get propagated to users who have subscribed to a database, where they will be notified in the tool database form that an updated version is available.

Tool Database Improvements (V11.55)

In the tool database you can now add clickable links in the notes field. This is perfect for adding the webpages of where your tool was originally purchased. In the tool database simply paste the link in the notes section and the software will store this information. To access the link a simple CTRL and click will take you directly to the website in your default browser.

Custom variables in tool geometry in the tool database

Variables can be defined for the tool geometry in the tool database which can then be used in the tools’ naming format. The custom variables are accessible through the tool database ‘variables’ button for each tool geometry. It can then be used in the name format dialog either through using the handy drop-down menu or by typing the variable manually. This is particularly useful for distinguishing between tools with exact geometry, or adding further information to the tool that otherwise isn’t specified by our default tool database format. For example you could add variables that could pay reference to specifics such as the manufacturer, coating or whether your tool is an up-cut or a down-cut, giving your more options to organize your tool database.

Interface

3D View Visual Improvements

The power of graphics hardware has increased dramatically in recent years. To make full use of this resource whenever it is available we have completely rebuilt the 3D rendering infrastructure across all the products in our v11.5 range. The result is the smoothest, highest detail, 3D View ever. Toolpath previews draw faster and with more clarity. The 3D material block can be viewed and manipulated dynamically while toolpath cutting is simulated, even in higher resolutions. Improved lighting and shading techniques in the 3D view provide consistent visual shape and depth cues whether working on single-sided, double-sided or rotary projects. New or imported models and clipart can all now be transformed or edited live using new, fully interactive, tools directly in the 3D view.
Any recent computer or hardware (less than five years old) will show a serious step-up in 3D performance when running v11.5. But our extensive testing shows that even older hardware will benefit. We have ensured that there is a robust, but slower, fall-back mechanism for outdated or incompatible graphics cards but it is essential in all cases that your graphics card drivers are up-to-date. Please visit your computer or graphics card manufacturer’s website for specific guidance on getting the latest drivers for your hardware.

Opening of Vectric and third-party model / vector files

You are now able to open various file formats directly into Aspire, without the need to have the software open to begin with. Simply double click on the file, use CTRL + O or drag the file into the software. The file formats that can be opened directly include V3M, 3dClip, V3D, PVC, SKP, STL and SVG with images. To ensure that your file type will always open with our software simply right click on the file and head over to the properties, here you can choose what program you wish to open this file type with, simply select your Vectric product and going forward windows will always open this filetype in Aspire.

Support reading SVG files that contain images

The software now has the ability to read image data within SVG files, ensuring that you get everything you need from the original file source.

Machine & Toolpath Menu

The machine menu and part of the toolpath menu has been made available without having any projects open to allow the tool database to be accessible, without having to open or create a new file.

Modeling

Sculpting over the full model and two-sided

In the sculpting tools you now have the option to “show full model” which replaces the old grayscale component overlay. With this option switched on, you are able to see the full composite model in the 3D view, where the sculpting tools are only applied to the selected component. This allows you to see how it interacts with the component tree live rather than through a grayscale overlay, making it a much easier and more intuitive way of making the final touches to your 3D models. We’ve extended this capability to two-sided models also.

Create Shape Preserving Sharp Internal Corners

Aspire has a new option in the create shape form where you are able to preserve internal corners when creating a shape. With this option checked it enables you to sharpen and create a chiselled look as you would expect to see.

Live manipulation of components in the 3D view

In this release we have made it much easier to manipulate and see the result of positioning, scaling and rotating your 3D components in the 3D view. Where components can be picked up and dragged whilst showing the final result of the composite model in real time. We've also made it easier to adjust the base or shape height of a component by pulling on the drag handles. The base height handle can also be double clicked to reset the base height to zero. The live updates extend out to the tilt and fade functionality too. These improvements to the way we alter our 3D parts in the 3D view ensures a quicker and more intuitive approach to making those fine adjustments to your composite model.

Replace Below Plane Dragging

In the replace below tool, we’ve replaced the mechanism of double clicking to select the plane height with a plane which can be dragged up and down to the height required, enabling you to make dynamic changes easily and quickly. All you need to do is simply drag the arrow to adjust the plane.

STL Import Speed Improvement

We have made improvements to the speed at which some 3D models will import into the software, this will become more noticeable on larger models, where import times will be considerably faster.

Level Deletion

It is now possible to delete levels that contain components, where in previous versions the level had to be empty before you were able to delete them, making it a much easier process to remove unwanted 3D objects in your component tree.