Getting Started

With

Tutorial 2
Flat Bottom V-Carving
 VCarve Pro

Disclaimer

All CNC machines (routing, engraving, and milling) are potentially dangerous and because Vectric Ltd has no
control over how the software described in this manual might be used. Vectric Ltd or any associated Resellers
cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage to the work piece, machine or any individual, howsoever
caused by misusing the software. Extreme care should always be taken and the output from the software
thoroughly checked before sending it to a CNC machine.

The information in this manual may be subject to change without any prior notice. The software described in
this manual is supplied under the terms and conditions of the software license agreement and may only be
used in accordance with the terms of this agreement.

© Vectric Ltd
26 Peterbrook Close
Redditch
B98 7YF
UK

www.vectric.com
E-mail [email protected]
Phone +44 (0) 1527 460 459
Fax +44 (0) 1527 460 459
Table of Contents
What is V-Carving?........................................................................................... 2
What the software allows you to do .................................................................. 3
What file formats can be used? ........................................................................ 3
Getting Help...................................................................................................... 3
Watch the supporting tutorial videos................................................................. 3

Overview of the interface .................................................................................. 4

The VCarve Pro Logic....................................................................... .........................5
Managing windows - Auto Show / Hide............................................. .........................6

View Controls.................................................................................................... 7
2D Design Window ........................................................................... .........................7
3D Window ....................................................................................... .........................7

Vectors.............................................................................................................. 8
Vector selection methods.................................................................. .........................8
Vector deselect ................................................................................. .........................8
Vector editing .................................................................................... .........................9
Drawing shapes ................................................................................ .........................9

Tutorial 2 Flat Bottom VCarving ............................................................ 10

Introduction ..................................................................................................... 10

1. Creating a New Job ............................................................................... 11

2. Drawing Ovals ....................................................................................... 12
3. Import and modify the vector design ..................................................... 13
4. Calculating the Flat Bottom V-Carve Toolpath ...................................... 14
5. Preview the Toolpaths ........................................................................... 17
6. Calculating the Edge Chamfer............................................................... 18
7. Drilling Holes ......................................................................................... 20
8. Calculating the Profile Cut-out Toolpath................................................ 21
9. Preview the finished job......................................................................... 24
10. Saving the Toolpaths............................................................................. 26
Introduction
Many businesses use their CNC machine for simply cutting out flat letters and shapes from plastic sheet, or
engraving standard badges and nameplates, which are all based on simple 2D machining strategies. This
manual will show you how to use your CNC machine to route and engrave jobs that include decorative 3D
designs that will be more interesting and hopefully more profitable if you run a business.

The manual takes you step-by-step through a number of illustrated tutorials that show and explain exactly how
to use the VCarve Pro Software. Tips and tricks have also been included that will help you get the most from
your CNC machine.

We hope you enjoy using the software.

What is V-Carving?
V-Carving produces a constantly varying and flowing 3D carved effect on the job, which is similar to how a
craftsman would carve by hand. Imagine a ‘hand-carver’ cutting letters into a piece of wood or stone, starting
at a sharp corner, pushing the chisel deeper where the font stroke gets wider and pulling the tool out to form
precise, sharp corners. V-Carving, also known as 3D Engrave or Intaglio engraving allows a V shaped or
engraving tool to cut at varying Z depths that are directly linked to the width of the geometry in which the
cutter is moving.

This is effect is difficult to describe in words, but imagine using a flat-bottom end mill to cut 3mm (1/8th) deep
inside the text shown below. The tool, being round will always leave a fillet radius in the corners and will not
actually cut the complete letter where the diameter of the tool is too big to pass through the small gaps.

Sign including V-Carved Text

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What the software allows you to do
V-Carving is typically used in the following industries to add decoration to objects and products such as,

Sign making House signs, Business, Restaurants, Pubs, Gold Leafed and Gilded
Woodworking Kitchen cabinet doors, Chairs, Doors, Table tops
Engraving Commemorative Brass plaques, Company logos
Gifts Key rings, Personalized gifts
Stone cutting Memorials, Commemorative engravings

What file formats can be used?

VCarve Pro will open files that have been saved in the following formats.

DXF Drawing Exchange Files from CAD systems

EPS Encapsulated Postscript from Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw etc.
AI Adobe Illustrator
PDF Portable Document Format for industry standard print data

L If the designs are being prepared with software such as Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator we
recommend that you convert the vector geometry and text to curves and switch off all patterns
or colour fills before exporting as preferably as an EPS file.

Getting Help
If you need assistance when using the software there are 5 primary places to look.

1. Program Help File - From the Main menu select Help

2. Video Tutorials - These are supplied on the installation CD or can be downloaded from the Vectric
website.

3. User Forum - The Vectric user forum at www.vectric.com/forum is a very useful resource for
information on VCarve Pro along with materials, cutters etc. and also to share knowledge and
experiences.

4. E-mail Support: - The Vectric Support Team at [email protected]

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - The support area on the Vectric web site at www.vectric.com
maintains a list of the most frequently asked questions along with the answers.

Watch the supporting tutorial videos

› The video camera icon indicates there is a video file for that particular section of the manual.

Many of the tutorials and help files have associated video footage that will make learning to use this software
more interesting and enjoyable. These files can be downloaded from the web site. Windows Media Player is
required to view the video files.

If you experience problems running these files or need assistance please visit the technical support area on the
web site and follow the links.

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Overview of the interface
The screen area is split into 6 main regions.

1. The Main Menu bar along the top of the screen provides access to additional, less commonly used
commands available in the software. Simply click and each option will show a drop-down list of the
functions.

2. The Drawing Tab on the left side of the screen provides general drawing tools for design modification,
sizing, alignment etc. prior to machining.

3. The Toolpath Tab on the right side of the screen is where toolpaths are defined, calculated, edited and
deleted. The Material set-up and Job Preview tools are also in this area.

4. The Command forms automatically appear in the Drawing window and the Toolpath tabs when tools
are selected that require details to be entered such as dimensions for sizing or positioning etc.

5. The 2D Design window is where the design is drawn, edited and selected ready for machining. Designs
can be imported or created directly in VCarve Pro. This occupies the same area as the 3D Preview
window and the display can be toggled between the two using F2 and F3 or the tabs at the top of the
window.

6. The 3D Preview window is where toolpaths and the colour shaded job preview are displayed.

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3
2

4
4

The User Interface

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The VCarve Pro Logic

VCarve Pro has been developed specifically to open decorative designs and calculate perfect 3D V-Carve / 3D
Engrave toolpaths as quickly and easily as possible. The general work flow logic to apply to most jobs is
explained in the diagram below.

1
Open, Import or
Draw the vector
design

2
Select the regions to
VCarve or Machine

3
Specify the tool
details and calculate
toolpaths

4
Preview the job in
any material

5
Save the CNC code

VCarve Pro is an excellent toolpath engine that also includes drawing and editing tools that allow designs to be
created and modified. Tools for drawing, positioning, alignment and node editing are very easy to use and
multiple design elements can also be drawn or imported, scaled, positioned and interactively edited to make a
new design. Text can also be created using any TrueType font installed on your computer or the Single stroke
engraving fonts supplied with the software.

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Managing windows - Auto Show / Hide

The two primary Drawing and Toolpath Tabs have Auto Hide / Show behaviour which allows them to
automatically close when not being used, maximizing the working screen area. They can be opened and closed
at any time by clicking the left mouse over the Drawing and Toolpaths tabs in the top left and top right
corners of the interface.

Click on the Drawing Tab to open the Drawing Window

Click on the Toolpaths Tab to open the Toolpaths Window

L Clicking on the Drawing or Toolpath tab will also close an open window.

Both windows have Auto Hide / Show behavior and can be locked open by clicking on the Push-Pin
button in the top right corner of the window region as shown below.

Lock Open

Auto hide

Auto Hide / Show windows

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View Controls
The View Control options available when working in the 2D Design and 3D Preview windows are,

2D Design Window

Zoom Interactive Mouse with Middle Wheel – Push / Pull

Click top left corner

Zoom Box Click bottom right corner

Click and hold the Left mouse button – Esc to cancel

Pan Shortcut: Click and drag the Middle mouse button

Zoom Extents Zooms to show limits of the 2D window

Click to select an object or objects

Zoom Selected Zooms to the bounding box of the selections

L Mouse with Middle Wheel can be used to interactively zoom in / out.

3D Window

3D Twiddle Click and drag Left mouse button in the 3D window

Right mouse button – Push / Pull

Zoom
Mouse with Middle Wheel – Push / Pull

Pan Click and drag Right mouse button + Ctrl

Click and drag Right and Left mouse button
Looks directly down the Z axis onto the design in 3D
Plan View
window

Shows the model in a 3D isometric view in the 3D

Isometric View
window

L Pressing F2 & F3 will toggle between displaying the 2D & 3D windows

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Vectors
Decorative Vector designs and shapes will usually be imported from another drawing package such as Corel
Draw, AutoCAD etc. rather than being completely drawn in VCarve Pro. The imported Vector shape(s) can
be modified, moved, scaled, rotated, mirrored or deleted.

Vector selection methods

Multiple vectors can be selected in the following 4 ways.

1. Manual multiple selection

Hold down the Shift key while clicking the Left mouse button on each vector required.

Objects can be deselected simply clicking on the object again with the 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 fully inside the
selection rectangle.

3. Moving the cursor from Right to Left selects all objects INSIDE the selection rectangle and also
any objects that the selection rectangle TOUCHES.

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

L Selected vectors are displayed as dotted purple lines.

Vector deselect

Selections can be cancelled by simply,

1. Left clicking on an area outside the selection.

2. Pressing the Right mouse button and selecting Unselect All (top option) from the list. You
must click on the white drawing background to get this option in the menu.

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Vector editing

A design is created from vector lines, arcs and bezier spans, which all have different properties that can be
selected, modified and moved at any time.

Vector Selection Tool Selected from the Drawing tab on the left

Selected vectors are shown as dotted purple lines. Vectors need to be selected before any of the editing tools
such as scaling and moving etc. can be used.

Node Editing Tool Selected from the Drawing tab on the left

Vectors selected Bezier node editing

When the Node Editing tool is active the cursor changes to a Black Arrow indicating that individual points
(nodes) 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 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
optiosn such as the Shift key and dragging to make a selection.

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.

Drawing shapes
Simple shapes and designs can be drawn using the Circle, Oval, Rectangle and Polyline options. These shapes
are commonly used to create new borders for signs or as a reference plate for a kitchen cabinet door etc.
Shapes can be created by either entering exact dimensions in the Command Window or simply clicking the left
mouse button in the 2D window to specify the parameters and coordinates interactively.

Drawing shapes is covered in more detail during the tutorials in this manual.
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Tutorial 2 Flat Bottom VCarving
› We recommend that you watch the 7 minute Video for this Tutorial before proceeding.

The estimated time needed to complete this tutorial is around 15 minutes.

Introduction
This tutorial will show you how to use the drawing and alignment tools to design, V-Carve and Drill the sign
shown below Figure 1. The sign is approximately 13” (325mm) long by 8.5” (220mm) high. This design is
based on decorative designs from the commercially available Vector Art clipart library.

L Visit the Vector Art web site to purchase the reverse ‘Closed’ Design and make a very useful and
functional sign - www.vectorart.com

The decorative detail on the job will be carved using a 1.25” Diameter 90 Degree included angle V-bit tool and
a 1/4” End Mill to cut the pocket, drill the fixing holes and profile around the sign.

Figure 1. The finished V-Carved Open Sign

There are 9 key stages in designing and preparing toolpaths for this sign.

1. Create a new Job

2. Draw an Oval border
3. Import a piece of vector clipart
4. Scale and position the clipart ready for V-Carving
5. Calculate the Flat Bottom 3D V-Carved toolpaths
6. Drill the fixing holes
7. Calculate the Profile chamfer and cut out toolpaths + Tabs
8. Preview the completed job and estimate the machining times
9. Save the Toolpaths
The files required for this tutorial are installed on your PC in the folder,

C: Program Files\VCarve Pro\Sample Files\Open_Sign.eps

NOTE: When using the Trial version of VCarve Pro, you will need to open the file Open_Sign.crv if
you want to to save toolpaths and cut the. job on your own machine.
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1. Creating a New Job
1. From the File menu File Operations toolbar click on the New File option and complete the
form with the width, height and thickness required for this sign, as shown below.

The Z Zero origin for setting the datum for the tool is on the Material surface.

The XY Origin will be the Middle of the job (easier to position when cutting an oval)

Make sure the Units are set to be in Inches

2. Click the OK button and the blank job is drawn in pale pink lines in the 2D Window.

The dotted grey lines show where the X0 and Y0 axes are positioned

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2. Drawing Ovals
With the job blank defined the next step is to draw 2 ovals for the outer edge of the sign.

3. From the Drawing Tab down the left side of the screen, select the Draw Ellipse icon and
complete the form as shown below.

Enter Width = 12” and Height = 7.5”

4. Click the Create button and the oval will be drawn in the 2D window

5. A second Ellipse is needed so enter Width = 13” and Height = 8.5” as shown below.

6. Click the Create button and the 2 ovals will be drawn as shown below.

7. Click the Close button

Note The dimensions of the ovals can be changed by opening the Draw Oval form and
selecting the oval to change.

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3. Import and modify the vector design
The artwork for this design can now be imported, positioned and scaled to fit the sign.

8. From the File Operations menu select the Import Vectors icon.

9. Navigate to the folder named - C: Program Files\VCarve Pro 3.0\Sample Files

10. Select the file named – Open.eps. The design will be drawn in the 2D window as shown below.

11. Click the Center in Material icon (or F9) and the design moves into the middle of the
job.

12. Click the Scale Selected Vectors icon and after clicking the Specify the exact size check
box set the width to be 9” (the height will automatically scale) as shown on the form below.

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 13. Click the Apply button and the design will be scaled exactly as shown below.

Click the Close button to close the form.

4. Calculating the Flat Bottom V-Carve Toolpath

The design is now complete and ready to calculate the carving / engraving toolpaths.

14. Click and Drag over the complete design or Press Ctrl + A key to select all the vectors.

15. Deselect the outer oval by holding Shift key down and clicking the Left cursor on this Oval.

16. Alternatively, click Left mouse button in the Top Left corner then the Left mouse button again
in the Bottom Right corner to enclose and select the Inner Oval + Open design.

The selected vectors are shown as dotted purple lines, as in the diagram below,

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 The Outer Oval should not be selected

17. Click the Switch to Toolpaths Tab icon. This closes the Drawing Tab and opens the
Toolpaths Tab on the right side of the interface (F11 and F12 are shortcuts to toggle these tabs).

18. Click on the Setup Material icon and specify the Rapid Clearance Gap (the height
above the job that the tool can move at maximum feedrate).

Enter 0.125” for the Gap and 0.750” for the Home Z height as shown below.

Note that Z Zero is set to be on the material surface.

19. Click the OK button.

20. Click the Create VCarve / Engraving Toolpath icon and complete the form as shown
below.

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 In this example the Flat Depth for the pocket will be machined 0.25” deep

Click the Select buttons and chose the appropriate tools from the Tool Database.

1.250” diameter 90 Degree included angle V-Bit tool to carve the detail, border and regions
where the end mill did not machine. (Any diameter cutter can be used)

0.25” diameter End Mill to remove the stock from the pocket region.

The feed rates should be set to suitable values for your machine and the material being cut.

A unique name can be entered or simply left as the default.

21. Click the Calculate button and the Pocketing and V-Carving Toolpaths will be calculated. The
3D Window is automatically opened and the Preview form opened.

22. Click the Plan View icon and the job + toolpath will be shown as below.

Both toolpaths displayed in the 3D Window

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5. Preview the Toolpaths
The 2 calculated toolpaths can now be previewed to see exactly what they will produce when carved
on the CNC machine.

23. Select the ISO View icon and click Left mouse to select the first toolpath in the list,

24. The Preview form is automatically opened.

Click on the Preview All Toolpaths button and each of the tools will be
shown simulating the cutting process in the 3D Window. The result is shown below,

25. From the Pull-Down lists of Material types and Fill Colors, experiment with the different
options. The image in the 3D window is automatically updated with the new settings.

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6. Calculating the Edge Chamfer
A 2D Machining toolpath will be used to form a chamfer around the border of the sign.

26. Open the 2D Widow by clicking on the Tab or pressing the F2 key.

27. Press the Esc key or click on the background (or Right mouse > Unselect all option)

28. Select the Outer Oval by clicking the Left mouse onto the vector

29. Click on the Create Profile Toolpath icon and complete the form as shown below.

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 Enter a Cut Depth of 0.3”

Select Machine Vectors on the Outside

Click the Select button to open the Tool Database and pick the same 1.25” diameter 90
Degree included angle V-Bit tool to carve the chamfer around the edge of the sign.

The spindle speed and feedrates should be set for the specific material you are actually cutting.

Enter an appropriate Name for this toolpaths

30. Click the Calculate button. The toolpath is calculated and shown in the 3D window and the
Preview form is opened.

Click on the Preview Toolpath icon and the tool will be shown
simulating the cutting process in the 3D Window.

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7. Drilling Holes
The fixing holes can now be drilled on either side of the sign.

31. Click the Switch to the Drawing Tab icon (or F11) to close the Toolpaths Tab and open
the Drawing tools on the right side of the screen.

32. Open the 2D Widow by clicking on the Tab or pressing the F2 key.

33. Click the Draw Circle icon and complete the form as shown below,

34. Click the Apply button to draw a 0.25" diameter circle at X -6.25" and Y 0

35. Change the coordinates for the Center Point to be X +6.25" and Y 0 and Apply to create the
second circle. As shown below,

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 36. Select the 2 circles by holding the Shift key and clicking on each one.

37. Click the Switch to the Toolpaths Tab icon (or F12) to close the Drawing Tab and
open the Toolpath Tab on the right-hand side of the interface.

38. Click the Drill Toolpath icon and complete the form as shown below.

Peck drilling will

cut in multiple Z
passes

39. Select the 0.250" Drill from the Tool Database, switch on the Peck Drilling option and check
the speeds and feedrates are appropriate for the material being machined.

Notes The Peck Drilling cycle will cut to the Pass Depth specified in the Tool Database for the
selected drill, then retract to the Retract Gap above the material, then drill at further Pass Depths.

The depth is based on cutting to the Point of the Drill bit, and this may need to be increased to
allow for the angle on the drill. To Drill all the way through the material may require cutting a
fraction deeper to account for the angle on the Drill.

40. Click Calculate and the 2 drilled holes will be calculated.

8. Calculating the Profile Cut-out Toolpath

The oval sign can now be cut out of the rectangular block using Tab / bridges to hold the job in place.

41. Open the 2D Widow by clicking on the Tab or pressing the F2 key.

42. Select the outer most oval vector by clicking with the Left mouse button. You should now see
the new outer oval highlighted in dotted purple lines as shown below.

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43. Click on the Create Profile Toolpath icon and complete the form as shown below.

Cut Depth will cut

0.005" through the
material

Machine on the
Outside of the oval
Enter an Allowance
of 0.150" to cut a
larger oval
Switch on the Tab
option so the job is
held in place

Switch on the
option to create Edit the Tab
3D Tabs positions in
the 2D view

Enter a Cut Depth of 0.505” – Note this will cut 0.005” through the material.

Select a 1/4" diameter End Mill from the Tool Database and specify what depth of cut per pass you
wish to cut. This will depend upon the material being cut and available tooling.
22
 The spindle speed and feedrates should be set for the specific material you are actually cutting.

44. Click the Edit Tabs button and complete the form as shown below.

Number of
Tabs around
the oval

The Green boxes indicate where Tabs will be placed

Note The Tabs can be positioned automatically or you can simply click to add new ones or click and
drag existing tabs to any position on a closed vector.

45. Select the Ramps Tab and complete the form as shown below. This will ramp the cutter into the
material at a gradual angle minimizing the vertical load on the cutter and spindle.

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 Smooth Ramp

Ramp in over a
distance of 2"

46. Click the Calculate button and a message will displayed Warning you that the tool has been
programmed to cut 0.00” deeper than the material thickness. Click OK to accept this.

Very Important You will need to have a piece of sacrificial board on the bed of your machine to
stop the cutter from damaging the table.

Specify a Cut Depth = 0.500” or less if you cannot cut all the way through the
material.

47. The toolpath is calculated and shown in the 3D window and the Preview form is opened.

9. Preview the finished job

48. Click on the Preview All Toolpaths button and each of the tools will
be shown simulating the cutting process in the 3D Window. The result is shown below,

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 Zoom by Pushing / Pulling the Right mouse button

Twiddle by clicking and dragging the Left mouse button

Pan using Ctrl +Right mouse or Left + Right mouse together

48. Click the Save Preview icon and save a bmp, jpg or gif image.

Experiment with different material types and colour settings and save as different images.

Click on the Estimate Machining Times icon to see how long the job will take to cut.

This design should take around 12 minutes + tool changing time to cut
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10. Saving the Toolpaths

49. Save the Toolpaths by clicking the Save icon

50. Click to select each toolpath in the Toolpath List and Save each file with a new name.

51. If you have a CNC machine that has an Automatic Tool Changer (ATC), both toolpaths can be
saved into a single file.

Important It is very important that the toolpaths for ATC machines are saved in the correct
sequence. Use the Arrows on the right side of the Toolpath list to order the toolpaths.

Note: If you are using the Trial version of VCarve Pro you must load the Open_Sign.crv file
to be able to save the toolpaths.

______________________________________________________

Thank you for reviewing VCarve Pro and we hope you enjoyed using the software

If you have any questions or need assistance

E-mail - [email protected]

Visit the Vectric User Forum - www.vectric.com/forum

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