The Undo function allows the sculpted changes to gradually be returned back to the original state. Allowing changes to be undone on specific local regions without having to undo any changes made to the complete model. The sculpting can be controlled using the mouse or even a pen tablet such as a Wacom and where applicable PC's that use a touch-screen. This feature lets you create a repeating pattern or texture. It requires a single "tile" 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 lets you specify the spacing and overlap of each tile, enter a "shift" for every other row or column of your pattern and control the "symmetry" or reflection of the tiles.
This provides powerful control to make an incredible number of variations to your pattern and create some very interesting effects. The pattern dynamically updates as you make changes, you can even adjust the size and position of your original "tile" at any time.
In addition to these pre-created models you can also create new components or edit existing ones to use with this function so the potential for creating architectural panels, sign backgrounds, decorative textures or any other applications are endless. Interactively change the size and orientation of imported 3D models. Interactively rotate 3D mesh files into the required orientation for adding to a design. Instantly convert designs from raised models to recessed mold cavities.
Easy to use interactive drag and drop, size, mirror, rotate and distortion tools allow 3D clipart designs and modeled components to be edited to instantly produce unlimited design variations. When importing 3rd party 3D models you have the ability to segment the model into parts for assembly to help minimize the loss of detail undercuts that can occur upon import. You can interactively segment a model all from within the 3D view where you can control the position and angle of the segment plane.
The parts can be easily visualized individually and in a layout format so you can view how the models will be imported as a relief prior to import. Aspire can be used to build an infinite variety of 3D textures from imported images. These textures can be combined with other 3D shapes in the design and can also be interactively edited to any size or height as well as being sculpted or smoothed to adjust their final look before toolpath creation.
The software has a tool to Z-slice a part to create separate models if your CNC size, tooling or material limits the depth of part you can cut.
Where you are able to choose the thickness of individual slices, where they can be tweaked and visualised in the 3D view to give you maximum control of how your model is sliced for machining.
This helps to ensure that there are no thin slices that can be problematic from a machine and assembly point of view. The Offset model tool creates a 3D offset of the composite model. This can be used to make the model larger or to reduce its size. One application for this is to create a wall thickness between the inside and outside of a press, mold or die to accomodate the material being formed. Many of the vector editing tools which can be used on 2D data in Aspire can also be used to edit 3D components.
Shapes can be easily scaled, moved, mirrored, distorted, grouped, trimmed and cropped. Aspire also allows you to smooth a 3D object or to add draft which creates angled walls on the part good for vacuum forms.
Other features include, the emboss tool to reduce the height of a model whilst preserving important surface detail, replace below, allowing you to trim or flatten the bottom of a component or multiple components and many others.
Many of the dynamic component editing tools can be accessed directly from the 3D view. This allows 3D objects to be moved, scaled and rotated. In addition how they combine with other shapes can be adjusted along with their height and even adding a tilt or fade. Editing the components in the 3D view makes it quick and easy to see the immediate effect of the changes to the composite model and so reduce the time it takes to create a 3D layout.
This feature allows you to define a component level so that it mirrors all of its components in a certain way, based on the mirror type. This allows you to build pleasing symmetrical arrangements with ease.
The level clipping mode makes it easy to constrain the model you are creating to a chosen boundary. Use vectors to define your boundary and the contents of your level are dynamically clipped so that only what lies inside the vectors is kept. This makes it simpler to assemble different models and allows you to rearrange your components and see the results of clipping in place.
The ability to work on small simple pieces makes it easier to build up the pieces you need to create a complex job. This also gives you the power to continue to edit individual parts of the design as you build it up. This approach is particularly useful if you need to make design changes based on customer feedback. Using the component manager component tree individual 3D objects can be adjusted to change the way they interact with each other within a project.
These can be further organized by the use of 'levels' to create sub-assemblies of shapes that first combine with each other before being added to the overall shape of the model. As you make changes to a component the 3D model will update to show you instantly the effects of your choices making it easy to iterate through different design options. Aspire's special 3DCLIP file format lets you save one or more 3D Components as a model that retains the individual component elements used to create it.
Rather than save several individual files to cover all the permutations, these allow you to export a single clipart file that preserves the structure of the components. The visibility of individual components can then be altered, even after the design has been imported into a new model. This is in effect is way of creating "Intelligent Clipart".
A Component, Component Group, Level or the Visible Composite Model can be exported from any session of Aspire to add to your library of clipart and then import and re-use all or part of in another project. The clipart tab provides quick and convenient access to Vectric files containing 3D components or 2D vector artwork. This allows you to easily re-use previously created shapes in new projects.
This tab includes the library browser that allows you to add folders containing 3D components into the software or you can use the local files option that allows you to quickly see the contents of several folders of 3D components in one place. The clipart tab also allows you to access the online clipart that comes free with the software, where the clipart can be downloaded directly from the running software providing you have internet access.
The software comes with previews of the clipart you're entitled to, and with internet access you can download the clipart straight into the software for ease of use.
The software gives you the choice of whether to display just the contents of the current folder or up to 3 sub-folders as well making it easy to access many models at once. The clipart tab is a great way to browse and select from the free clipart that is included with your purchase.
The Aspire installation includes a large variety of 2D and 3D clipart files that can be used as is, in your own projects or edited to create your own variations. The files include a mix of formats. The 2D artwork items comes in CRV format, including basic shapes, game layouts, moulding profiles, stylized text and more. For the panel, shields, weaves and some ribbons there are CRV3D files that include vectors so you can see how some of the files were created and easily edit and recreate versions of your own.
There are also 40 files created specifically for use with the create texture tile function. There are almost different individual designs to download in a number of variants totalling over 1, different files. You can read more about the specifics of the files and see a catalog of the models by clicking on the link below. You will find a selection of relief-style clipart pieces, mini projects, and collections to suit every CNC project need.
These can be purchased, downloaded and carved as individual models or combined to make more complex designs. Referencing the software to how your CNC will be setup is one of the most important elements of the process.
A summary of the material set up is displayed at the top of the toolpath tab allowing you to quickly check the settings before you start calculating toolpaths. Any of these values can be easily adjusted to change the tool reference for its X,Y or Z zero location, move the position of a model in the material, adjust the position where your machine starts from or specify distance to ensure the tool lifts above any clamping that is being used. Using the profiling toolpath strategy, objects can be cut out quickly and efficiently.
Simply select the vector shapes you wish to profile, select the tool from the tool database and the software will do the rest. The profiling automatically offsets for the tool radius and sorts nested shapes to ensure that inner shapes such as the center of a letter 'O' are cut before the outer shape so parts are not released from the material before they are cut.
Full control of cut direction is offered along with either automatic or manual control of tool entry point for each shape. Profile machining includes production cutting options that ensure parts can be held in place and accurately machined with high quality edges and corner detail.
Cut-outs can be done in multiple passes depending on the maximum cutting depth of the tool used and a positive or negative allowance can be specified to either 'under cut' or 'overcut' the shape if required.
The number of passes on a cut can be edited very precisely to allow very thin final cuts or to individual add or remove particular cut depths. A separate last pass allowance can be specified for the last pass in a profile toolpath. If this allowance is given, then all but the last pass will be over-cut by the specified allowance with the final pass being the only pass which cuts to the actual edge of the part.
This can significantly improve the finish on the cut-edge. The ability to specify that square corners are required is another powerful feature. This is often used when profiling with a v-bit tool, where with a conventional toolpath the tool will 'roll' round a sharp external corner leaving a radius on the top of the chamfer created by the tool, with the 'square corners' option an angular chamfer will be created instead.
The profile toolpath is probably the most important toolpath option available. It is used for some of the simplest and also the most complex things you may do with your CNC. The software has been structured to let you customize whether you just want simple options for quick cut-outs or whether you want to access more advanced features to control cutting on particular material.
This allows both new and experienced users to decide how much information they need to be presented with when creating this frequently used function.
The pocket toolpath makes machining the material away from inside a vector shape efficient and easy to achieve. Just select all the vectors defining the shapes you want to cut and the program will sort the vectors to identify islands automatically and offset the boundaries for the selected tool radius. The 2D pocketing toolpath has the ability to control pass depths very precisely, either automatically based on the tool settings or where required the user can specify any combination of depths for a particular tool.
Either climb or conventional cutting directions can be specified in order to produce the best edge finish for your selection of material and cutter. The tool can also be ramped into the job to reduce cutter stress when entering the material. Output helical arcs in a way that your machine understands. Makes for smoother cuts and smaller file sizes. Helical arcs are like regular arcs when viewed in 2D but where the start z and the end z differ.
They are typically found in toolpaths where ramping occurs. Whether you are drilling a single hole or hundreds, just select the vectors representing the holes and the software will drill the center of each vector to the specified depth. The grouping feature makes it easy to associate all vectors for a particular toolpath strategy together so only one needs to be selected.
The tool database includes a dedicated drill tool type so that the true tool geometry can be seen in the toolpath previews. As well as a single Z plunge you also have the option to activate peck drilling , which drills to a specified depth, retracts the tool to clear the chips, drills down to the next step, retracts the tool and so on until the required finish depth is reached.
The thread milling toolpath enables you to machine holes for standard size screws in metals, woods, and acrylics, and is also useful for the creation of decorative wood fasteners.
The thread milling toolpath has the option to create both internal and external threads, for example if you wanted to create a cavity to screw something into or if you wanted to create an exterior thread on something like a bolt! The auto-inlay toolpath options calculate profile cut-out and pocketing toolpaths for parts that need to be assembled to make inlays and inserts.
Quick Engrave can be used to create toolpaths for Diamond drag tooling. This is typically used for marking engraved products such as gifts, awards, plaques, badges, pens, trophies etc. V-Carving uses a constant angled cutter that's moved at flowing variable depth to create a 3D carved effect on the job, similar to the way a craftsman would work by hand.
The software automatically calculates a path defined by the combination of the angle of the tool specified and the width and shape of the vectors being machined.
The extremely fast and robust Vectric VCarving engine handles complex designs with ease providing both fast calculation speed and robust handling of imperfect data. As well as simple VCarving, the software supports many advanced VCarving strategies, such as 'flat bottomed' VCarving. Or optionally using multiple tools for your engraving jobs, reducing both machining time and tool wear. The option to use vector start points lets you choose the positions the tool will enter the material.
For some applications this can help reduce the load and as such potential marking of the finished part, created by tool vibration when plunging into a deep area. Another advanced capability is the support for VCarving areas wider than the tool by making multiple clearance passes to achieve the required depth.
This is done automatically by the software when the carved area is deeper than the maximum cutting depth of the tool. When using this toolpath the software drives the tool along the center of the vector giving you control over the way the tool ramps into the start and end of each selected object. This has many interesting applications outside of just the standard uses you would expect for this type of operation.
Perfect for:. Textured panels are often specified by interior designers and architects and textures are also a very useful option for creating backgrounds on dimensional signs. Vectric has a unique approach to generate unique 'hand carved' looking textures which still machine extremely efficiently.
Once you specify a tool typically a pointed or round profile then you have various settings you can set to create the characteristics of your texture toolpath. To give these textures a more natural and less machine made look you can set different levels of randomness.
The toolpath will replicate the same type of move that would be made by someone using a chisel to carve overlapping strokes into the material.
Creating this as a toolpath move rather than as a 3D model will minimize the hand-finishing and also the machining time required to cut this. Textures can also be 'trimmed' to a vector boundary allowing the creation of this type of finish in a background area of a job. This is a look very popular with sign makers using Vectric software. The Raised Prism machining strategy is prefect for cutting high quality raised lettering and shapes on signs for restaurants, hotels and bars etc.
This function generates an efficient and smooth toolpath to cut 3D shapes such as mouldings, arches and frames that have a constant cross-section. The shape is specified by selecting two vectors; the first will represent the Drive Curve of the shape and the second defines the Cross Section that will in effect be extruded along the Drive Curve to create the swept shape when machined.
The Moulding Toolpath function allows you to specify two tools, one to in effect "Rough" out the majority of material with a larger tool and then the other to do the "Finishing". The Moulding Toolpath has some clever options to further improve finish and efficiency.
For the "Finish" tool you can opt to "Vary Stepover", this can be used to improve finish on shapes that have a lot of steep angles or curves on the cross-section. For the "Rough" tool you can choose to have it pre-finish any flat horizontal regions on the cross section, which are common on a lot of Moulding shapes. Using this option also allows you to avoid creating a "Finish" toolpath in those flat areas further increasing time-savings when machining. The chamfer toolpath allows you to easily create chamfers using v-bits or ball nose tools to create decorative edges and is also a great way to create counter-sunk holes.
Use the PhotoVCarving toolpath strategy to convert photographs and images into toolpaths producing stylised engraved designs. The created toolpaths engrave a series of lines at different depths to produce the desired image.
There are two toolpaths which are typically used to machine the 3D parts of a job. The areas that these toolpaths cut is governed by selecting one of the three machining limit boundary options, model boundary, material boundary or selected vector s. Model boundary will use the outer silhouette of the composite model all the 3D components visible in the 3D View at the time of calculation.
This means there is no need to create a vector boundary around them for these operations. Material boundary will create a toolpath that completely fills the entire job area. Selected vector s will use any vectors you have selected in the 2D view as the boundary for the toolpath. To remove the majority of unwanted stock as quickly as possible most jobs require a 3D roughing toolpath to be calculated. There are two roughing strategies available z-level and 3D raster each of these has advantages depending on the type of shape being cut.
The toolpath also has an option to specify an allowance to leave a skin of protective material on the part for the finish cut to clean up. The tool parameters let you balance the quality of the surface finish with how long the part will take to cut. Depending on the shape of the part there is a choice of raster and offset cutting strategies. Detailed regions can be machined selectively using smaller cutters to ensure the finest of detail on a 3D project is accurately machined. Rest machining is a technique which uses multiple tools to try and efficiently optimize machining time, material removal and tool lifespan.
Within the 3D finish toolpath there is the option to use more than one tool, with each tool removing any remaining material that the previous tool was unable to machine. The rest machining technique can be controlled by specifying parameters which determine what areas are worth machining with the smaller tool. This allows text or other shapes that follow the 3D contours of the part to be efficiently machined onto the 3D component model. One of the most important productivity tools available in the software is the realistic 3D toolpath preview support.
The results of each individual or the combination of all the toolpaths can be previewed cutting into a 3D preview model. This means that whether your job is a simple toolpath with one tool, or created from a complex combination of tools and strategies at different levels you can be sure that when the job is cut, it is right first time.
As well as showing that the toolpaths are correct, the high quality rendering and ability to use real world material textures and fill colors, and even preview lithophanes, is a valuable sales tool. Using the simulation you can create customer proofs and evaluate design options without actually having to cut anything!
This makes it easier when working on a job that only has vectors with 2D and 2. The software has a built in tool database to make cutter management quick and easy. Tools can be organized in any way that suits your workflow.
There is automatic support for machine management and material management. Tools can be filtered for your current material and machine settings, which makes selecting the right tool for the job simple. The tool database contains a powerful tool naming system. This allows you to have consistent tool names, and for those tool names to match the properties of your cutter. Vectric assists with the management of your CNC machine, its capabilities for example rotary or laser add-ons , associated post-processors and default tool cutting feeds and speeds for a selection of materials.
As always our software is fully customizable for those who want to have full, low-level, control but Vectric's 'Kickstarter' wizard can help you get started with a set of tools with reasonable initial settings using our constantly updated online list of the most common machine brands and models.
To help estimate how long toolpaths will take to cut the software will calculate a time based on the length of the toolpath and the specified feeds and speeds that have been entered for the selected tool. This can be tweaked by the operator by editing the 'scale factor' so over time a value can be optimized based on actual machine performance to ensure the estimate is as close as possible to the actual cutting time.
Using the Toolpath Tiling options it is possible to machine objects and designs that are many times larger than the available area of your CNC machine bed. This process is also invaluable if the maximum sizes of your material pieces are limited. In both cases, a much larger project can still be machined by breaking the toolpath down into manageable tiles or strips, each of which can fit within the machineable area of your CNC machine, or on the available material blocks.
Once cut, the tiles can then be re-assembled to form the finished piece. Toolpath templates allow you to improve the efficiency of your production processes by saving the complete toolpath settings for common operations. These settings can then be re-used at any time on different design geometry. Frequently used strategies and tooling can thus be applied to similar jobs, quickly and easily. The software allows you to add your own custom tools shapes to the tool library and generate toolpaths and simulate the finished result!
Now you can simulate the effects of complex roman ogee cutters, round over bits and any other custom tool shape you desire. Simply draw the tool profile using the vector drawing tools or import the profile from the manufacturer and you can add your custom tool to the list. In the tool database you can specify feed rates, spindle speeds, cutting depths etc.
Wrapped Rotary Axis Toolpath postprocessing allows all toolpaths created in the software to be saved and run on CNC machines fitted with rotary axis or rotary indexer setups. These setup functions also allow you to specify your rotary part setup and view the wrapped results in the 3D view. This function can be used for designing and cutting projects such as fluted columns and barley twists or engraving text onto round projects.
Note: This functionality wraps standard 3 axis toolpaths around a cylindrical axis, substituting one of the linear axis to drive the rotation of the block of material while it is being cut.
Production Plate Engraving lets you merge text lists into templates for badges and industrial plates. It can be used to merge CSV and text based lists using variables that can automatically scale to fit a pre-made design layout.
The create merged toolpath function allows you to combine toolpaths that use the same tool into a single, new, toolpath that is generally more efficient than cutting the constituent toolpaths independently. This can be particularly useful if you want a complete individual part to be cut before the CNC moves onto the next piece as it can merge the toolpaths into individual components.
Similarly to the area copy tool, this toolpath allows you to duplicate one or more toolpaths its children as a block, based on the dimensions you enter in its properties.
The create set-up job sheet command allows you to create a summary sheet that details all the important information you will need at your CNC machine when you come to run the toolpaths. This can be used as a reference to ensure you have the setup correct, have loaded the correct tool etc.
It can also be used to archive with an old job as a quick reference file to see what the job the looked like and the machining that was involved for that project. You can also edit this to change the logo to an image of your own choice, adjust the header, footer and border colours and even customize which sections of information to include. Toolpaths generated in PhotoVCarve can be imported into the software to combine with other toolpath types.
Multiple PhotoVCarve projects can be imported and positioned, where additional elements can then be added and machined. All of the toolpaths can then be previewed and saved from the software.
PhotoVCarve can also be purchased on its own, f or more details see the PhotoVCarve area of the web site. The contents of either the 2D or 3D view can now 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. The Print Preview command on the File menu allows you to check the layout of your page before you print. The printed view is always scaled to exactly fit the currently selected page size including allowance for margins.
Drawings are not, therefore, printed at actual size and are not printed across multiple pages. We give you access to the online clipart that comes free with your purchase. The software comes with previews of the clipart you're entitled to in the clipart tab so that you can see all of the options available to you and download the items of interest,.
In order to get the latest entitlements, click the refresh button. To import the clipart from the clipart tab into your job, simply drag and drop your desired model onto your part.
Files saved from the software include a thumbnail image. Windows explorer can make use of these thumbnails to show you a preview of each file when you browse a folder.
The software also supports Windows drag and drop functionality to quickly add pieces of 2D or 3D clipart into an existing model directly from windows explorer. With windows explorer open, simply click and drag the 3D clipart thumbnail of the file you want from the explorer window into the 2D or 3D View.
The selected file will be imported automatically and displayed in the software. Integrated Help. Help for all forms can now be found using the handy integrated help functionality. Click on the question mark icon on the top of each form to get the help for that specific function. All of our products have in depth video tutorials and data files you need to work through the examples. These are split into sections beginning with getting started projects to let you see the process to produce a complete part and start to understand the general workflow.
Then there are videos to cover each area of use within the program. The videos are designed to take you step by step through different types of projects to explain the key methods you will use in the software and to demonstrate these on real-world examples. You can just watch and absorb the contents or follow along pausing where necessary to complete a task. In addition to learning how to use the program the videos include tips and tricks for better use of the software. The result of each project along with the Clip Art provides a library of parts which can be machined to create sample files to improve your CNC skills or help you to demonstrate your capabilities to potential customers.
We are very proud of the quality of our software, and maintain an active and open forum at forum. The forum lets users ask questions and discuss techniques related to CNC and the software. In addition to direct input from Vectric, there are a large number of enthusiastic users who are always willing to help on any topic associated with CNC machining.
Another very interesting section of the forum is the gallery area where users can post images of projects they have done using Vectric software. Please take a look, there are some very nice examples of work on there.
The new versions have installers for both bit and bit computers. The installer will detect and install the appropriate version for your machine. In addition to the software, this app also includes a trial version of Vectric's Aspire 8. The trial version is fully functional and lets you try out all of the mega-awesome features. Vectric Aspire 8. It offers the user the ability to design and create custom tool paths for mills, drills, and routers through an add-on add-on for the popular G-Wizard software.
With this app you can take your professional machining skills to a new level. Some features include:. With a few enhancements and a subscription, you'll get access to a lot of new tools. Upload a Thing! Customize a Thing. X64 Vectric Aspire 8. Download All Files.
Select a Collection. Save to Collection. Tip Designer. Share this thing.
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