Vectric software?

gmakra

New User
George
A general CNC machine. But Vetric is a brand there are about 6 different flavors of the software.
 

pcooper

Phillip Cooper
Corporate Member
I use the current version of Vcarve Pro, love it, easy to learn, lots of video from vectric on how to's, great support. If you need more than Vcarve, Aspire covers about everything that a small shop cnc can do.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I use the current version of Vcarve Pro, love it, easy to learn, lots of video from vectric on how to's, great support. If you need more than Vcarve, Aspire covers about everything that a small shop cnc can do.
Thanks Phil,
Ill be using the vcarve version. I recently bought a Laguna CNC Turner. Are you using it for full 3D or 2.5D? Will it even do full 3D contouring? Im thinking it wont.
 
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Woodmolds

Tony
User
I use an older version of Aspire. I'm hoping to upgrade to the current version soon.
It is a very well thought out and executed program. It does everything I could want.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
Thanks Phil,
Ill be using the vcarve version. I recently bought a Laguna CNC Turner. Are you using it for full 3D or 2.5D? Will it even do full 3D contouring? Im thinking it wont.

I use Vectric Aspire. The VCarve version will do 3D carvings you import, but is limited in 3D creation/design. What do you mean by "3D contouring" as there are disagreements as to what 3D means :) in the CNC world.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I use Vectric Aspire. The VCarve version will do 3D carvings you import, but is limited in 3D creation/design. What do you mean by "3D contouring" as there are disagreements as to what 3D means :) in the CNC world.
when I say 3D contouring, I mean a true 3 axis simultaneous cut motion. Not a waterline Z move.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
when I say 3D contouring, I mean a true 3 axis simultaneous cut motion. Not a waterline Z move.

have to say I don't know what you mean by that. It cut's in all 3 axis at the same time on my ShopBot. 3D is a slow process, so I don't do much with it to be honest.
 

pcooper

Phillip Cooper
Corporate Member
when I say 3D contouring, I mean a true 3 axis simultaneous cut motion. Not a waterline Z move.

If you watch videos on the vectric site that feature aspire with the 3D modeling, then watch the same kinds of things in vcarve, you'll see the limitations in vcarve. You cannot create the full 3D model in vcarve like you can in apire. That, to me, is the major difference, but so far I've not gone that far in my cnc work. I do some 3D stuff, but not enough to jump $1300 for aspire over the vcarve price. For those that do a lot of 3D, the price is well worth what the software will do. The 3D model is like doing smooth transitions such as a model of an animal or face... not flat work where you're doing flat lines and only carving into the material where the lines are. Best to see the videos on vectric site for the best explanation, at least how I can explain it. :)
 

toolman

Administrator
Chad
I use Vcarve Pro as well. It is a good software package. As for as true 3D modeling Vcarve Pro works great for the $699, but if you need to do big time 3Ding then you will need to fork out $1995. As Phil said go to the Vectric site and check it out. ( https://www.vectric.com/ )
 

Stuart Kent

Stuart
Senior User
Chris, I use VCarve Pro and really like it. It is straight forward, easy to learn, and there are lots of good quality tutorials on Youtube. I continue to be surprised at how much they pack into it for the money.

Aspire is kind of a medium tier 3D system. It was really designed for low relief sign carving so it excels at those tasks - but don't look to it for really in depth modeling.

I am currently training with Autodesk on Fusion 360 with the Shopbot development team and I am really impressed with it as a CAD/CAM system for swoopy lumpy shapes (3D modeling). AD made the full version free from the very beginning, and they are keeping it free for personal use - which is really awesome. In other words, learn it/master it/use it for any amount of time and if/when you want to put into use for a business, then you can buy the commercial license. It is a hardcore modeling system with development and support at the same depth as the venerable AutoCAD - so there is a learning curve but there is serious horsepower under the hood.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
Chris, I use VCarve Pro and really like it. It is straight forward, easy to learn, and there are lots of good quality tutorials on Youtube. I continue to be surprised at how much they pack into it for the money.

Aspire is kind of a medium tier 3D system. It was really designed for low relief sign carving so it excels at those tasks - but don't look to it for really in depth modeling.

I am currently training with Autodesk on Fusion 360 with the Shopbot development team and I am really impressed with it as a CAD/CAM system for swoopy lumpy shapes (3D modeling). AD made the full version free from the very beginning, and they are keeping it free for personal use - which is really awesome. In other words, learn it/master it/use it for any amount of time and if/when you want to put into use for a business, then you can buy the commercial license. It is a hardcore modeling system with development and support at the same depth as the venerable AutoCAD - so there is a learning curve but there is serious horsepower under the hood.
Thanks Stuart, Im more concerned with CAM capabilities. I use Creo Parametric (previously known as Pro/Engineer) for the past 27 years full time. That amounts to over 50,000 hours....
 

Stuart Kent

Stuart
Senior User
Thanks Stuart, Im more concerned with CAM capabilities. I use Creo Parametric (previously known as Pro/Engineer) for the past 27 years full time. That amounts to over 50,000 hours....

totally understand that! I used Cabinet Ware (later 'Vision') on a Stiles built Northwood 5 x 10'. I miss the machine but not the software. I am really liking where Fusion is taking me, and the CAM side is just as comprehensive as the CAD side.
 

kevin waldron

New User
Kevin
Stuart,
I'v been involved with Autocad products since 1982... they never do anything for free..... at some point in time this will change. I've owned at least 4 products that have been dropped at some point in there line up because they bought another company out or they discontinued the products. Point Cloud being one, T-Splines another, and VSR another and you probably need to add Artcam as it changed ownership......... I'm sure that many of the features where imported into other parts or pieces of software or entirely dropped. Now the only way you can purchase the products is with a Subscriptions. Personally not going there........Last products that I owned licenses for were Revit and Autocad that I purchased in 2009........ I will do almost anything to avoid this companies produces now.

Phillip,
For the money Aspire is a great program but it is not a 3D program per say it only typically works with 180 degrees and most of the output is STL format. Most of the true 3D programs use Nurbs, Solids, or some other similar form of vectors or the like. Programs like Fusion 360, Turbocad, Rhinoceros, MasterCam, Solidworks, FormZ, Alibre Design, Vectorworks would be considered true 3D programs..... Cam packages would be programs like Mastercam, Rhinocam, Visual Cam, GeoMagic, MadCam and several other popular programs.

Personally use Rhinoceros an Rhinocam / MadCam for most intricate things involving 3d parts (do own 2 copies of Aspire but don't use this program for 3D parts..... use it for Cabinet work, signs, and 180 carvings)...........3D drawing use FormZ, Rhinoceros, Alibre Design and Vectorworks.
 

toolman

Administrator
Chad
I have use Autocad in the past and can use it if I have to, but at work we use Solidworks and I use it at home as well. Have not needed to program in 3D but have programed in 2.5D with Gibscam and I just got a CNC router and got the lasts version of VCarve Pro. Works good and not hard to learn.
 

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