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We currently sell V-Carve Pro and you can get a big discount on it if you buy it with a machine. I see several people discussing V-Carve Desktop. This is a lower cost version targeted at light duty, non-production machines. It is limited to 24" x 24" work area.
Pro Adds these features.
Unlimited physical job or toolpath size (no 25” x 25” limit)
True Shape Nesting to optimize toolpath times & minimize material waste
Toolpath Templates to automate & re-use your toolpath strategies
Job Setup Sheets to automatically detail the required machine setup for each job
Merge Toolpaths to optimize cutting paths & minimise air moves
Scripting support to add your own custom functionality or to automate repetitive processes
Access to the Gadget library of downloadable plugins
Plate Layout to insert external data lists into your job designs
Rotary Axis – Wrapping support
Pro Retails for $699 Desktop retails for $349
Should we add this as a product? We can discount it a little if you buy it with a machine. Do you think people will be disappointed or confused that it only does 24" x 24" even though the 1000mm X-Carve work area is larger?
I would love to hear what people think. As we say at Inventables, should we Carry it or Bury It?
For the price difference I can (and did) accept the 24x24 work area. It would be very unusual for me to ever need to carve anything bigger than 24x24. That is why the standard 500x500 SO2/X-Carve was perfect for me.
I know that as someone who is learning to use the machine, the Vcarve software has allowed me to do things that I had previously thought impossible. So in my opinion you should certainly offer the desktop version if possible. The satisfaction and usefulness of the X-Carve is really enhanced when it’s true capabilities are unlocked.
I also went with Desktop. It might not allow the entire space of the big X-carve to be used, but it’d work the full capability of the small one. Also, for the price difference, I can live with a two-foot-square limitation. The rest of the Pro features seem to be mostly production-oriented stuff, with the nesting and speed improvements that I don’t really need anyway.
Plus, 95%+ of the stuff I do is smaller than 12" square anyway.
also keep in mind that vcarve desktop allows tiling which means you can carve a larger project in sections
basically for instance if you have a sign that is 36x20 you can set the project up in vcarve desktop where it splits it into 2 seperate projects. you would run one project that would carve half the board (or up to 24") and then move the workpiece over and carve the other half
nesting is a nice feature but you can do it manually
Yep. As long as you’re not going for production volume and ultimate efficiency (I’m not) then it would seem that Desktop is a better way to go. At least for me, and my uses. So far, I’ve been incredibly pleased with it. I’ve done several runs now, and it’s really very impressive! I need a better bit for it (come on, UPS, MOVE!) but even with the one from the hardware store, I’m impressed.
I think the most useful aspect of the V-carving as opposed to carving with a straight cutter ala-Easel is that the corners of your letters are much more robustly supported. That is to say, the inside “point” in, say, a capital “A” won’t shatter and crumble with a V-carve the way it will with a straight-bit carve. It makes my signs look a lot better, not to mention just plain cooler!
That’s true! I had to step it down quite a bit from defaults, though, with the stock spindle. V-Carve was driving it fast enough that I was getting all kinds of tear out in pine. In another wood, it might work better. Overall, I’m REALLY pleased. The lettering just looks a lot better.
I’m also stepping up to mounting my 611 on it now that the mount is available, which should really help.
I will go for the desktop version if the inventables discount is good, as a hobbyist the price matter, moreover I am not making any profit out of the carving.
I was digging in my heels about any software I would have to pay for until I worked with VCarve Desktop trial version intensely for several days. I bought the Desktop version a few days ago. If I decide I want the additional capability of Pro, the upgrade is only the price difference.
I think it’s a good idea to carry V-Carve Desktop as well as Pro if you can. Most will go for Desktop if price is an issue and you’ll probably get more volume with that product.
I went ahead and ordered V-Carve Pro with my machine for both the price discount with a machine purchase and the ability to grow my projects as I get more familiar with CNC carving.
The price seems a bit stiff at first, but think of the price of tooling and the software is just another tool.
The right software can make your life much easier and your carving experience much less frustrating.
How much? We know you are not going to say how many total, but it would be really interesting to see the percentage of 500 vs. 1000. is it like 5%, 10%?
I also assumed the 500 would be more popular. One of the primary reasons I bought the x-carve was because IT IS EXPANDABLE. It seemed like the 500 would be easier during the “learning” stage. If I discover that the 500 is too small, for a MINOR investment, I can go to the 1000.
Carry it. But offer the discount to those who want to check out the demo before committing. You might also offer the discount to those who have bought ShapeOko 2s or X-Carves but the price of the Pro version was just more than they were willing to commit to at the time of purchase.
Carry it. You’ll give users a bargain on what may be the best CNC software out there, and they can still pay just the retail price difference to move up to the Pro versions or Aspire later if they want.
We know you are not going to say how many total, but it would be really interesting to see the percentage of 500 vs. 1000. is it like 5%, 10%?