Which Software?

Software
26

I’m relatively new to CNC with Vcarve, but have been using it for engraving much longer. You can’t go wrong with Vcarve Pro, but depending on your specific need, Vcarve Desktop might work just as well. If your bed is bigger than 24"x24", Pro is definitely the way to go. Not a problem for me. I’ve also looked at the gadget capability, but didn’t see anything in the gadget library that I really needed. You can upgrade Desktop or Pro to Aspire.

1 Like
27

Thanks, Larry. That gives me a lot to think about. I’ll still probably start out with Vcarve Pro, but the information you gave me opens a lot of other possibilities. The first time my son comes home after I get my machine set up we can play around with Rhino on his Mac. If I like it the education price for the PC version of Rhino is $128. Even if I have to buy another CAM program, it’s quite a bit less than Aspire and it’s still sophisticated enough for the pros at the university.

I read in another forum that the publisher of Rhino is picky about who gets their educational pricing. One person said that they called his principal and wanted to know how he would be using the software. Mecsoftis very uptight.

28

Jeff,

Yes, I have played around with Easel a little bit. It seems pretty easy to use and it will probably do much of what I want to do. From what I can tell (please correct me if I am wrong) it won’t do a lot of true 3d.

Buddy

29

@JamesMoore1 unless things have changed since I bought it, don’t buy it from McNeal & Associates. Get it here. Look at the bottom of the page for the educational discount terms.

https://novedge.com/mcneel/rhino-3d-student/products/2572

I have Vcarve PRO and Rhino 5. Vcarve PRO does not do 3D design.

2 Likes
31

Yes, Easel can import and send g-code to your machine for true 3D carving. But you can also do 2D design and CAM in it. I was curious if you had evaluated those capabilities, and, if so, what specific instances (aside from true 3D modeling) you felt it wouldn’t be adequate for?

Jeff

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32

Can Easel:

  • Do boolean operations on vectors? (union, difference, intersection)
  • Insert / remove nodes from a vector outline?
  • Specify bit settings per vector / group of vectors?
  • Support arbitrarily shaped bits (V-cutters, ball-nose bits, round-over bits)?
  • Perform offset / inset operations on vector outlines?
  • Use fonts installed on my system, interactively?

VCarve will do all of these, and quite a bit more. I’ve played with Easel a bit, and I assume that it’s aimed at inexperienced or casual users, so some of the limitations are intentional, but it’s worlds away from VCarve.

34

Jeff specifically asked: “But you can also do 2D design and CAM in it. I was curious if you had evaluated those capabilities, and, if so, what specific instances (aside from true 3D modeling) you felt it wouldn’t be adequate for?”

That was what I was addressing. Don’t get me wrong - it’s free, and that’s awesome because very little out there is.

And I honestly thought it did none of those things - I couldn’t find the ones you said “yes” for, and I looked for a while. Is there an advanced mode for the UI or something?

1 Like
35

I use Fusion 360 for free and, except for some performance kinks every once in a while, have no complains about it.
Took like 3-4 YouTube videos to get the general gist of it and like another half a dozen to iron out the odds and ends.
Though I’d have to mention that I’m already used to complex 3D Modelling Software so your mileage may vary.

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37

I really like this because this good make me know to handel

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I found node editing, but it only let me move nodes and handles - I couldn’t find a way to add or remove nodes to/from an existing shape. I’ll have to go look again.

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Jeff,

I don’t have a machine yet so I have not yet evaluated anything involving sending g-code, nor have I tried to import anything. I will play around with that. It’s good to know that I can use Easel to import g-code. Lack of true 3d modeling is the only area where I find Easel to be lacking for my purposes.

Buddy

41

From the docs: “At this point in time, you are unable to add points to an existing shape. However, you can delete points. If you need to delete a point, select the point and press the [delete] key on your keyboard.” The delete is handy, but it’s odd that there’s no facility to add points.

1 Like