What's New in VCarve Pro 8.5

Transcription

1 What's New in VCarve Pro 8.5 A quick start guide for VCarve Pro upgraders Copyright Vectric Ltd. Document V.1.0

2 Contents CONTENTS... 2 OVERVIEW... 3 ENHANCED & EXTENDED DRAWING TOOLS... 4 NEW TOOLPATH FEATURES... 7 ENHANCED & EXTENDED TOOLPATH FEATURES... 8 Moulding Toolpath Job Setup Sheet Editor MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENTS Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 2

3 Overview Welcome to the What s New document for the latest version of VCarve Pro. Please note that this document is intended for existing VCarve Pro customers who have recently upgraded to the latest version. As such, it only includes details of the incremental changes and enhancements to the previous version of the software. If you are new to VCarve Pro then this document probably isn t the one for you. Instead please take the time to watch the extensive supporting tutorial videos provided with VCarve Pro to help you get started. Once you are up and running, you will find the Help->Help Contents menu command will open a full electronic reference to every tool and feature in VCarve Pro. This document is broadly divided into three sections focusing on the main areas of VCarve Pro: Drawing, Modelling and Toolpaths. In each Section there are separate parts highlighting completely new tools, and a summary of enhancements and extensions to existing tools that you should already be familiar with. Finally, the Miscellaneous Improvements section documents the remaining minor changes that have been made, usually in response to specific customer feedback, to improve work flow and fix problems that have come to light since the previous release. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 3

4 Enhanced & Extended Drawing Tools This section details the improvements that have been made to features you will already be familiar with from earlier versions of VCarve Pro and includes the following: Clipping Region for Bitmap Vector Fitting Dimensioning and Snapping Filleting Improvements Extra Mirroring Options within the Linear Array Copy Form Clipping Region for Bitmap Vector Fitting When tracing a bitmap you can now select specific regions of the image that you wish to trace. To do this, ensure the bitmap is selected whilst in the Trace Bitmap Form and simply drag a box over the area you intend to trace. When you hit the Preview button vectors will be fitted only to areas of the Bitmap that are contained within the drag box area. If no box is specified then vectors will be fitted to the entire image as with previous versions of the software. Dimensioning and Snapping Further improvements have been made to the way you can create dimensions in the software. Previously Dimensions could only be snapped to vector geometry, you now have the ability to snap to guide lines as well as to the corners of your current job limits. Filleting Improvements Filleting has now been improved so that the corner filleting no longer only works between two straight line spans, you can now fillet between lines, arcs and (Bezier) curves allowing a lot more design flexibility. As with the previous version these entities need to be part of a single joined vector not separate entities. When a fillet is possible the fillet cursor will display a check-mark to show it s at a junction where a fillet can potentially be added, click to insert a fillet of the specified radius. An additional enhancement is the ability to fillet across multiple vector spans if the fillet will not fit on a single corner of two vector spans. In this case the software will look further along the shape and see if it s possible to fit a fillet of the specified radius. Please note than in the case of a fillet going across more than one span if you de-fillet it (fillet cursor shows and X mark) then it will just extend it with two straight lines, the software will not know what geometry was previously there. In this case you should undo the command rather than use the de-fillet option. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 4

5 Arc Span Vectors before Filleting Arc Span Vectors after Filleting Extra Mirroring Options within the Linear Array Copy Form New options to enhance the way you can create array copies of an object have been added to the Linear Array (Block Copy) form. You now have the ability to mirror objects. This allows for more advanced pattern making, by default the Symmetry area of the form is set so there is no mirroring. To alter the pattern you can simply click on of the four buttons (with the L shape) to step each corner through its four possible orientations. These will work in a mini-grid of the first four corner objects creates and then be propagated through the rest of the pattern based on the other settings. Default Block Symmetry Form Pattern Created Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 5

6 Horizontal Symmetry Applied to Row Above Pattern Created In addition to the Symmetry options you can also now move every other row or column by entering values in the Row/Column Displacement area of the form. For example entering a value for X will move the objects on the second row over by that distance then row three will retain the original position, row four will be moved and then every other row moved accordingly. Similarly entering a Y value will move every other column up (for a positive value) or down (for a negative value) and then again repeat this across the full array. Row Displacement of 1 Pattern Created Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 6

7 New Toolpath Features This latest version of VCarve Pro adds new toolpath strategies and features, which are fully documented in this section. These include: Moulding Toolpath Job Setup Sheet Editor Moulding Toolpath This powerful new tool allows you to create a toolpath directly from a drive rail and a profile, the result of machining the toolpath is the extrusion of the selected profile along the drive rail, making the process of creating mouldings, arches, borders or other constant cross-section shapes in VCarve Pro more efficient. Typically these types of toolpath would result in a better finish and quicker machining times than if you were to machine the equivalent 3D model. Job Setup Sheet Editor The new Job Setup Sheet Editor is a new Gadget which enables you to personalise the Job Setup Sheet. You can change the logo, title or color and add or remove what information is displayed allowing you to control how the sheet looks and personalize it to suit your particular use. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 7

8 Enhanced & Extended Toolpath Features This section details the improvements that have been made to features you will already be familiar with from earlier versions of VCarve Pro and includes the following: Scale Model Height from the Material Setup Form Retract on Stepover Deleting Multiple Toolpaths Undo Deleting Toolpaths Increased Preview Simulation Resolution Scale Model Height from the Material Setup Form This new addition to the Material Setup form allows you to scale the height of the Composite Model (all the visible components) without having to go back into the modeling tab to alter the Z height. To do this just press the Set button, the Scale Model Height form will appear allowing you to change the height. Enter a new value and then click the Apply button to update the Composite Model height. Hit the Close button to exit the Scale Model Height form and return to the Material Setup dialog. Retract on Stepover In the Finish Machining Toolpath Form, a Stepover Retract value can now be applied to the Offset Area Machine Strategy. If the value you enter is greater than 0 then the tool will retract (lift up) by the specified amount when moving between each pass in the toolpath, this can help to eliminate the perpendicular tool markings between toolpath contours to allow for the creation of a smoother finished part. Deleting Multiple Toolpaths It is now possible to Delete more than one toolpath at a time, previously you could only delete the selected toolpath. The new Delete options are available by Right clicking on a toolpath in the Toolpath List. From the drop-down you will see an option to Delete clicking on this presents you with four options; Delete This, Delete All Invisible, Delete All Visible and Delete All as shown in the image below. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 8

9 Delete This will delete the toolpath you right clicked on. Delete All Invisible will delete any toolpaths that currently are unchecked in the Toolpath List and therefore invisible. Delete All Visible will delete any toolpaths with their check-boxes checked from the Toolpath List. Delete All will delete all the toolpaths in the toolpath list. Note: When deleting toolpaths from the Right-Click menu you will not be prompted Are you sure you want to delete this toolpath?, however you do now have the option to Undo the Delete operation if it is a mistake (see below for more info on this). Undo Deleting Toolpaths It is now possible to Undo or Redo the deletion of one or more toolpaths. To do this you can go to the Edit drop down menu after deleting a toolpath and select the Undo Delete Toolpath option from the list, use the Undo and Redo icons in the File Operations area on the Drawing Tab or use the short-cut keys on the keyboard; Ctrl+Z to Undo and Crtl+Y to Redo. The software will put the undeleted toolpath back into the original position in the Toolpath List. Increased Preview Simulation Resolution We have enhanced the quality you can achieve with the Toolpath Preview; there are now five options to choose from; Standard, High, Very High, Extremely High and Maximum. These can be adjusted by going to the Toolpaths drop-down menu and selecting the Preview Simulation Quality option from the list. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 9

10 Standard, High and Very High are equivalent to Standard, High and Best from previous versions of the software. Very High doubles the number of pixels in the Preview Model from the High setting and Maximum doubles this number again. As the underlying model used for the Preview is based on the number of points (pixels) in it, these higher options will offer more detail, this is particularly useful when working with smaller parts on larger sheets of material. Note: Using the higher options will result in reduced simulation speed for the toolpath preview, there is a rough guide to the speed penalty you should expect in the form indicating how much slower it may be relative to the Standard option, the actual results though will depend on the performance of your computer. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 10

11 Moulding Toolpath This icon opens up the Moulding Toolpath Form. This form is used to create a toolpath from a drive rail and a profile. The result of machining the toolpath is the extrusion of the selected cross-section profile along the pre-selected drive rail. Although strictly speaking the result of this is a 3D shape because it does not use a 3D model it is classified as a 2.5D Toolpath. Drive Rail Selection The first stage of creating a toolpath is to select a vector which will represent the Drive Rail. From the 2D view, use the mouse to select the open or closed vector and then click the Use Selection button from the Moulding Toolpath form. In the 2D view your rail vector will now be colored orange and will show a green square indicating the start point, along with arrows along the vector showing you the direction. The direction and start point may not be what you intended, you can change the direction (and start point location on an open vector) by right clicking in the 2D View on the vector and choosing Reverse Rail. The Clear Rail button on the form can be used at any time to empty your current selection; this will deselect the drive rail and if already selected the cross section too. This can be used if you want to change the selection without exiting the form. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 11

12 Cross Section Selection After you have chosen your drive rail the next step is to select a cross section that will be swept around the drive rail to create the moulding. The cross section needs to be an open shape in order for this to work. To select a cross section click on the appropriate vector in 2D View and it will turn orange as with the drive rail, arrows and a green square will appear on it. In addition the drive rail will now have red lines shown on it. These indicate the side of the vector that the shape will be swept along. If this is not correct you will need to reverse the drive rail vector as documented in the previous section. The arrows and green square on the cross section indicate the direction and the start point. The start point of the cross section will be attached to the start point of the drive rail. If you need to change the start point of the cross section you can do so by selecting the cross section with a right click and choose to Reverse Profile as shown in the image below. Doing this will change the arrow direction and move the green square and also change which end of the cross section is effectively hung on the drive rail when the toolpath is created. Note: On a closed vector shape the cross section profile will always be hung on the outside of the shape, it is not possible to change this to the inside so your drive rail vector should always represent the inside edge of the border/frame shape you are creating a toolpath for. Clicking the Reverse Rail option on a closed vector drive rail will change the direction that the toolpath is created in. oolpath Position You now need to determine the toolpath position within the material. The Z Height of the toolpath is determined by the height of the selected cross section. You can interactively Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 12

13 position the toolpath by pulling on the slider or you can enter exact values in the edit boxes. Note: If the cross section you have selected is higher than the material thickness then you will need to change your material thickness in the material setup form to accommodate the profile height, or exit the form and edit the height of the cross section vector you are using to create the Moulding Toolpath to fit within the material block. Selecting a Tool The next step in this form is to select a tool to finish cut the moulding shape. This would typically be a ballnose or tapered ballnose tool but that may vary depending on the shape you plan to cut. To select a tool use the Select button to access the Tool Data Base. If the tool you require is already shown as the selected tool, you can use the Edit option to check and/or modify the tool settings for this particular toolpath. Note: The generated toolpath will follow the shape and direction of drive rail vector. At the end of an open vector it will lift by at least the stepover distance, step over and then come down to the surface again, returning along the vector in the opposite direction, this small lift is designed to avoid leaving connecting marks on the surface of the part and so improve the potential finish quality. On a closed vector after completing a pass the length of the vector it will lift, step-over, return the tool to the profile shape and continue cutting in the same direction this direction can be reversed by right clicking the drive rail vector and using the Revers Rail option to change the direction of the arrows on the vector. Close up of calculated toolpath shows lifts at ends of an example created with an open drive rail Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 13

14 Preview of toolpath created from cross section and drive rail shown on the previous page. Vary Step Over Typically the Stepover value specifies the horizontal distance that the tool with step over and this is projected onto the 3D model. Checking the Vary Step Over option will instead adjust the step over based on the shape of the cross section profile vector rather than just projecting the standard pattern down Z. In cases where there are steeply curved, angled or near vertical edges this should result in passes that are closer together, in most situations this will improve the finish quality but also potentially increase the machining time. Image on left shows toolpath calculated with standard Stepover, toolpath on right shows the same shape with the Vary Step Over option checked. Skip Flat Regions This choice will only become available when the option is checked to Machine Flat Regions when using the Larger Area Clearance Tool in the next section of the form. When this is active the software will look to identify flat areas of the cross section profile that can be machined with the larger tool. If these regions are detected and Skip Flat Regions is also checked then the finish tool Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 14

15 will avoid re-machining those flat areas as in most cases they should already have been completely finished by the Larger Area Clearance Toolpath. Finish toolpath calculated with Skip Flat Regions avoids machining these areas if the Larger Area Clearance tool can fit and is selected Use Larger Area Clearance Tool If this option is selected, then two tools are used to cut the shape. In effect the Larger Area Clearance Tool is similar to a 3D Z Level Roughing toolpath and would be cut first. It will use the tool parameters to generate multiple depth 2D pockets following the direction of the selected rail to clear away excess material. This should be used if the material is too deep and/or hard to cut directly with your selected finishing tool. As documented above and below using this option with a flat shaped tool can also be very beneficial to the machining time and finish on cross section profile shapes with flat/horizontal regions. Machine Flat Regions If this option is checked then the software will try to detect flat/horizontal areas in the cross section profile. If the specified Larger Area Clearance Tool can fit into these areas then they will be machined as part of the roughing operation. When using a flat tool this should give both a superior finish and also help to reduce the cutting time. Having this option checked will also allow you to choose the option Skip Flat Regions in the finish tool section which will stop the secondary toolpath from re-cutting these areas. Note: This option will override the Machining Allowance value in the flat areas of the shape to ensure they are machined to the correct depth and not left with additional material on. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 15

16 Areas shown by the arrows would be pre-finished during the Larger Area Clearance Tool stage if Machine Flat Regions is checked Ramp Plunge Moves The Larger Area Clearance Tool can be ramped over the specified distance instead of plunging vertically into the part. For some tool types and shapes, this approach can reduce the heat build-up that may damage the cutter and also reduces the load on the spindle and z axis bearings. Machining Allowance The machining allowance is a virtual thickness which is added to the moulding profile when the Use Large Area Clearance Tool is calculated. This ensures that the toolpath leaves some extra material on the part cut with a larger tool. This is beneficial for two reasons, the first, is that when the larger area clearance tool is used, it tends to be done with a relatively large tool with aggressive cuts and so is more prone (depending on the material) to chip, the skin left by the Machining Allowance helps to prevent chipping the finished surface. The second reason is that most tools cut well when they are constantly removing material. Therefore leaving an allowance of material on ensures that there is always some material left for the finish toolpath to remove with the smaller tool. Note: If you have the option selected to Machine Flat Regions the Machining Allowance will only be applied to the other areas of the cross section profile, on the detected flat regions the software will cut down to the actual surface and ignore the Machining Allowance value within those areas ensuring that they are cut to the thickness specified by the cross section profile vector. When you use the option to Use Larger Area Clearance Tool, the software will calculate two toolpaths, the first will have [Clear] in its name to differentiate the two, [Clear] being the toolpath associated with the Use Larger Area Clearance Tool and the other, is the finish toolpath using the smaller tool. The [Clear] toolpath should be run first on the machine. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 16

17 Create Sharp Corners This option can be checked when working with rails that have sharp corners, allowing you to force the software to try and emulate these in the Moulding toolpath. Below you can see the effect of checking this option on a closed vector shape with the standard corners option on the left showing the toolpath rolling around the shape edge and the Sharp Corners option on the left where it has forced mitre style corners in the machined shape. Moulding Toolpath Create Sharp Corners Un-Checked Moulding Toolpath - Create Sharp Corners Checked Boundary Offset This option can be used to force the toolpath to cut past the edge of the part that is parallel to the drive curve vector. By default the center of the tool will go to the edge of the ends of the selected profile vector as its extruded along the drive rail. It may be desirable to extend this distance to either force the tool down the edge of profile shape with vertical or steep edges or to ensure the toolpath has gone far enough past the edge to cleanly cutout the final shape with a profile toolpath. The value entered for the Boundary Offset will force the tool past the ends by the specified amount. As such if you want to ensure a vertical or very steep edge at your profile ends is machined you will need to specify a value which is at least the radius of your tool plus a small additional amount (say an additional 10% of the radius). For example if you are using a 0.25 (6mm) diameter ballnose tool for the finish cut then you would specify a minimum of 0.15 (3.6mm) (= tool radius + 10%) to ensure the tool would be forced down the edges of your shape. If you wanted to ensure the roughing had also been able to machine these areas then the value should be based on your Larger Area Clearance Tool size instead. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 17

18 With no Boundary Offset the toolpath will not cut down the front and back vertical faces of the shape With a Boundary Offset value specified you can see the toolpath cuts over the edges Note: The Boundary Offset value will only extend the toolpath past the edges of the shape that are parallel to the Drive Rail vector. If you have an open Drive Rail vector then the toolpath will always stop at the ends. If you planned to cut out the shape then you may want to extend the drive rail vector to add length to the toolpath in that direction as well as specifying a Boundary Offset. Name The name of the toolpath can be entered or the default name can be used. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 18

19 Job Setup Sheet Editor The Job Setup Sheet Editor is a gadget which enables you to personalise the existing Job Setup Sheet that you can generate from the Toolpaths Menu. You can access the gadget from the Gadgets drop down menu. Change Logo To change the logo from the default Vectric logo, press the Browse.. button. This will open a dialog box enabling you to search your local computer for images to select. Images in landscape are better suited as they will be scaled down to W165 x H52 pixels. Images must either be JPG, PNG or GIF file format. Title To change the default title of Job Setup Sheet, enter the desired title in the edit box. Color options There are two options to change the color of the Header & Footer blocks, you can either: 1. Point and click the mouse in the colored edit box, this will bring up the color selector, select a color and then click anywhere outside of the selector to accept this. 2. Type a colors hex value directly into the edit box. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 19

20 Add or Remove Setup Sheet Information Each of the 5 sections of the Job Sheet can either be included or removed to display as much information as required. The image to the left, represents a default Job Sheet which includes the following 5 sections: Job Layout Job Notes Material Setup Toolpaths Summary Individual Toolpath Summaries Restore to default sheet Upon first successful run of this gadget, it will detect if you have already created a modified version of the Job Setup Sheet within the public gadgets directory, if so it will backup this Gadget so you could, if required restore it at a later date. If no modified gadget is found, it will backup the software default Job Setup Sheet so you have a copy if you want to revert back to the standard layout at a later date. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 20

21 Miscellaneous Improvements This section details the improvements that have been made to features you will already be familiar with from earlier versions of VCarve Pro and includes the following: Animating The 3D View SVG Import SketchUp 2016 Option for Specifying Number of Entries in Recently Opened List Animating The 3D View When working within the 3D view, movements between the four set viewing directions in the 3D view are now animated. This means you ll see a transition of movement when you select a new direction to go from Along X, Along Y, Along Z or Isometric. On some computers this may impact performance so it is possible to toggle this setting to revert to the old behaviour. To switch this on/off, go to the Edit Menu and select Options, under the 3D View Settings click on Animate Camera Moves and select Yes or No from the drop down arrow as appropriate. SVG Import SVG files can now be imported into VCarve Pro using the Import Vectors from a File icon or File - Import - Import Vectors option from the drop-down menu. This function will only import standard vector objects from an SVG file and is unable to import text entities so these will be ignored. To import all data from an SVG file the text/number would need to be converted to curves in a design program before export. SketchUp 2016 The direct 2D import for *.skp (native SketchUp software files) has now been updated to support the SketchUp 2016 file format. Vector data from this file type can be imported through the Import Vectors from a File icon or the File - Import - Import Vectors option from the drop-down menu. Option for Specifying Number of Entries in Recently Opened List You now have the option to increase the number of Recently Opened Files in the list on the left hand pane of the start-up screen; previously this was limited to only showing the most recent four files. To alter this value, click on the Edit drop-down menu and choose Options, scroll down the list and look for the Recent File List Size value, found under General Settings. Change the value to increase or reduce the number of items shown. Note that this will not take effect until you have exited and re-started the software. Initially there will not be any more entries after you re-start the software until you have either opened or saved more files to populate it further. In addition make sure not to pick a value too large to fit all the entries onto your monitor screen and still access the other links. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 21

22 Gadget Shortcuts It is now possible to set a shortcut to run a chosen gadget from the list of gadgets. To set the gadget shortcuts select the Gadget Shortcuts button from the Gadgets menu. You may then assign one of the predefined shortcut keys to run a chosen gadget. The available shortcut keys are Ctrl and a function key. Copyright 2015 Vectric Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Page 22