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VCARVE PRO
FIGURE 7-2
Machine origin on a
ShopBot PRS Alpha
CNC router
process as well as the specific machine you’ll
be using. It’s best practice to always set up your
CAM files to correspond to the bed size, orien-
tation, and origin of the physical machine you’ll
be using to cut those files. This enables you to
machine with confidence, because you know
exactly where the tool will cut.
VCARVE PRO
After working with many CAM programs over
the years, we have grown to appreciate VCarve
Pro for many reasons. Created specifically for
CNC routing (not milling), it has a SketchUp
plug-in that allows smooth imports, but also
has the ability to open massive DXF files with
ease—never crashing or choking. VCarve excels
at creating and tracking the multiple toolpaths
necessary for machining the projects in this
book.
VCarve is widely used and easy for beginners to
learn, but full-featured enough for experts. In
addition, its interface changes very little
between software upgrades, and there’s a free
trial version available. The one drawback is that
it only runs on Windows. However, don’t let that
discourage you, as there are plenty of work-
arounds for Mac users (see “CAM Workarounds
for Mac OS” on page 168).
Currently, the VCarve Pro “trial” is actually a
limited version of the full software package. The
trial doesn’t expire, but you’re constrained to
saving your work in Vectric’s .CRV file format,
and you won’t be able to send the toolpaths
07/MODELING SOFTWARE TO MACHINE
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