Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi guys
I get requests for custom engraving on rare occasion and wondering if there is some software out there for CNC engraving. I'm needing something in script/cursive.
I've done this in Autocad in the past but it's very time consuming. I looked at Deskengrave but I believe it's only block type font.
Thanks for any help.

I've tried Vcarve Pro by vectric and it does a bang up job on that sort of thing. The rub is it's $600.

The free eval lets you post code for I think 30 days so it's worth trying out.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I haven't used either of these functions yet but VisualMill can both engrave and V-carve.

See the examples midway down the page.

http://www.mecsoft.com/GalleryMILL.shtml

I actually downloaded the trial because I wasn't entirely satisfied with the results I ws getting from visual mill.

I did a comparison between the two and Vcarve just had smoother tool paths than VM did which resulted in a better cut. If I decide to branch out into stuff that uses a lot of engraving such as sign making etc, I'll probably pick it up.

It's possible that with a perfectly rigid machine it wouldn't make a difference but at least with mine (which is pretty stout) you can see a difference in the cuts.

_________________
http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I use VCarve Pro for almost all of my 2D stuff, and it works great. Much easier for some operations than Rhino, and its toolpaths are good. For example, I've attached a picture of the back of one of my banjo rims. The dowelstick (the neck attachment pole going down the middle of the rim) is engraved with a serial number and maker's information using VCarve. Also, the resonator back including texturing was done with VCarve. I use VCarve to cut inlays and even for cutting flat banjo fingerboards, inlay pockets fret slots and all. I've also used VCarve for making amplifier panels and things like that. VCarve works with Vectric's PhotoVCarve to allow some pretty nice 3D work from photos as well (carvings, lithophanes, etc.)

Nice product.

Dave

Oh yeah, a couple of other things I do with VCarve. I cut banjo bridges, and I make wood printing blocks for my labels/business cards/etc. I print them on a small engraving press like I would regular hand-cut blocks...

Dave

That's some neat stuff, Dave.

I'm looking at VCarve Pro Trial Edition now and trying to figure out how to create the tool path and Gcode after drawing some text.
What's the next step?

There is a toolpath tab that you open on the right hand part of the screen--select the vectors for the text, then use either the V Carve toolpath (if you want relief text) or the profile toolpath with the "on the line" option selected for engraved text--use a small V bit as the tool, and set the depth fairly shallow. Then you just hit the "Calculate" button, and it will generate the G Code. There's a good preview function too. If you like the results in the preview, you can save the G Code by selecting the icon that looks like a floppy disk. You have to choose which post processor you want from a drop down list.

There are several good tutorials on the Vectrix site that cover a lot of VCarve's functionality.

Dave

Okay, got the toolpath figured out but the "Save Toolpath to File" button is grayed out.
Are you sure the demo version will actually create the Gcode file?
I was under the impression that it would only do Vectric's sample files.

Oh yeah--forgot about that part with the demo. You can't open files created in the demo with a licensed copy either, so generating G code out of the demo except with modified versions of their demos won't work.

It is possible though to do pretty major modifications to their files and save the code--I believe you can take their demo sign, for instance, and change the size of the font, and even change it from a V carved toolpath to an engraved type path and save G code. I could be wrong about that though--I've had a licensed copy for quite a while now and can't remember much about the demo version....

Dave