Anybody use vector graphic drawing software you are fond of?
I’m on Windows and importing to Fusion 360 and Vcarve, but this can be a general discussion on vector graphic software.
Inkscape vs. Illustrator?
I use an older version of Illustratror CS5 (you can get CS5 or CS6 on eBay cheap ~$160) and it works great for anything I design, not just CNC but art projects, Laser work etc. After CS6 they went to the online pay crap so do not get aything beyond that unless you like monthly fees. 
-Alex
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I don’t do much vector stuff but have used Inkscape a few times in the past. It open source (free).
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I’m a big fan of Affinity Designer for vector design.
(I use it on both Windows and Mac, though haven’t tried the tablet versions)
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Another vote for Affinity Designer, great product at a very reasonable price.
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Another vote for Affinity Designer. Reasonably priced. I do wish it had better DXF support but SVG works well enough for sharing with other programs.
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Do you know if the new version of AD has “Pathfinder” tools yet (or equivalent)? I looked at AD ~2 years ago and almost made the switch but that feature was still in their backlog and I use it in Illustrator all the time.
-Alex
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You mean this, do you?
The ability to add/substract/intersect and otherwise combine shapes. It’s in.
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Indeed, DXF support would be useful. However so far I have been able to work around it by using one of the many free online converters from DXF to SVG.
Awesome, I just purchased both Designer and Photo… so I’ll give them the learning curve they deserve.
-Alex
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For what it’s worth, I have been using Vectornator on my iPad pro. I understand that there is also a version for Mac. Both are free. I have us d adobe illustrator in the past. So far I have been designing my cnc cabinet build and have been impressed. For our purposes in the cnc world, I think it may be a very viable option.
I’ve been using Adobe Illustrator for about 20 years now. I also use InkScape occasionally. I like Illustrator and can do pretty much anything that I need to on it. I’ve always struggled with InkScape though, it just doesn’t feel very intuitive to me though I can usually make it do what I need it to after some fumbling/Googling.
I decided to try Affinity Designer after reading all of the recommendations in this thread. All I can say is Wow! This is some great software!
I used it on a project for work this morning and it just felt very comfortable, like I had been using it for years. There were a few times that I had to consult the Affinity help page (which is also quite excellent) but mostly I was able to figure it all out easily. I realize there are probably some features that Illustrator has that Designer doesn’t but I didn’t come across any that I needed this morning. It felt like the work I had to do this morning was easier done on Designer.
So, as you may have guessed I am switching to Designer! I bought all three of their applications and several of their brush and overlay packs. They are having a 50% off sale at the moment, so it’s a great time to pick it up if you need it. They also have a 90 day free trial.
Thanks for the great tip!
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Been using Inkscape and always seem to fumble through. Just bought Designer to give it a go.
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I used to recommend Inkscape hands down, but the performance on the Mac with the last couple released has been so bad I can’t recommend it anymore (windows should be fine). I’ve switched to Affinity Designer and recommend it wholeheartedly - currently on sale fo $25. I still use both since Affinity is not as feature rich as Inkscape, but it is way faster.
-Tom
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I’ve been using Corel draw and AutoCAD for decades and have dabbled with Inkscape. My older version of Corel has served me well with my cnc designs.
Can anyone explain the workflow benefit to using digital art software (Illustrator, Corel, Affinity etc) as your design start-point rather than just creating in Vectric or Carveco Maker?
I played around with Vectric and got a bit of a feel for it, but since I’d like to take advantage of the full cutting area the Onefinity offers, I decided to move over to Carveco as the subscription quite reasonable for someone just starting out.
I took a look at Affinity as it’s been recommended quite a bit here, but I’m not entirely sure I need both? I suppose it depends on the project.
I have subscriptions to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for all of my different workstations. CorelDRAW has been my go-to vector graphics software for running my laser machines, for sandcarving designs, sublimation and even doing some design work for mechanical engraving. Once I get my 1F set up I have no doubt CorelDRAW will be providing me all the design features I need to create great vector graphics for CNC work. If you are using your 1F machine to generate an income you need to live on, I suggest investing in software like this that doesn’t bog down or limit your creativity.
If I’m designing from scratch, I draw directly in the CAD software (Fusion 360 in my case). But when designing from an existing drawing, the more advanced workflow in Affinity Designer is helpful to cleanup/prep/edit the art. Not to mention that Affinity Designer imports more file formats.
Concrete examples, the mounting arm was drawn completely in Fusion 360. Conversely, I’ve been working on a layered design of a cat (stl, 311KB). I downloaded the original art of the cat and did a lot of post-processing in Affinity Designer. The drawing tools in Fusion 360 were too limiting.
Depends on the project really, having options is helpful.
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Eric - perhaps my digital design video will help explain the workflow?
Hey,
I am using Corel PaintShop. It is the best drawing software for windows.