I’ve been playing with Maker to make simple tool paths and so far haven’t had any luck generating the simplest tool path. I keep getting error messages saying you have intersecting vectors or overlapping vectors when none are visible. Several features of the drawing does not work, such as the fillet option. It will say radius too large or the lines cannot be parallel, when obviously they are not. The snip feature will not work to trim vectors. I’m finding this very frustrating. Is this why most people use VCarve?
You need to spend some time on Carveco’s website in the tutorials section. Most of these problems are covered in there. Its definitely not the simplest software to use but it is pretty poweerful when you know how to use it.
Hit the vector doctor turorial first to see why you are getting intersecting vectors and how to fix them.
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This for sure. It even has intersections in vectors that Carveco created itself. Dumb.
I had TONS of intersections in a pretty detailed .svg I imported. The highlight marks from vector doctor basically covered the whole design. I threw it back into Lightburn, welded the shapes, and reopened in Carveco. One intersection and vector doctor fixed it automatically.
I am getting my year’s worth out of Carveco because I just can’t take my wallet out again this soon after purchasing my machine, but it’s days are numbered.
During my wait to receive the machine I tried out both Carveco and Vcarve and I like vectric waaaaaaaaay better. If/when you decide to make the switch, it is actually cheaper to buy Vcarve from 1F than directly on vectric’s site (??)
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My year with Carveco is almost up. It does have a pretty steep learning curve but once you understand the teminology and order of operations it gets easier. Still jot sure if i am gling to renew or try something else.
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No matter which software you choose, there will be something about it that you hate. I look at software like a Leatherman multi-tool. Sure it can do lots of things, but it’s not really that great at any one thing.
Rather than trying to find a package that does everything you want, the way you want it to, it’s better to have a toolbox than expect a Leatherman to handle everything. As Mr. Krag suggested, using lightburn for vector editing is also my preferred way. Lightburn can do so many things, SO much easier and faster than any cad/cam software that I’ve seen when it comes to vector manipulation. Of course, this is one man’s opinion. I would GLADLY pay for lightburn even if I didn’t have a laser. I use 5 different software packages and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
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While Maker is a powerful tool for creating tool paths and CNC machining, it may have some limitations or bugs that can cause these issues. VCarve, on the other hand, is a popular software known for its user-friendly interface and robust features for creating tool paths, especially for woodworking and similar applications.
Many people prefer using VCarve because of its reliability, ease of use, and comprehensive tool path generation capabilities. It may be worth considering switching to VCarve if you continue to encounter persistent issues with Maker that impact your workflow and productivity.
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“…if you continue to encounter persistent issues with Maker that impact your workflow and productivity.”
This wasn’t an issue with Carveco. Some people like Ford, some people like Chevy. Ford is not a lesser vehicle because the button for the heated seats is in a different place than most people think it should be.
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I’ve been working with it some more and still can’t even make a simple sign without 52 problems arising. The vector doctor is no help as it only puts little circles around non problems, and the “fix” button is grayed out. I’ve watched the videos over and over, and my version does not work like in the tutorial. I did not get a library of 3d vectors, nor will it download any more. I am convinced this is either corrupted or just plain crap.
“I am convinced this is either corrupted or just plain crap.”
If these are the only two possibilities, then there is nothing more that can be done.
I find creating vectors in Carveco Maker very frustrating. I don’t do anything fancy with vectors though - just creating regions for relief machining mainly. You do have to be careful about what settings are selected by default when executing a command, like offsetting a vector for instance. No matter how hard I try, most of the time I end up with some errors, usually because mysteriously extra vectors ended up on the layer and I can’t figure out how. If the vector doctor (which I have not used) is highlighting a particular area, there actually may be something wrong there. One thing I do is delete a vector just to see if there a second one underneath it. You can alway Ctrl-Z (undo) if there isn’t one.