Hey guys, I’m using Meshcam and testing Cambam. What’s your solutions for engraving jpegs, or adobe illustrator files? I’ve got the opportunity to do some company logo engraving for a company I deal with.
I have zero experience but the software by Vectric seems to be the best of breed.
Depends on what type of engraving you are looking to do. For v-bit I have used f-engrave which is free.
You can have a look at ArtClip3D (http://www.artclip3d.com). It imports pretty much anything including PNG, JPG, BMP, as well as vector files such as DXF, EPS, AI and 3D files like IGS, STL, 3DM… then you can generate toolpaths and send it in the native language format of your CNC machine. A direct SaaS trial is available on the website.
@ArtClip3D_Software how much does your software cost?
ArtClip3D is priced at $1490. It comes with all the features presented and illustrated in the Features page on the website, + a Full year of downloads to vectorclip3d, where thousands of 2D & 3D models are available. It is a complete CAD/CAM solution with models to start carving right away.
@ArtClip3D_Software awesome! Thanks for the information.
I was going to suggest you try inkscape. It’s free and should import the files you asked about + many more. You can then export as a more usable file type like dxf after turning your original image in to a vector based image; import file, convert to path(?), delete the original(or don’t), scale, export as dxf 12(?). There is a useful video on youtube about GiMP/Inkscape/PyCAM toolchain. 12 minutes or so of your time and you can make an initial decision about inkscape.
https://inkscape.org/en/
The best I ave found for that sort of thing is Vectric V-Carve Pro - at US$599 it is a third of the price of ArtClip3D - plus, the guy that writes Artclip is kinda a fucking douche.
Mike you should know that V-Carve Pro is unable to do any 3D and from there you should be able to do a better price comparison than talking about douche. ArtClip3D has been written by high skilled developers and does not look anything like Vectric or Delcam solutions proposed in the past. You get for this unique price of $1490 all what V-Carve can do + way more advanced 2D controls especially on nodes + 3D controls over STL files and polygon mesh surfaces + many industrial import and export formats + an advanced CAM proposing unlimited strategies to optimize your machining time + a FREE library of 2D and 3D models that you usually have to pay an average of $20 per item on third party websites. Do the math and if you are really serious in doing carving with a CNC you will see right away the savings adding up.
Vectric Aspire would be a more direct comparison at $1995. All are too rich for my blood as a hobbyist.
Aspire would be indeed a more direct comparison Nick.
You are offering a solution to a question not asked. The op asked for software to carve logos, something V-Carve does very well. You proposed your $1500 solution to a $500 problem, then argued yours was the better product because it did more than was required and was ‘better’ than Aspire because it’s $400 cheaper.
Perhaps you should address his question.
Wow lots of feedback, might use Kyles suggestion and use Inkscape to export to .dxf so I can then import to my existing two CAM programs.