pedro
New Member
Posts: 84
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Post by pedro on Mar 18, 2022 9:15:22 GMT -5
I only used Vcarve so far and I feel comfortable creating toolpath, our from scratch, or from a picture, etc.
Recently I started to use some 3D model, and I really like it. I even purchased one from M&D, and love how they turn out.
Question, how difficult is it to model your own 3D files? I know one needs to have Aspire (is there any other option, i.e. cheaper?), but then with the software, how hard is it to learn it?
Interested in some first hand experiences.....
thans
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Post by grossmsj on Mar 18, 2022 9:59:51 GMT -5
It's not too bad. Maybe a 6 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being impossible). But it does take a while and there will be times that you are frustrated. I found Fusion360 hard at first but came to love a lot of things about it (especially parametric modeling). It's pretty expensive to get a one year subscription, but you can use an almost fully functional free version if you are not a commercial shop.
Aspire has all kinds of things that really let you be expressive. I now use rail sweeps a lot. I just could not wrap my head around them at first, but it's worth banging it against a wall for the utility sweeps gives you. Very powerful.
The other thing that you need to get good at (IMHO) is editing Bezier curves. I sort of look at that as a fundamental of 'drawing' things with Aspire beyond just combining simple geometric shapes. It is also a bit tricky, but once one gets the hang of it you use it a lot.
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Post by dadealeus on Mar 18, 2022 11:34:18 GMT -5
I only used Vcarve so far and I feel comfortable creating toolpath, our from scratch, or from a picture, etc. Recently I started to use some 3D model, and I really like it. I even purchased one from M&D, and love how they turn out. Question, how difficult is it to model your own 3D files? I know one needs to have Aspire (is there any other option, i.e. cheaper?), but then with the software, how hard is it to learn it? Interested in some first hand experiences..... thans
I agree with what grossmsj said. I exclusively used Fusion 360 for around 3 years when I got my Axiom machine and then eventually purchased Aspire. I was making a lot of outdoor signs for a large client and Vectric made certain things that are difficult to do in Fusion 360 a snap.
For example, making v-carved lettering that only cuts down to a certain depth, regardless of letter size - super easy in Vectric, but not so much in Fusion 360.
3D textures are also effortless in Aspire. You can literally take a black and white image, load it in, and it will generate a heightmap out of it.
Like grossmsj said, Aspire is good for artsy stuff. If you need precision, Fusion 360 is the way to go.
Fusion 360 does have a substantial learning curve, but is incredibly powerful. For example, I can make a model for a shelf that will be made of 3/4" plywood. I very quickly model up the back, then the top, bottom, sides, and a shelf. Then I can take that to the CAD side and with a single command, the program will lay all my pieces flat so they can be cut on a CNC machine.
Additionally, I can then come back and just change a couple of numbers to adjust things like the width, height, depth, of the shelf; the number of shelves; the thickness of the wood I'm using - etc. All without having to design a new file. That's the parametric modeling feature. It basically records every action you take in order as a snapshot. This allows you to go back to any one of those actions and change it and then the file rebuilds all the subsequent actions you took with the new changes you made - generating the final object without you having to re-do all those steps manually each time you make a change.
Finally, all of your files are stored "in the cloud" - so you can access them from anywhere that you have Fusion 360 installed.
The only real downside of Fusion is the cost. They also hide some pretty cool stuff behind further paywalls (like some 4th axis CAM functions). -but I've used it for years and it just keeps getting more powerful.
If you're looking to sort of sketch 3-D stuff instead (organic shapes that are not easily described by length/width/height - like a flower, or an abstract spiral design), Aspire is probably the way to go.
If you want to get really advanced, you can use something like Z-Brush, export your mesh, and then carve it in either Fusion or Aspire. Here's an example of a face I made in Z-Brush with a fabric sheet covering it as a test. I then exported the mesh and imported it into Aspire to make the cuts:
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pedro
New Member
Posts: 84
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Post by pedro on Mar 18, 2022 13:26:28 GMT -5
Thanks Guys. I will keep consuming models from others until I master the 3D cutting art (the lingo, terms, etc.) but will want in the mid term to dive into modelling them myself. Great info you are giving me here, thanks! If you want to get really advanced, you can use something like Z-Brush, export your mesh, and then carve it in either Fusion or Aspire. Here's an example of a face I made in Z-Brush with a fabric sheet covering it as a test. I then exported the mesh and imported it into Aspire to make the cuts:
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FANTASTIC!!! |
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