Vectric Version 11 is now released

I pretty much take every upgrade. In Aspire there are a number of things that are "worth it" to me. Worth it is pretty much defined be the user. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I sell stuff and I use the software all the time. It is a big part of my life. So, I upgrade.

I don't upgrade everything, but Vectric, Lightburn, Adobe Essentials - I upgrade.

On the Aspire 3D roughing there is an option to avoid cutting that which was already cut. I am programming a Mermaid for a customer. It is 4 feet long. In Version 10.5 the rough cutting was 1 hour 21 minutes. In Version 11 it is 36 minutes. He makes these to sell in his shop. The time difference is HUGE to him. For me, it is one sale and he would have bought the program either way. No matter what, he is a repeat customer and his business alone will pay for the upgrade. He is a really good customer and I like to take care of him.

Also - there is some really cool clipart offering as well. I bought the Waterside collection.
 
I took the plunge yesterday and am working my way through some of the changes. One thing I like is the 'Sheets' function where you can create many 'projects' within a single file. Example: I'm working on a door pull for the cabinet I'm building; the pull will have a top portion with a design and a back portion that will hold threaded inserts for mounting. Having both drawings in one file makes it easy to compare parts.

Another thing I like is the ability to resize all of one type of element' i.e., multiple holes. When you choose them all, the overall size is given, but you can then click on 'size individually' and it shows the size of a single hole while keeping all in the group.
 
One of the biggies to me is the sheets. I am constantly needing different materials and sizes in one project.

The drawer pulls I made recently have different sizes and it was a PITA to make different sizes in one project file.

I am making a Mermaid for a customer and the arm is separate. There are also many different sizes to that project too.

Sheets are a big deal to me.
 
I have made and will continue to make things in different sizes.

I have made a scallop shell that I offer in 4", 6", 8" and 10 inch. They all have a different material size.

So, I made a new file and used sheets. One sheet for each size. Additionally, I learned a bit more about using toolpath templates and vector selection and associating toolpath to layers. Each cutter is associated to a layer.

Also - merged toolpaths makes combining roughing and finishing 3D toolpaths into one Gcode program really nice.

What I did in the past is now obsolete.

Doing this I can have everything in ONE file and creating a new size is a summer BREEZE on the ocean.

I did the Sand Dollar this morning and the Scallop Shell last night

I will be doing the Starfish next. I also have several different whales, mermaids, seahorses and other things.

LOVE this new V11 version

I use inexpensive (not so nowadayz) wood from borg.

Sand Dollar Sheets.jpgKeyhole_sand_dollar_01.jpg
 
... Also - merged toolpaths makes combining roughing and finishing 3D toolpaths into one Gcode program really nice. ...
I may be missing something in your comment, but I've done that for years in previous versions using the same tool for both roughing and finishing. Does your CNC do automated tool swaps?
 
Bill, I don't think you ever miss very much. ;);) You are Very perspective.

I don't mean to talk about just now learning that either. Rather my point was that piling all that stuff together is a pretty awesome package, also adding in the V11 features to make it great.

No, my machine is really pretty basic in design. Just maybe a tad larger, but certainly only a "serious hobby machine". Sadly, no, I do not have a tool changer. If I were to do it again, I would feel compelled to make ATC happen, possibly even a real vacuum table.
 
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