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We have a 24" x 48" Vision Engraver/Router and are wanting to add 3D to our signs. We use Signlab to engrave and route right now. To get the 3D for Signlab is big bucks. Has anyone used V carve Pro, Cut 3D, or Photo V Carve from Vectric? Their costs seem to be reasonable. Also what type of 3D programs do folks use for generating the images to cut,AutoCAD, Rhino, 3D Studio are some I've heard of. Thanks
-------------------- Silver Creek Signworks Dick Bohrer Two Harbors, MN Posts: 236 | From: Two Harbors, MN USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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We generate our files and cut from EnRoute Pro 3. Its pretty intuitive and there are few limits we've found with the program. There is a learning curve however as with any 3D program.
You get what you pay for in most instances... especially in regards to software.
-grampa dan
[ December 17, 2006, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8740 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Tony and Bryan who started Vectric both were the developers of Artcam they worked for 12 and 17 years at Artcam, a pedigree that speaks for itself.
I was on the phone to them last week, intially I thought that the V Carve Wizard was abit limited, but they have changed the name and alot of features, and its called V carve pro now, in a year they have put together a very, very tidy package, and have lots of plans for the future with much in the pipeline. Integrating V carve and Cut 3D together.
Although they don't show it on their website you can use Photocarve to produce the kind of textures Dan is so fond of from colour or B/W pictures.
They wanted to address, the market for the most common type of dimensional signwork, and more, often in a programme like Artcam you are paying for masses of features you will never use or need,here you have something that is now written like real software and not html as Artcam is, you have a chance to download the software, video tutorials, and a friendly forum, and you can save and output your own jobs all before parting with any money.
Look at the features and then ask what more you need from other software, and if whatever is missing is worth all those extra thousands, I asked about rendering from 2D vector files to 3D thats something tha's in the works.
But if your handy with Rhino or Silo at about $100 you can render 3D and import the files.
In the same way as Dan uses photoshop before importing images to Enroute, from reading his posts.
Definetly give it a go....you really have nothing to lose
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The Vectric team, Tony and brian, work closely with Vector Art 3D, and, as a matter of fact, wrote our "free" 3D Machinist software for milling our 3D models. Their products are top shelf and very reasonably priced. We sell all of their products and you can order them from us if you wish.
As far as developing 3D models, there is no easy way and certainly no inexpensive way of doing it. There is ArtCam and Enroute in the $7000-$10,000 range and with a very substantial learning curve. There are less expensive possibilities that yield very poor results, regardless of user skill.
That is the reason we decided to offer Vector Art 3D Art Models, because they are so difficult to do well.
You can, if you like, download a trial version of Vectric and Vector Art software to see if it will work with you system. I seem to remember something from the old days abour VISION's controller being proprietary.
-------------------- Andrew Holmes Vector Art Inc Pacific Grove, CA 93950
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