Joining Vectors that Just Won’t Join in VCarve and Aspire

[@ScottTurnerformeindustrious]

I'm parked here on your channel for a while I think. Thanks for all the tips Mark

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you very much, Scott! I really do appreciate it!

[@danielstein8320]

Thanks!

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you very much!

[@mariewood8267]

Hi Mark, thanks for this video. I am still learning lots from your videos.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Very useful; in my situation I had two arcs ending tangentially and apparently coincidently... But I could not get them to join to closed. No matter what I tried, they remained two open vectors. Using your info, I drew a line perpendicular to the 'coincident' arc ends; then I 'moved' it laterally 0.005" from the endpoint 'into' the arcs, zoomed in and trimmed both arcs back the 0.005" using the line, deleted the line, and then BOOM, they joined into a single closed vector. For some reason, VCP could not reconcile the two arc endpoints that closely; trimming them back, gave them a discreet tiny 'apart' distance, which my tolerances would not object to. Great video and explanation.

[@BobBob-eh5sb]

Very informative. It’s these basically simple solutions, that when you don’t know them , gets really frustrating. I like Vectric, but if it wasn’t for you and other people on here explaining these things, I would be lost a lot of times. I know they have their own videos explaining some things, but they don’t seem to cover some of them.

[@SimplyWoodenCreations1980]

Great information Mark...really sheds some light on those nasty ole open vectors...enjoyed watching.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you sir! I hope it helps!

[@rayramirez938]

Great explanation. I was having the same problem and didn't know how to solve it. Now I'm ready. Thanks Mark.

[@jimking9646]

Always learn something from you,, one question do you have a video on downloading DXF files, or can I down load a image and cut it out on my shop sabre? Thanks Jim

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Yes, I have a couple of videos on downloading and importing DXF files. Here's the latest one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5ucm6Ogas1on5I

[@kylervitterais5448]

Another great video Mark, thanks for taking the time to do them for people like me. I necer would have thought of a node on top of another to close a vector.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you, Kyler. That's just one way of doing it - there are a couple of others. The main reason I showed that method was to reinforce the need to make sure that your vectors are/were drawn properly. You can also adjust the tolerance in the Join Vectors form, but that can sometimes give you "interesting" results if you set it too high.

[@danielstein8320]

Sent you a Super Thanks!!! Question..... If you cut the inner parts as profile. wont you need tabs so that they don't break free?

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Yes, you will. I normally don't add tabs in my demonstration videos, so I can delete the waste material and show off the complete preview. Cutting to the inside or outside doesn't matter - if you cut all the way through a piece of material, leaving no way to hold the piece in place, use tabs.

[@alfakrab6134]

Love the vid and groups Mark... The Meat and potatoes starts min 5

[@michaelslee4336]

V9 verify tool is very much your friend. Very helpful in situations like this example.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

True - but this video came out about a year before V9 came out, and there was no verify tool. Thanks for watching!

[@jennifersigafoose4745]

great job I was have problems on joining vectors your video did it enjoyed watching it

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you! Glad it helped you out!

[@misterx426]

Hi mark great video! With using a profile toolpaths on that project how would you hold down your part, wouldn’t all the little cutout parts go flying around? And I have had a problem sometimes real thin parts like in this file breaking during the cutting, how could I prevent that from happening?

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

I'd mount the material like this. It works like a charm, and has never failed me. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaa3pIRpmb6FqM0

[@yadvendrasinghgill2601]

God bless you. This was a grate help. You are the best tutor.

[@plasmaDave]

I am an extreemly experiance Vcarve pro user, I've used it daily for more than 5 years and right back to v3 and in the main I love it. However sometimes you just cannot solve vector errors even when trying all of the usual tricks. What often fixes an error that is not the usual simple node issues, is the indent tool, I will indent all of the lines by a tiny, fraction deleting the original. That is my last resort fail safe you can, spend hours messing about looking for the problem otherwise.

[@zx001961]

I have three vectors I want to join together and they won't hook up how can I do that

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

I've done 10 videos on this subject. Here's a link to the playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLLuYLaC3-QROKYqsV701dFezl37sX-JxP

[@zx001961]

None of them videos show what I'm asking if you take three lines like a T and hooked them together they will not hook. __ l __ and hook them three lines together

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

I've shown in at least 4 of those videos that you cannot connect 3 vectors like that. That's why you use layers to make closed vectors that end up looking like the T intersection you want to carve. Also, as I explained in Part 40 (Carving Open Vectors,) if you're just going to be carving ON that vector, you don't have to close it.

[@zx001961]

@@MarkLindsayCNC I got them to hook up thank you

[@johncook6530]

I'm exporting a dxf from Fusion and opening in vCarve and I have the issue of vectors not joining. I was able to clear up all but four of them using the techniques you showed in the vide. This was extremely time consuming and not going to be practical for the amount of work I need to do. Is there something I can do in 2D CAD or Fusion 360 to export a cleaner dxf file that vCarve can use without all the cleanup work?

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

I'll say up front that I'm not familiar with Fusion 360 at all. I have it, but I've not used it. Having said that, if there's a way to join all the vectors in 2D CAD or Fusion before exporting it as a DXF, that'll go a long way to helping you out. If there isn't a way to export joined vectors from Fusion, then I'm afraid there isn't much choice but to handle it in much the same way as you have been doing it. Do understand, however, that this is an older video, and a lot of things have changed in Vectric's software - especially "under the hood" where we usually won't see it at first glance. One of those ways is how the software handles joining vectors while in Node Editing Mode. You have the ability to select vectors, then select specific nodes, then join those nodes using a straight line, a curve, or moving the end points so they meet and join into one. You access those functions by selecting the nodes you want to join, right-clicking, then using the context menu to select the option you want. I do plan on making another video that talks about this in the future, but it's going to be a while before I can get to it.

[@reginakuykendalldiy2466]

AWESOME JOB... THANK YOU

[@hanspijpers2100]

very helpful, maybe for someone else a tip, I found half of the problems, and it then seemed that I had many lines stacked on top of each other so I selected the right outline and moved it over with shift cursor up and there all the double lines showed up selected behind the good lines then it was easy to erase them thanks again

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you very much, Hans! Yes, that is certainly one option. You can also move the right outline to another layer, then turn off that layer and delete the double lines.

[@jimduchow1580]

In an effort to add to the content of the video may I point out that when you tried to use the "join open vectors" tool you did not try modifying the tolerance, .0004" is a rather tiny tolerance especially for what the image showed. Quite likely that many of the vectors would have been cleaned up by adjusting that setting. Granted without the file I can't say for certain, but perhaps you could give it a try and see. Now the 4 straight lines you used the cut tool to remove would not be taken care of here, also may have some trouble with the "extra" arc on the lower right of the image, but image that many of those vectors could have been closed using the join tool (and also saving a good deal of time). If the adjusting the tolerance were to mess up the image all one need to is undo and viola back to where you started.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

You make an excellent point, Jim, and thanks for watching. The extra arc and the four lines I used the trim tool on were exactly why I didn't adjust the tolerance in the Join Vectors tool. This wasn't so much a demonstration on how to use that tool as it was a demonstration on some other methods of joining vectors - especially when the design has several different reasons why vectors won't join. You could certainly change that tolerance and possibly clean up most of those vectors rather quickly. The point of the video was to show that by zooming in and looking at the vectors, especially where they are supposed to join, you can see what the problems are, and that there is more than one way to correct them. Thank you though. I do appreciate the input!

[@maryturner7846]

This is great info - and in theory it should work for me, but when i go thru to cut some of these things it inadvertently cuts things that dont appear to be connected to it. Im pretty new at this so im sure its something that im misunderstanding - what causes vectors to be associated but do not appear to be connected? how do i terminate that relationship?

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

There are a couple of possibilities. One is that you may have duplicate vectors in the drawing, and VCarve is confused as to which ones you're trying to delete. Another possibility is that you may have your tolerance set too high in the Join Vectors tool. Set it back to .0004 and see if that helps.

[@maryturner7846]

Mark Lindsay CNC I have several video clips - I have selected duplicates and it says none- however it’s pretty evident that there is something going on

[@bubbahogue5305]

Thanks Mark. Good info.

[@dptp9lf]

Great video Mark!

[@h.ehummel5899]

I watched your joining vectors several times,but in still have a problem would you consider taken a look at my Design ? Thanks

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Go to the About tab on my page and shoot me an email. Thanks for watching!

[@UNKNOWNDIFFERENCES32]

Thanks Mark. some time i wonder if you dream about Aspire and VCarve.. haha thanks again

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

I haven't dreamed in VCarve or Aspire yet, but between you and me, I did use Aspire to design a t-shirt for my wife last week. Shhhhhh... Thanks for watching!

[@MegaTopdogs]

Well done good information, thanks Mark

[@dimdimdu54]

thanks !

[@lloydsnyder2738]

Looks like I'm going to be a frequent flyer on your channel.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Welcome aboard, Lloyd! Just remember that there is no parking in the red zone, and the white zone is for loading and unloading only...

[@passiton9016]

Such a great tutorial

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thank you checking it out! I do hope it helps.

[@jimjacques8167]

another great one!

[@dschattner]

Shame you can't join vectors in fonts.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

You can convert the text to curves, then join them. When would you want to join vectors in fonts?

[@MitchellDeitrich]

cool!

[@ryanbates7037]

good video . pesky open vectors

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Thanks for checking it out!