# New to and struggling with carvco vectors **URL:** \ **Category:** CarveCo\ **Created:** [May 29, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896 "2023-05-29T17:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/1 "2023-05-29T17:10:03Z")
Hello, I am trying to learn carvco maker and making some progress s-l-o-w-l-y. What is baffiling me is that I have some problems with a vector I am trying to close for machining and not sure how to do that. All the options shown in the help videos are grayed so there is something I am not understanding. The nodes I am trying to close are on the same vector, but when I try to put the two ends together, they don’t join. Clearly I don’t know what Im doing, and not sure I am even explaining this is terms that might be understood. I’ve been trying to figure this over the last couple days with no progress. Please ask me questions if this doesn’t make sence. Charlie ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/2 "2023-05-29T17:43:27Z")
Can you give a screenshot of it? Have you used the options in the “Vector Doctor,” the green icon with the dark green cross? What have you tried? There can be a few things messed up. One example, you could have a small vector hiding under other vectors. That is one thing that took me the longest to figure out and start fixing. I normally single-click on a vector (DO NOT select it by click and dragging). Then I move it to another layer or off to the side to see if anything is hiding under it. Below are a couple of pics showing the situation. The vector doctor does not find these hiding vectors. So if the option to remove vector loops in the vector doctor is not clickable then these hiding vectors is what I have normally found to be the problem. ![1](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/9/9cf2e827cd3aa37d64dc5d966ff1c7f1ada36817.png) ![2](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/e/e40a0cc2ee0283e291a75a0c737bde71e5b80f4e.png) sometimes the hiding vectors can be extremely tiny. In that situation is when I move the whole vector to another layer. Again, select it by a single click. When you have it on another layer turn that layer off and do a click and drag for an area looking to see if it selects anything. Then delete the offending vectors ![3.1](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/9/99810fe0006801afe16202d5cec0de5fe64f6c4b.png) ![4](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/17106167354684611715becf013d2fe7c14e23d6.png) ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/3 "2023-05-29T17:48:51Z")
The issues I described in my previous post happen a lot with .SVG that are bought on etsy or found on sites that offer a ton of free files. They usually do not test their files so you will end up with a bunch of digital artifacts that were vectorized along with the clipart during the bitmap tracing. ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/4 "2023-05-29T17:54:14Z")
I edited my first post adding a little more clarity about the vector doctor so if you already read it, read it one more time, please. ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/5 "2023-05-29T18:34:20Z")
I guess I better take this a step at a time. I pasted an image into this post but not sure how it will be displayed. If its not right, you may have to explain how you got your images in. I have to take this one step at a time because I am new to this board (and Carveco in general) This should be a zoomed out pic of the problems ![image](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/e/e0098d64bf28c082def92e647bad41124e202d83.png) ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/6 "2023-05-29T18:35:11Z")
This should be a close up of the nodes that I want to join. I’ve tried dropping one on the other but that doesn’t clear the problem.1 ![image](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/a/a1c1343f421a2603dbfd70b45dee9ebab01efcc8.png) ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/7 "2023-05-29T18:36:07Z")
How did you get multiple screen shots in your post…I get a message that I can only paste in one per message. ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/8 "2023-05-29T18:41:59Z")
> How did you get multiple screen shots in your post…I get a message that I can only paste in one per message. I’m not sure, it might be because I’ve been here past a certain length of time. Your pics came out fine ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/9 "2023-05-29T19:01:29Z")
Alright first, for now, forget everything I said previously but remember it for future issues. You can go about this a few ways and since you are in the node display click on the green node. It should turn red. Then you can click and hold that now red node and drag it onto the top of the black node where you want to connect it. Then click and drag to select those two nodes. Click “Vector” at the top of the window and select “Join” and then “With Coincident Nodes” Does that connect them? Or are those options nonselectable? ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/10 "2023-05-29T20:05:09Z")
When I do that, the option is grayed out and not selectable. ![image](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/4/4279026f85e9e625e0d0a5fb1161d65a7b2306fb.png) There is some fundamental thing I am missing here. ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/11 "2023-05-29T20:09:43Z")
You do have both nodes selected, correct? By clicking and dragging a small box around them. Only those two nodes. ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/12 "2023-05-29T20:15:11Z")
Were the option in “Close” also grayed out? Go ahead get out of the node select display and highlight the entire project. Then click "Vector \> Join… are they still grayed out? ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/13 "2023-05-29T20:25:11Z")
I’m sorry for all of my post being one after another but I just realized something. Ungroup all the vectors before trying to join them. ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/14 "2023-05-29T20:46:29Z")
I think I’ve monkeyed with this too much to know what might be going wrong. Now i’m getting green circles where there are no vectors. I can’t be sure that the problems I have are not caused by all the tweeking I’ve been doing. Let me try recreating this from scratch and see what I get. ---
**Author:** ![Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Swinly](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Swinly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/15 "2023-05-29T20:48:02Z")
I hope I didn’t make things worse for you, if so I really am sorry ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/16 "2023-05-29T21:21:56Z")
No, you helped me to try and figure this out. What Im finding is that my brain is not nearly as flexible as it was when I was younger. At 76, new things tend to come more difficult. The only thing I can do is put it down for a while and hope something triggers in my brain…or what’s left of it. I mastered Fusion 360 and vCarve (at least as much as I needed to) , but I think I was able to describe my problems in a more workable manor. Tomorrow is another day. Charlie ---
**Author:** ![crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/crchisholm/32/5324_2.png) [@crchisholm](https://forum.sienci.com/u/crchisholm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/17 "2023-05-30T13:23:34Z")
I finally gave up and moved the project to an old copy of vCarve 9.5 and it cut fine. I am not giving up on Carvoco but needed to regroup. Thanks for your help. “I’LL BE BACK!” ---
**Author:** ![RalphCole67](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b5ac83/32.png) [@RalphCole67](https://forum.sienci.com/u/RalphCole67)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/new-to-and-struggling-with-carvco-vectors/8896/18 "2023-06-03T22:36:42Z")
If you can do Fusion 360 …you can do anything lol.!