Hello, I just bought a Longmill MK2. It should arrive this week. I have to build a table for it and will be asking questions on that but in the meantime I want to get your opinion on the software you folks are using. I have messed around with vectric vcarve but haven’t bought the program yet. Mark Linsey’s you tube tutorials are great and I’ve learned a lot. But I was watching James Dean Designs you tube channel and he felt that Carveco Maker is a better program for a couple of reasons.
It’s probably cheaper for most people. $15/mo and you can stop it any time if for example you’re away from home and not using your CNC for a couple of months. We spend summers away from home so that would be a plus.
A more modern interface. Not sure that is important.
Updates to the program are automatic since it’s internet based and there is no cost when upgrades are added.
It’s my understanding that it has programming that will allow you to create designs for a laser. So if I wanted to add a laser it won’t be necessary to buy and learn a new CAD program.
Carveco does not have the 24" x 24" work space limitation that Vectric does. To remove that limitation is a bit pricey with Vectric.
So I’m learning toward Carveco Maker. But the tutorials Mark Linsey has are the best I’ve seen and if someone hasn’t created tutorials for Carveco Marker I will probably stay with Vectric Vcarve.
Carveco puts a lot of tutorials out on their site and youtube. I’ve made comments on a video asking about a different feature and shortly after they posted a tutorial for it. Roger Webb on youtube has a lot of carveco tutorials too. He has a 5% discount listed under his carveco videos. Not much but it is something. It does not work on the automatic renewals so you have to turn that off.
I didn’t like renting it so I had a plan to purchase it once I decided I liked it. I started with maker and as I learned more I tried maker+ which is what I eventually bought.
I looked at both. I chose Vectric VCarve Desktop as I personally prefer an outright purchase rather than a subscription but that’s just me
Carveco is $15 a month and according to their website, you only need the internet to download updates than it runs on your PC without an Internet connection.
With Vcarve Desktop you can use a laser to burn your design rather than cut it - just needs a free add-on for the post processor (J Tech).
I have a laser mounted on my CNC and can run a cutting program then outline or enhance it with the laser using gSender offset.
Sometimes if I want to do a quick picture burn, I use LaserGRBL - works great with an existing SVG, PNG files etc - nothing to learn.
The 24 x 24" isn’t a real problem for me as my CNC workspace is smaller than that and I can use Tiling, in the program, if I need to carve or burn a larger job.
I use it for the most of my “fancy” design machining work but use Freecad for precision items like boxes, “clip together” items etc.
I subscribed to Carveco Maker. Over time I have some issues with it. Resizing, inlays, tool paths that cut same area twice and jump all over the project instead of moving logically.
In the new year I am going to cancel and buy vetric. Anything larger than 24x24 would probably be a simple cut out or outline and can use free Carbide.
@timjet I played with most of the software when I started, I also dislike subscriptions but when the cost is exorbitant one has little choice, I do have some Adobe subscriptions but not much choice without. It is more than just me, I needed a solid platform to work with and stay with for my wife and I. I ended up with V Carve pro and it is just plain solid and has never failed us. The support is outstanding and tons of free designs, new ones every month. The support forum is almost as good as this one. So it ends up pay me now or pay me forever, I chose now and have no regrets. When coupled with the purchase of a new Longmill the cost is a bit daunting but once its done it’s over, sort of a pull off the bandaid!
I picked VCarve Desktop to start off with. It seemed to have more functionality for some things I wanted to do. Also, Vectric’s pricing model and upgrade policy fits my tastes better. I don’t say this lightly. I paid more for VCarve Desktop than I have for any other software in my life. I’m not sorry. OTOH, I am annoyed by the 24"x24" limit since I have a 36"x36" bed though I have already manually edited a g-code file to overcome that limit in a relatively simplistic project. I am not sure yet if I’d go to VCarve Pro or not, but probably will once I have more significant need for a larger project that isn’t as easy to do in smaller stages.
