08-05-2025 Q&A: Two-Rail Sweep, Brass Cutting, Brush Icons, and Box Gadget Fixes

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In this session, we answered questions ranging from sculpting heart shapes with two-rail sweeps to using the box creator gadget effectively. We tackled brass milling tips, Aspire’s quirks when running on Parallels on a Mac, and component alignment in crown molding. The group also discussed mirrored sheets for jig making and previewing 3D toolpaths in VCarve/Aspire. We wrapped up with Aspire vs. Vista Sculpt for 3D ribbon creation.

Key Tips Learned in this Q&A:

• Two-Rail Sweep Tips: To align profiles correctly in a two-rail sweep, ensure both rails share the same start point using the P key and manipulate arcs for custom profiles.

• Cutting Brass Safely: Use slow feed rates (10–20 ipm), high spindle speed, shallow cut depth, and consider duller bits to prevent grabbing.

• Mac Brush Icon Fix (Parallels): On Parallels, set DirectX 11, adjust resolution, and display scaling to fix missing brush previews in Aspire.

• Fixing Box Maker Errors: Errors often stem from joint width vs. material dimensions or timeout issues. Adjust tab size or scale down height.

• Create Mirrored Sheets: Use sheets and mirror vectors for two-sided or mirrored parts, ensuring proper inside/outside designation is preserved.

Questions Answered in this Q&A:

• 00:00:08 – How to control the length/profile in a two-rail sweep heart shape

• 00:05:03 – Tips for cutting brass and selecting bits

• 00:10:34 – Why sculpting brushes don’t show images on a Mac using Parallels

• 00:14:35 – Reducing pixelation in long crown molding component toolpaths

• 00:24:44 – How to join inner and outer Vectors in a domed heart shape

• 00:30:02 – Box Making Gadget keeps giving “too big/small” errors

• 00:36:15 – What does the Toolpath Preview do?

• 00:37:53 – How to mirror a double-sided jig to make a right-side copy

• 00:44:04 – Creating a 3D ribbon from a 2D image using Aspire and Vista Sculpt

• 00:51:03 – Best software choice for turning 2D images into 3D reliefs

• 00:52:45 – How to preview and cut a 3D STL model in Vectric

• 01:01:52 – Can toolpaths be copied between sheets?

• 01:02:43 – Adjusting for collet nut shape in long bit clearance check

• 01:03:24– When does Kyle usually post replay archives?

Keywords:

vectric, aspire, vcarve, two-rail sweep, heart dome, brass cutting, sculpting brush, mac parallels, crown molding, box gadget, mirror parts, jig making, vista sculpt, 3d ribbon, toolpath preview, toolpath copying, aspire vs vcarve, bit clearance, long bits, stl carving, roughing pass, finishing pass, job setup, component distortion, pixelation fixes