Does VCarve Pro support rotary (4th-axis) machining, or do I need Aspire?

The answer

Yes. VCarve Pro has wrapped rotary machining, the same as Aspire. A common misconception says rotary is Aspire-only; it is not. VCarve Desktop also has the rotary job type; what Desktop lacks is gadgets, so the Wrapped Fluting Layout and Wrapped Spiral Layout gadgets are in VCarve Pro and Aspire only.

A note on the word "4th-axis": the official documentation describes wrapped rotary machining and states that the software does not support 4-axis (simultaneous) machining. The tool moves along the rotation axis and in Z, with the flat toolpath wrapped around the cylinder. This is what people usually mean by "rotary" or "4th axis" for turned and carved columns, legs and spindles.

What VCarve Pro rotary includes:

• Rotary Job Setup (cylinder dimensions, along-X or along-Y orientation, wrap axis)
• Wrapped toolpaths: the full 2D and 2.5D toolpath set wrapped around the cylinder (profile, pocket, V-carve, fluting for spirals)
• 3D rotary machining of imported models, including importing an external STL into a rotary project (dedicated user-guide tutorial)
• Wrapped Fluting Layout and Wrapped Spiral Layout gadgets for barley twists and spiral work
• Simple rotary modeling using 2D toolpaths (turning profiles from cross-sections)

The official 12.5 user guide ships rotary tutorials: "Creating a Rotary Job," "Simple Rotary Modelling using 2D Toolpaths," "Advanced Rotary Machining and Wrapping," and "Importing External Models in a Rotary Project."

What you still need

• A wrapping post-processor matched to your machine (see the rotary won't-rotate entry)
• The same no-undercuts constraint as Aspire applies (see the rotary undercuts entry)