How do I use the text tools in VCarve Pro & Aspire, including Text in a Box, single-line engraving fonts, and fitting text to a size?

Overview

The Create Text form has two modes: the standard Text tool (free-placed text) and Text in a Box (text scaled to fit a box you size). Text on a Curve and interactive kerning have their own entries. Understanding the modes and the font types available makes sign layout much faster.

Create Text (Standard)

The basic text tool. Type your text, choose a font, set the size and click to place.

How to use:

1. Open Create Text from the Drawing tab.
2. Click in the 2D view to choose the anchor position.
3. Type your text in the Text box.
4. Edit the styling options: font, size, alignment. All changes are applied automatically.

Anchor: sets the position of the text block. Type values directly, click in the 2D view for new text, or drag the anchor point handle for an existing text object.

Editing existing text:

• If the Create Text form is open, click the text you want to edit.
• If the form is closed, click the text in the 2D view to select it, then open Create Text. The form now edits the properties of the selected text.

Spell checker: the text tool underlines misspelled words in red. Click an underlined word for suggestions, or add the word to the dictionary.

Font Types

TrueType / OpenType fonts: any font installed on your computer is available. These are outline fonts with filled shapes, good for V-carving, pocketing and profile cutting.

Single-line / Engraving fonts: click the Single Line radio button in the Create Text form to change the font list to a selection of fonts that are very quick to engrave.

• They consist of a single centerline path, not an outline.
• They use much less machine time than outline fonts.
• They suit fine detail, serial numbers, tags and any text that needs to be cut quickly.

Vertical fonts: fonts whose name starts with the @ character are drawn vertically downward and are always left justified.

When to use which:

• V-carving large decorative text: TrueType fonts with the V-Carve toolpath.
• Fast engraving of names, dates and serial numbers: single-line engraving fonts.
• Raised or pocketed letters: TrueType fonts with Profile or Pocket toolpaths.

Text in a Box (Fit Text to an Exact Size)

Switch the Create Text form from Text to Text in a Box and the standard text tools are replaced by the Text in a Box tools. The text is scaled to fit a box of the size you set, which is the fastest way to fill a sign panel with perfectly sized text.

How to use:

1. In Create Text, choose Text in a Box.
2. Click to place the box and type your text.
3. Set the Bounding Box Dimensions: the actual size of the box the text is fitted into.
4. Choose the Margin Size:

• None: scales the text to fit the width or height of the bounding box.
• Normal: scales the text to fit within 80% of the box, leaving a 10% border to the left and right.
• Wide: reduces the text to 60% of the box width, leaving a 20% border to the left and right.

5. If the text fits one dimension and there is leftover space, use the stretch options:

• Vertical Stretch (when the text fits the width and there is space above and below): No Vertical Stretch, Stretch Line Space to fit, or Stretch Characters to fit.
• Horizontal Stretch (when the text fits the height and there is space at the sides): No Horizontal Stretch, Stretch Spaces between words, Stretch Kerning (space between letters), or Stretch Character size.

Resizing: if the text is scaled interactively (left click twice on it) or with the Scale tool, the new bounding box is shown as a light gray rectangle.

Multi-Line Text Tips

• Press Enter in the text box to create a new line.
• Line spacing is adjusted interactively: place the cursor between lines with the Text Selection tool and click to move the lines closer, or Shift+click to move them apart.
• Alignment (left, center or right) applies to the whole multi-line block.

Converting Text to Vectors

Once text is finalized you can convert it to editable vectors with Convert Text to Curves (Drawing tab). It makes lines, arcs and Bezier spans you can node-edit. After conversion you cannot edit the text string, so convert only when the text is final and keep a copy of the live text on a hidden layer.

You usually do not need to convert: most text can be V-carved, engraved, pocketed, profile machined or used with the 3D modeling tools as it is. Convert when you need to node-edit individual letters, or hand the file to someone without your font.

Document Variables (Advanced)

Document Variables are named values you create in the Document Variables dialog (Edit > Document Variables) or by right-clicking a Calculation Edit Box and choosing Insert New Document Variable. Use a variable in any Calculation Edit Box by putting its name in curly braces. They are not part of the text tool itself, but are useful for parametric designs where one value drives many toolpath depths.

Common Mistakes

• Using an outline font for fine engraving. V-carving an outline font at small sizes takes far longer than a single-line engraving font.
• Trying to edit converted text. Once converted to curves it is no longer editable as text.
• Text in a Box looking squished because the stretch options are forcing the text to fill both dimensions. Set the stretch options to None to keep natural proportions.