How does Node Editing work in VCarve Pro & Aspire: moving nodes, changing span types, and all keyboard shortcuts?

Overview

Node Editing lets you manipulate the points (nodes) and curve handles that define every vector shape. Mastering it is essential for cleaning up traced bitmaps, refining imported vectors, adjusting clipart outlines for V-carving, and building precise custom shapes. Press N to toggle between Selection and Node Editing modes.

Activating Node Editing Mode

• Keyboard: Press N to toggle between Selection mode and Node Editing mode. Esc switches back to Selection mode.
• Toolbar: Choose the Node Editing tool in the Edit Vectors section of the Drawing tab.
• When active: The cursor changes to a black arrow and the individual nodes and their connecting spans of the selected vector can be edited. A green square marks the start node and arrows show the direction of the vector.

Node and Span Types

Spans are Lines, Arcs or Beziers. The software has Smooth and Unsmooth points; it does not have a separate "symmetric" node type.

Moving Nodes

• Single node: Click and drag the node to a new position.
• Multiple nodes: Hold Shift and drag a selection rectangle (or Shift-click) to select several nodes, then drag any one of them.
• Exact values: In the 3D view, release the mouse after dragging a node and type the exact relative X and Y distances (X, Tab, Y, Enter). Quick Keys also work while dragging: type a value and Enter to move the node that distance in the direction of the cursor, or X and Y values to place it at an absolute position.
• Mirror mode: Right-click and choose Mirror Horizontal or Vertical (keys H and V). A dashed magenta line appears, and when opposing nodes are selected with Shift, dragging one moves its partner the opposite way.
• Line up nodes: X and Y match the X or Y coordinates of the selected nodes to the first one selected. For a single node, X displays its X and Y properties.

Editing Span Shapes

Drag a span directly:

• Lines: clicking a line span selects both ends so you can move the line as one object. Its length can be typed in on the form, measured from the first node of the span.
• Bezier spans: dragging the span moves the curve while the ends stay locked, and the handles adjust to follow.
• Arc spans: dragging changes the arc radius.
• Hold Ctrl while dragging an arc or Bezier span to move the ENTIRE span rather than reshape it.

Keep Bezier Tangency (K): toggle it on to fix the start and end directions of Bezier curves when you drag them directly.

Right-Click Menu on a NODE

Right-click directly on a node:

The menu also offers Close (for selected open vectors), Join two selected open vectors (J), and Exit node editing mode.

Right-Click Menu on a SPAN

Right-click on the line between nodes (not on a node):

The span menu also has Close, Join (J) and Exit node editing mode.

Node Editing Keyboard Shortcuts

In Selection mode, the arrow keys nudge the selected vectors (hold Ctrl for a smaller step, Shift for a larger step, Ctrl+Shift for the Fixed Nudge Distance set in Snap Settings, F4).

Why Smooth Nodes Matter for CNC Cutting

A path with many unnecessary sharp nodes has many direction changes, and some controllers slow down at each one, which can lengthen cut time and affect the finish. Fewer, smoother spans generally cut better.

• Bitmap traces and imports often produce dense nodes: run Fit Curves to Vectors (Edit > Curve Fit Vectors, or the icon on the Drawing tab) after tracing or importing to replace short segments with fitted curves (see below).
• Smoothing by hand: Shift-drag to select the nodes that should be smooth, press S, then restore any intentional sharp corners.

Cleaning Up Messy Vectors: The Pro Workflow

Imports, traces and offsets can leave a vector made of hundreds of tiny straight segments. It looks right but slows toolpath calculation.

1. Select the messy vector.
2. Run Fit Curves to Vectors. Choose the Fitting Type: Circular Arcs, Bezier Curves or Straight Lines.
3. Set the Tolerance: the new spans are generated within plus or minus this distance of the original. A smaller value stays closer to the original but uses more points; a larger value uses fewer points and is less accurate. Start with a small value and test.
4. Tick Keep Sharp Corners (with a Max Angle) to preserve real corners, and Replace selected vectors to delete the originals instead of keeping them. New vectors are created on the currently selected layer.
5. Press N and review the result in Node Editing mode. The node count should drop dramatically while the shape stays accurate.
6. Use S on individual nodes to smooth any that should be curved, and D to delete redundant nodes that do not change the shape.

Making Start Nodes Match (Two Rail Sweep, Aspire only)

In Two Rail Sweep the start point and direction of each drive rail show as a green square start node and arrow markers. If the sweep twists or comes out wrong:

1. Right-click the rail you want to change and choose Reverse Rail, or use Swap Rail Order.
2. On a closed vector, right-click an existing node and choose Make Start Point, or right-click anywhere on the vector and choose Insert Start Point to create a new node that becomes the start.
3. Check the sweep result.

The Smooth Toggle Quirk

Pressing S on a smooth node turns it back to unsmooth, but the visual change is subtle. The difference shows when you move the control handles: on a smooth node they move together, on an unsmooth node they move independently.

User-forum reports: the Smooth command may not work where an Arc meets a Line or Bezier. If that happens, first convert the arc span to Bezier (press B on the span), then press S on the node.

Common Mistakes

• Leaving hundreds of unnecessary nodes after importing or tracing. Run Fit Curves on the artwork before modeling.
• Not setting start nodes correctly before Two Rail Sweep, which causes twisted results.
• Confusing smooth and sharp nodes. A sharp node on what should be a smooth curve can cause a visible kink in the cut.
• Zooming out too far to spot tiny gaps. Zoom in very close; most problems are invisible at normal zoom.