How does the Turned Profile gadget work in VCarve Pro & Aspire for creating rotary-style 3D toolpaths from a 2D cross-section?

The Turned Profile gadget creates a 3D wrapped (rotary) toolpath from a simple 2D cross-section vector. It is a fast way to machine turned profiles such as table legs, spindles, newel posts and columns on a 4th axis or rotary setup, without building a full 3D model first. In VCarve Pro it adds 3D-style rotary toolpaths; in Aspire it speeds up modeling and toolpath creation.

Setup Requirements

1. Set up a rotary job with Gadgets > Wrapping > Wrapped Job Setup and enter the cylinder dimensions (your stock diameter and length) and the cylinder orientation
2. Set Z Origin On to Cylinder Axis (Bottom). The gadget's instructions say this MUST be set this way for the gadget to work. A wrong Z reference on a rotary toolpath changes every cut depth
3. Set Wrapping Layout to Simple Cylindrical Wrap. This is also required
4. Choose the XY drawing origin where your machine starts cutting (most users start at the bottom left). The gadget does not require a centered XY origin
5. Click OK to run the Wrapped Job Setup

Creating the Cross-Section Vector

• Import or draw a vector that is the outline of half of the product, seen lengthways (side view)
• Check that the measurement representing the thickness of the part does not go over half of the thickness (diameter) set for the material
• Keep the vector selected before running the gadget

Running the Gadget

1. Go to Gadgets > Turned Profile
2. Enter the Toolpath Name
3. Select a Ball Nose tool. A smaller diameter means a smaller stepover and finer detail, but a longer run time. A 1/8" ball nose is a common choice for moderate detail
4. Use Multiple Passes: select this to skim off the material layer by layer instead of plunging straight to full depth. It puts less stress on the tool but increases the job time
5. Click OK. The gadget creates the toolpath
6. Open the Toolpaths tab and preview the toolpath

Visualizing in 3D

To see the wrapped result in the 3D view before cutting:

1. Select the toolpath the gadget created in the Toolpaths tab
2. Go to Toolpaths > Toolpath Drawing and choose Wrap Y Values (around X) or Wrap X Values (around Y) depending on your rotary axis orientation
3. Switch to the 3D view

Advantages Over Full 3D Modeling

• Much faster to set up: draw a profile, not a full 3D model
• Works in VCarve Pro as well as Aspire
• Great for production turned parts where the profile is known and consistent
• The toolpath can be posted and run on any machine with a 4th axis or rotary fixture, using a wrapping post-processor

Limitations

• Only works with rotationally symmetric profiles (the same all the way around)
• For non-symmetric rotary designs (carvings, asymmetric shapes), use Aspire's 3D modeling and rotary wrapping workflow instead. Spiral and flute layouts are covered by the Wrapped Spiral Layout and Wrapped Fluting Layout gadgets