What are Gadgets in VCarve Pro & Aspire, how do I install them, and which ones are most useful?

Overview

Gadgets are small add-on programs that extend the software beyond its built-in tools. They automate specialized tasks that are too niche for the main interface. A few come preinstalled; the rest are free downloads from the gadget library and appear in the Gadgets menu once installed.

Gadgets are available in VCarve Pro, Cut2D Pro and Aspire. They are NOT available in the Desktop editions.

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How Gadgets Work

• Gadgets run as scripts inside the software
• Some need vectors selected before you run them; others must be run before a job exists. If a requirement is not met you get an error message saying which one
• They can create vectors, toolpaths or components (components are Aspire only), or automate file operations
• Each gadget has its own requirements, so read its instructions before use
• They are less polished than built-in tools: they cover minority use cases that do not warrant a permanent button

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Preinstalled in 12.5

These ship with the program and need no download:

• Celtic Weave Creator: generates the crossing-path vectors for Celtic knot and weave designs
• Dragknife Toolpath: a centerline toolpath for drag knife tooling, with swivel moves at corners
• Keyhole Toolpath: creates the toolpath for keyhole slots cut in the back of a sign or plaque for wall hanging
• Setup Sheet Editor: customizes the Job Setup Sheet you create from the Toolpaths menu
• Wrapping sub-menu (for rotary work): Wrapped Fluting Layout (evenly spaced flute vectors around a cylinder), Wrapped Spiral Layout (rope or barley-twist spiral vectors) and Rounding Toolpath (toolpaths to machine a rough blank to a finished diameter)

Everything else in this entry is a library download.

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Installing Gadgets

From the gadget library (gadgets.vectric.com):

1. Choose the library version that matches your software version
2. Find the gadget you want and click Download Gadget
3. In the software, go to Gadgets menu > Install New Gadget and pick the downloaded gadget file
4. Agree to the license. The gadget appears in the Gadgets menu immediately

From the software maker's user forum (third-party gadgets):

1. Find the gadget thread in the Gadgets section of the software maker's user forum
2. Download the file from the most recent post (they may be updated)
3. If it arrives as a .zip, extract it, then use Gadgets menu > Install New Gadget and pick the gadget file

Where gadgets live: installed gadgets go in a Gadgets folder inside the software's folder in Public Documents. To remove one, delete its folder there.

Keyboard shortcuts: a gadget can be assigned a Ctrl+Function Key shortcut via Gadgets menu > Gadget Shortcuts.

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Useful Library Gadgets

Drawing Gadgets

Fluter Gadget

Creates vectors for a fluted panel. Creates lines ready for a Profile or Fluting toolpath.

Gear Maker

Creates vectors for gears. You specify teeth, diametral pitch, pressure angle and bore.

Spiral Creator

Creates a spiral vector. You can choose from a number of spiral types. Useful for decorative elements.

Circle Resize

Resizes all circles in the selection that match a specified diameter to a new diameter. Useful for adjusting hole sizes across an imported drawing.

Dogbone Detect + Dogbone Create (two-stage gadget)

For CNC joinery where parts need to fit together with tight internal corners. A round tool leaves a rounded radius on internal corners. Dogbone fillets overcut into those corners so mating parts slot in cleanly.

Stage 1: Dogbone Detect

1. Select your closed vectors
2. Set tool diameter and the interior and outer allowances
3. Run the gadget. It places visual markers at all possible dogbone locations on a marker layer
4. Delete any markers you do not want

Stage 2: Dogbone Create

Runs on the markers from stage 1 and creates the vectors you then use for a Profile toolpath.

Note: the Fillet tool in the Drawing tab can also create dogbone fillets, so check it first before using the gadget.

Modeling Gadgets

Half Toner (Aspire only)

From a 3D component made from your photo, creates a toolpath that drills a grid of holes with a V-bit or ball nose, deeper and wider where the image is darker. It makes a toolpath, not vectors.

Replace Below

Replace Below is a built-in Aspire command in the Model menu, not a current gadget download. It trims or flattens everything below a chosen height on selected components.

Toolpath Gadgets

Dovetail

Creates toolpaths for dovetail joints using a regular end mill instead of a dovetail cutter, so no specialist tool is needed.

Box Creator

Creates the vectors and toolpaths for a dovetailed box. See the Box Creator entry for how its toolpaths behave.

Apply Template to All Sheets

The library lists this gadget only for V9 and earlier. In 12.5, load a saved toolpath template with Toolpaths > Templates > Load Template.

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Writing Your Own Gadgets

Gadgets are written in the LUA scripting language. The software maker provides an SDK and tutorials on the gadgets website for users who want to create their own automation tools. Writing a gadget requires programming knowledge, and the SDK is provided as is. The user forum has a dedicated Gadgets section where community-made gadgets are shared.

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Common Mistakes

• Running a gadget without selecting the required vectors first. Most gadgets need a selection to operate on
• Downloading a gadget for the wrong version. Check the library version matches your software version
• Expecting gadgets to be as polished as built-in tools. They are intentionally simpler add-ons; read the instructions carefully
• Not checking whether the functionality is now built in, since some former gadgets (like dogbones and Replace Below) are now part of the main program