What is the Kickstarter Wizard when I first launch VCarve Pro or Aspire, and what does it set up?

What it is

The Kickstarter Wizard is the guided first-run setup that appears the first time you launch the software. Its main job is getting a machine configuration in place, since the machine config drives post-processor choice and feeds-and-speeds behavior for everything that follows.

The four pages

1. Signing in: authenticate with your V&Co account (enables tool database backup, license retrieval, and free clipart).
2. Registering: register your license in V&Co so it is tied to your account.
3. Online machine search: find your CNC in the software maker's online machine database and download its ready-made configuration and post-processor.
4. Manual machine setup: if your machine is not listed, configure it by hand instead.

You do not have to complete every page, because signing in and registering can be deferred. Finishing the machine pages saves the classic new-user stumble of hunting for the right post-processor at save-toolpath time.

Running it again

The wizard is not a one-shot. Re-run it any time from Help ► Run Kickstarter (listed in the Help menu as the setup wizard). That is the easy route when you buy a new machine, move the software to a new PC, or want to redo a botched first-run setup.

Pro tips

• If you skipped the wizard, the same ground is covered piecemeal in Machine ► Machine Configuration / Search for Machine Online and the License Dialog. The wizard just strings them together.
• Signing in during the wizard is worth it for the automatic license fill alone. See the KB entry "What are the sign-in, license, and Makerspace screens for? V&Co accounts, the License Dialog, and registration" for what each account screen does.