Topic
Gadgets
Quick tips and guides from the Kinetic Carving knowledge base, most read first.
24 guides
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I cut keyhole slots so my sign hangs flush on the wall? (Keyhole Toolpath gadget)
The Keyhole Toolpath gadget (Gadgets menu) automates the slot that lets a sign or plaque hang flush over a screw head. The slot is cut into the back of the...
- Gadgets3 min read
After upgrading, my downloaded gadgets are gone or throw errors. Which library gadgets have a version 12 download, and what replaces the ones that don't?
Two facts from the official pages explain most of it: So after an upgrade, plan to download the build that matches your new ver
- Gadgets2 min read
Can I round every corner of a shape in one go instead of clicking each one? (Radius All Corners gadget)
The built-in Create Fillets tool is interactive. The official manual describes hovering near a node and clicking to fillet that one corner. For a shape with...
- Gadgets3 min read
Can I write my own gadget? What are Lua and the Gadget SDK?
Yes. Gadgets are add-in tools written in a programming language called Lua. The software maker publishes a Gadget SDK for people who want to write their own...
- Gadgets3 min read
How do I bring a ShopBot digitizing probe scan into Aspire as a 3D model? (ShopBot Probe Importer gadget)
The ShopBot Digitizing Probe records a scan as a ShopBot toolpath file. This gadget reads that file and brings it into Aspire as a toolpath, which you then...
- Gadgets3 min read
How do I carve a photo as a pattern of drilled dots? (Half Toner gadget)
Half Toner turns an image into a halftone: a grid of holes whose size carries the picture. The library explains that it works by drilling holes to different...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I change the size of every screw hole in a job at once? (Circle Resize gadget)
Circle Resize is a small drawing gadget from the official gadget library. It looks through the vectors you have selected, finds every circle whose diameter...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I cut vinyl, leather, or gasket material with a drag knife? (Drag Knife Toolpath gadget)
A drag knife is a free-swiveling blade holder that rides in the spindle (spindle off) and lets a CNC cut sheet goods like vinyl, leather, cardstock, and gasket...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I draw a gear to cut on my CNC? (Gear Maker gadget)
The software has no built-in gear drawing tool. Gear Maker, from the official gadget library, fills that gap. It draws the outline vectors for a spur gear from...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I draw a rectangle a set distance around my whole design? (Square Around gadget)
Square Around is a drawing gadget from the official gadget library. It draws one rectangle around whatever vectors you have selected, with a border gap you...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I draw a spiral vector? (Spiral Creator gadget)
The drawing tools include circles, arcs and curves, but the official manual has no spiral drawing tool. Spiral Creator, a drawing gadget in the official gadget...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I lay out evenly spaced flutes across a flat panel? (Fluter Gadget)
The Fluter Gadget draws the vectors for a fluted flat panel from a handful of dimensions. You tell it the panel size and how many flutes you want, and it...
- Gadgets3 min read
How do I make texture lines that dip in and out, alternate direction, or flip? (Texture Toolbox gadget)
Texture Toolbox is a toolpath gadget from the official library. It is designed to work on the wavy lines made by the Create Vector Texture tool, and it adds...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I round a square blank into a cylinder for a rotary job? (Create Rounding Toolpath gadget)
The Create Rounding Toolpath gadget (Gadgets menu) generates the toolpath that machines a rough blank, square or already round, down to a clean finished...
- Gadgets3 min read
How do I save timestamped backup copies of my job with one click? (Job Backup Gadget Suite)
The Job Backup Gadget Suite is a set of four small gadgets from the official library. After install they sit together in a Job Backup submenu of the Gadgets...
- Gadgets2 min read
How do I turn probe or scan point data into a 3D component? (Regular Grid Importer gadget)
Regular Grid Importer reads a file of scanned points and builds a 3D component from it. It is aimed at data from a touch probe or digitizer that steps across a...
- Gadgets5 min read
How does the Box Creator gadget work in VCarve Pro & Aspire for making dovetail boxes?
The Box Creator gadget creates the vectors and the toolpaths for a dovetailed box. You enter the box size and material thickness, choose which of the six sides...
- Gadgets3 min read
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...
- Gadgets2 min read
How does the Wrapped Fluting Layout gadget lay out flutes around a rotary blank?
Wrapped Fluting Layout (Gadgets menu, preinstalled) lays out the vectors for straight flutes and coves around a rotary workpiece. It is a layout gadget: it...
- Gadgets3 min read
I drew my dados as rectangles. How do I turn them into centerline cuts? (Dado Toolpath Creator gadget)
When you lay out a cabinet side, it is natural to draw each dado (housing joint) as a rectangle showing where the shelf goes. For cutting, the library page...
- Gadgets2 min read
I installed a gadget, so why isn't it in the Gadgets menu (or why is there no Gadgets menu)?
The Gadgets menu is not fixed. The documentation says it is rebuilt each time the program starts, from whatever is in the gadgets folder at that moment...
- Gadgets5 min read
What are Gadgets in VCarve Pro & Aspire, how do I install them, and which ones are most useful?
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...
- Gadgets5 min read
What is the Dogbone gadget in VCarve Pro & Aspire and how do I use it for CNC joinery?
The Dogbone gadget solves a basic limitation of CNC routing: a round end mill cannot cut a perfectly sharp 90° internal corner. When two pieces need to slot...
- Gadgets3 min read
Where can I get more gadgets beyond the ones that came with the program, and how do I judge one before installing it?
Official pages point to two places: 1. The official gadget library. The developer page says it carries both gadgets written by the software maker and gadgets...