# Convert picture to toolpath



## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

Hi everyone. I am extremely new here, and somewhat new to woodworking. I'll begin by telling you I have a CNC Shark, Pro Plus and trying to learn it the hard way. Trial and Error, but enjoying every minute of it. My problem now is I want to make a sign, and I have converted a jpg file from the internet to a dxf file. Saved it and placed it on the Vcarve 7.5 program. I then add the lettering I want. Whenever I try to toolpath this, I can only get it to work on either the lettering, or the pictures. Never both together. Do I need to toolpath and carve one first and then the other or will the cnc do both and I just don't have all the steps in place . I also have to do everything in mm, can't get it to recognize inches.

Thanks for the help


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Frank and welcome to the forum> I've moved your thread to the CNC forum where you may be more likely to get an answer. You could also try looking through older posts on that subforum. You may see something related to your question. The fastest way to get there is to go up to your thread title and look for Router Forums>Router Forums>CNC Routing. When you click on the CNC Routing you'll go straight there.


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

I appreciate that Chuck, I need all the help I can get. And thank you for the welcome.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

You need to get hold of Scottart or 4D thinker - they know the shark inside and out.

HJ


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forum. Frank


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

Okay, thanks HJ, I'll see if I can find them. Appreciate it


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

Okay SemiPro, I thought I did all that when I signed up, sorry, I'll go back and see what I can do to get that on there. Thanks for pointing that out to me. This could be my whole problem, how can I expect to operate a Shark when I can't fill out a profile. Ha Ha


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

Just checked profile, looks like it is all there, location, hobbies, shop, experience, but not much showing on the right under profile. I don't know, I'll sign out and try it again. I hope no one thinks I'm being rude, just old and not computer lit., so please forgive me. I'll do what I can to correct this, I hope.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Hey Frank,

It took me a week to make a 4 letter sign with my Probitix Nebula (in all fairness it had a space and a period). So far I have a $6k nameplate that I gave away. It's a fight for us old codgers to get "trained" on this new stuff - especially when it's trial and error, and learn as you go. All this detail stuff is what gets me.

HJ

Will hit it again when we get back from NC


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Frank.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Frank, the admonition to complete your profile is generic because we get so many new members who don't fill it out but also ask questions about how to do something and then we don't know what tools or experience they have so the advice that's given is often a shot in the dark whether it will be appropriate and helpful.

Honest John's suggestion to contact those members is possibly where you will get your answer but you will need a few more posts to be able to use our Private Messaging system (10). That's easy, just join in on some Show and Tell posts, or any discussion, or even welcome a few other newcomers. The 10 post rule is there to help discourage spammers. We have more and more people joining who are just getting into CNC routing and there are only so many really experienced members who can trouble shoot problems and no one who buys a CNC does so just to make a few things for around the house so sometimes it takes one of them a bit to get to some of the CNC questions.


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## bgriggs (Nov 26, 2008)

There are many free tutorials that come with VCarve Pro. They teach a lot of useful basics. . Consider watching a few.

When you set up the work piece you get to choose mm or inches.


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## Crosetti (Mar 21, 2013)

Hey Frank,
I don't know where the problem is until I see the file.
Are you running 2 separate tool paths, 1 for pic & 1 for text or all 1 toolpath?
Can you attach the file?


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

I wish I knew how, ha,ha, but to answer your question I have tried both ways. I'm sure it is something I am leaving out, because I can make just "letter" signs all day long. I finally did it enough to now know what is expected, just trying to add graphic's, or pictures has me stumped. Thanks for the answers guys, I'll try it all again from scratch, and check out the tutorials again.


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

MEBCWD, Longview


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Frank,

So you are at 7 posts and you did get my PM.

I was hopping you were from the Dallas area and I could have helped. You might check locally and see if there is a CNC users group available. We have one at the Rockler store here in Dallas and it is more about using Vectric software which is a common thread to most of the users. Not all the members have Sharks and not all the members use Vectric software but we do have demos about other software that you can use for different CNC applications.

Let me see if I can address some of your problems:

When you first start a job (Create a new file) there is an option to work in inches or millimeters, make sure you pick inches. Then When you pick tools make sure you use imperial tools from the tool data base, when you save you toolpath make sure you use the "CNCShark-USB Arcs (inch) (*.tap)" post processor. If you update to V-Carve Pro 8.0 you will have 3d capabilities and you would save a 3d toolpath with "CNCShark-USB 3D Contour (inch) (*.tap)" post processor.

When you are trying to create a toolpath make sure you have all the vectors selected that you want to cut before you click on "Calculate". If you have calculated a toolpath and then select new vectors, then go back to the toolpath it will automatically select the vectors that were selected when it was last calculated so you lose you new selection. First open the toolpath and then select all the vectors you want to include, then click on "Calculate". This may be the problem you were having. 

Hope this is of some help,


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## FrankN (Apr 2, 2015)

Meb, Thank you Sir, I'll try that. I just downloaded *, and didn't know this. I'll give it a try. Thanks Again


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