Art Cam Pro Tutorials
Art Cam Pro Tutorials
Art Cam Pro Tutorials
Tutorials
By Delcam plc
Overview 1
Tutorials ...........................................................................................1
3D Modelling 3
Overview ..........................................................................................3
Tutorial – 3D Blend 75
Overview ........................................................................................75
Chocolate Mould ............................................................................75
Preparing the Model.............................................................76
Creating the Vector Artwork ...............................................77
Creating the Relief ...............................................................80
Rendering the Relief ............................................................85
Creating a Triangle Model and Finding the Weight of the
Finished Product ..................................................................88
Tutorial – 3D Clipart 91
Overview ........................................................................................91
Plate Design....................................................................................91
Preparing the Model.............................................................92
Creating the Leaves .............................................................92
Creating the Flower .............................................................96
Saving the Relief..................................................................99
Creating the Plate...............................................................100
3D Machining 209
Overview ......................................................................................209
Tutorials
The tutorials contained within this manual are designed to help you to
understand the practical uses of the design tools and toolpaths
available in ArtCAM Pro.
The majority of the tutorials use example files from the ArtCAM Pro
7.0\Examples directory. If you cannot locate the example files used in
a specfic tutorial here, you must download the TutorialExamples.zip
archive from the Downloads area at http://www.artcam.com/.
You will require the Winzip application to use the files contained
within the archive. If you do not already have Winzip installed on
your computer, you can download a free evaluation copy of the latest
version from http://www.winzip.com/.
Extract the contents of the archive to the ArtCAM Pro 7.0\Examples\
directory, which is located wherever you have installed ArtCAM Pro
7.0 on your computer. To do so:
1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the directory to where you
have downloaded the archive named TutorialExamples.zip.
2. Right-click on the archive to display the context menu, then
click on the Extract to… option to launch Winzip and
display the Winzip Extract dialog box:
Overview
The following tutorials demonstrate various aspects of three-
dimensional modelling in ArtCAM Pro:
• "Tutorial - Creating a Relief from Vectors" on page 5.
• "Tutorial – Creating a Relief from a Bitmap" on page 17.
• "Tutorial – Face Wizard" on page 33.
• "Tutorial – Swept Profiles" on page 45.
• "Tutorial – 3D Blend" on page 75.
• "Tutorial – 3D Clipart" on page 91.
• "Tutorial – Texturing" on page 105.
• "Tutorial – Copying and Pasting Reliefs" on page 111.
• "Tutorial – Lizard" on page 123.
• "Tutorial – Two Rail Sweep" on page 137.
• "Tutorial – Simple Jewellery Designs" on page 149.
• "Tutorial – Pendant" on page 159.
• "Tutorial – Casino Chip" on page 169.
• "Tutorial – ISO-FORM Lettering" on page 183.
• "Tutorial – Interactive Sculpting" on page 189.
• "Tutorial – Scanning" on page 195.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create three-dimensional
shapes from vector artwork and combine them to create a relief using
the relief operations tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Teddy Bear
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the teddy bear relief.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of applying three-dimensional shapes to
vector artwork, and then combining these shapes with the relief to
produce the teddy bear shown below:
6. Now that you have seen the relief that we will create during
the course of this tutorial, we must delete the relief by
clicking on the Reset Relief button in the Relief
Operations area of the Assistant's Home page.
7. Click on the 2D View button in the 3D View toolbar to
return to the 2D View window.
Note: You can also press the F2 key on your keyboard to display the
2D View window.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create a relief from an
imported bitmap image using colour linking techniques in multiple
design windows, together with the bitmap editing and relief operation
tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Bird
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Colouring the bitmap image.
• Editing the colour image.
• Creating new views.
• Creating the relief.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of opening a bitmap image, adding
colour to the image, editing the image, creating multiple design
windows, creating colour links within these windows, applying shape
attributes to selected colours, then calculating and combining separate
reliefs to form the following relief:
17. Using the same method as detailed, flood-fill the rest of the
bitmap image in the following way:
• Flood-fill the leaves in dark-green.
• Flood-fill the bird's body in dark-blue.
• Flood-fill the bird's feet in dark-grey.
• Flood-fill the tree in dark-brown.
• Flood-fill the line that divides the bird's beak in beige.
• Flood-fill the bird's eye in blue.
• Flood-fill the pupil in the bird's eye in blue.
The bitmap image should now look something like this:
11. Click on each of the rogue black pixels in the bird's eye to
colour them all purple.
12. Continue editing the bitmap image in this way until you are
satisfied that it will produce a relief without any surface
irregularities.
The bitmap image should now look something like this:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create a relief using a
photographic image containing a side-profile of a person's head and
neck, and the Face Wizard tool available in ArtCAM Pro.
3D Face
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Importing the image.
• Creating the vector artwork.
• Creating the relief.
• Sculpting the relief.
This tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of producing the face relief shown as
follows:
10. Click on the Smudge tool icon , and then set its
Diameter to 100, its Strength to 10% and its
Smoothness to 100% by clicking and dragging on each of
the sliders in turn.
Note: You can also press the 2 key on your keyboard to select the
Smudge tool.
12. Click slightly below where the hair covers the ear and drag
the mouse downward to the end of the chin, following the
line of the jaw.
13. Click underneath the line of the jaw at the end of the chin
and drag upward along the line of the jaw.
14. Click in the middle of the neck area, and drag upward
slightly to remove the appearance of the bulge in the neck.
The face relief should now look something like this:
16. Click on the Smooth tool icon , and then set its
Diameter to 100, its Strength to 10% and its
Smoothness to 100% by clicking and dragging on each of
the sliders in turn.
Note: You can also press the 1 key on your keyboard to select the
Smooth tool.
17. In the 3D View, click and drag the tool cursor over
the areas you have smudged to smooth them.
18. Click and drag the tool cursor to make a single pass
over the hair areas. This removes some detail in the hair
area, which will make it easier to machine the relief, without
losing its definition altogether.
19. Click on the Apply button to confirm the final changes that
you have made to the relief.
20. Click on the Finish button to return to the Assistant's
Home page.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create three different types
of swept profiles using the vector drawing and vector based relief
creation tools available in ArtCAM Pro. The techniques used for
creating the swept profiles in this tutorial are extruding, spinning and
turning.
Extruded Profile
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the joints in the harp's frame.
• Creating the harp's frame.
• Creating the harp's strings.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating an extruded profile that
produces a relief in the shape of a harp:
Spun Profile
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the spun shape.
• Creating the shape of the leaves.
• Creating the spine in the leaves.
• Smoothing the relief.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating a spun profile that produces a
relief in the shape of a group of leaves:
You can see that the red and green colours are linked
together. This means that the green colour is treated as the
same as the red.
Turned Profile
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the turned shapes.
• Creating the turret crenellations.
• Creating the face of the castle.
• Creating the arrow-slits in the castle.
• Saving the model.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating a relief in the shape of the
castle. This includes the turned profiles for each of the castle's towers.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create smooth, or blended,
shapes from vector artwork using the Relief Editing tools, render a
relief using the Lights and Material Settings, and create a triangle
model using the Relief Operations tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Chocolate Mould
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the vector artwork.
• Creating the relief.
• Rendering the relief.
• Creating a triangle model and finding the weight of the
finished product.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of using vector artwork and the 3D
Blend tool to produce the three-dimensional shapes that make up the
chocolate mould relief and rendering them so that they appear as if
manufactured in chocolate. From the relief, a triangle mesh is created
so that the mould can be sent for rapid prototyping and the required
amount of chocolate can be calculated.
The chocolate mould relief that you will create during this tutorial is
shown as follows:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to import a clipart relief and
paste it onto the surface of an existing relief using the relief operations
tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Plate Design
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the leaves.
• Creating the flower.
• Saving the relief.
• Creating the plate.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of loading and manipulating a clipart
relief to produce the plate shown below:
11. Click on the Paste button to paste the clipart relief onto the
current relief.
12. Click on the Close button to close the 3D Clipart dialog
box.
13. Click on the 3D View button in the 2D View toolbar to
see what the relief now looks like:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to add texture to the relief
using the relief editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Before starting this tutorial, you must have created the castle relief, as
described in "Turned Profile" on page 67.
You can see the brick-effect on the castle walls and the
portcullis clearly.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to copy and paste areas of a
relief using the Relief Editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Grapevine
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Copying and pasting the relief.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of copying and pasting different areas
within an existing relief, and combining them to construct an entirely
new relief, as shown below:
Before… After…
17. Using the existing settings on the page, click on the Paste
button to merge the relief with the existing relief.
18. Click on the Finish button to return to the Assistant's
Home page. You can see a greyscale image of the new
second bunch of grapes in the relief in the 2D View
window:
13. Using the existing settings on the page, click on the Paste
button to merge the relief with the existing relief.
14. Click on the Finish button to return to the Assistant's
Home page. You can see a greyscale image of the new
second leaf in the relief, and the finished grapevine, in the
2D View window:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create a relief from vector
objects and apply a texture to it using the vector based relief creation
and relief editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Lizard
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the main body.
• Creating the legs.
• Creating the feet.
• Adding texture to the lizard.
• Adding the eyes.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating three-dimensional shapes
using vector objects and combining these shapes to form a relief in the
shape of a lizard. Finally, you will apply a texture to the lizard relief to
add the effect of scales on the lizards' skin:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create freeform three-
dimensional shapes using vector artwork and the Vector Based Relief
Creation and Relief Editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Fish
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the body.
• Creating the scales.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating a three-dimensional shape
from vector artwork to form a relief in the shape of a fish. Finally, you
will apply a texture to the fish relief to give the impression of scales
on its body:
The blue 2nd Rail text changes to Position in black, and the
new position of the cross-section is marked on the first drive
rail as a red 3 and the second drive rail as a blue 3.
16. Click on the Calculate button to create the swept shape.
17. Click on the Close button to return to the Assistant's
Home page.
18. Click on the Greyscale View button in the 2D View
toolbar to display a greyscale view of the relief, as shown
below:
10. In the Combine area, make sure that the Add radio button
is selected. This instructs ArtCAM Pro to add the
distorted texture to the swept shape that we previously
created.
11. Click on the Paste button.
12. Click on the Finish button to return to the Assistant's
Home page.
13. Press the F3 key on your keyboard to display the textured
relief in the 3D View window, as shown below:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create three-dimensional
shapes that can be used as jewellery designs, using vector objects
together with the vector based relief creation tools in ArtCAM Pro.
Jewellery
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating a t-bar.
• Creating a crucifix and a Mackintosh-style pendant.
• Creating a weave pendant.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating complex three-dimensional
shapes using vector objects, combining these shapes to form a relief in
the shape of four items of jewellery as shown:
Creating a T-Bar
The first item of jewellery that we will create is a T-bar design. This
can be created in two stages, firstly the bar itself and then the eyelet
which will be attached to it.
2. Click on the following vector object for the bar to select it.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create a complex pendant
design from bitmap colours and vector objects using the relief
operations and relief editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Pendant
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the basic shapes.
• Adding the texture.
• Creating the overall shape.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating three-dimensional shapes
using linked bitmap colours and vector objects. You will also create a
two-rail swept shape using vector objects, and combine this with the
other shapes to form a relief containing the pendant's features. A
weave texture will also be applied to the relief surface. Finally, you
will combine a shape with the relief to act as a base for the finished
pendant, as shown:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create an angled plane, a
cross-section from an existing model and a triangle mesh using the
relief operations and relief editing tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
Casino Chip
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the diamond model.
• Creating the angled planes.
• Saving the relief.
• Preparing the damaged chip model.
• Repairing the damaged chip relief.
• Creating the finished casino chip relief.
• Creating a triangle mesh.
We will create a three-dimensional diamond shape relief by creating
angled planes from a piece of two-dimensional artwork. This diamond
relief will be used as the centrepiece of a casino chip face, for which
we have a damaged model. Once we have created the diamond relief,
we will repair the casino chip face by creating a spun shape and
combining it with the damaged relief. With the casino chip face relief
repaired, we will then combine it with the diamond relief to form the
basis of the finished casino chip face. A texture will be added to this
relief around the diamond centrepiece to complete it. Finally, we will
create a closed triangulated mesh by combining the casino chip face
relief with an imported relief representing its back-face.
19. Click on the Draw Zero Plane button to hide the zero
plane and view the relief more clearly.
2. Click on the Save In list box and select the directory where
you want to save the relief.
3. Type Diamond in the File Name box.
4. Click on the Save button.
Combining Reliefs
First, we will import the diamond relief that we created earlier as
clipart, alter its scale and height, then combine it with the current
relief.
8. Click on the Save In list box and select the directory that
you want to save the triangle mesh in.
9. Type Coin Mesh in the File name box, and then click on
the Save button to save the triangle mesh as a .stl file. This
file can now be sent to rapid prototyping machines or other
CAD/CAM systems.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create ISO-FORM
lettering from vector text using the vector based relief creation tools
available in ArtCAM Pro.
ISO-Form Letters
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the vector text.
• Creating the ISO-FORM letters.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating ISO-FORM letters from
vector text, then combining these shapes with the relief to produce the
lettering shown below:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to use the Interactive
Sculpting tools in ArtCAM Pro to enhance your three-dimensional
designs. The Interactive Sculpting tools are particularly useful for
editing and modifying scanned data taken from sources such as touch
probe and laser scanners.
Teddy Bear
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Sculpting the relief.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of using the Interactive Sculpting tools
to edit the appearance of a Teddy Bear relief.
13. Click on the Revert button to restore the teddy bear's eye.
Overview
This tutorial demonstrates how a scanned image can be edited and
manipulated using ArtCAM Pro. It also offers general advice for using
colour and black and white scanned images in ArtCAM Pro.
Principles of Scanning
You should spend time when creating a good scanned image. It is
often best to experiment with the scanning software to get the best
possible results and then import that image into ArtCAM Pro.
Consider all of the various image options available to you, such as
black and white, colour and photograph, as well as the brightness and
colour settings. You should always crop the image to the minimum
size required and then edit the image in any way that will improve its
quality, such as removing rogue pixels.
You need to find a balance between the need for a high-resolution
image and to keep the file size small. The fewer the number of dots
per inch (dpi), the smaller the file size, but the more likely it is you
will find coarse pixel editing in the artwork and rippled effects when
machining. The larger the number of dots per inch (dpi), the less likely
you are to find rippled effects when machining, but the larger and
more cumbersome the file becomes. The dpi you choose is therefore a
compromise between these two requirements.
In ArtCAM Pro, you can load a scan saved as any one of the following
types of file:
• Windows Bitmap (*.bmp)
• TIFF image (*.tif)
• PCX image (*.pcx)
• CompuServe image (*.gif)
Comparisons of Scans
Now we will look at some examples of the effects of scanning.
You can already see that by increasing the dpi, the image
quality has improved. The pixel size is much smaller, so
using this scan would produce a better surface finish when
machining. There are no pixels that need to be added to
maintain the profile of the letter, reducing the time required
for editing.
You can see that this scanned image is of very poor quality.
You can see that scanning the image in colour is the better
option. The number of dpi depends on the size of the model
and the quality of finish that you require.
Non-Vertical Lines
In the previous example, you might have noticed that the vertical and
horizontal lines in the letters "A" and "M" of "Delcam" stray from the
After…
Overview
The following tutorials demonstrate various aspects of machining
three-dimensional models in ArtCAM Pro:
• "Tutorial – Machining Reliefs" on page 211.
• "Tutorial – Feature Machining" on page 223.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create the toolpaths
needed to machine a relief. It also demonstrates how to resize a model,
create an offset vector and calculate toolpaths in a batch.
Teddy Bear
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Opening the model.
• Setting the model's size.
• Creating an offset vector.
• Machining the model.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating toolpaths often used to
machine a relief, calculate the toolpaths in a batch and then simulate
them.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to import vector artwork,
create raised and recessed features from vector objects, and then
machine a feature using the 3D toolpath strategies available in
ArtCAM Pro.
Dragon Badge
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Importing the vector text.
• Creating the features.
• Machining the model.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating raised and recessed features
from imported vector text, then machining them in the relief to create
the text on the following badge.
Overview
The following tutorials demonstrate various aspects of two-
dimensional modelling in ArtCAM Pro:
• "Tutorial – Aston Martin" on page 235.
• "Tutorial – Smart Engraving" on page 261.
• "Tutorial – Bevelled Carving" on page 269.
• "Tutorial – Nesting Vectors" on page 275.
• "Tutorial – Bridging" on page 283.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create an Aston Martin
sign from imported vector artwork, using the vector drawing and 2D
toolpath tools available in ArtCAM Pro.
The design is courtesy of Holmes & Cottrell Graphic Technologies.
Visit their website www.vectorart.com for high quality designs.
Aston Martin
The stages that you will cover in this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating a frame for the sign.
• Importing the vector artwork.
• Creating the vector text.
• Wrapping the vector text.
• Creating an offset vector.
• Machining the vectors.
• Marking the drill holes with circles.
• Creating the drill holes.
• Saving the toolpaths.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating the Aston Martin sign below.
All three of the vector objects that you have drawn, as illustrated
above, complete the frame for the Aston Martin sign.
4. Make sure that the grouped vector objects that make up the
Aston Martin are selected by clicking anywhere on the
Aston Martin.
The grouped vector objects are purple and surrounded by a
bounding box.
5. Press the F9 key on your keyboard to move the Aston
Martin to the centre of your model.
The offset vector you will now create acts as a boundary for
the Area Clearance tool you will use to machine this area of
the sign.
10. Click on the End Mill 6mm (End Mill ¼ Inch) tool in the
Wood or Plastic\Roughing and 2D Finishing tool
group to select it.
15. Make sure that the Material Z Zero is set to the top of the
block, by clicking on the radio button at the top of the
block.
16. Type 0.0 in the Top Offset box.
17. Click on the OK button to close the Material Setup dialog
box.
18. Make sure that the Create 2D Preview option is selected
.
19. Click on the Now button to calculate the Area Clearance
toolpath.
The Area Clearance toolpath appears in the 2D View
window as follows:
17. Click on the Save… button to open the Save As… dialog
box.
18. Type Drilling in the File Name box.
19. Click on the Save button to save the toolpath.
20. Click on the Close button to close the Save Toolpaths
dialog box.
These toolpath files can now be sent to your CNC machine tool to
create the Aston Martin sign.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create engraved text using
the vector editing and the Smart Engraving toolpath available in
ArtCAM Pro.
A Smart Engraving toolpath allows you to produce engraved vector
text effectively and efficiently.
Engraved Text
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the outer-edge of the engraved area.
• Creating the vector text.
• Machining the model.
• Saving the toolpaths.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating the engraved text below:
11. Click on the End Mill 3mm (End Mill 1/8 Inch) tool in the
Steel\Roughing and 2D Finishing tool group to select
it.
12. Click on the Select button to close the Tool Groups
Database and display the selected tool in the Smart
Engraving page.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to create bevelled (angle-
edged) lettering using the vector text and 2D toolpath tools available
in ArtCAM Pro.
Bevelled Letter B
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the vector text.
• Machining the vector text.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating a bevelled letter B.
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how the Nesting tool in ArtCAM
Pro repositions vector objects in order to minimise material wastage
when you are machining.
Nesting Vectors
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Defining the material shape.
• Creating the vector text.
• Nesting the vector text.
• Machining the nested vector text.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of nesting. At the end of this tutorial you
will have nested text within an area of material, and created the
toolpath with which to machine it.
13. Move the cursor over the left edge of the rectangle, then
press the A key on your keyboard to convert this span to an
arc as well.
This vector object represents the total area of the material
you have available in which to machine a block of vector
text.
11. Click on the End Mill 3mm (End Mill 1/8 Inch) tool in the
Aluminum\Roughing and 2D Finishing tool group to
select it.
12. Click on the Select button to close the Tool Groups
Database and display the selected tool in the Nesting
page.
13. Click on the Setup button to display the Material Setup
dialog box:
Overview
The following tutorial demonstrates how to add bridges, also referred
to as tabs, to a Profile toolpath. Bridges are used to hold a part in place
during machining.
Bridged Letter B
The stages that you will cover during the course of this tutorial are:
• Preparing the model.
• Creating the vector text.
• Creating the toolpath.
• Adding the bridges.
• Editing the bridges.
• Viewing the toolpath.
The tutorial will lead you through each of these stages, guiding you
through the complete process of creating a profiled letter B with
bridging.
9. Click on the End Mill 3 mm (End Mill 1/8 Inch) tool in the
Wood or Plastic\Roughing and 2D Finishing tool
group to select it.
10. Click on the Select button to close the Tool Groups
Database and display the selected tool on the Profiling
page.
11. Click on the Setup button to display the Material Setup
dialog box:
You are now ready to simulate and save the toolpath. For further
information, see "Simulating Toolpaths" and "Saving a Toolpath" in
the Machining Models chapter of the Reference Manual.