Lithophane Software Evaluation Version 1.0 Reviewed by Anthony Martin (02/2012)

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1 Lithophane Software Evaluation Version 1.0 Reviewed by Anthony Martin (02/2012) Note: These evaluations done without actually using the g-code generated. While I believe I have throughly played with these software packages, without actually making a lithophane from the software there is a crucial element missing from this review. So...mileage may vary. Background: I am fascinated with lithophanes. While I will be doing many things with my Xzero router. Lithophanes are something that I am looking forward to creating. After evaluating different CAM software packages, I have discovered that there are some great products out there one can purchase to create these nifty items. While there may be more software products out there that can create lithophanes, I have chosen to review the products that had functioning DEMO versions and seemed to be under the $ price range. Please keep in mind that this a 1.0 version of this document. If there are others out there I should try please let me know. If I am way off based with something let me know. Thanks! Methodology: Having never used the software, how long did it take to learn enough about the program in order to to create a lithophane? How much can you do with it? How much control do you have? I have noticed that each software package has different rendering times both visually and the time it takes to generate the models/code. Do you get a lot for your money?

2 Just the Numbers Please: Microcarve V4 $32.99 (02/2012) PhotoVCarve $ (02/2012) MeshCAM V5 $ (02/2012) Note: On 2/25/2012 the company listed it as on sale for $ regular price of $ * ** *Feature set rating was limited to the lithophane feature. Lithophanes are only one item in a very capable 3D CAM package. ** rating was given based on the other 3D capabilities.

3 Okay, How About a Little More Detail: I was please with the results from all software products. This is going to be fun! Microcarve V4! Microcarve is amazing for $ I enjoy the simplicity of the software. I would have given it another point for ease of use if the documentation was a little clearer. As a novice CNC er I would love a little more guidance.! I love the Export as STL feature, I can see where this would come in handy. If you wanted to use another 3D CAM package that you felt had better toolpath strategies but no lithophane creation features this feature rocks!! The speed is awesome. It seemed to be the fastest of all three at rendering and generating the tool paths. Bottom line is that even if I buy another product, I will probably purchase this one as well.

4 PhotoVCarve! So what if you have another $ to spend? Well that s easy get yourself PhotoVCarve. If photos are your thing, this software is for you.! The first thing I love is the work flow. This software is as easy as it gets when you pack in the amount of features that it has. The work flow is a 4 step process. 1. Open Image, 2. Set Material Size, 3. Set Cutting Parameters, 4 Preview & Save Toolpath.! You can t discount the V-Carve feature. While I was primarily looking for lithophanes, the V-Carve feature would really really come in handy.! One of the most compelling features is not built into the software. That feature is the community support on Vectric s website. Their forums have a lot of great information. Bottom line is that if photos are going to be something you care about, I don t think you can go wrong with PhotoVCarve.

5 MeshCAM 5! MeshCAM was the wildcard in this group. I discovered MeshCAM when I was evaluating general 3D CAM software. Its tag line is Powerful CNC Software for Nonmachinists. After playing with it I would agree, I am not a machinist and it worked well for me. It supports STL & DXF files. It even supports two-side Machining. When it comes to lithophanes it touts Image Machining. You can throw it a BMP, JPG, PNG, or Tiff, and it will create 3D objects with ease.! So I threw it a JPG and it appears to work well. It has a nice little option of Relief. When you click on it, it brings up a slider called Smooth Relief. This can provide some great level of adjustments making something look more artistic than photographic.! When it comes to generating a tool path it has a Automatic Toolpath Wizard that is helpful. As a novice I am just really learning feed rates, etc. I had to add my 1/16 ball nose and had no idea what feed rates to use. That s just gives me something I need to learn anyway, but it would be nice to have a starting point. MeshCAM may have great toolpath algorithms, but it was the slowest to create the g-code and to render things on screen. I might be a good activity to compare the code to see what the differences are. When it was done generating the code you can use check boxes to see the different paths. That gave me some good insight on how it works. Bottom line is that if you are in the market for some easy 3D CAM software with some nice lithophane capabilities you may need to look at MeshCAM.