I have been using VCarve for my cnc router and laser cutter. I also have a Fusion license. So frequently I find my self bouncing around these programs. I do like VCarve for its relative simplicity. I can design and generate toolpaths for simple projects for the cnc router. I export .dxfs for the laser cutter software. VCarve also has a “trace” capability to generate vector files from bitmaps. I find myself using that a lot.
It is easy to “join” lines into single paths with VCarve. I found that if a dxf of a complex curve is, I guess the term would be disjointed, the laser cutter would jump around, starting a cut, move to a different point and continuing the cut. I can imagine the same problem could happen with a plasma cut if the dxf is not continuous.
I have imported dxfs into Fusion. Fairly straightforward. And I will probably use Fusion initially for drawing and design and toolpath generation. The only reason not to use VCarve for toolpaths is the lack of a plasma postprocessor. Custom postprocessors can be created for VCarve, but I don’t think I’m smart enough to write one.
I guess that I am writing this to see if anyone has used VCarve, and for the very slight possibility that there exists a plasma postprocessor for VCarve that someone has used.
I am really looking forward to receiving, assembling and using the plasma cnc. I know it will be an adventure.