V-Carve

A V-carve uses a V-bit (or any tapered tool with a defined included angle) to cut a closed region at variable depth. The tool plunges deeper in wider parts of the shape and shallower in narrower parts, so the cut's edges follow the design outline exactly while the groove cross-section is a clean V.

How it works

For each closed region, MapleCAM computes the medial axis — the centreline skeleton of the shape, equidistant from the boundary on both sides. The tool follows that skeleton, with cut depth at each point determined by the local width of the shape and the V-bit's angle. Wide areas hit the tool's depth limit (set on the tool preset); narrow areas barely scratch the surface.

Flat bottom

For designs with regions wider than the V-bit can reach within the preset's depth limit, Flat Bottom mode kicks in. The wide area is cleared with a flat endmill (configured separately on the tool preset) at the depth limit, and the V-bit finishes the edges. This keeps the maximum depth bounded while preserving the V profile along the outline.

Settings

Setting	Description
Flat Bottom	Clear regions wider than the V-bit can reach with a flat endmill, capped at the tool preset's max depth.

A few advanced tuning knobs are also exposed (tolerance mode, Z tolerance, max Z raise, significance threshold). Defaults are fine for most carving; reach for them only if your output has stair-stepping or mis-aligned arc-fit segments.

Feed rate, plunge rate, spindle speed, and max depth come from the assigned tool preset.

Tool requirement

A V-bit (or other tapered tool) with a defined included angle. Flat endmills, ball endmills, and laser tools won't appear in the tool selector for V-carve operations. If Flat Bottom is enabled, a secondary flat endmill is also pulled from the preset.

When to use