Tips and Tricks: Green and Red Markers

Brad Castle

11 June 2025 09:51

Understanding Start and End Points for Vectors in Carveco

Overview

In Carveco, vectors have clearly defined start and end points. Understanding these markers is essential when preparing your artwork for machining, especially when using toolpaths that require closed shapes. This tutorial explains how to identify open vs. closed vectors and how to fix them.

Identifying Start and End Points

A green circle marks the start point of a vector.
A red circle marks the end point.

These indicators appear when a vector is selected. They help you understand the vector’s direction and whether it's open or closed.

Why It Matters for Machining

Many toolpaths in Carveco — like Area Clearance or Pocket — require a closed vector. If your shape is open, the software will return an error and refuse to generate the toolpath.

Error Message: If you attempt to calculate a toolpath with an open vector, you may see: “No toolpath was created for the current tool.”

Quick Example

Create or select a single open line.
Notice the green start and red end point markers.
Attempt an Area Clearance toolpath — you'll get an error.

Now compare that to a square. If it’s fully closed, you’ll see only a green marker and no red — and toolpaths will calculate correctly.

Fixing an Open Vector

Select the open vector.
Go to Edit → Join Vectors → Close with a Line.
This will connect the start and end points to form a closed shape.

Tip: If you see a red dot on a shape you expect to be closed, it's a sign you need to inspect and join the vector before machining.

Summary

Summary:
Use the green and red markers to identify vector start and end points in Carveco. For toolpaths that require closed shapes, a red marker indicates a problem. Use the "Close with a Line" function to quickly seal the shape and enable accurate machining.