V-Carve Text

Exact V-groove depth maps from any font.

A V bit is a cone, so the depth anywhere inside a letter is fixed by how far that point sits from the nearest edge of the stroke. That makes V-carving pure geometry — no AI, no credits, no misspelled names, and the same settings always produce the same file.

Operating Steps

Step 1: Type and Choose a Font

Enter your text, one line per row. The picker groups all 36 faces by measured stroke ratio, heaviest first, because depth is a function of stroke width. The readout shows what your typical stroke actually reaches at the current cap size.

Step 2: Set the Bit Angle

Narrower bits cut deeper for the same stroke: a 2 mm stroke reaches 1 mm on a 90 degree bit and 1.73 mm on a 60 degree bit. Choose 30, 60, 90 or 120 degrees to match the tool in your spindle.

Step 3: Set the Depth Budget

Max depth caps the cut at what your machine and material allow. Strokes wider than that budget cut flat-bottomed with true V walls, and the Flat-bottomed readout tells you what percentage of the ink did. Leave it at 0 for unlimited.

Step 4: Export and Set Z

Download a true 16-bit grayscale PNG plus a settings card. Set your LightBurn 3D slice max depth to the Black depth value shown. The PNG carries its scale in a pHYs chunk so it imports at real millimetre size.

Step 5: Batch a Run

Paste a name list or CSV column to get one depth map per name in a ZIP, up to 300 per run. Keep Z scale on Fixed so every item shares one machine setting.

Tactical Tip

If most of your carve reports as flat-bottomed, you have lost the V shape entirely — the strokes want far more depth than your budget allows. Use a narrower bit angle, a lighter font, or a smaller cap size for a true V.

Before a production run

Save the source file before changing geometry or parameters, confirm the final physical dimensions, and inspect the smallest details at the intended output size. Use matching scrap to test focus, speed, power, frequency, and layer order. Record the settings that worked with the material and machine so the next job starts from a verified result.

Open V-Carve Text Tool Workspace