Frequently asked questions

For use on an Apple computer, you also need: Parallels® Desktop for Mac or an alternative program as well as Windows® 7® / 8® / 10®. Of course, you can also use vectorcam in "BOOTCAMP" on the Mac under Windows.

Before you start the installation, you should make sure that you have administrator rights on your computer. If you are not sure, please contact your system administrator first.

For the installation you need:

• Login data customer area (see inside of the delivered cover)
• the vectorcam installation program
• the installation program for the vectorcam simulation XSIM
• the licensing data (user, organization and check)
• the USB dongle

First download the vectorcam file from your customer area and save it on your PC. To start the installation double click on the file. The installation procedure starts. Follow the instructions in the dialogs. Please note that the installation can only be executed if the supplied dongle is connected to the PC.

After the installation:

Log in to your customer login area again. On your personal customer page you will find a window with your license key. Copy the 3-line license key (User; Organization; Check) and open the folder where you installed vectorcam. There you will find a file called license.ini. If the file is not there, please contact us. 
Open the license.ini and insert your license key. Save the file. It is important that the license.ini is in the same folder as the vector.exe.

You can find a detailed installation guide here

To use a vectorcam update, it is best to watch our video tutorial for the update. There you will find detailed instructions.

Starting with version 14.0.043, all data is retained during an uninstallation. Postprocessors, libraries, vectorcam settings etc. are not deleted during the uninstallation.
After the installation of the new version, all data and settings are thus immediately available again. For security reasons, we nevertheless recommend that you carry out regular data backups!

Before uninstalling we recommend to make a data backup at the beginning. Which files have to be backed up can be found here.

If you have a valid update service, you can download the latest version in the customer area "My vectorcam". You can see information about the current version on the right side in the service menu. You will find the customer login at the top right of this web page.

1. Is the dongle plugged in correctly?
2. Are your license data correctly entered in the "license.ini" file? This file is located in the folder where you installed vectorcam.

This message appears in case of a conflict with another vectorcam version on the computer.

• First close vectorcam
• Then start the Windows file explorer
• Select the folder in which you have installed vectorcam. Usually this is the folder "c:/Program Files (x86)/vectorcam" or "c:/Program Files/vectorcam".
• Then click on the program "vregister.exe" with the right mouse button and select the option "Run as administrator".
• Then click on the program "vector.exe" with the right mouse button and select the option "run as administrator".

The message should now no longer appear.

All settings incl. the default values displayed in the dialog boxes can be saved individually.

To save your individual data, please proceed as follows:

Open the dialog box in which you want to change a value. Enter the desired value(s) in the dialog box. Then confirm your data by clicking the "OK" button.
Save the new data by selecting the "Save Private" menu item in the "Preferences" function (up to version 2012 in the "Special - Preferences" menu, from version 2013 in the "File menu "Options") and finally confirming with the "OK" button.
Now your values are saved. The next time you open vectorcam, the data you have saved will be displayed automatically.

Postprocessors must be saved in the vectorcam subfolder "cfg". Postprocessors located in this folder are finally displayed automatically in the selection window of the "Open NC (postprocessor)" command.

Postprocessor - files are identified by the file identifier ".cfg".

A separate folder and CNC file identifier can be defined for each CNC machine. The setting for this is made in the postprocessor (vectorNC) in the "Options - File identifier import/export" menu.

Import/Export file identifier" dialog box:

The folder and the file identifier can then be specified separately for exporting and importing. Further information can also be found in the online help.

When using CAD/CAM software, PCs with two built-in graphics cards (an on-board graphics card and a high-performance graphics card from NVidia or AMD) are usually used.

In the default settings, the graphics are usually set so that the system (especially in notebooks) decides for itself when which of the two graphics cards is used. This means that the high-performance graphics card is only activated when more graphics performance is required. This usually slows down the graphics.

To ensure that the full graphics performance is always available for vectorcam, it is therefore recommended to specify in the graphics settings that the high-performance graphics card should always be used when vectorcam is used.

No. The trial version ends automatically after 30 days. You do not have to worry about anything.

Please note that the installation of this trial version disables previous vectorcam versions. Therefore, the test version should be installed on a separate computer.

• After unpacking the downloaded ZIP file, you will find three files in the "testversion_en" folder.
• Start the installation of vectorcam with a double click on the installation file "setupVectorCam.x64.deu.exe" and follow the instructions.
• Then start the installation of the simulation with a double click on the installation file "setupVectorCamXSim.deu.x64.exe" and follow the instructions. 

The test version is a 64-bit version. It will only run on a 64-bit system. If you need a 32-bit version, please contact us and we will be happy to provide it. You can find our contact details here.

If the download does not work, there are several possible solutions:

• Check your Internet connection.
  Often an unstable Internet connection is the cause of the error. Restart the download process.
• Check your browser settings.
  Some browsers block downloads. Check your browser settings and display your downloads. Check there whether corresponding notes / errors are displayed. Alternatively, switching browsers could also fix the error.
• Check your security settings. 
  Maybe the download is blocked by your firewall or other security settings. In this case you should contact your administrator. 
• Check the link.
  Please note that the download link is only valid for three days. If the link has expired, contact us.
• Contact us.

If the above solutions do not work, contact us. You can find our contact details here.

• Check your operating system (64-bit / 32-bit).
  The trial version is a 64-bit version. It will only run on a 64-bit system. If you need a 32-bit version, please contact us and we will be happy to provide it. You can find our contact details here.
• Check the system requirements.
  Run a system check. Your computer may not meet the minimum requirements for running the trial version.