Aspire depth map preparation before CNC import

Aspire builds relief from a grayscale value mapping, so anything in the file becomes part of the model. Background clutter that would have been trimmed elsewhere arrives as a low-amplitude texture across the whole component, and a reversed field produces a plausible shell that machines inside out.

Doing the range work first keeps the CAM project clean: flatten the background, set a deliberate low plane, confirm inversion against the intended cutting direction, and save the adjusted PNG beside the Aspire file so the mapping behind a finished component is still recoverable months later.

A relief that meets a flat background needs a border that is genuinely flat. Setting one before import is far cheaper than editing the component afterwards, and it gives the boundary a predictable height to blend into rather than a ragged edge that has to be sculpted away.

Width and height only mean something together. Record the intended physical width and decide the component height from the finishing tool and the stock, then reuse the same range across an order so two plaques cut on different days still match. Consistency across a run is usually worth more than one component being individually optimal.

Import behaviour differs between Aspire versions and between the PNG and STL routes. Units, component height, combine mode, zero plane handling, and boundary behaviour all live inside the installed software, and they must be confirmed there rather than assumed from a tutorial written for a different release.

The same applies to toolpaths. DepthCarve does not choose cutters, stepover, feeds, or post-processors, and it does not claim that a depth file is machine instruction. Simulate with real stock and the actual tool before anything touches material.