I want to carve a sign where the text is proud of the background.
Is there any way of making part toolpaths repect the boundaries of different parts so I can use one but to rough out and then a smalleer bit to do the small areas only.
Heres an example - see how the toolpath for H cuts into the T and vice versa?
When you then do a Hole - Island operation it removes all the part toolpaths but the overlap remains
I’m using v11 but v12 is the same. Any ideas?
Your primary tool has to fit between all the lines, e.g. it looks like a 1.5mm tool would work. With v12 you can add a pocketing tool in path properties. The pocketing tool will cut what it can and then the primary tool will cut whatever is left. See also: Stacked Text Attempt - Help With Island and Multiple Tools
…Apparently I didn’t provide enough information so see also:
I’d most definitely use a V-endmill here and then, as Dave says, use a 3mm endmill for pocketing. You have to program it as a Carve then.
That’s the point, you can’t do pocketing - if will cut through the letters.
Kiri:moto and fusion both appear to be able to use a larger tool to clear and then a finer tool to pick out the details.
I’ll look into that in v12, thankyou.
You can do that, as I said: Make it a Carve and choose a V-endmill as the “normal” tool and add a bigger one as the clearing tool.
FWIW, you can save a ton of mill time by cutting out the letters and glueing them on top. Your design is your design. But I wanted to point it out in case it was not obvious.
Yeah, that’s fair - I think more than anything I’m surprised it’s not possible.
Anyone in the millmage beta know if it’s possible?
I’ve been avoiding learning CAM in fusion- seems too much like hard work, but maybe I have to.
edit:
Well well well… (check out the link in the 3rd post)
Yeah, when possible, personally prefer cad/3D design in Fusion, mostly exporting .dxf for EstlCam to CAM. But, if there isn’t a neat EstlCam approach for your project, then consider exporting .stl from Fusion, then, use Estlcam 12 to load .stl, and see if the mostly auto generated toolpaths are usable.
Smaller flat end mill or carve bit needed unless you want to increase letter spacing/kerning/tracking?
Either I didn’t understand your problem yet or you don’t understand my solution. You want to cut a sign where the letters stand out? Kind of like this:
Yes, although without the tapering.
I’m trying to do it with 2 toolpaths, one using a larger bit to remove the bulk of the material and then a second toolpath using a smaller bit to only pick out the lettering.
You might be able to do that with a carve as well and just select your smaller tool as the carving tool. Let me try… 
Then how do you do the pocketing with a bigger tool?
At the bottom right in the box you choose a clearing tool (blue field). It does throw an error with the flat tool on carving, but you might be able to cheat it by setting the angle to 179° or sth like that.
It also works with an island. I chose a 1mm endmill as the tool and programmed the cuts, then I chose Island and then put my 6mm endmill as the clearing tool (blue box bottom right). You can easily see it swap the tools.
Eureka! Thanks Phillipp
