Re:Bobcad 17

I've read the previous posts with interest.
By far the most interesting is Fred Smiths response. He makes some good
points even though it's a thinly disguised sales pitch for Vector.Not
knocking Fred as he has done a lot to help this group.
What was the start of this discussion though was the CAD side and comparing
it to another CAD system. This I don't feel is fair as Bobcad and Vector
are CAD - CAM programs after all. I know that vector has spun the CAD side
off to be a stand alone but it's roots are still with CAD - CAM.
From using a few of these programs, either the full version or demo's I
have come to the conclusion than NONE of the CAD - CAM packages has a
decent CAD side.
They all seem clunky, not user friendly and long winded.
They all seem to be the menu driven type - click this, type in a box your
result then do it all over again as there is no repeat.
I run two CAD/CAM programs, no names, it's not a sales pitch and I don't
use either for doing the CAD profiles I use a dedicated CAD program and
bring in as a DXF file then process this in the CAM package.
On a simple drawing I never use the menu bar at all but type in on the
command line the commands I need as shortcuts. To draw a slot for instance
I would type in SL [ shortcut for Slot ], 10 [ Width ], 30 [ Length ] and
then place it on the drawing using one of the F keys as a snap point - job
done.
I do a lot of drawings, every machine part we make needs a drawing even if
it never see's a CNC machine. The cost of these drawings has to be kept in
house and is part and parcel of the total machine cost. It can't be passed
on to a customer. It therefore goes without saying that any time saved is
also money saved.
There is no way using any of the CAD - CAM programs I have tried that I
could do drawings as fast as the way I do now.
Going back to the earlier posts about selecting multiple entities a decent
CAD package can select by each, window, layer, colour, line style, fill
style, prior, all, certain entities like all the circles OR any combination
of these like window but not the green lines on layer 7.
--

Regards,
John Stevenson
Nottingham, England