Re: What do we want?

Ian Wright wrote:

> The one thing we are desperately missing at the moment is a Linux based
> program to produce the g-code files from a drawing. We have the machine
> control in EMC and we have one or two potentially useful CAD programs (I'm
> playing with Varkon at the moment and, with perseverance I reckon I should
> have mastered it by the next millennium!!! ;o) in the meantime, there are
> others well under way in development and, for anyone who gets really
> desperate, there are commercial programs which are very comprehensive but,
> it seems to me, we are still dependant on Windows based conversion programs.
> As I am retired and thus quite cash-limited I would have difficulty
> justifying the cost of many of the commercial programs and therefore see
> linux and GPL programs as an ideal way forward. Any time penalties in
> swapping between applications are of little consequence to me as the one
> thing I have in plenty now is time! I'm surprised that we have not, so far,
> attracted many of the model engineering fraternity and wonder if this is due
> to the high cost of commercial programs - if so it is a shame as people of
> that ilk often have a wealth of very useful information and expertise which
> they are only too willing to share.

I got a copy of Bobcad/CAM 16.1 for about US $500. At first, I was mad,
because I found it very difficult to enter the part description in the CAD part,
the CAM function seemed to do about what I expected it to do. It is a bit
cumbersome, but I was much happier that it let ME decide what to cut, in
what order, etc., than if it had been all automatic, and uncontrollable.

After a while, I finally got in sync with the somewhat odd way that Bobcad
deals with 3D entry, and I wasn't mad anymore. I can do pretty much
whatever I want with it.

Jon