Re: creating toolpath..

Thanks for that Chris,

I thought at first I had posted to the Vector forum and not
CAD_CAM_DRO :)
Unless you own either Vector and Dolphin it's hard to know which one
is better for a certain job.
All I am doing is to pass on any experiance I have with the various
programs I own.
After all isn't this group all about that?

Just up the road from me is an aerospace CNC company, they have
invested in some very nice machining centres over the last year or
two. They use some high end CAM system that works inside Solid Works,
very expensive and also high $$ annual contract.
Recently they have invested in some new Guildermeister CNC lathes.
When I was round there picking parts up they had the Mastercam rep in
to demo the lathe program. With what they wanted to do level 1 wasn't
suitable and the rep was trying to push level 2 into them.
When I saw what Mastercam lathe could do at level 1, I was amazed at
what was missing.
Later I took their manager on one side and asked him to send their
lathe guy round and I'd show him Dolphin lathe. Well you know what
managers are like, being polite but refusing. So I said come on Glynn
what have you got to loose it's only 100 yard down the road.
So he came down with the operator. I showed them Dolphin lathe and he
was impressed. The operator got it imediately and said that it had as
many features as Mcam level 2.
Mastercam level 2 here in the UK is just over 5,000 UKP about $7500
with an annual maintainance of 1200 UKP
They couldn't belive that Dolphin Lathe AND Mill was less than the
annual maintainance price of Mastercam.

They bough a copy and are now using the mill version instead of Solid
works CAM for all the simpler day to day work as well as using the
lathe for all the work.

There is one thing I'd like to say and I know I'm sticking my neck
out [ what's new <g> ]
There are a lot of vested interests in this group. You only have to
look at the sig lines to realise what they are.
I have stated this before and will continue to state it "I don't sell
Dolphin or any other programs or services"
I have paid for my programs, even the upgrades, I have cancelled
checks and recipts to prove this.
I have never had any monetary help from Dolphin at any point, all I
have done is to point features out and help people use the program.
In fact other than meeting Andre Mann when he demo'd the first copy
of Dolphin we bought in the early V 4.0 DOS days, I have never even
met any of the other team.

There are about four programs that I rely on and will do the same for
all these.
What I do get off Dolphin is fantastic user support, even to the
point of having features built into the program to help me.
The fact that you are dealing with the people who make the program
and not some sales person also helps.

John S
Agents for nothing.
Don't ring us we''ll ring you.

...........

>--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, CL <datac@l...> wrote:
> John seems to get jumped on by at least one guy, everytime he says
> something about Dolphins features. Golly, dare anyone ever indicate

that

> a program might be pretty good at something ? He said something

like:

> "It is even easier in Dolphin"..... Maybe it is !
>
> Don't get me wrong, but this is a CAD group too. I wish more and

more

> and MORE discussion were in here on CAD itself. It could make

people

> more aware on how some work and some do not. ( and maybe make it
> possible to spend hard earned cash on something that you can be

totally

> happy with) I've got my gripes with Programs too..... We need to

voice

> them so things >>>>>change. Vector is a great program, but there

are

> areas where things could be a little easier.
>
> Sure, your right on the Vector "pocket" situations....... But I

think

> John clearly knows ( as do I ) that that in this day and age,

Vector

> should be smart enough to automatically handle a "Contour" ! You

have

> to DRAW that rascal (or offset it from somewhere else), THEN
> "contour".... Took me a while to get used to that after using the

other

> more expensive stuff for years.
>
> It wasn't like issues like that were not made known to anyone. I

was

> confused with the decisions to offer the "nurbs" thing as the next
> option. I say Hey ! Why not finish these little things first ?
>
> Worse, I'm missing a few little buttons that, gee, >should< be

pretty

> simple to install. Buttons like View "Previous", Like "Offset".

(The

> only Button for "Offset" is on the CAM menu, and that says "create
> offset geometry" ! I thought it was a CAM menu, not the CAD

menu !),

> Buttons to jump from one 3d view to another without popping open 3

menus

> to get there!
>
> The worst part is, there seems to be missing plenty of Keyboard
> shortcuts to get to most of these too. THAT puts a big kabosh on

using

> my favorite 3rd party macro programs get to them.
>
> It is the little things that never get fixed that keep me from

spending

> more time in any program, as I look on the horizon for one that may

be

> more to my liking.
>
> This is not a Bash against Vector by any means. I have it, I use

it, and

> it was worth every dime. But, I'm not parting with "nurbs money"

until I

> get some buttons I can use.
>
> Please bring on a toolbar that makes sense. At least make sure

EVERY

> command can be called with SOME keyboard combination even if it has

to

> be Ctrl-A,R,F-12,Alt-G/B ! My macros could care less !
>
> The MTB is great, but it isn't a replacement for good toolbars.
>
> (I'm not even going to mention Feedrate handling improvements that

could

> be done)
>
> Waiting for the next great release before I figure out my next

Cad/Cam

> move (and there will be one),
>
> Chris L