Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CAD CAM Software

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003, odonatas wrote:

> I would appreciate some help. One of the full featured CAD CAM
> software companies is thinking about offering a lesser version of
> their software at a very significantly reduced price and we are trying
> to decide which features to limit or eliminate. We want to have useful
> software for the novice, student and hobbyist but still allow the
> software company to stay in business by selling the full featured
> version to full time users. I'm trying to come up with something
> better than these not really satisfactory ideas:
>
> Limit the file size of the Gcode output. This would kill the ability to
> engrave or cut polylines made up of lots of little pieces.

This also kills 3D contour milling since you may wind up with many many
thousands of lines of code.

> Limit the file size of CAD files. Similar problem to above

Agreed.

> Limit the frequency of use or time period of a session. A hobbyist
> might use a program 3 times a week. A professional could be using it
> several times a day.

Yeah, but a hobbiest might also have to do a lot of tweaking. If
someone's using a dual-boot system, they may have to exit in order to test
their code. Whoops! Need four decimal places instead of three. Do
enough of those and they'd have to wait a day to fix something that wasn't
obvious 'till they tried to run the toolpath.

> Limit the posting features, like absolute coordinates only or no cutter
> compensation, but not so much that the part time user would not get a
> chance to understand the benefits of the professional version.
>
> I want this to be be a real and permanent solution for the part time
> user, I don't think it should evaporate or become disabled after a few
> weeks.

I don't know if there's a good answer to this question. The problem is a
hobbyist may use their software as much as, if not more than a
professional. If the professional is manufacturing a fixed set of parts,
once the toolpaths are set up they're gonna be good to go for a while. A
hobbyist may make a hundred one-off parts for a single project, each with
their own share of proofing, tweaking, cutting, refining, re-cutting, etc.
etc. etc.

A hobbyist may also want the same features a professional would. I don't
know anyone with a CNC mill who isn't at least remotely interested in 3D
contour milling. Personally, I'd want to be able to generate four axis
code.

Tough question. Wish I could help more.

Tom