Re: VectorCam
Posted by
Fred Smith
on 2000-06-27 22:06:50 UTC
Vance wrote:
Double clicking on any entity brings up a parameter dialog in which you can change the location and form of just about any entity. Lengthen lines, relocate them, change the angle/location of one end or both. Draw dimensions with TOLERANCES. How about it Bobcad guys? Draw ordinate dimensions. Along the X or Y axis, which of course is fully portable and rotatable in Vector. If you are in a modify mode, you can change the length or arc of an entity by dragging it with the mouse. You can even edit text and make dimensions measure horizontal, vertical, or direct point to point without having to redraw anything. How about it Bobcad guys? can you do that?
Copy Paste, but with Pizzaz! translate, rotate, scale, multiple copies, mirror ALL on one dialog and with Ctrl-V for the hot key
When you select something in Vector, it stays selected AND you see an arrow ( that's why it's called Vector) so you also know what DIRECTION it is going to be cut. If you save a DXF file with things selected in Vector, that is the way they go into the file. If you need to cut a DXF file with your controller, Vector can do that almost as well as plain old G-code. Same for plot files (HPGL), just install the windows driver for your machine, select the order in Vector and print it to the device directly, or to a file & then run it into the plotter from the file. In any case it cuts in the order of selection in Vector. In Bobcad you will be lucky if the arcs are still pointing the same direction in a DXF file. TurboCad? probably not in their design specs.
How about multiple drawings open at the same time, how about multiple views of the same drawing open and updating at the same time?
Vector comes with preset configurations for EMC, MicroKinetics, Flashcut, and Shopbot. These include things like placing the logical and conditional commands on the macro menus. Matching ALL the parameters needed for the drilling/reaming/tapping cycles, etc.
We just put up a free beta download of VFONTZ. Vfontz is a program that generates 3D tool paths for a V-tipped cutter. It will carve out Tru-Type fonts. It is a Vector accessory, and is only available to Vector customers. However, the program is very Visual, as it does autoscaling for Horizontal, Vertical, and Circular text strings. The first step, it develops the font outline and layout in Blue, the second step it calculates the 3D centerline tool paths in Red. It draws the tip of the tool up in the corners to make them sharp or square, etc. There is dynamic zoom, pan and rotation in 2D and 3D modes. The result is a "PLC" that is transferred to Vector by pasting from the clipboard. It has all the up-over and down connections and forms one complete chain. The rapids are on a separate layer and can be cut at rapid or feed rates.
Tool parameters include maximum cut diameter and included tip angles from 45 to 180 degrees. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes to generate the entire tool paths for the Arial font, Keyboard characters only(what 75-80 characters) on my PII-350.
The result is an incised letter, the outline is an almost perfect match for the selected Tru-Type font.
http://www.vectorcam.com/cadcamedmdro.html
There is a link to the Bobcad 16 demo (non-expiring) also nonsaving, but GOOD for lots of math problem solving. Also the stuff we had at Names at the end of April. There is even a picture of Mr. Anliker for those of you who might be wondering. Links to lots of other names pages at the bottom of ours.
Best Regards, Fred Smith- IMService
Listserve Special discounts and offers are at: http://209.69.202.197/cadcamedmdro.html
imserv@... Voice:248-486-3600 or 800-386-1670 Fax: 248-486-3698
>TurboCad 2 is an old 2d version, that is a come-on to get you to buy theVance, how long did it take you to learn Turbocad & how much time did you get to spend learning Vector? There are some functions in Vector that have been there since it first came out in 1992 (it was ALWAYS a windows product). Have you ever seen the little pipette function in a windows program to copy attributes from one entity to another? They all seemed to copy Vector. If you draw a line, arc, dimension, text, whatever, you can simply click on one entity and then copy ALL it's attributes to another. Duplicate linestyle, weight, color, layer, arrowheads, tolerances, text angle, on and on. Click click two steps. If a mass of entities are selected, they all get pipetted with new attributes.
>newer (last Month) version of TurboCad 6. which handles 3D and even a bit
>of solid modeling. If you want to do true 3D machining you will have to DXF
>the TC file to somthing like Vector or some other 3D CAM program to do the
>cutting paths and from there DXF to Desknc to actually send signals to the
>drivers/Motors. At least that's my prefered route. you could try doing the
>CAD in Vector, but it seems easier to me in TC. Flame suit is on so fire
>away guys....Vance Buhler
>
Double clicking on any entity brings up a parameter dialog in which you can change the location and form of just about any entity. Lengthen lines, relocate them, change the angle/location of one end or both. Draw dimensions with TOLERANCES. How about it Bobcad guys? Draw ordinate dimensions. Along the X or Y axis, which of course is fully portable and rotatable in Vector. If you are in a modify mode, you can change the length or arc of an entity by dragging it with the mouse. You can even edit text and make dimensions measure horizontal, vertical, or direct point to point without having to redraw anything. How about it Bobcad guys? can you do that?
Copy Paste, but with Pizzaz! translate, rotate, scale, multiple copies, mirror ALL on one dialog and with Ctrl-V for the hot key
When you select something in Vector, it stays selected AND you see an arrow ( that's why it's called Vector) so you also know what DIRECTION it is going to be cut. If you save a DXF file with things selected in Vector, that is the way they go into the file. If you need to cut a DXF file with your controller, Vector can do that almost as well as plain old G-code. Same for plot files (HPGL), just install the windows driver for your machine, select the order in Vector and print it to the device directly, or to a file & then run it into the plotter from the file. In any case it cuts in the order of selection in Vector. In Bobcad you will be lucky if the arcs are still pointing the same direction in a DXF file. TurboCad? probably not in their design specs.
How about multiple drawings open at the same time, how about multiple views of the same drawing open and updating at the same time?
Vector comes with preset configurations for EMC, MicroKinetics, Flashcut, and Shopbot. These include things like placing the logical and conditional commands on the macro menus. Matching ALL the parameters needed for the drilling/reaming/tapping cycles, etc.
>Also check out http://www.vectorcam.com
>[Ask Fred Smith about vectorcam- he's got an excellent reputation around
>here (even if he does sell BobCad), and I'm sure he will give you the
>straight story on it. He's at www.imsrv.com (or e-mail imserv@...).
We just put up a free beta download of VFONTZ. Vfontz is a program that generates 3D tool paths for a V-tipped cutter. It will carve out Tru-Type fonts. It is a Vector accessory, and is only available to Vector customers. However, the program is very Visual, as it does autoscaling for Horizontal, Vertical, and Circular text strings. The first step, it develops the font outline and layout in Blue, the second step it calculates the 3D centerline tool paths in Red. It draws the tip of the tool up in the corners to make them sharp or square, etc. There is dynamic zoom, pan and rotation in 2D and 3D modes. The result is a "PLC" that is transferred to Vector by pasting from the clipboard. It has all the up-over and down connections and forms one complete chain. The rapids are on a separate layer and can be cut at rapid or feed rates.
Tool parameters include maximum cut diameter and included tip angles from 45 to 180 degrees. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes to generate the entire tool paths for the Arial font, Keyboard characters only(what 75-80 characters) on my PII-350.
The result is an incised letter, the outline is an almost perfect match for the selected Tru-Type font.
> From: "Tim Goldstein" <timg@...>The specials page exclusively for Cad-Cam-Edm-DRO is at:
>Subject: Re: VectorCam
>
>I am a Vector user and am very satisfied with the product. I got it from
>Fred Smith at IMService ( http://www.imsrv.com/ ). He has special discounts
>for members of this list which are on a separate web page I don't remember
>the address for. Fred is also a Bobcad dealer.
>
http://www.vectorcam.com/cadcamedmdro.html
There is a link to the Bobcad 16 demo (non-expiring) also nonsaving, but GOOD for lots of math problem solving. Also the stuff we had at Names at the end of April. There is even a picture of Mr. Anliker for those of you who might be wondering. Links to lots of other names pages at the bottom of ours.
Best Regards, Fred Smith- IMService
Listserve Special discounts and offers are at: http://209.69.202.197/cadcamedmdro.html
imserv@... Voice:248-486-3600 or 800-386-1670 Fax: 248-486-3698