Re: Software options

I'm using TurboCadCam. It goes from drawing to gcode in one package.
It's only good for 2.5D though but if you dont' need 3D its
certainly worth considering. Normal price is $1,000 but you can pick
it up for $500 if you shop around.

Regards
Phil

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Lester Caine <lester@...>
wrote:

>
> OK people
>
> Now that I am getting to grips with the back end, I can manually

run the

> machine, and I've even run a couple of simple CNC operations.

Hopefully

> a couple of bits will be coming of the machine today.
>
> When I started looking at things I broke the code down into three
> sections, and it seems to me that the same still applies. Working
> backwards we have EMC/Mach3/TaigDOS which will allow control of

the

> machine from the keyboard, and running GCode scripts. This should

be the

> only code I need running on the machine controller, and I just

download

> scripts to this machine. At the moment it does not matter which of

the

> three options I download to.
>
> Dolphin and the like convert drawings into GCode or allow you

to 'write'

> GCode interactively.
>
> Autocad ( I'm on R13.4 still :) ) provides a proper drawing level,

but

> needs the likes of Dolphin to convert that to GCode. I've been

trying to

> use Dolphin CAD as an alternative to Autocad but while it will

handle

> the basics, much of the 'documentation' type level is lacking.
>
> Mach3 has lazycad to convert drawings to GCode and while it is

provided

> as part of Mach3, it is a stand alone app, so in theory should be

able

> to be run on a design station rather than the machine controller

but it

> is still a work in progress with art concentrating on the hardware

end.

>
> I'm making a deliberate split here between creating GCode and

using it,

> as while most hobby users will be doing both, small production

houses

> will be running the machine to produce parts to sell, while

designing

> other parts, and what runs on the design station does not need to

affect

> the machine end.
>
> I do not think that there will be a single CAM design tool as

things

> like vCarve will provide specialist expertise in handling that

type of

> tooling, as will ProtoWizard with machining for the jewelry trade.

So I

> think the discussion is probably one of what cheaper software

tools work

> will together to provide a range of facilities.
>
> Alternatively has anybody a system that they think works well for

the

> design side of things? Something that DOES handle the drafting

side

> while also producing acceptable GCode. Something even ProEngineer

with

> its large price tag does not do completely, and Catia would

probably eat

> up the entire annual profit for a small operation ;)
>
> --
> Lester Caine - G8HFL
> -----------------------------
> L.S.Caine Electronic Services - http://home.lsces.co.uk
> Model Engineers Digital Workshop -
> http://home.lsces.co.uk/ModelEngineersDigitalWorkshop/
> Treasurer - Firebird Foundation Inc. -

http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php

>