Re: Bobcad anyone?

Take a close look at the following two programs before committing to
Bobcad.

For 2.5D work, try SheetCAM (www.sheetcam.com). Its a simple but
very powerful and well supported program that handles all basic 2.5D
work. You need to use a 2D CAD program to generate design files to
import into SheetCAM, I use Autosketch and it works well. In fact,
before purchasing any other product I would try SheetCAM first and
push it to its limits before buying anything else. I use it for 90%
of my work and only go to the programs I mention below for complex
2.5D or 3D parts.

For complex 2.5D or 3D work, try out VisualMill from
www.mecsoft.com . Their basic version can be purchased for around
$800. if you haggle and gives you true 3D capability. You will need
a 3D CAD tool to generate designs for VisualMill, I would recommend
trying Rhino from www.rhino3d.com . Bob Campbell at
http://www.campbelldesigns.com/ often offers a special bundled price
on those products, but try the demo versions of all the above before
you purchase.

Paul T.