Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Vector vs Bob

Bobcad took alot of greif a few years back because it had quite a few bugs, version 19 and back. Version 20 and up works very well. I use V20 every day and have no trouble at all with it. Their over zealous sales technique is the source of most of their complaints. They have even toned that down as well.

It's a good software for the price, which means they probably have to sell alot of it to make ends meet.

Ron

Jerry Jankura <toolznglue@...> wrote:

>My applications will be in 2 fields.

>1. making wooden ultralight propellers from raws with max. sizes of
>55" x 7" x 3 ". Given that a propeller has 2 symetrical halves, the X
>axis may be reduced to about 32", needing some more handling though.

>2. make some aluminum parts for small 2 and 4 stroke engines.
>Eventually also some made out of steel.

I'd recommend that you consider two or three machines - a router to build your propellers and a mill (and possibly a lathe) to build your metal parts.

>I have downloaded the demo versions of the 2 a.m. softwares. However
>having no experience yet, I am not quiet sure which one is the best
>CAD application in my case. Can someone give me some advise on which
>direction to go.

I bought a full copy of Vector after I'd purchased their cheap CAD only version and am quite happy with it. I've not worked with BobCad at all, so I cannot provide a good comparison. But, if you read through messages on this list and also on the DIY_CNC list, you'll find a lot of good comments about Vector and few, if any about BobCad. You might also want to try a program called Dolphin - which some folks seem to like. In the end, just make sure that what ever program you ultimately purchase is able to generate the G-Code that your DeskCNC will accept. While the basic G-Codes are pretty much standardized, each of the software programs that interpret these codes to provide step and direction signals to the motor drives has its own quirks.

-- Jerry Jankura
Strongsville, Ohio
So many toys.... So little time....






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