Re: Giving up on Vector CADCAM .. alternatives?

There is a lot of cripple-ware out there. The web site loudly proclaims:
"FREE DOWNLOAD!!!!" but then the fine print way down at the bottom of the
page says: "After 30 days using this product the legs will fall off your
chair."

I always look for that disclaimer and never even download such products. I
use TurboCAD, Ace Converter + CNC Simulator (CAM), and TurboCNC (DOS
version). They're not heavy on features, but my needs are simple. The only
software I paid for is TurboCAD, which I bought for $29.95 years ago in
version 3. I then upgraded to version 4 for $99.95, which was enough of an
improvement I felt to warrant the cost. A few years ago I bought a copy of
version 10, but never use it because it is way too complicated and slow in
my opinion. (I'll sell it to you cheap if you want it, complete with the
paperback manual.) I bought it because version 4 wouldn't run on Win98 or
XP, but one day I hacked the .exe file to bypass the problem code and now it
works fine. The 2D CAD houses who decide to add 3D to their products never
seem to get it quite right. When I want 3D I use a product that started out
3D.

--Phil M.

----- Original Message -----
From: "alanrothenbush" <alan@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 9:08 PM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Giving up on Vector CADCAM .. alternatives?


Roger, Jack, thanks for the thoughts.

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what I can reasonably spend on 3D CADCAM
software, given that this _is_ just a hobby that costs me money and makes me
none; Rhino and VisualMill (with the necessary CAM modules) are just
completely out of my price range.

I'm looking at Alibre and it sure looks neat, but I'm not sure what it would
cost me! The basic drawing program WAS $99.00 but is now $999.00 (big jump)
or $1499.00 for a level up or $1999.00 for the top of line version.

The CAM module is another $1,000.00 and if a guys wants 4 axis CAM (which I
do), it's another $2,000.00, again, out of my league.

They have a sale on now until the end of the month for (effectively) $600.00
off; closer to my range but still a pretty big stretch.

Here's the weird part. They also have a FREE version of the CAD and a free
version of the CAM. You download the full featured demos and use them with
every feature for a month. After a month, they revert to lower
functionality.

How much lower?

I don't know, and won't know for a month, as there doesn't seem to be a way
to downgrade early. MAYBE the free version will do me, maybe not!

But a month from now, the sale is over.


And here's the annoying part; feature for feature, Vector seems to have more
in common with the top of the line versions of Rhino/VMill/Alibre than the
bottom, if I could only get my head around the use of it.

Oh well, back to the various manuals.

Thanks again for the thoughts.


Alan

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Jack McKie <freshwatermodels@...>
wrote:
>
> Roger,
>
> I agree with you about having CAD/CAM seperate. I use Rhinocam which is a
> plug-in and I wish I had bought Visualmill. Both are Mecsoft equivelents.




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