Re: Giving up on Vector CADCAM .. alternatives?

I used Vector for quite a while and it worked well for me. It has it's own unique approach, but once you get the hang of it, it is a nice an very usable program.

If you are looking to move on from Vector, my suggestion would be to get into a solid modeler CAD system and then pick a CAM system that can consume those solid models. It is a higher end approach, but I have found it to both give me flexibility and be able to work with industry standard files from other CAD systems.

When I started A2Z CNC I made the investment in FeatureCAM. It is a decision I am still happy with almost 5 years later. Interesting part is while many people feel they need 3D CAM capability and I was one of them and bought the 3D milling features for a whole lot of money, it was not until fairly recently that I have actually started to make use of the feature. Point is, most machining is still 2-1/2D work.

For a CAD system, I started with Alibre. It has served me well for years and is still quite a bargain regardless of which "deal" you find it at. Regarding the free version, I bought and use the top paid version. Reality is, the free version would do everything I have done in the paid version. The freebie is very full featured and well worth considering. Plus, once you get the hang of it you can easily transition to any of the high $$ modelers like Solidworks, Inventor, etc. I have recently decided I wanted some high end features and functionality that was not in Alibre. Did some shopping and comparing and finally decided on Autodesk Inventor 2010 pro. From my knowledge of Alibre and the first few tutorials in Inventor, I was able to start producing models within an hour of installing the program. It is much nicer than Alibre, but also many times the price. For me the efficiency it provides and the advanced features are worth the money. But then I am doing this as a professional endeavor, not a hobby.

Bottom line from my almost 10 years of experience as both a hobbyist and then as a professional is you get what you pay for. Cheap programs are just that. They work, but at a cost of lesser features and less efficient tools. Alibre free version still follows this general statement, but it gives a lot and cost nothing. Plus it is a great learning tool if you move up to the big boys.

Tim
A2Z Corp
A2Z CNC division

www.A2ZCorp.us/store