yes sir, I copied over a generic Fanuc post and made it a onefinity post. changed it the way i like it. works great. my goal is to use it for 4th work since you can program it off centerline and you cannot do that with vcarve. I will probably use either vcarve or carvco+ for flat work and mastercam when i run the 4th.
2 Likes
If youāre looking for Freecad tutorials, check out MangoJelly solutions for Freecad on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@MangoJellySolutions
2 Likes
You can use Fusion for free with their āPersonal Useā license.
Solid Edge has something similar, but it doesnāt come with the CAM capabilities that Fusion has.
2 Likes
Iāve been using fusion 360 for about five years. I love it. I use it for my 3-D printer, CNC router and CNC Bridgeport Mill. All the other ones are just amateurs.
1 Like
I still donāt like the idea of subscription based software, guess Iām still stuck in the 90ās. I purchased a perpetual license of Rhino 3D and Meshcam. Havenāt looked back. Iāve also purchased VCarve Pro but donāt use it much as it only runs on Windows and Iām primarily a Mac user.
1 Like
That takes me back to the mid-90ās when I had a questionable copy of AutoCAD 12 (DOS) myself that I learned (and became certified) on. I donāt think most modern CAD applications are even capable of being bootlegged.
I used to get a kick out of Autodesk back in the dayā¦ they would bemoan how many millions of dollars they ālostā due to illegal copies, as if every bootleg copy represented a lost sale. This was most certainly not the case, although there were companies running multiple seats of unlicensed copies when it was easy to do so. Also back then, disgruntled employees could turn in a company and have the software police come knocking on their door to check licenses. IIRC, there used to be some sort of software alliance that was formed to take care of such business.
2 Likes
Wasnāt there some sort of folk law or saying that 95 percent of Autodesk users use 5 percent of the software.
I often thought they would sell more seats if they offered a modular priced system
Very basic configuration base price then if you want to add modules such as printing, 3D solid, 3D wire, Integration with other software, each module at a certain cost thereby allowing you to have a custom piece of software.
2 Likes
I had purchased AutoCAD LT back when it was available. Gosh, I donāt remember whatever became of that. It was limited, but pretty affordable back then. But now as an Autodesk user at work, I can install any of the programs we use at work on my home PC.
1 Like
Iām usually a lurker here on the forums but was in the same boat until recently.
Here is my 2 cents. Rhino 8 is what I use for 3D. Iāve just started to use it - a few weeks in - and have to say that Iām really happy with it. a major selling point for me is (drumrollā¦)
Its a perpetual license - no subscriptions!
Iām an ex Visual Effects guy with over 20 years in the film industry so have used Maya, Blender (also great), Sketchup (too simple), Fusion 360, Cinema 4D and a bunch of 3D modules inside of Nuke and other compositing software. So I understand the concepts involved therefore learning new software is just a matter of getting used to the interface at this point.
My last project was quite a complicated one involving Rhino for design - exported vector files to Illustrator - then importing those to Carveco Maker to cut out on the CNC. Worked like a charm!
At the end of the day they are just tools. Paying subscriptions for them rubs me the wrong way.
2 Likes
We use Rhino in our shop for everything from high end electric guitars to kitchen cabinet design. RhinoCAM for the CNC work. No subscriptions and never expires.
1 Like
Solid Edge 2024 is no charge, no nags. I use it.
1 Like
Iāve done a few terrain carves with Fusion 360, and youāre correct about Fusionās difficulty with large data sets. But I found a great video on YouTube showing how to manipulate large STL files (using Blender and one other free 3rd Party app) so that they can be easily imported into Fusion and used as a surface to extrude a body to.
I donāt recall the video off the top of my head, but if youāre interested, Iāll find it again and post the link here.
David
3 Likes
Thank you for this. I hadnāt gotten around to watching any of his.
Iām watching one of his beginner videos and he switches the navigation style to touchpad. This makes a huge difference for me! Most of the other videos use blender style or some other CAD program, which I am not familiar with and totally different from carveco and lightburn.
1 Like
Iām coming from a background using NX, SW OnShape(paid) and Creo from the corporate world.
For personal, Iāve tried the SW Maker for $50 a year. But I have issues with icon size and other glitches that I canāt figure out. Customer support for this terrible. Iām done with SW. Theyāve been going down hill for corporate usage also for the last few years.
Iām currently using Fusion 360 CAD/CAM for personal and its overall not bad. Itās usable. Sketching is great, feature tree I can live with, assemblies are garage. Iāve tried learning it and I canāt to wrap my head around the assemblies. Or joints as they call it. Iām not a fan of the files being on the cloud and I find the making and organizing the files clunky. I paid for this, about $500/yr since there was a discount code during the holidays. Iām giving it a go since itās one of the most popular
Going to try FreeCAD and Path Workbench for CAM.
Iād pay for MasterCAM if itās $128/yr for the router package. Iāll look into that.
OnShape if youāre using the free version, just remember that all your files are available to all other users. If your business, best not use the free option. OnShape is also own by ProE/Creo folks. Not a huge fan of CREO. Iāve never found it easy to use or fun to use.
Overall, itās really frustrating to find good overall CAD/CAM package at a reasonable price for hobbyists and people trying to start out with a business.
1 Like
the mastercam for $128 a year has everything mastercam has to offer. it is wire, up to 5 ax mill, lathe, ART, Router. its everything in mastercam. I just use the Mills for my router. and i model up in solidworks. love the combo.
1 Like
Thanks for the info. What license of of SW are you using? Cost?
at home I use the Solidworks makers Lic, $50 a year.
It is a little quirky, updates alittle too much, but the price is right and ill stick with it.
At work i use the solid works standard. its perfect.
I went thru the whole pitch of software with this and that. I bought Aspire and then i bought Carvco maker +, Both are Ok, But ill stick with mastercam as i have complete control over everything and you just dont on the others. nothing against the others. but i like to be able to makes planes in my software and i like total control.
1 Like
Same with looking for complete control. Fusion 360 CAM side, I can do a lot, but some of the features are greyed out and require additional tokens to unlock.
I had SW at work also it was nice and very familiar with it. SW Maker is weird and I donāt using the online Experience the force you to use.
Iāve down loaded FreeCAD and it is something that Iām much more familiar with. Going to take some time finding the ways to do things. But Iām thinking this might be the way to go if Iām only designing simple wood items and some furniture.
1 Like
I donāt use the cloud version of the makers lic, I save everything on my computer. only thing i have against it is how often they update the software, you have to update before you can use it. which isnāt that bad. just a hassle when your ready to lay down a model. it operates almost exactly like at work, just a tad different. the mastercam is exactly the same as work from what i can tell, and everything is unlocked, nothing is greyed out. I actually have more options available at home than i do at work.
1 Like
ARRRGGG! holy Cow! so much information! at the end of reading and all the mentions of a hundred different suggestions, likes, prices, and learning curves. I am closer to deciding what different software to get. Sooooo for simplicities sake I am sticking with what I have, Vectrics though I may upgrade from V Carve to Aspire as I already have it and the learn your cnc course. I want to thank all of you for your opinions and suggestions.
1 Like