Hi,
I am still evaluating my purchase of a Woodworker Pro, but I think I have arrived at the same place as I was 2 years ago.
I am a die hard Mac user, and don’t want to run a Windoze emulator or purchase a dedicated machine just for running CNC stuff. (Long story, but I spent 35 years in the CAD software industry and switched to Macs as soon as I left.)
So, I have researched my SW options, and it appears limited to Carbide Create, Easel and Fusion 360.
I have a version of Carbide Create installed, and I have been exploring it a bit, and I have read many (most) of the posts regarding using CC on 1F, and even watched a number of YouTube vids on same.
My questions are:
Are folks using CC with a 1F long term, or do they use it just during learning and then move to something else?
Are you happy using CC with your 1F?
What major issues or hurdles did you have to overcome (other than configuring for GRBL as opposed to gcode)?
Been using CC, CC Pro and Easel Pro for a couple of years now with my X50, very happy.
If you are using CC free version, you must use version 6.5.2 as version 7 onwards doesn’t easily allow export of g code. I upgraded to the pro version for $10/mnth and it was worth it, the booleans “just work”, it has rulers and can import stl etc.
Re GRBL, the CC outputs gcode that works.
It really comes down to what your end game is. There’s nothing that competes with Fusion when it comes to flexibility, and since you say you have experience with CAD, I recommend you go that way. If you mostly want to do more simple designs with an added bonus of quick and efficient VCarve, I’d recommend Vectric software or Carveco.
That being said, I’ve used Carbide Create, I don’t have any complaints about what it is. It does what it says on the tin and it seems like the team who develop it are keen on keeping it supported.
Honestly you can’t go wrong with ANY of the popular CAM programs as long as you know the basic list of strengths and weaknesses of each.
Many people here use either Fusion 360 (now simply “Fusion”), which has a subscription model for the paid version and people constantly complain about features disappearing from one version to the next in the trialware version (Trialware ≠ Freeware ≠ Free Software). Many people here use VCarve Pro ($699 / £540 / €660) but this is exclusively for the Windoze operating system.
Thanks for posting this, and all the links to other threads.
Some good stuff here. I had not really considered a “mix-and-match” approach of using a separate design tool and then export/import to a different CAM product. I guess my preference (and experience) is that the integrated CAD/CAM products would provide a smoother and more seamless workflow, and avoid introducing any “friction” along the way.
I think I will start with some of the trial versions and see which are suitable at this stage of my CNC journey (i.e. pre-purchase, but with serious intent).
Well, I just got notice (from UPS) that my OF Woodworker is on the way, and I thought I would update those who might be interested in my software journey thus far.
After I reviewed all of the Mac software options, I decided to bite the bullet and run Windows using Parallels. Kind of pricey since MS makes you purchase Windows Pro for $200 (as the only version “certified” on Parallels), and Parallels is about $100 per year.
I am getting a “free” one-year subscription to Carveco Maker as part of the bundle currently on offer from OF, but I have come to the conclusion that I want to evaluate Vectric VCarve Pro in much greater detail as well. This is mostly based on scanning the web for content, especially on YouTube, and I am under the impression that the VCarve community is a bit larger (or maybe just more committed). I am also impressed with the profile toolpath, and have watched a number of tutorials on how to use this for creating raised panels. There are also a number of tutorials on creating common woodworking joints, as well as cool looking add ons (like the Box Creator Gadget).
In the short term, I will probably just install a trial version of VCarve Pro, but it does not support the Gadgets or saving off toolpaths, so it won’t allow me to do a full comparison to Maker.
I will update as I go along, but probably only when I make some further decisions (which will be after I get some real experience with everything).
I began my CNC journey around five years ago with a Shapeoko machine, and later purchased a Onefinity Woodworker that I’ve been using for over three years. Throughout this time I’ve used CC on a Mac. I’ve experimented with alternative CAD software, but either the cost or the learning curve (often both) put me off. I found the free version to be very capable and intuitive C3D has listened to users and consistently improved the software with fixes and new features. It was unfortunate that C3D decided to make it less convenient to extract gcode, but it should be mentioned that they provide a website to export gcode by simply dropping your “.c2d” files. (There is currently a requirement that you create a free account on the C3D forum to use the website.) If you want to carve from STL files, from shaded JPGs or build your own 3D extrusions you will need to upgrade to CC Pro, which also has some other handy features including the ability to directly save gcode. The cost of CC Pro is relatively modest and I rather like the modeling tools, although they are not as powerful as more costly CAD packages. C3D has posted a request to users about desired features for this 3D modeling, as they are working on the next CC Pro version.