Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
I'd take mastercam well above bobcad if the price was the same . Mastercam's cad is superior to bobcad as is the the cam . I find the cad portion of bobcad painful , especially since they've recently taken simple things like line join from the menu bar .
Bobcad is a bit weak in options for 2d machining but it is pretty solid in regards to surfacing which is what I work with the most . I can't recall any crashes since using v31 and it's pretty solid , v30 on the other hand was unusable . I definitely cannot complain about the support I've had with bobcad and they've treated me well . I don't like the fact that fixes are rolling into updates and are only available through the maintenance package .
Overall , cad/cam boils down to needs and preference . I've used mastercam for quite a few yrs in the industry and I am very comfortable in that software . As much as I'd love to have it , bobcad cam is a very functional package that suits my needs and is very powerful for the price range . If I owned a higher end shop with a lot more cash flow then I'd be running mastercam for the power of the cad and cam . As it stands I use a separate cad software then import to bobcad
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
I use SolidWorks for all of my CAD and use the BobCAM plug in for SolidWorks. I've been using SolidWorks for years for CAD work, and enough other people use it that it's pretty well standardized. It's nice not having to rebuild the models in order to go to CAM. The last 2 versions of CAM plug ins for SolidWorks have felt much more capable and feature rich. They generate really good toolpath, including HSM and adaptive strategies. Also, if I have to modify my model, it's easy to make adjustments to the toolpath rather than re-exporting.
The main negative for me is the sales team has felt aggressive in the past. However, I've always gotten good prices and been happy with the software. I also think they're toning down their sales pitches a bit.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
S3D
I use BobCAD-CAM pretty well everyday and I make money with it, I have used Hypermill in the dim and distant past but it is really expensive.
I think BobCAD-CAM gives bang for the buck and I have been able to work out some really good deals with them in the past, the sales people were pushy but could take no for an answer and come back another time.
I think the structure of the company has changed in the last 9 months or so but I see no benifit or negatives in this so far.
The CAD side of things does take some getting used to and has good and bad points, however the CAD is able to build all those little patches and boundaries that you need without putting restrictions in your way.
The supplied Posts are pretty good and there a whole load more for free download.
I do get some really neat stuff out of BobCAD-CAM and produce code for about 6 different machines from £140K Mazak to £500 cheap Chinese laser cutter.
I am happy with it.
B.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
I have and use both the BobCAD stand alone product as well as the BobCAM for Solidworks plugin. I would agree that the CAD portion of BobCAD stand alone seems somewhat cumbersome and less intuitive especially for those of us familiar with other CAD softwares. I prefer to use Solidworks for geometry creation. That being said, I can figure out how to model or draw most anything with the BobCAD stand alone product given enough time. There are a few utilities within the BobCAD stand alone product which come in handy especially in 2D. For instance, the clean-up and optimize features for removing duplicate geometry, finding gaps and overlaps, and Spline to line/arc conversion.
From the CAM side of things you will find that many, many of the CAM vendors are implementing the German company ModuleWorks' toolpath generation software components into there respective programs. Even the perceived "high end" products available from MasterCAM etc.. I think you will find only a small differentiation in the capability of various CAM solutions on the market now days.
https://www.moduleworks.com/partners/
https://www.moduleworks.com/software...ents/toolpath/
Their sales force may come off aggressive in their attempts to keep you updated with the latest software versions. Though I have never found them rude. Even if you negotiate and accept all regular upgrades you are called about or purchase an annual support agreement as I do, as a value proposition I find their product to perform admirably for me. Still if you have the luxury of the budget I would recommend the Solidowrks plugin of BobCAM riding on top a Solidworks seat. I even purchased a secondary seat of Solidworks Parts and Assembly from BobCAD-CAM at a favorable cost. It is exactly like Solidworks Standard less the detail/drafting capability.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Quote:
Originally Posted by
S3D
Hello,
Can anyone give me a qualitative assessment of BobCAD-CAM compared to other CAM systems such as Mastercam, SolidCAM, Edgecam, hyperMill, CAMWorks, etc.?
How does BobCAD-CAM compare qualitatively, price wise?
It seems that BobCAD-CAM is hardly used in the German speaking countries or Europe. Does this have a reason?
On the Internet, you can find some very negative assessments - however, these entries are usually several years old.
Has there been a change in the quality?
Thank you very much for your feedback!
feeelings? are like humors
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Thank for the very good feedback. It is helpful for me.
S3D? I've been working since the mid-nineties in the 3D software industry starting at SDRC, now self-employed for over 12 years. SDRC had a very good CAD system, IDEAS. The IDEAS CAM module was not that good compared to other solutions to that time.
Over the last 20 years I have not had much to do with CAM. But now I'm in a project where CAM is important. So I need just some "neutral" opinions.
Thanks again!
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Agree with burrman - bobcad afterdark is a great place to get familiar with he package. We use Solidworks, which imports flawlessly into BC. Agree with oiiothers - the CAD portion of BC is really weak. That said, we use that also (but rarely). I find the quickness of Solidworks to be faster that cad in BC. We use BC for Wire EDM, 4 axis mill, and lathe. Support has been excellent, and worth the annual fee.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
I've had bobcad since version 17, currently at 31 and had to read all the bad comments for a long time. Interesting to read the positives. Actually my best use of bobcad is creating wire frames for a solid when the customer gives a napkin drawing with angular faces and fixed dimensions. Being able to create points and connect is a good tool for me. I then export to format to use the file in Fusion.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Quote:
Question – Is there logic to the controller affecting the cutting time? Are there controllers that are better at performance for 3D tool paths?
Of course, there are.
Much depends on how the controller manages 3D toolpath.
Some boards uses smoothing algorithms in tool-planning where XYZ, during 3D operations, change a lot as Bezier curve smoother.
When you have a strong toolpath deviation the controller add automatically a very little bezier curve to keep, high the interpolation feed adding a very very little deviation from original toolpath.
Adding, same algorithm can "force" setup programmed axis acceleration/deceleration with a dynamic S curve acceleration/deceleration override (during little change of feed the setup A/D can ovverride withouth issue till 200%) getting more responsive axes.
Adding too, tool-path bezier algorithm can also remove useless CAM points inner a tollerance band and this don't create toolpath error but improve speed (CAD use a similar algorithm to convert curves to flow of G1).
How have already said, controllers can made improvements on toolpath.
Re: Ranking of BobCAD-CAM
Late to the party here, buty we have been using BobCad for 4 years now, and found it very satisfactory. Following metrics:
Support has been excellent
BobCad After Dark is a life savor
CAD portion is aweful, but use SolidWorks, so no big deal. Frankly, IF I worked in it more, I would get used to it.
We use 4 axis, and WOW does it work nicely. All solid 3D
Also use Wire EDM - it works well, but could use a few features to be awesome
Big question - would we buy it again? YES.
Sales guys are pushy, but that's only negative I can offer.
As a side note, one late Saturday, I was noddling around on BC Afterdark to solve a problem. Al DePalo surfaced and helped. That is amazing!
