List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plans)
Scanning around the net, I was unable to find a list of intermediate to higher level CAD software suppliers that DO NOT sell their products by subscription only. I am curious if anyone has a start on this list yet.
I just can't risk having someone else lock up my tech data if they: get lazy/get sloppy/get indifferent/go under or heavens-sakes the infinitesimally small chance they would ever get greedy. Not to mention carrier network problems, weather or broad region problems like earthquakes/hurricanes/unrest etc.
Just because someone else is having technical problems is not a reason for me to shut down activities that others depend on.
I recently asked one machining software company if they had a premium version that didn't need to connect to the Internet to perform its calculations. (I was willing to pay extra.) His immediate, condescending answer was "Well then XXXXXXXXXX software just isn't for you, now isn't it?" Hmmm, I'm glad he outed his true level of concern for his customers' prior to my Benjies flying out of my wallet ... usually I learn those lessons after Elvis has left the building.
(You know the difference between a used car salesman and a software salesman? A used car salesman KNOWS when he is lying to you. Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
All suggestions / details / comments welcome!
Best regards,
Bruce
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
It really depends on your needs and business, for myself, I have to use the software that my customers require. I'm not a big fan of Windows,
but sometimes there is no alternative. If you produce parts, and the customer is not involved in the design or drawings, and models, you
have more choices of software. Some software companies use a Dongle, this wasn't mentioned in your post, but the Dongle requirement
isn't the greatest idea either.
Larry
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Sounds like your customers could end up getting you into multiple subscription situations if I understood you correctly. I guess it's all good if they are paying for you to support that for them. Haven't seen that before. Hmmm.
My "I will put up with Windows" attitude is about fully drained away. That is in my alternative equation as well.
Learning/doing CAD/CAM can be challenging, but having your margins squeezed relentlessly by customers, suppliers and now software companies adds a new dimension to working metal. With the six hands of Gates/Buffet/Bezos having as much money as the lower half of all US citizens, you have to wonder just where we need to go again to have a little prosperity again for the guys actually making stuff.
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Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Gotta chime in here.......
This is a peeve of mine also, the "Upgrade / Maintenance" scam and now subscription !
At the shop level you need to have software to stand alone without the internet,
All i want is 120V 60Hz and no internet to the machine of computer.
another peeve.....
Why cant i buy an older proven version which has what does the job?
Just make gcode and parts and not crash the system, be reliable and stable.
The software engineers need jobs, salesmen too,
but i don't NEED the latest version and iges is backwardly compatible, and Gcode is a world standard.
it seems the nature of sofware is continual eveolution. a new GUI for the same old math.
These CAD CAM software developers seem to be re-inventing the wheel. ( daily of not monthly )
Starting with this,
APT360 Programmers Manual
I have watched this biz evolve into a mess of confusion of
"my stuff is better then your stuff" to get the same end results of Gcode for parts .
Gotta go now and work on my parts with a stone-age tool..
a vixen file and hand labor....
From hi-tech to no-tech to skilled hand work finishing.
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bostosh
...
Why cant i buy an older proven version which has what does the job?
Just make gcode and parts and not crash the system, be reliable and stable.
For most of my work, cnc plasma cutting, cnc milling ,drilling,
and tapping I use AutoCAD LT 98, and Sheetcam, and Mach3. I have newer
versions of AutoCAD, but prefer LT98, plain and simple,
no authorization or other bull****, and I think LT98 was the
only release without needing a Service Pack.
Larry
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Bostosh,
Very nice product work there! You clearly have put in some time to get this point. Kudos!
I am exactly with you. It seems that 75% of CADCAM producers aim to tap and drain the large manufacturing orgs whose soft costs for engineering would never amount to anything near a fractional tenth of a percent of revenue or profits ... and the acceptance of a subscription method amounts to an inconsequential change.
I am guessing that 20% are of the small shop/prosumer/guild-like user that is not focused on quarterly profits moving their public equity on the NASDAQ and do not need to cover the fixed overhead of a giant support layer necessitated by the 75% trying to implement features that truly assist the org's large span of workers/complexity. (The last 5% being the free-software experimenter/hobbyist that is most likely not selling product or attempting to turn a profit.)
From my basic study of what is out there, Autodesk exemplifies the first and McNeel the second. The breadth of the McNeel's target market IE, visual modeling, jewelry, boat hulls, sculpture, architecture, education, etc and base of customer type are amazingly broad where Autodesk focuses on the 20% of the market with 80% of the manufacturing cash flow. The McNeel approach fits me to a "T", but the beauty and advantages of the NURBS system preclude the benefits of parametric CAD ... particularly history so minor changes can be made without major efforts or even starting over from scratch. (Maybe I am missing something here about editing NURBS solids (and I would love being shown my deficiency), but for as much searching as I have done, I am not finding my holy grail.)
I guess the order of priorities for the 80% of us that fall into the 20% of the CADCAM revenue dregs, is something like:
1. Identify the universe of CAD/CAM suppliers whose business/marketing policy people realize that we the flexibility to control the time period which our fixed costs are amortized over and can sell enough copies to make it worthwhile.
2. Analyze within that population what functionality each product set can offer.
3. Trade off the price to performance of each in light of the specific activity that the entity is tasked with making.
Frankly, the idea of a stable, non-crashing software product that allows you to comfortably model non-space-shuttle projects and generate G-code over even a short period like 12-24 months doesn't seem like such a hard policy to grasp or implement. Financially, I have to give Larry Metalfixer top kudos for stretching his AutoCAD LT98 well into the Twenty-first Century. That has to be a record. Autodesk clearly is positioning to get Larry's future profits into their bottom line ... on an annual basis. I have no real problem with paying value for value, but when I have reasonable options cut out from under and I end up with all the negatives of he EULA documented limitations/risks and a locked in cash outflow stream ... well like an old biz cohort of mine said ... if it's a bad deal ... leave it on the table and walk to the nearest, next best option ... or just do nothing at all. A bad deal hurts you every . single . day .
Maybe there is an opportunity here to start an "Independent CADCAM Association" that could be a forum for operations/shops that use 1-5 seats max and focus on the needs of the community where software costs and risks are becoming too large to be ignored. It would be my guess that this problem has not peaked and will continue to grow worse. Frankly, I would love to 'subscribe' to an annual information service that could offer this information in depth in a manner that was free of conflicts of interest on the biz/marketing side.
Guess I am going to have to just start an Excel spreadsheet of vendors/capabilities and get cracking on the three steps to move my plan ahead.
Best regards,
Bruce
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Well on my opinion ever since I started my carrier in the CNC world I never paid any software at all, just sketchup, you read it right, only sketchup, and some power plug-ins, now I can program a 3, 4, 5 axis like a breeze with just using google sketchup, I did everything from unit modification, electrical installation, table preparation, jig assembly, Drive PC installation/set-up, all the way down to the product CAD/CAM programming, CNC and computer electronics are just basic stuff on my opinion compared to communication electronics. :)
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Hi KH0UJ,
Very interesting comment on SketchUp! I never had taken the time to look at it and was unaware there were CAM plugs that Sketchup could be extended with.
What is the CAM plug in did you settle on for 4 & 5 axis work and how is the vendor's post processor support?
Thanks for responding!
Bruce
WD8KVQ
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Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bcavender
Hi KH0UJ,
Very interesting comment on SketchUp! I never had taken the time to look at it and was unaware there were CAM plugs that Sketchup could be extended with.
What is the CAM plug in did you settle on for 4 & 5 axis work and how is the vendor's post processor support?
Thanks for responding!
Bruce
WD8KVQ
Hi WD8KVQ :) glad to see some fellow communication enthusiast here in CNCzone, actually there are tons of free plug-ins in sketchup, you just need to pick the right one that fits your wants/needs, on my side im making my CAM work or route path in sketchup itself, in a mass production scenario time is so precious enough that even the smartest autoCAM software cannot beat the time of a custom CAM work, I always wanted to control the spindle movement from start to finish and wanted my spindle to zero anywhere in the table depending on the product being cut or shaped, it`s a bit tedious at first but very efficient in terms of shaping things, park anywhere in the table where it`s safe then loop the job when a new material is being reloaded on the jig, honestly I modded my plug-in on sketchup just to sync or to be readable in MACH 3, if you want to learn how I did it you can add me in facebook [email protected], you dont need a technical support if you go on a custom CAM method, you can control the spindle just the way you want it :)
This is an exact same replica of a polymer AR-15 80% that are being sold in the market but on a T6 aircraft grade aluminum, all the route paths are custom done by me in sketchup environment, including the manual tool change, I used an 8mm and a 3mm 2 flute carbide bits on this product, 2 piece cam work, one for the 8mm and the other one for the 3mm, because there are surfaces that cannot be penetrated with the 8mm without erasing everything.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...d=380720&stc=1
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...d=380724&stc=1
This is our 1911 grip looping CNC machines, produces thousands of pairs every month all custom route path (7 minutes/piece) no other autoCAM software beats the 7 minute time span on a custom CAM.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...d=380722&stc=1
This is all done by a flimsy aluminum based chinese CNC router, how much more if I can get my hands on the high end rigid ones hehe
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Lately, all I hear is how great and wondrous Fusion 360 is, but I find myself counting the days as to when that "Free" plug is pulled on the hobby user. Perhaps all those so hyped about it are too young to remember the tens or more of similar "Free" environments that preceded it.
I remember Ashlar did it, Surfcam did it.... gosh, there were so many more I can not think of. Seems all the big names did it along the line and they all came to be nothing more than a sales tactic to make sure some free users were forced into buying, just in order to recover all their drawings.
I'm too poor to buy all that expensive stuff and I'm smarter than "free". There is no free, and if you think your technical drawings are safe with a web application, then you go ahead and do it. The only good thing about "software as a service" has been money in the pockets of the sales teams who spent lots of money convincing people "how great it is".
These days, I tend to amaze myself with very inexpensive software. Autosketch being my all time cheap favorite for 2D as I find 2d to make up 98% of everything I need.
Cheap old ViaCad (which was pretty much the foundation of Ahslar products) can handle 3d drawings and interchanges formats with others very well.
Moi3d can model things for me every bit as good as the version of Rhino or Alibre I wasted money on. My most expensive CAM program turns out to be V-Carve, but I keep a handful of other cheap CAM programs on hand. They fit my needs.
Other than one program (Engravelab and its stupid dongle), none of what I use demands the internet, a dongle, or ridiculous licensing method.
Re: List of CAD Software Companies that are NOT subscription/cloud-only (or have plan
Thanks for responding Louie!
What terms were you able to purchase SpaceClaim for and what was the price?
Tnx!
Bruce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
louieatienza
SpaceClaim