[bigz1]

If money was no problem. What would be the best CAD/CAM package for Solidworks using a homemade CNC 3 axis router.

Just curious.

[StealthDumpKits]

I think Mastercam has a Solidworks module.

[Hasher]

Or you could try http://www.solidcam.info/ . Think this is what you looking for

Paul

[bigz1]

Many thanks.

Do you have any experience with these packages and are they fairly straightforward for a newbie to understand?

Anyone heard of Camworks? Is it any good?

Liam

[Yassine-mar]

i like camworks 2006 its better than solidcam

[Eddieweeks]

I used solidcam... Its good.... It runs under Solidworks witch makes is farily easy..

If you have the money there may be better ones.. I heard one CNC is really good..
I use surfcam for 3D stuff.. Its very advanced for 3D makes great tool paths.

There is one under surfcam called 3Doffset... have not seen anything close.

[louis14]

SolidCAM 2006 very Good

[borrisl]

I like SprutCAM. Has Solidworks direct compatiblility, and plugin. Produces GREAT code and has one of the most powerful post processor engines out there. Best part.... It's reasonable.

[Mike Mattera]

BigZ1: You should consider EdgeCam (www.edgecam.com) a product of the British Empire. Works excellent with Solidworks.

Mike Mattera

[clarkea1]

We use Mastercam in conjunction with Solidworks for making various race car parts. We've found it to be a great combination - in previous versions of M'cam the interface was a little "strange" (showing it's origins as a non-Windows package) and took a bit of getting used to, but the latest version (M'cam X) is a vast improvement.

Cheers

Alastair

[Exodus8931]

do not get mastercam ... if u are trying to use it with solidworks ....
get solidcam ... or camworks ....

mastercam will let u take the solidwork part .... but any changes u will need to reload the file ... reapply the toolpaths ....

not worth it ....

[Deltic_Engine]

I use both MasterCam 8 and GibbsCam 2004 with Solidworks.

Gibbs has an easier (modern) interface with a coherent flow to it.
(like Solidworks) so it is easier to learn. It also imports Parasolid files
from Solidworks, so translation is easy and error-free.

However MasterCam is slightly more flexible (more controls)
and some say more bug-free, but I have not noticed that.

What posts are available for the CAM you select is
an important factor too. - developing custom posts are a pain.

[daedalus]

i have used camworks and solidcam, and camworks would be my preferred choice, very easy to use out of the box, and its integrated into solidworks, and shows up as a couple of tabs on the design tree window.