[cam1]

Wait until you try multi-configurations (part "a" in vise machine op1, then part "a" flipped in vise for op 2), the stock update doesn't recognize the fact that the part was flipped.I'm using assemblies.
So does the stock become the target, or the target become the stock?
Right now what SolidCam has going for it (75%) of the time is that it's riding on theSolidWorks platform. The more I use SolidCam, the more I realize is that I only like the platform it's riding on.

PS: I gave it 3 years

[Brakeman Bob]

Do you users know if SC will do filtering of the tool path to create arcs rather than short line segments for faster running on your machine?

Yes, SolidCAM will do that; for arcs in X, Y plane use arc approximation and increase the filtering setting. For more than one plane, use the HSM module.

[rhinos]

Situation from Czech Republic

Mastercam - techsupport is .... very very very TRAGICAL
Solidcam - techsupport is very very very GOOD.
In Czechrepublic working TTC(technology centrum) with certification of Solidworks and Solidcam(hsm,5-axis module or other).
Certification on Solidcam proceed simultaneously on pc and cnc machine(Hermle C20)

This is very good combination

[brianklein]

Is SolidCAM 2008 compatible with Solidworks 2007???

[Skin]

Yes Brilliantly so )

James

[Kory Anderson]

We have been using SolidCam for nearly a year now and are very impressed with it. We produce foundry patterns for iron castings, so nearly all of our parts are 3D with complicated geometry and fine finishing requirements. We purchased the High Speed Machining module and since then that is virtually all we use for writing tool paths. The HSM module allows for extremely clean and efficient toolpaths as well as much higher feed rates for machining by eliminating the sudden starts and stops when going from cutting to rapid movements which in turn saves wear and tear on the machine.

We have had very few issues and when we did they were very minor and were handled immediately and effectively. Paul Wick and Paul Johnson from Applied Engineering Inc, are the reseller for SolidCam and InventorCam in the upper Midwest and are both great guys to work with and are very knowledgeable on the product. The guys at SolidCam have also been great to deal with and have always provided immediate assistance whenever needed, as well as put on some great tutorials for training.

I have wrote programs for around 250 parts in the last year and it only takes about 15-20 minutes to write a complicated 3D machining program with SolidCam. In the last year we have tripled our production by having clean and efficient toolpaths which require less cutting/machine time as well as nearly no final hand finishing after the part is machined. It is an investment that has paid for itself a 100 times over.

Kory Anderson
Anderson Industries
www.anderson-industries.com

[kujirasan]

CAM1
Soliworks default plane does not coincide with Mastercam, you have to do few somersaults to get the same default planes! AUTODESK inventor is just solidworks look alike but much cheaper, and its default planes match solidcam and integrates well, and it is very cheap compared to SOLIDWORKS, may if you investigate that option be better! I never trained on SOLIDWORKS but trained on solidcam and unigraphics, Solidcam is very easy to handle jobs with, It is great for training, how ever each to his own! If you are used to MAstercam then go for it

[crabbass]

Inventor is not a look-alike. The autodesk product is a ford-chevy equivalent. Or honda-toyota, Both softwares do the same thing, individual preferences vary.

[kujirasan]

Hi Crab, the analogy of the cars is irrelevant, SOLIWORKS is far more sophisticate and has options that INVENTOR lacks , and accuracy never been its forte, I had to use version 9, and design a a gadget to measure angles , it monotonously use to crash as the graduation for the degrees were etched in, Hope things have improved, and not make more preposterous with porting MAYA Animation software!
Personal opinion is INVENTOR is a Scooter compared with solidworks!
Not to mention the extensive COSMOS analysis and Mould software etc.
Inventor is Ideal to use it for teaching at Technical College , as an introduction to solid modeling and assembly beyond that, if you are making shopping trolleys or simple designs for CAm etc go for it!
Yours

[crabbass]

I have used both, with much sucess.
You should do your homework, not tell your one sided story.
Tell your story to our countrys top aerospace and defense industries who are using the autodesk products.

[kujirasan]

your impression of success may turned out to be different than others! The leading light of US aerospace is Boeing and they ditched Unigraphics 2 years ago for CATIA! Most AUTO makers are heading that way! Toyota already has completely switched to CATIA!
If you are enamored with INVENTOR wish you the best! If you receive incentive from AUTODESK wish you good luck, but these forums are not for street fighting or vehicle for marketing and propaganda! Each to his own! what ever turn you on!
Just wonder which aerospace uses INVENTOR!
Cheers!

[JerryFlyGuy]

Easy guy's [gal's?] We all have our vested and emotional interest's in what we've picked to be the supreme software. The reality is it's different strokes for different folks.

This is a discussion which will never ever reach a marked conclusion until one of the companies is no longer [and then there will be someone else to step in their shoes ]

Easy does it

Jerry

[cam1]

Just my 2 cents.
I worked with Autodesk Inventor up to R10, excellent software for general mechanical design. Where SolidWorks really shines is in 3D sketching, and complex surfaces, and of course in moldmaking. SolidWorks readily supports .dxf and .dwg formats, and let's face it .dwg files are still the standard drawing exchange format for 2.5 axis CAM toolpaths in job shops. The key in this "argument" is to recognize that SolidWorks and Catia are cousins, and are used extensively in the Aerospace business. SW was created to offer small and midsized companies the power of Catia, at competitive prices. I work in Aerospace (Gas Turbine engine environmental certification), and still use both Inventor and SW (whatever software is required) to design components. Some of our suppliers use Inventor, and I see no drawback in their choice.


PS

I use SolidCam and am satisfied with the product when I consider what I paid... (8k CDN for SW 2005 Office Pro and SolidCam)

regards

[plcamp]

Just my 2 cents.
I worked with Autodesk Inventor up to R10, excellent software for general mechanical design. Where SolidWorks really shines is in 3D sketching, and complex surfaces, and of course in moldmaking. SolidWorks readily supports .dxf and .dwg formats, and let's face it .dwg files are still the standard drawing exchange format for 2.5 axis CAM toolpaths in job shops. The key in this "argument" is to recognize that SolidWorks and Catia are cousins, and are used extensively in the Aerospace business. SW was created to offer small and midsized companies the power of Catia, at competitive prices. I work in Aerospace (Gas Turbine engine environmental certification), and still use both Inventor and SW (whatever software is required) to design components. Some of our suppliers use Inventor, and I see no drawback in their choice.


PS

I use SolidCam and am satisfied with the product when I consider what I paid... (8k CDN for SW 2005 Office Pro and SolidCam)

regards

Please note that SolidWorks was developed as a standalone software and was aqquired by Dassault Systems in July 1997. This acquisition gave Dassualt an instant gain in the Windows based CAD market in a time when their Catia V5 was stumbling. Of course please remember that there was and still is a big disparity in cost between the 2 design programs and each functions well in their intended use.

[kujirasan]

SILIDWORKS is an American product the CATIA one is French!
The acquired it after UNIGRAPHICS took over Solid Edge! so the story goes!
It is always horse for courses!

[kujirasan]

Is SolidCAM 2008 compatible with Solidworks 2007???

NO! and dont try it!

[plcamp]

SILIDWORKS is an American product the CATIA one is French!
The acquired it after UNIGRAPHICS took over Solid Edge! so the story goes!
It is always horse for courses!

You are correct about the products origins -- here is some additional history

Company History

Before SolidWorks, the industry was starved for a comprehensive software package that married 3D solid modeling with a desktop program’s ease of use. SolidWorks met that need.


It all began in 1993, when SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick recruited a team of engineers to build a company that developed 3D CAD software that was easy to use. Since then the team’s startup became the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, which gives teams intuitive, high-performing tools to design better products.


They did it by developing the first 3D CAD technology that ran on an intuitive Windows platform, didn’t require expensive hardware and software to operate, and didn’t cost a fortune.

In 1995, the first release of SolidWorks® software was ready for the market. Within two months, it was already winning industry-wide accolades for establishing a new benchmark for ease of use. As sales began to soar, Hirschtick brought on longtime mechanical engineering industry veteran John McEleney to usher the company into Asian markets in 1996. McEleney established SolidWorks in Asia and spearheaded the company’s Solution Partner Program, which has grown to include more than 700 partners worldwide.

The company’s rapidly growing customer base and continuous product innovation quickly established it as a strong competitor in the CAD market. The market noticed, and global product lifecycle technology giant Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) acquired SolidWorks for $310 million in stock in June of 1997.

Dassault Systèmes’ (DS) formula for SolidWorks’ continued success is to let it maintain the strategy and the momentum that built the company. As CEO from 2001 through June of 2007, McEleney kept the company and its products on a meteoric path. SolidWorks has become the fastest growing company in the DS family, having grown from two percent of DS’ revenue at the time of the acquisition to more than 20 percent today.

Current CEO Jeff Ray joined the company in 2003 as COO to help expand SolidWorks’ sales, distribution, and marketing infrastructure. In four years, Ray saw sales and global licenses reach all-time highs, and the products became even more intelligent, enabling customers to push the limits of conventional design.

[kujirasan]

PLCAMP
Thanks for the in put! Man you must be well into it!