two possibilites
Originally Posted by
tracebender
I'm really stuck here and was hoping for some wisdom from guys (or gals) who had already been down this road. Can anyone recommend CAM software for my first CNC retrofit that works well and won't cost more than the machine? Should I skip the CAM and just go with Gcode under Mach3 to start. Advice anyone?
Hi SheetCAM is low cost and very capable. CamBam has a free version. Dowload the NCPlot free version for a free verification program and you should geta start.
IMHO there is no 2D CNC. You need a Z depth to achieve anything. 2.5D is the easy start. Both of the named programs do that. SW is like killing a fly with a nuclear explosion for a new guy IMHO. But is you can get a simple 2D DXF out of it then both of these CAM programs will let you define contours and pockets, adding the Z depth spec to get to the 2.5D you need for you first stuff.
If you are building a new machine and don't know CAD or CAM start VERY simple. Cut a circle. Make sure it is round and the correct size. Cut a square then a rectangle.
Good luck.
James Leonard - www.DragonCNC.com - www.LeonardCNCSoftware.com - www.CorelDRAWCadCam.com - www.LeonardMusicalInstruments.com