[erase42]

HI, I updated to the latest verson of bobcad that is on the website as of last week. I still however cannot print anything in bobcad to my canon laser printer. And if i try, then I can no longer print anything from any program untill I reboot the system. I can print things on the drawing screen only to my epson c66 but trying to print anything from a render window causes my print spool to shut down and causes bobcad screen to go all white and it will not redraw unless you move your mouse over every spot on the screen(the screen redraws were the cursor passes) Anyone have an idea how to overcome this? Should mention that im using win 98 due to other software I have that wont run on XP.

[tjones]

Is this a network printer or a local printer? I had some trouble with a canon on network printing (not nearly as bad as yours). I installed the latest drivers and it solved some problems then had to change from the default hp-gl output to the raster output. My canon caused trouble in most of my apps though. The problem was time not simply locking up. It made me wait several minutes before letting my system continue.

I finaly resolved the issue by hooking the printer directly to the file server and now we use it as a printer server. The server is running 2000 and I think it makes a huge difference.

[Parameter]

Essentially, the redraw problem is most probably the graphic card. Make sure it's not onboard. Otherwise, your openGL support may be wrong. I had to buy a new card. If you buy a new card, since this is not gaming and will not require a full blown card, any good recent card should do.

What version of bobcad are you using?
seems there was a problem with 19.3 or so for printing. Make sure you have 19.4.4.

I would expect a software at version 19 to be free from that kind of bugs, not so... well... still like it tough...

Para

[erase42]

Its a local printer. Ive never had any problems with any other sortware and the canon in the past. Ill check and see if there are fresh drivers available for the printer, its quite a new model but there maybe an update. As far as the video issue Para, im not so sure that its my on board video. Ive never had a problem with rendering images, and somehow even if i open another program to fill the screen, then switch back to bobcad its still basically white with no toolbars etc.(only after attempting to print) And Im up to V 20.5 but that gives me an idea. Im going to run my old 19.8 and see if I get different results with my problems. Thanks for the responses, maybe someday ill hear from a "bobcad" guy

[rgammage]

One other point which may be useful is that you mention that you cannot run certain programs under XP. There exists a compatibility mode in XP and other recent MS operting systems.

Load your program under XP and create a shortcut to it on the Desktop, then highlight the shortcut icon, press the RH mouse button and go to Properties, here you can define that you wish to run this program as if it were running under Win98.

[ImanCarrot]

As an aside, a great place to get drivers for almost anything is www.DriverGuide.Com You need to register, but it's free and I've found they have everything. Really useful.

[Parameter]

About bobcad 19, make sure you get 19.9.4 as 19.9.3 had printing problems. Seems to be a major problem with that software line as I've seen many post of angry peoples about printing problems on a couple forums. When your production rely on it, it sure can be a pain.

About the white page and redraw, I have the same problem with my onboard card but not so with a (now) G-Force FX5200. I had to move my mouse over the drawing area to make it display with the onboard. That can quickly be fixed by using any recent agp or pci express video card with proper opengl support.

With the recent video card, much of this is gone. Software opengl rendering is not always very efficient or functionnal. May indeed be the video drivers but if those are bad, well, usually you don't have alternate drivers... so you end up with a new graphic card... IMHO, onboard video and sound are crappy... I always had problems with em and had to install new cards for the problems to go away... True, they work for basic stuff, but we're doing graphic intensive CAD and CAM... A system has to be tuned for the purpose...

Well, this is my experience. Maybe you have a friend that could lend you a card for a couple days? Honestly, I tough it would be okay, no... it's much much better... I love that new card I got for 40$ It's fast, clean, and all rendering bugs are out.

Para

(edit: new card is just too much!)

[erase42]

ok ok you convinced me I actually have an old generation gamers video card laying around somewhere. If it works, then ill be able to clearly see what it was that failed to print

[Parameter]

Note, problem with rendering can also occur if you have bobart open and generate a toolpath in bobard. At this moment, the machining time window will open and it will cause the display to not refresh in BobCAD until closed. This is weird but I discover new stuff everyday. So, no, not everything is fixed but most of the bugs with display.

What was definitively fixed is that I could'nt see my toolpath in bobart, changed card and now I can see it. 3d rotation is also much much faster.

I hope it help. You will enjoy your bobcad much more without those annoyances. Bobcad is like a wife, you gotta know it well to appreciate it's power.

I dunno your level with bobcad but I'd recommend you learn to use the layers and colors quite well. This will save you much frustration and problems.
(make a layer, name the layer, hide the layer. make a layer, name the layer, hide the layer. Then unmask the layer, generate code, hide layer. Unmask next, generate code, hide...)

Para

[erase42]

you can actually use your bobart? ive tried running it on 3 different computers and it consistantly freezes before I can accomplish anything. Never once been able to see a project thru with it. maybe i just expect too much. when i called bobcad about it they offered to sell me an upgrade to bobart pro, which could actually do what I was told bobart would do. sorry i guess this is turning into more of a complaint, but really really just want to be able to print. thanks for your help guys, im probably out of things to say

Ed

[tjones]

Not sure of what or why they would do that but I have Bobart (not pro) and it works. I had trouble once with lockups and I upgraded my video card. Fixed the graphics gliches.

[tjones]

Post a file and I will see what mine does. I just tested and it works great.

[Parameter]

I'd have to say that except from the crashes due to defective display adapter or other reasons it's quite enjoyable.

CAM is not CAD! One thing that MUST be considered is the system itself... It must have sufficient memory and virtual memory! I often see my bobcad taking up to 100 MEGS of internal memory while working on small picture engraving. 512 Megs is a must with XP and BobCAD/CAM/Art.

I do acknoledge that it seems a bit hard on the system compared to other CAD I used in the past BUT I had never used much CAM before either... Try running SmartCAM or ProE on the same system... That'll be just as slow, or much worse...

It does work beautifully and quite fast once you get to know what it's good for and use it on an appropriate system. Can't get into a race with a klunky car and I tough that I had processor and display intensive applications until I tried doing CAM... From a 733 to a 2.4G, there is a world of difference...

One thing definitely missing is operation based machining as in visual mill or others. Working with toolpath and layers is a bit more complicated than just redrawing a toolpath with a different tool. Still, since bobcad is quite fast, we get along fine...

If I could afford Visual Mill and Lathe, not just the hobby version (express I believe), I would definitively go there, but I would not have the ability to engrave pictures...

BobArt Pro X seems quite nice so even with the hard learning curve and some quirks, I do believe I'll upgrade in a few months... Pricing is quite hard to beat!

If you're buying the support package, note that they don't have a 1800 number... It makes support calls from canada quite expensive!!!

I was quite unhappy at the start, seems nothing would do. But I realized I did'nt know what I wanted to do and expected the software to do it for me... This was deceiving until I grabbed the book and did my homeworks. I think that may be their biggest challenge because since they sell to hobbyists, expectations may be higher that what reality has to offer.

I learned to appreciate it for what it is and not ask too much of it when I know the limit is reached. But this limit seems to get further and further as I learn so I wish you tame the beast, as it's a trusty lion once you're friends.

Para

PS: I'm no bobcad salesman or rep but a real-life user and computer specialist. Just trying to have you going cause when it works, it works!

[MicroMill]

It scares me when I see a piece of software that has any level higher than .2. In other words, POSsoftware 3.3.6 or Anysoftware 6.1.5 gives me the feeling that whoever built it, is using me as a "labrat". Any PC software that alters Operating System functionality that affects other programs really sends a "warning, warning" message to me. XP has been extremely stable since it's release in 2002 (it's 7 years old!). I see folks that are still hosing around with Windows 95 and 98 (in dog years that's 98 years old, in cyber years....back to the stone age).