[MichaelHenry]

Now that SC 8 has been out for a while and there have probably been several minor updates, can anyone comment on whether or not SC 8 is easier and more user-friendly to use than SC 7?

Is Eric Anderson still providing support for SprutCAM? I haven't seen any new tutorials from him in quite a while.

Mike

[dkaustin]

Yeah, I'd really like to know what's going on with SC8. There was a brief flurry when it was first released, since then nothing. The SprutCAM America site hasn't been updated in ages, and there's nothing on the Tormach site (that I can find) that even suggests SC8 exists.

Could Tormach be looking for another CAM program?

[MichaelHenry]

Could Tormach be looking for another CAM program?

Good question. It will probably be tough to find another vendor that offers both mill and turn CAM at anywhere near the same price point, though. Tormach is selling Vectric products now, but I don't think they have any lathe CAM products and the upcoming Tormach CNC lathe will need some sort of associated CAM product.

Mike

[wwendorf]

I really doubt that Tormach will move away from SprutCam. I'm actually using v8 and I really like it. I was using the v7 demo and found it clunky. I haven't had too many problems figuring stuff out with 8. A few general SC problems, but it's a matter of understanding what russian programmers are thinking. It's not always easy. I also had a custom lathe post processor created and am very happy with it.

The lathe module works well, as does the continuous 4th axis milling functionality.

Wade

[dkaustin]

I too would be very surprised if Tormach moved away from Sprut. At the same time, I find it curious that Tormach has had so little to say about SC8. Assuming they are committed to Sprut for the long haul, are they hanging back because they don't think SC8 is quite ready for prime time? I am ready to migrate to SC8 as soon as all the teething problems are cleared up, and I have been waiting for some indication from Tormach to that effect.

Some input from the good folks in Waunakee would be most welcome.

[Gerry Sweetland]

Some input from the good folks in Waunakee would be most welcome.

+1 on that.
I asked for a quote on SC8 back when it was first announced, downloaded the demo and could not get it to run w/o crashing so I put the quote in the file waiting to hear more about SC8.
Gerry

[wwendorf]

I've been doing a lot with SC8. I won't say I haven't crashed it a few times, but it seems pretty stable.

I also tend to upgrade to the "latest stable" version using the SC8 updater.

Overall I really like it and have done some pretty cool stuff with it. Here's a video of my first rotary 4th axis job that I did with it. I have made some changes to the program since I did this and it runs a lot smoother now, but it worked first shot.



Wade

[dkaustin]

Eric has just posted a video tutorial outlining the differences in user interface between SC7 and SC8. The location of some icons has changed, but overall the look and feel remain the same. The things that caught my attention were the ability to resize parameter windows and the new functionality in 2D Contouring definition. Graphics in general appear sharper, since SC8 is a true 64-bit app. As soon as I'm convinced SC8 is stable, I'm ready to make the move.

Hope we'll be seeing more SC8 tutorials in the near future.

[MichaelHenry]

Hope we'll be seeing more SC8 tutorials in the near future.

+1. It would be great to see more tutorials that address the logic of deciding which parameters or features to use, when defaults should be used and when not, how to work around quirks and that sort of thing.

Mike

[dkaustin]

In a reply to an email, Eric told me they ARE selling SC8, and it's as stable (if not more so) as SC7. On the basis of that, I decided to go ahead and upgrade, so we'll see.

Eric did not answer the question I put to him, though, as to why there is no mention of SC8 on either the Tormach or SprutCAM America sites. My sense is that something is up, but I can't imagine what it could be.

Stay tuned for our next thrilling episode. . .

[red triangle]

I am working with the SC 8 demo right now and am having a hard time doing anything with it. I can't get past the 3rd tormach tutorial for SC 7. Are there any other tutorials out there, paid or otherwise? I'm hesitant to purchase it, but I don't see anything else out there that would fit my budget (under 1500) and will give me 3D and a 4th axis.
The help menu is based off of the 2007 version, all the tutorials I can find are SC7, and the manual is a poorly written reference book. Now that I see that the price is going down on the tormach site and the SC America site has not updated to show the new version, I am really hesitant.

Are there any other well referenced 3D with 4th axis CAM packages out there that fit within my budget? Everything I look at seems to be poorly documented as well. I really want to start making my prototypes, but am stuck on CAM. I'm actually starting to get depressed now.

Parts designed in CAD, tooled up! and nowhere to go....................

[Gerry Sweetland]

SprutCam UK has a subscription help service Home - Sprut Technology (UK) Ltd. Homepage. I have used the month long subscription 2 times. I had access to SC 2007 tutorials as well as SC 7 and was able to cross ref. the GUI's to figure out how to apply the SC 2007 Tut's to SC 7. They have SC 8 tutorial videos as well. I have read that SC 8 is not that far removed from SC 7, the GUI is just a little different but most of the operations, etc are the same.
I highly recommend SC UK's support web site. The videos are excellent and the email support is there too. I believe you may need to register w/ the forum to get to the subscription page.
The subscription price is not too bad, I thought it was worth the money. Below is a screen cap of prices in US.
Gerry

[MichaelHenry]

I found Dave on the UK site very helpful in public, used his hobby annual subscription service for one year and found his tutorials quite useful. I never did use the email support as I found the private forum that is included with the service suited my needs adequately.

I believe that Tormach also provides an annual support subscription for $500 per year and have been mulling over buying that now that my needs have grown more advanced. Perhaps someone using that service will comment on its value.

Mike