[thor2002]

So, this morning the boss comes around. Asked if I could look into Vecotrworks. He wants to spend a huge amount of money on vectorworks for interior, including the cabinet generator.
The thing is, we already have Genio, Xcab, Dynalog, Selection Proffesional (from Hattich), and sketchup.
For none of these programs he purchased a training, he just bought the box, slapped in on his PC and expected to export a full set of CNC files for our SCM Tech Z2 router.

My question to you is this. Is vectorworks really that great? Without any training, can a carpenter run it within reasonable time and with minor help from me? (I do not pretend to know much but have been a Autodesk trainer for more years than I have fingers)

What kind of programs do 'the big' kitchen companies use to slap out their cabinets? To be fair, we do not only make kitchen cabinets but get more and more requests for kitchens. The boss wants to have his brother sit behind a PC and in some way use a magical program to churn out loads of different cabinets...

[KH0UJ]

Nope for me sketchup is the greatest of them all on my opinion, I mean you can integrate anything out of anything, engine parts, gun parts, houses, buildings, entire city, I can copy anything by only using sketchup, 2,3,4 axis CAM works, so yes if you are too familiar with it you dont need any preset programs whatsoever, sketchup is the only program I used on all our CNC works on the 3 types of machines. Im not really saying that sketchup is too simple, Id rather say it`s too complex for a free 3D program, complex = custom, custom means you can do whatever you like and can think of.

[ger21]

Those programs are not very common in the US.
Cabinetvision is probably the biggest one here. We do a lot of work for another shop that uses TopSolid.

If your boss won't pay for training, he's wasting money, as you'll never be able to fully utilize the software.

Imo, Sketchup would be last on any list for CNC work, especially with a high end industrial program.
You need a program that fully integrates with your machine, and automates the process as much as possible.

[louieatienza]

Nope for me sketchup is the greatest of them all on my opinion, I mean you can integrate anything out of anything, engine parts, gun parts, houses, buildings, entire city, I can copy anything by only using sketchup, 2,3,4 axis CAM works, so yes if you are too familiar with it you dont need any preset programs whatsoever, sketchup is the only program I used on all our CNC works on the 3 types of machines. Im not really saying that sketchup is too simple, Id rather say it`s too complex for a free 3D program, complex = custom, custom means you can do whatever you like and can think of.

In the free version you are limited to the type of file you can export, which for 3D parts is STL, and not exactly the most accurate way to machine parts.

[KH0UJ]

In the free version you are limited to the type of file you can export, which for 3D parts is STL, and not exactly the most accurate way to machine parts.

I did not use the sketchup's built in import/export either sir, im a line programmer, I have a full control on the spindle itself, I used a free plug-in in sketchup that export it to lines, im not a fan of boring auto CAM. Accuracy rate on line programming is 100% because you are the one drawing the machine paths itself even if there are huge backlashes on the machine used, you can compensate the machine descripancies on the codes itself.