To All Current MeshCAM 6 and MeshCAM 7 users:

I have been a relatively loyal user of MeshCAM for about five or six years, and during this time I have found the software to reasonably useful, even given the many limitations. At the present time, I am using MeshCAM 5, and I have been reluctant to upgrade to MeshCAM 6 (and obviously MeshCAM 7), because I have yet to decide if the upgrade will provide any real improvements. Reading back through the forum postings, it's unclear if there are any consistent advantages to upgrade, other than, perhaps faster processing of files.

From the user perspective, is there a marked improvement when upgrading to MeshCAM 6 (from MeshCAM 5)? If so, what are the clear advantages and improvements?
I understand that MeshCAM 7 is a "free" upgrade to MeshCAM 6 license holders. It appears that this version is still a bit clunky, and it also appears that many of the prior MeshCAM features are not yet implemented in MeshCAM 7. Does this seem to be the case? Has there been any indication that MeshCAM 7 will eventually be a solid, reliable package? I also noticed that there might be some limitations (machine size, etc.) that may have been added to this version. Any truth to these limits?

I've tried to contact Robert at the "sales" and the "support" email addresses, but these requests have gone un-answered. I've seen comments from others with the same lack of response (on CNC Zone, etc.) I know that Robert is busy with the Carbide/Shapeoko projects. It appears that MeshCAM is now a much lower priority that it was years ago, and I am beginning to wonder if MeshCAM development may be slowing down. Since Robert is a one-man-show with MeshCAM, I would hate to think that he may soon abandon it . . . which might be another reason to be cautious about the upgrade path.

I think MeshCAM is a program that has excellent potential. Even MeshCAM 5 is quite useful for a hobbyist, but I don't want to upgrade to version 6 (or 7) unless I am sure that I will realize some benefit and not slide backwards with a temperamental, or otherwise unfinished program that will result in frustration.
Hopefully you can shed some light on your experiences relating to my concerns.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Tom the SpindleJockey