[mountaindew]

MD - have you switched from SprutCAM to F360?

No I still use sprutcam and ironcad combo for cad cam. And Getting ready to update to sprutcam 15 next week I think. I'm like the only user on earth lol. It works but is not cheap.
I use both of these programs at expert level so It would take a great deal of time to change to another product like fusion and use it at the level I use these programs at.

I would like a vcarve type program more focused on router projects but its not in budget yet.

Anyway what do you use or like?

[jdclark]

Not so much Tormach, but economic factors around the world. Big tariffs put on machines a few years back plus massive rise in costs of container shipping out of China, plus long waiting times for delivery ( as of today there were over 100 ships anchored off Los Angeles waiting for dock space). Add to that the Biden giveaways which are already showing up everywhere as price increases on everything. China's economy is teetering on the brink of collapse, especially in the massive real estate bubble, and when that bursts, it will be a ripple effect all around the world, so we may see another recession and housing market slowdown. The Chinese chip business is rife with massive fraud and that has led to a new car shortage bringing used car prices up, and used cars cannot be financed for as long and at low rates like new, plus the lack of warranty means more out of pocket cash for buyer repairs. All of these factors point to less money for people to spend on their hobbies.

[MichaelHenry]

I would like a vcarve type program more focused on router projects but its not in budget yet.

Anyway what do you use or like?

I use Alibre CAD for paid work and the free version of Onshape for hobby work. I use SprutCAM for, uh, CAM but have a paid version of F360 which I don't like to use but may need for 5-axis work if I ever get a 5-axis mill. I need to upgrade to SC 15, but have been putting it off until some rework of SC14 projects are finished. I just bought a Micro-Arc so should be starting to do some 4th axis work in SC 14.

V-Carve is supposed to be almost a standard for CNC routers from what I've heard.

[kstrauss]

I've used VCarve for years on my 770. Yes, it is really oriented towards fancy signs and such but if you import a .DXF prepared in other CAD products it works great for 2.5d jobs. I am less than thrilled with its 4th axis support. And, sadly, it lacks anything HSM related. It does do thread milling. The good news is that you actually purchase the product (not a monthly/yearly rental) so you can skip upgrades if desired.

[mountaindew]

I use Alibre CAD for paid work and the free version of Onshape for hobby work. I use SprutCAM for, uh, CAM but have a paid version of F360 which I don't like to use but may need for 5-axis work if I ever get a 5-axis mill. I need to upgrade to SC 15, but have been putting it off until some rework of SC14 projects are finished. I just bought a Micro-Arc so should be starting to do some 4th axis work in SC 14.

V-Carve is supposed to be almost a standard for CNC routers from what I've heard.

Oh nice, 4-5 axis machine. I uploaded a model for a small tomb stone a couple years ago to grabcad. I was told by a few people they use it or some version of it on micro arcs

I figured I was about the only user of sprutcam these days. Looks like V15 they added ability to do multi fixture, multi offset, multi operation setups. Looks easy to use and setup. This was something I had done for years but it takes big time skill and it was still hard to do. I requested this feature a couple times over the years but figured nobody even read the request. ??. Also 3d drawing of simple models was added.
Anyway I was told I'm the only user of sprutcam to drive 8l lathe and 24r router. And for most part I get great results on all 3 machines. Just have to know your way around that software or it can be frustrating.

[MichaelHenry]

The folks that make the Pocket NC 5-axis tabletop mill are developing a larger brother with more professional features, including a tool changer, It may be available some time next year and will be be way more than I could justify spending (as a business expense) but the want is still there.

[mountaindew]

Oh nice, 4-5 axis machine. I uploaded a model for a small tomb stone a couple years ago to grabcad. I was told by a few people they use it or some version of it on micro arcs

I figured I was about the only user of sprutcam these days. Looks like V15 they added ability to do multi fixture, multi offset, multi operation setups. Looks easy to use and setup. This was something I had done for years but it takes big time skill and it was still hard to do. I requested this feature a couple times over the years but figured nobody even read the request. ??. Also 3d drawing of simple models was added.
Anyway I was told I'm the only user of sprutcam to drive 8l lathe and 24r router. And for most part I get great results on all 3 machines. Just have to know your way around that software or it can be frustrating.

Oops I ment to say pocket nc not micro arc for the small tomb stone

[RTP_Burnsville]

Mountaindew,

I also continue to use SprutCam, although I have not upgraded in a few years......

Robert

[MichaelHenry]

Oops I ment to say pocket nc not micro arc for the small tomb stone

I'd wondered if that's what you'd meant.

[popspipes]

I still use Sprutcam as well, does everything I need to do...........no rental fees...........no cloud problems........no forced updates etc.