[MichaelHenry]

BobCAD/CAM >10K (?)

Who pays anywhere near $10k for BodCadCam? I thought it was more like $600 or less depending on how long you let them keep calling you.

Mike

[benji2505]

I though it was more expensive, but I never really dealt with BobCAD/CAM. I always used alibre and then moved into sprutcam.

[keithorr]

If I had 10k for software, I'd buy the latest full blown OneCNC, get the job done and have change left over.

[justgary]

Who pays anywhere near $10k for BodCadCam? I thought it was more like $600 or less depending on how long you let them keep calling you.

Mike

They called me weekly and finally offered me the complete package last December for $350. I bought SprutCAM instead for almost three times that. No regrets, either.

Regards,

- Just Gary

[Phishaholic]

Guys
Thanks for all of the help with my understanding of duplicate parts. I have it working. I did the programing by hand because I want a better understanding of G & M codes being a CNC Newbie!!

I can't do nesting with SheetCAM, because my version has a limit on the number of lines of code and the part uses more than that. I picked my Tormach up used and that was it for software other than Mach3 with its wizards. I just purchased the License from New Fangled Solutions and really like their wizards. I will purchase SprutCam shortly, for two reasons; one I plan on getting a fourth axis, two it sounds like a lot of people like it. I know there a little learning curve with it, but thats not a big issue to me. I'm using SolidWorks 2004 for my CAD and I’m mostly self-taught on that program.

I'm in the middle of making two arms for the machine, one for the monitor and the other with a tool tray simular to saabaero's. I'll post picktures in a new thread when I finish it.

Larry O

[justgary]

Larry -

Congratulations on getting it working. I think you are going about things the right way and learning how it works. Even with a high-level program you will find times that you want to change the code you have made, but don't want to go back to the program to do it (for example, to fix feed rates or spindle speed, or maybe to nest parts like you are doing now).

A cool thing to do with your 4th axis is engraving a cylinder. You can code the toolpath as if it were XY, then hand edit the code and change either X or Y to A (depending on how you want the text oriented). By setting the correct A radius in Mach 3, your engraving will now magically wrap around a cylinder. Definitely a simple way to amaze the natives...

As for which program to buy, I would strongly suggest that you demo several and decide for yourself which one you like. What I think is a good user interface may be the worst one you have ever seen, so you have to go by what works for you. Try them all, and ask questions here.

Regards,

- Just Gary

[MichaelHenry]

They called me weekly and finally offered me the complete package last December for $350. I bought SprutCAM instead for almost three times that. No regrets, either.

Regards,

- Just Gary

That seems to be the consensus, although there are a lot of satisfied BCC users out there. SprutCAM seems to be getting better slowly, but regularly. Good thing, as I don't have the money to invest in OneCNC or Visual Mill, which seem like the next best bangs for the buck.

Mike