Has anyone ever tried these CAM utilities?

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20 Jan 2017 05:25 #86224 by Robotwizard
Ran across these handy looking apps at CNCcookbook:

www.cnccookbook.com/CCCNCSoftware.html?u...tm_campaign=PRODUCTS

I downloaded the demos. No Linux port unfortunately. The calculator software looks impressive and installed correctly, but the G code editor with conversational CNC wouldn't run. The latter uses Adobe products. After several hours of troubleshooting I gave up. The vendor charges a years subscription minimum, but after the subscription expires it still functions with a 1 horsepower spindle limit.
Has anyone used these apps and if so what are your thoughts and opinions? Are there any similar apps out there? Any Linux based apps? Thanks

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22 Jan 2017 21:09 #86425 by andypugh
MeshCAM is pretty good, I have used it a bit.
For conversational stuff, have a look at NativeCAM.
www.youtube.com/channel/UCjOe4VxKL86HyVrshTmiUBQ
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22 Jan 2017 21:22 #86426 by Sparky961
Although I like Bob W's web site and all of the information contained within, I've tried his software only for a short time before uninstalling it. To me a lot of it seems way too much in the way of "Machining for Dummies". Most of the help it gives is stuff that anyone who's intelligent and been machining for a while already knows and does intuitively.

I have an issue with "Software as a Service". When I pay for software, I want the ability to use that version (or whatever) for the rest of my life - regardless of how foolish or impractical that actually is. Unfortunately the software industry is having a hard time coming out with anything that's so much greater than the last version for people to shell out money for an upgrade. They have to change their business model, and you're going to see a lot more of that into the near future.
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23 Jan 2017 10:25 #86466 by rodw
I know we are way OT but I'm the opposite. I 'm a big fan of cloud based systems as it gives small businesses the ability to access technology or say $100 a month they could not otherwise afford if they had to spend $20k up front plus 20% annual maintenance. Plus you build in agility because you can work from anywhere and don't need to spend money on your own servers and back up systems. The move to the cloud has been likened to the move by industry from in house power generation to electricity utility companies so get used to it. But now the utilities are under pressure from solar and green energy so they are going to fall by the wayside into the future.

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23 Jan 2017 18:34 #86497 by Robotwizard
Thanks for sharing your insights Sparky961. I have the same opinions about Bob W, his site, and software companies creating these recurring expenses. He was eager to offer advice to get the Geditor utility to work until I voiced my opinions about Adobe bloatware being problematic and the recent news releases about adobe secretly putting spyware into their products. He tried to tell me that none of it was true and said he was going to "deactivate the trials". The Gcalcutor which doesn't use adobe installed fine but the adobe based geditor wouldn't even install. He obviously has a back door into the software and for that reason alone I would never pay good money for it. Guess I fell for his BS sales pitch that implied that he has created a magic formula for feeds and speeds calculation and that one will waste time and money and have significantly shorter tool cutter life without it. I didn't find the calculator especially useful myself either. The trig/DMS I can do on the TI emulator for my scientific calculator. The other stuff does look like CNC for dummies....

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23 Jan 2017 22:55 #86522 by andypugh
I think you are being somewhat unfair to Bob Warfield here. (And might want to consider that he might be a subscriber to these forums)

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24 Jan 2017 02:09 #86529 by Sparky961

I think you are being somewhat unfair to Bob Warfield here. (And might want to consider that he might be a subscriber to these forums)


For the record, the opinions I expressed aren't quite in line with those expressed by Robotwizard.

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24 Jan 2017 16:17 - 24 Jan 2017 16:19 #86568 by Muzzer
He posted some interesting ie (incorrect) stuff about stepper torques and preferred to insult rather than discuss (correct) it. Much of his stuff seems to be surveys of user opinions and the calculator has free alternatives such as FSWizard . Having said that, he clearly makes a nice living from it so his attitude is understandable even if it is not admirable.

Murray
Last edit: 24 Jan 2017 16:19 by Muzzer.

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16 Nov 2017 19:23 #101906 by Skullworks
I have followed Bob's work since he released his first beta. It looked promising and many people depend on his product that have not had the benefit of higher education in machine technology. Keep in mind that everything he posts is intended to drive viewers towards his product line, some of which are not related to machining topics.

I have worked or done consulting work at a number of sites which for security reasons have a total electronic blackout, no cell service, no network (for visitors and no external access for employees). E.T. Phone home is a non starter, the cloud is exposed to not have that silver lining. It took some doing just to get my own laptop approved for entry.

My personal shop is out in rural Colorado. Ever since CenturyLink took over the local rural phone system from the county quality has gone... Outages are a daily deal. I can't wait for the magic cloud to appear in the sky when I need to get work done. I therefore try to stick to standard All-in-the-box software. I know my reasoning is based on my local conditions, but I have found that many others suffer with similar issues.

As to FSWizard. The free version I tried only supported 2 material types. I was running it on a Motorola Android Moto-G and it worked fantastic. There is the Big daddy package which runs on a desktop/tablet/android/ with a single license for all. You can go cheap and pay to play with rental terms or pay the full price and be done while enjoying free updates. This is the package I will be using going forward. I have no connection to either Bob or the author of FSWizard. I picked up an Amazon Fire 7" for $24.99 in last years Black Friday sale to use as a shop tablet.

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