Cad / cam and slicers , im

I have been looking around at some software for mostly cam usage - preferably free or low cost and after watching god knows how many tutorials and reading many smoke and mirrors offers and promises i thought i would ask what do you use and why ?

I have had a look at cambam ,meshcam and fusion 360 etc.

I know you can buy dedicated software with many bells and whistles that a newbie to cnc may never use and i don't want to waste money on stuff i won't use as i don't have a multi axis machining centre . I'm mainly thinking of small cnc engravers , routers , laser etchers , modified milling machines and if you wish 3d printers .

Now before someone tells me that there is a thread here and another there about this stuff i did do a search and and found it very broken and hard to follow so i thought maybe a dedicated thread with all the answers in one spot may be easier to find and read .

I'm currently using:

Turbocad 17 - because i already had it .

Cura slicer for 3d printing because it seemed fairly friendly and works well for a newbie + free !.

I'm looking at buying a small cnc engraver in the future that runs off Mach3 so i need cam programme to generate tool paths and G code , i'm also thinking about a laser etcher possibly as an add on unit to the cnc engraver.

I would like your thoughts on what you would use if you were starting out in either cnc or 3D printing and why ?

Keeping in mind that cost is a substantial factor so free or cheap is a goal to aim for 

I know the 3d printer more than likely will be running  marlin or similar so with printers maybe keep it to slicers ?

Has anyone had a play with mach4 ? If yes what are the comparisons with mach3 ?

Ian.

Edited By XD 351 on 16/02/2018 07:34:35

Edited By XD 351 on 16/02/2018 07:35:49

Ian,

I use QCAD by ribbonsoft.com for all my 2D drawings and they do a CAM version which produces G-code output that might suit your needs. I neither understand CAM, nor have a use for it, but you can download a free version to try and continue to use, or, if you like it, pay for the full program. It's not expensive, either. I've just paid less than £30 for my annual renewal for QCAD.

John

Duplicate post!

Edited By John Hinkley on 16/02/2018 08:06:42

I am a QCad fan as well.

regards

Brian

I use Fusion 360 for my drawings. I find it easier than TurboCad. I have a CEL Robox that has proprietry slicing software. Given a choice pick Simplify 3D for slicing etc as it has the best features

regards

Steve

If you are working in 2 1/2D for your mill or engraving then DFX2GCODE is a very simple gcode generator. For engraving you might look at F-Engrave. They are both free downloads.

For quick drawings to convert with DXF2GCODE I use Draftsight but there are many other programs.

For 3D printing I use Onshape and then run either Cura or Slic3r from within Repetier Host.

All the above work in both Windows and Linux.

Russell

You need to get my book but it doesn't come out until May/June

I use TurboCAD 21 because I know how to use it and it does what I want.

I chiefly use CURA for slicing because it has so many controls. I mostly use 14.12, but I am slowly getting into 2.5 which has some excellent additions, but a few could be better (the dithered surface texture is good, but what I would really like is the option to apply a defined, not random, texture).

I use Print Studio sometimes, for things that benefit from really crazy supports.

Neil

Excellent ! Thanks for your input !

I had never heard of Qcad and it comes with a the cam package with it a modest fee or 89eu ( around $120 au ) is asked which as far as i can see is a one of fee and considering some of the prices others are asking i feel this is very cost effective . I didn't see anything about renewals or annual fees here ?

The simplify 3d from what i have seen of it is probably the best all round package but it has a fee unlike cura , one of the guys on the simplify 3d home page is an Aussie ( Angus Deveson ) he has a youtube channel called makers muse and i have learnt so much from that channel it isn't funny .! If you really want to get into 3d printing simplify 3d is where its at !

Fusion 360 looks the goods but even though you can have it for free ( 3yr subs for student / teacher or 1yr on startup for hobbyists) i'm not sure what version you get as they don't tell you . When you download the trial version you get fusion360 ultimate that has all the bells and whistles but with student or startup i think itdrops back to basic and i'm not sure that has the cam package with it - if anyone can expand on this it would be great !

I had alook at GFX2GCODE and it looks good and i will add this to my little list of must try programmes along with F-engrave which maybe good for circuit boards .

Russel , how come you use repetier ? Why not just use onshape and a slicer - why the middle man ?

Neil ,

How do you get time to write books ? I thought you spent a great many hours peering up into the night sky looking at the twinkling lights 😄. I haven't heard of print studio . If Your next book is as good as your last one on the mini lathe it will be another worthy addition to my library ! Any chance of some spoilers ?

I would like to thank you all for your input and also to anyone that adds to this post in the future .

Ian.

Ian,

Re: QCAD annual renewal fees.

The €89 fee is a one-off cost for the program and a year's updates and bug fixes. Towards the end of the year, ribbonsoft send you an email reminder with a 30% discount code, should you wish to continue to receive upgrades. If not, you can continue to use your existing installation as is, frozen at the version you have when the licence expires.

John H

Student/hobbyist use of Fusion 360 is always the latest version full spec and is free of charge. I get on average a new version each week with tweaked and added features. You renew each year free of charge. I am on my second year. The extensive CAM section is included in this plus sheet metal and drawing output. It is a one stop solution.

Fusion has a '3D Print' menu option which you link to your print driver or your third party slicer EXE file.

I have a Sindoh 3DWOX printer and it is a one click out of Fusion into the Sindoh native driver and one click to print in basic mode. (I have tried Simplify 3D and I have yet to beat the print results from the Sindoh driver).

There is a huge wealth of tutorial info on the web to get you up to speed. I have listed a few here.

There is a lot of negativity over the fact that Fusion is Cloud based for all your storage. This misses the point that you can log onto any machine anywhere and continue where you left off with your design. The other positive on this is that you can (with permission) share your files with other Fusion users via the Cloud. There is also a web portal if you are away from base and do not have Fusion loaded on the machine at your disposal.

This negativity also extends to the fact that AutoCAD 'might' decided to start charging a licence fee.

Would I stick with it and pay ?

Yes.

I've always photo-etched my circuit boards so can't comment on the suitability of those programs.

I us Repetier as it gives flexibility. It gives easy control of the object placement and orientation, choice of slicers, easy control of the slicers, and can control the printer directly or write an SD card for offline use.

I usually use Onshape for 3D drawing. It works on any system, Windows, MAC, or Linux and will output a suitable STL file for printing. Fusion 360 will do the same thing and much more but has a steeper learning curve. You pays your money and takes your choice - well not really as they are both free to enthusiasts!

Russell

John and Alan ,

Thanks for clarifying the free usage of Qcad and fusion and for the link - looks like an interesting site .

Russel ,

I will also have a look at onshape and repetier .

For now i think i have a few programs to download and play around with to see what suits me best .

Once again thanks for the replies !

Ian.