Author Topic: CAD - what you using?  (Read 27178 times)

Offline RotarySMP

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 463
  • Country: at
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2016, 08:31:22 AM »
About 15 years ago when my employer sent me for a weeks course at Honeywell  Seattle to learn flight data recorder read out. The course was a waste, as it was a very easy to understand primitive db to decode, and I never had anything to do with FDR's before or after, but the Honeywell training center computers had Inventor installed, so I learnt it through the tutorials. I had already been using AutoCAD 97. What a leap forward. I wish I had a license for inventor, as I thought it had the nicest rendering.

I did took drafting for 5 years in high school, which making picking up these systems a little easier. Still forgot to put the diameter symbols in front of the number in the CoC below  :wack:

I have an old student licensed CATIA V5 which needs XP, so I keep a laptop loaded just for that. Catia was a steep learning curve, and I only use a fraction of it's capabilities. Really just part, product and drafting.

Don't knock 1.1CoC. It is still fast,  easy and reliable and can be pinned to the wall behind the lathe.

I did install Fusion360, but that whole model of licensing and having your files up for ransom really turned me off. I deinstalled it after a quick 15 minute play with it. Maybe I should give it a second chance.

Regards,
Mark
Best regards, Meilleures salutations, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Cu salutari
Mark
https://www.youtube.com/c/RotarySMP

Offline Brass_Machine

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5504
  • Country: us
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2016, 08:43:22 AM »
I use Alibre PE which is now sold as Cubify design. Tried a few other CAD packages before but never got on with them but like the Alibre. Reasonably priced and has most of the features we are likely to need of the more expensive Geomagic which it is based on. You can get a 14day free trial and instructional videos are on teh net

http://cubify.com/products/design

Fusion 360 gets some good reports and is free.


Like Jason, I still use an older copy of Alibre. I bought the Pro version back a few years ago. I still does everything I need. After trying multiple products, I chose this one because it was the easiest for me to learn.

Eric
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline efrench

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
Re: CAD - what you using? Fusion 360
« Reply #27 on: January 13, 2016, 03:28:59 PM »
Been doing a bit of googling re: Fusion 360 and have come across a few possible Gotcha's I'd welcome comments on.

Firstly it only runs on a 64 bit machine, all mine at the moment are 32 bit so I cannot quickly download and try for my self. I'll have to obtain a new machine so need a few reassurances first!

Secondly it stores your (my!) files on the cloud, I believe you can locally cache files but need to connect to the web every few days to synchronize, has any one used this facility?

Thirdly, it is said to be free to hobbyists, but I've come across at least one comment on the web from someone, a hobbyist, who's 'free' trial expired and could only regain access to his files by paying the commercial rates. Has anyone lengthy experience with it without this happening?

Fourthly if I go 64 bit I run a lot of legacy software that may well not work so would be forced to run multiple machines.

Fusion 360 can export your files in different formats like iges, step, stl, etc. so you can ensure having a local copy that is usable in other programs if you can't access Fusion 360.  Offline mode only requires sync'ing every fortnight.

PC's are too inexpensive now to worry about how many you have around  :zap:   

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #28 on: January 13, 2016, 03:44:31 PM »
"PC's are too inexpensive now to worry about how many you have around  :zap:  "

Yes you are right - I've a bid on a system that ends in 15 mins that I propose to use as a test bed for Windows 10 and Fusion 360 - that way it isolates it from my other computers if it goes belly up
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Stevenson

  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
  • Nottingham, England.
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #29 on: January 13, 2016, 05:40:45 PM »
Did you get it ?
John Stevenson

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #30 on: January 13, 2016, 06:01:58 PM »
Yes, and just within my budget by 90 pence  :clap:

It's a second hand Dell Optiplex 7010 i3 Core 3220 3.3Ghz ultra small form factor, that has 64 bit Win 7. Loaded and a valid COA. The intention is to 'upgrade' to Win 10 using the free offer, and get used to 10, then load up Fusion 360 and take it for a test drive.

I'll probably start a thread on it, if only to keep a log of what I've done. You never know, others may be interested.

I suppose that I'd better look out for a decent sized monitor for it, and a keyboard and mouse would be quite handy!
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline tom osselton

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1255
  • Country: ca
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #31 on: January 14, 2016, 12:19:51 AM »
I have built a computer just for the things I want to save with the hopes of getting better organised or compromised.
I am using a smart tv that the puter gets pluged into works good on wifi plus it's a extra tv!

Offline DavidL

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #32 on: February 23, 2016, 08:45:53 PM »
Believe it or not, after trying out a number of 2D applications, I now mostly use microsoft Visio.  It's quick and easy and is great for stencilling over photographs when creating working drawings.  For CAD modelling, I use FreeCAD (it's free) which I found great for creating 3D models from 2D baseline drawings.

Offline CrazyModder

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
  • Country: de
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #33 on: February 24, 2016, 02:26:41 AM »
I have used Sketchup for years. I have occasionally felt the need to move on to a "real" CAD package; I tried FreeCAD as well as Solid Edge. The first was a bit "meh" for me, I guess it gets the job done, but it didn't scratch my itch, so to speak. Solid Edge is a professional package with a "free for private use" option, and has loads of very good tutorials online. I found it interesting as it has a parametric construction mode; i.e. you can tell two faces to stick together, or you can tell a hole and a bolt to always be the same diameter, and when you change the one of them, it also changes the other. Great if you construct something and you want to rotate/move parts around virtually to see if everything fits together. It takes some getting used to.

In the end, I always return to Sketchup. It is more oriented towards interiour architects or building planners, I think - it has no straightforward way to produce 2D plans with measurements etc. It is possible to do so, but it is a bit of an effort. The 3D stuff is totally flawless; not too overwhelming, not too many options, but very easy to quickly and intuitively model about anything I could ever hope to produce in my shop. It's just so quick to whip up a model and just get it done. Often, it is enough for me to just slap on a few measurements and print out the 3D model without going the length to produce 2D plans.

Offline chipenter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 909
  • Country: gb
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #34 on: February 24, 2016, 02:03:58 PM »
I loded Fusion 360 as I wanted the g code function , with the free ones all I get when trying to convert to code is unsupported format , they all have there own diferent extentions that need loads or programs to convert , as I am hopeless with cad and g code  :doh:  .
Jeff

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #35 on: February 24, 2016, 03:43:25 PM »
I've Fusion 360 loaded up and I have managed to make usable code from it, it's very good at airy fairy 3 D models,  but the CAM side hasn't been properly thought out - obviously a programmer rather than an engineer did it !

I've bought CamBam - a much simpler package but more engineering orientated !
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline efrench

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2016, 10:12:25 PM »
I haven't touched CamBam since I started using Fusion 360.  The generated toolpaths in Fusion 360 are far more sophisticated than those in CamBam.

p.s. I was a programmer in a previous life :)

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #37 on: February 25, 2016, 02:25:57 AM »
Oh yes I agree, things like adaptive clearing letting the tool take full sized gulps.

It was the way the post processor customisation needed full programming skills, and the handling of tool libraries was very awkward that put me off. I may well go back to it, but it was getting very frustrating, as was the horribly slow cloud operation
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline chipenter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 909
  • Country: gb
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #38 on: February 27, 2016, 03:56:51 PM »
I have dowloaded cambam trial thank Andrew looks easyer tham Fusion 360 , I am trying to generate gcode for the club logo , the invicta horse of Kent meens unconquered just what I havn't done with cad .
Jeff

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #39 on: February 27, 2016, 05:08:31 PM »
There is a chap doing something similar here on the CamBam forum:

http://www.cambam.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5501.0
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Stevenson

  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
  • Nottingham, England.
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #40 on: February 27, 2016, 05:53:25 PM »
Something like this ?

John Stevenson

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #41 on: February 27, 2016, 06:10:26 PM »
Very good John, but Jeff wants it as G code not just a pretty picture  :lol:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Stevenson

  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
  • Nottingham, England.
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #42 on: February 27, 2016, 07:21:05 PM »
OK but you need the code to get the picture.

Material 55mm wide x 50mm high. Engraving tool with 20 degree sides, 40 degrees included angle and 0.2 flat on the bottom to stop it chipping.

Work zero is in the centre of the plate.

http://www.stevenson-engineers.co.uk/files/Romney%20marsh.txt

Code is for Mach3 or any standard Fanuc code
John Stevenson

Offline chipenter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 909
  • Country: gb
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #43 on: February 28, 2016, 02:45:39 AM »
Thanks guys I will take whatever help I can get to lower this learning curve .
Jeff

Offline chipenter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 909
  • Country: gb
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #44 on: February 29, 2016, 01:52:23 PM »
Fision 360 crashed on Windows 10 today I don't think they can keep up with the updates , almost daily some of them take a long time .
Jeff

Offline davro

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 22
  • Country: gb
Re: CAD - what you using?
« Reply #45 on: March 17, 2016, 04:43:47 PM »
Hi Chris,

I have just finished building my first CNC minimill with LinuxCNC, never done any CAD/CAM before and have been using Fusion360 for the CAD/CAM and now using simulations for stress testing, there are a few stumbling points with LinuxCNC and Fusion360 but it's worth putting sometime in . I have created a few parts for my motorbike engine kitcar and very impressed with the LinuxCNC and Fusion360 combo so far :med: problem is this has given me the confidence to start thinking about bigger milling projects not sure if this is a good idea lol