Cnc cam software fusion cnc

[Clark Pace]

They took away rapid feeds.

[Jim Becker]

They took away rapid feeds.

Yes, that's true. But for the majority of folks who have small machines for hobby use, it's not likely that will be noticed since "rapids" are not exactly rapid on those machines both due to hardware and short distances. That's really who they are trying to serve with the "free" version of the software for personal use. For folks with larger machines who need that feature, then they need to decide if that plus other capabilities in the paid version is worth their investment.

[Ben Grefe]

So what CAD software is everybody using, forgetting about creating tool paths? I switched from SketchUp to Fusion a year or two ago and it was a massive improvement, but I agree their licensing consistency is getting very annoying. What other alternatives are there for hobby users? I don’t mind spending money, but there’s a practical limit.

[Jim Becker]

I only use the Vectric software for both drawing and toolpathing.

[Bill George]

Ditto Jim - Vectric, get out of the "free' mindset. If Fusion 360 works for you pay for it. Heck I purchased VCarve Pro back in 2008 upgraded a couple times... how many years is that?

[bobby milam]

I only use vectric. Since I know it and dont want to learn new stuff, I even use it for my laser to create files then load it into the software for the laser. I got it maybe 8 years ago and have paid for 1 upgrade this year so it has been a great value for my situation.

[Richard Gonzalez]

Those of you who do not already have Vectric VCarve Desktop should also consider Carveco Maker. Based on ArtCAM that has been around since well before any of the Vectric software, no size limits, can import and toolpath multiple STL files into a single model. $15/mo (no commitment). I have both Carveco and VCarve Pro, can pretty much follow any Vectric tutorial using Carveco Maker, the feature set is pretty equivalent. Just another option. Fusion 360 is pretty good for more mechanical designs (jigs), but is not as good for things like signs and more artistic carvings (STL files) as VCarve Pro or Carveco Maker.

[Brian Lamb]

For a CAM recommendation, Alibre Atom is a nice option. I think it is $99 or $199 (sale or not) and works well, with limited import/export options. I've been using Alibre since 2011 and upgraded to "Pro" a couple years ago when they had a great upgrade price.

[Bill George]

For a CAM recommendation, Alibre Atom is a nice option. I think it is $99 or $199 (sale or not) and works well, with limited import/export options. I've been using Alibre since 2011 and upgraded to "Pro" a couple years ago when they had a great upgrade price.

Interesting might need try and buy. Where are they based, not Russia I hope!

[Brian Lamb]

No, pretty sure they are based in Texas. Here is a link to Atom which is CAM and also Atom Workshop which is CAD/CAM.

https://www.alibre.com/which-is-right-for-you/

[David Buchhauser]

I tried installing the 30 day trail on a Windows 7 pc. It was a no-go, so Windows 10 would be the preferred OS.
David

[Brian Lamb]

The older software ran on Windows 7, but that has been defunct and non-supported for at least a couple years now. No newer software packages are going to run there, wouldn't make any sense for a manufacturer to support software for a non-supported OS.

[David Buchhauser]

No newer software packages are going to run there, wouldn't make any sense for a manufacturer to support software for a non-supported OS.

Brian - in general I would agree with you. But some of the exceptions would be Vectric VC Pro/Aspire, Fusion 360, Plasmacam Design Edge, Inkscape, Bricscad, LightBurn, VinylMaster, LogicTrace, and perhaps some others. I am running the current versions of all the aforementioned programs on Windows 7 and they work fine. I will say that Fusion 360 does seem to run faster on my Windows 10 pc though.
David

[Jim Becker]

XP support is fully gone, but most applications will still run very happily (and supported) on Win7. Many of the programming techniques that were used on XP are no longer available in WIn7.Win10 and XP doesn't support the newer APIs. It becomes expensive and hard for vendors to support current applications on older OS, if it's even possible in that context. I do agree that supporting older versions on compatible OS would be nice, at least for downloads, but I'm sure there are both business and legal reasons that may be waning for some companies.

[David Buchhauser]

The flip-side is that I am running older versions of MasterCAM, AutoCAD, and several others on Windows 2000/XP since these will not run on Windows 7 or newer. Many still prefer the classic MasterCAM 9.x over their more recent offerings.
David