[cncvince]

Hello Everyone, I Am New to this forum, I Have an engineering background, from years ago,
I used to Programme in G codes, Now I Have bought this cnc router, It seems Even the Initial drawings are done on a cad software programme,
All I Want to do is create small items,
I am looking at this as a hobby, To keep my grey matter Ticking,
I have looked at some software, on cnc-step shop, but it needs a cad software,
can anyone, direct me in the right direction, for the cad software,
Many thanks

 

[cncvince]

Good Morning Ross,
Thanks for the Welcome,
As You can tell,
I am used to manual programming, But things have progressed, ( Technology ),
It seems I need a Cad software to Input my dimensions into the Cam software, any Idea's for a simple Cad programme for Hobbyist,
Any Help, Much Appreciated,
Take Care,
vince

 

[cncvince]

Hello and welcome to the router forum
There are some free software programs I do not if one is better then the other

Hello John,
Thanks for the Welcome,
This is all new stuff for me, But I have been looking at CorelDraw as a CAM software programme,
Would this work for me ??
Any Advice, Welcomed,
vince

 

[cncvince]

Vince

Look on facebook, there are several active groups, one is Carveco. It is the successor to ArtCam by AutoDesk. There is a learning curve with most things, but the community surrounding the software and vendor support is key.

There are ways to get around paying for software but that is a hobby in itself. Carveco is cheaper than Vectric. Vectric has die hard fans to whom the significant front end expense is not a problem.

Hello Vanceb, Thanks for the Information, I will look into it and Give tho Outcome, Take care,

 

[cncvince]

I notice you have all your information blocked so we don't know where you are located.

You will need a CAD package to draw the design.
You will need a Cam package to output code files for your machine.
You will need a control package to run the code files on your machine.

The big question is "what kind of projects do you want to make?".

You can use any drawing program for your design software (Cad), it really depends on what kind of projects you want to make. You don't say if you are looking for free software or are willing to pay for a good CAM/CAD package. There are plenty of free software packages available and the most powerful of them would be Fusion360, which might be a good choice with your engineering background. If you want user-friendly and are willing to pay for it I would recommend looking into Vectric software (they have trial versions available) or if you are willing to pay a monthly subscription cost Carveco would be worth looking into.

Looks like it should run on any of these control software packages:
Operating System with Software
KinetiC-NC, WINPC-NC, MACH3, EMC, Linux CNC:
Windows / Linux

That CNC should have included:
incl. Full Version 3D-Software CADCAM
ConstruCam-3D with
Postprocessor for Win PCNC and MACH3

Here are links to download the quick-start guide and the operating manuals:

https://www.cnc-step.com/wp-content/uploads/2019-01-03-Quick-Start-Guide-High-Z-Series_EN.pdf

https://www.cnc-step.com/wp-content/uploads/2019-01-03-Operation-instructions-High-Z-T-Series_EN.pdf

They also have the German versions available on their site.

Hello Mike, Thanks for the Information, I only wanted to do Simple work, and as I have a small Rotary table, I was thinking 3d chess pieces, Just Want To Keep My Grey Cells Ticking, lol