Request For A New Forum For CADCAM Discussion Only

[jon_banquer]

I'd like to see a new forum set up here on Practical Machinist for CADCAM only discussion. Since CADCAM can be such a religious type of topic and heatedly debated I'd like to see it called the CADCAM Jihad Forum. :>)

I'm serious. LOL

The need is there given that:

It has now been proven to me that www.cnczone.com will censor *factual content* that does not make a CADCAM company look good over an extended period of time. I have come to this conclusion on my own, not based on what others have posted here about www.cnczone.com.

However I do agree that what has been posted about CNC Zone being ridiculously biased toward a CADCAM company advertiser is definitely true. I now know this to be true based on *factual content* I have posted in the BobCADCAM forum that is not allowed to be posted because even tough it contains no personal attacks it makes BobCADCAM and Alibre look very bad and it can't *factually* be disputed as not being correct.

I am willing to contribute money if a forum like this is created on Practical Machinist and is moderated in the same way that the rest of Practical Machinist appears to be.

The need is there. The amount of posters and content I could move here is large as Usenet has become a total wasteland for anonymous posters personal attacks, and in one case what amounts to cyber stalking. In addition I have had more than enough of the off topic posting on religion and politics.

Jon Banquer
Phoenix, Arizona

 

[mjk]

Can there be a weekly BobCad roast?

 

[pi]

cadcam is a part of cnc.

 

[John Stevenson]

I am willing to contribute money if a forum like this is created on Practical Machinist and is moderated in the same way that the rest of Practical Machinist appears to be.

Send the money, then I'll think about it.

John S.

 

[Boris]

cadcam is a part of cnc.

cadcam is for wimps REAL programmers use notepad

Boris

<<got beer and a guitar out

 

[Michael Moore]

It seems like an answer for a question that has yet to be asked by many people.

There aren't many CAD/CAM threads in the forum, so breaking them out doesn't seem like it would do much good, other than to have another forum that would require the CNC forum moderator to watch for and move misplaced discussions that belong in the new forum.

If people need really detailed info, it looks to me that many of the different CAD and CAM packages have one or more dedicated discussion sites for them. Discussions on "what is wrong with product X and how should it be changed?" would seem more appropriate at those other sites, where they might actually be seen by someone with the ability to make any changes.

cheers,
Michael

 

[Steve Nuttall]

I tried the demo of Bobcrap; it still makes my note pad files; a Bobcad20.5 file which pi**** me off as I deleted it after 20mins
It's a bloody virus

 

[Milacron]

I asked here many months ago (years ?) about a seperate CAD/CAM forum and it seemed most were for keeping the status quo back then. But I'm still willing to create one if the teeming masses are so inclined.

 

[Dan B]

1 vote from me.

Dan

 

[pi]

i think there should be a topic devoted to my words of wisdom.

 

[smallshop]

...called CNC PI-BONICS

 

[smallshop]

Here's the problem with CAD/CAM discussions....a guy in arizona loves his '72 maverick and a guy in nebraska loves his '74 vega. Both rave about the blazing speed and handling of their respective vehicles with a hint of superiority directed at the other poster. Neither has driven a shelby cobra but they both know that what they got beats asking mom for a ride somewhere so they defend it staunchly without asking something peggy Lee did years ago..."Is that all there is...?"

Figure a path to objectivity and a real dialogue might just happen...

 

[pi]

sure but if it's gonna be filled with bobcad jibberish who needs it?

 

[FranH]

OK we got pi..... someone get solar .

As a neophite I am willing to help as best as I can. I am absolutely positive that much can be discussed, shared, taught. Yes, colorful at times. My cad/cam isn't as old as the Vega or Maverick (but almost). However it does the job. Since the company now longer does the DOS version, I have put the disks in a hole out back for safe keeping. So as I decide to leave antiquity and move to 2006, and, as an individual purchaser, it is MY personal funds , thus there is an acutness of not to waste money.

Right now it appears that a couple cad/cam programs would qualify as useless (we all know which ones). Others are so expensive that unless you own a bank they are beyond reach. Still others are great at moldmaking but lousy at everything else. (I took some basic training in it and found out there was only one undo....mine has 9 or last save...whichever is first.)

One that has my attention and has had no ill has had little discussion. Discussion here would be great because wrestling with kangeroos is difficult and far away.

We will have those who own a 2 horse b/port that can take a 5 inch mill and cut a .5 depth of cut and a 2 inch step over at .1 chip per tooth thru 60c tool steel at 3500 rpm. Good for them...I go a little slower.

Days of indicating a rotary table to do contours has gone with the horse and buggy. Some of us do not need to program tombstones with a 12 hour lights out operation.

Short run complex parts cry for cad/cam simply for time savings. To manually trig each characteristic or to do at the machine is a waste of precious time. The cad/cam showing the part and toolpaths can easily be modified to generate a holding fixture for machining and another for inspection etc.

Fruitful feedback from honest (sometimes emotional) users helps everyone. That is why I am here.

Let the games begin...

 

[failsafe7]

A separate forum isn't a bad idea. There are probably more than few people who believe that CNC and CAD don't belong in the same forum - or that each topic might be better served, if addressed in it's own right.

i think there should be a topic devoted to my words of wisdom.

Then today is your lucky day, because there already is. It's the non-existent one.

 

[John Mulhern]

Actually, I'd rather see it continue to be integrated into the CNC forum. My only complaint about CNC Zone is the diffraction of information all over the place, due to the specialized catagories. If someone has a specific CAD/CAM question, I'd rather see it in the CNC area & decide to view it, than chase it down elsewhere.

If people need really detailed info, it looks to me that many of the different CAD and CAM packages have one or more dedicated discussion sites for them. Discussions on "what is wrong with product X and how should it be changed?" would seem more appropriate at those other sites, where they might actually be seen by someone with the ability to make any changes.

I agree ...and if you look over at Googles alt.machines.cnc, you'll see that some software salesmen have, in the past, had a creative & oily way of posting skewed "questions" in order to promote their product.

 

[moldcore]

I agree with Michael Moore and John Mulhern that most CAD/CAM specific question are best answered by the vendor. Most have private forums to take care of software problems to prevent airing their dirty laundry out in public. Having a specific forum here for this purpose would only serve those with pirated software it appears to me. This forum as it is, works well for general questions about a software capabilities, cost, customer service, etc. Anything beyond that encourages illegal use of these expensive programs that most of us have spent hard earned money for.

Wayne

Legal copies of Surfcam, Solid Edge, KeyCreator.

 

[damonfg]

Keep it in this forum. Maybe change the forum title to CNC/CAD/CAM?

One location for all comments is fine, esp for those of us considering new systems.

Chasing threads at each mfg's site isn't the most effective nor can I assume it's accurate.

Since there are a million end applications I'd like to see discussion as to pros/cons of each variety so we can pick out features useful for each of our end applications.

 

[Dan B]

I feel that private forums are great for support when you own the software, but do not accurately represent a fair comparison of different CAM softwares. If it did, after spending time on MasterCam's forum last night I would think that there is no other CAM software that even works right.

I do appreciate the danger of these kinds of discussions. MMSOnline is a perfect example of what you don't want to happen. It is impossible to have any kind of useful discussions, as every thread gets hijacked by MasterCam/Delcam users/salesmen who let their agendas cloud any useful dialogue.

Just my input, for whatever it's worth.

Dan

 

[jon_banquer]

"I asked here many months ago (years ?) about a separate CAD/CAM forum and it seemed most were for keeping the status quo back then. But I'm still willing to create one if the teeming masses are so inclined."

I have no idea if the "teeming masses" will be so inclined. What I do know is that CNC Zone has lost all credibility with me and from the e-mail I'm looking at based on my recent post to CNC Zone it's lost a lot of credibility with others as well. CNC Zone is a website that is all about getting as much money as possible out of CADCAM company advertising while pretending to be impartial. The FACT is that CNC Zone is not impartial and will not tolerate continued negative *factual* information being posted about a CADCAM company like BobCAD who for years has engaged in questionable practices and has ripped off many purchasers of BobCADCAM.

I guess you need to decide if you wish to offer a refuge / discussion forum for those who wish to make suggestions about best use; how to improve the program, how they feel they were treated by the CADCAM company, etc. I also have several people I know who work for CADCAM companies who would enjoy having a place to discuss in depth how to better their programs and training material.

The need is there. I hope this is the place where it can happen. If it doesn't happen here it will happen somewhere because a vacuum doesn't stay that way for long.

In my view CNC Zone is no longer even close to being a legitimate forum and I will no longer be posting there. The owner of CNC Zone is about as honest and as credible as Chris Corbell of BobCADCAM is.

I'd like to see this website pick up former posters to CNC Zone like myself who are disgusted with the bias toward CADCAM companies who advertise at CNC Zone and with the owner or CNC Zone who is a liar.

I no longer have any doubt that what you have posted in the past with CNC Zone copying what has been created here is true as I have now seen for myself what the real deal is. I will say one thing in CNC Zone's defense... Paul has very good moderators who try and do the right thing. The problem is that when a CADCAM company is not happy Paul steps in and overrides his own moderators to protect the CADCAM company.


Jon Banquer
Phoenix, Arizona