Hello all.

First time posting but I have been looking for some time. I am somewhat new to cnc. I know nothing about g-code or writing it, modifying it etc.

I have just purchased a taig cnc ready mill and xylotex 4 axis controller. I am anticipating going 4 axis at some point. The plans are to run mach 3 controller software.

I am designing primarily on solid works so am exporting as stl. I want to do some intricate surface work. Full dimensional small stuff.

The two programs I have been looking at for g-code conversion are meshcam and deskcnc. Has anyone had any experience with either of these. I know that desk cnc has 4th axis and meshcam does not but has the 2 sided setup option. I have also looked at millwizard but was not hugely impressed overall plus they did not offer either of the options above.

The thing I like about what I see with deskcnc is that it does 2.5 d -3d and 4th axis all in one package. The UI on both meshcam and deskcnc seem reasonably user friendly.

I am looking to not spend a mint on this.

MeshCAM is supposed to have 4th axis support in the future, but it may be awhile. I use MeshCAM, any questions in particular?

Thank you for responding.

What sort of work are you doing with it?
Are you happy with it overall?
How clean does the g-code come through?
How do you index the flip side in the two sided millling setup?

I am essentially looking for a review from someone with experience with these programs and more experience with cnc milling in general. I guess I know what I want to achieve but dont know exactly how to get there yet or ask all the right questions to find out how.

I am looking to do jewelry and small prototype work with it. Sculptural in nature things.