BobCAD V24

[fasteddie58]

I'm considering the purchase of this software and looking for user input. I don't know anyone in my area of West Texas using this so it makes for a difficult decision to purchase. I'm planning to use this for wood routing and possibly CNC plasma cutting as well. I do have AutoCAD and Solidworks experience but no code programming experience. How do you like to software and does this have a difficult learning curve? How is the Tech support that BobCAD offers with the software package?

Thanks!
Ed

[jharvey407]

Ed,

I just got BobCAD V 24. This is my first experience with BobCAD and it seems like a good program. I have looked around the web and the reviews from users are mixed. It seems some people like and some don't.

Previously I have done most of my design work, which was geared toward cabinet and furniture making, with SketchUp. Which worked well but lacks the extensive 3D modeling tools found in SW and BC.

I am trying to decide if I should stick with BobCAD or use SolidWorks instead. It seems to me that SolidWorks is a bit more of an industry standard.

BobCAD offers an add-on for SolidWorks. It seems that if you already know SolidWorks it may be easier to get the add-on to handle the CAM/CNC side of things and continue to design with SolidWorks.

How do you like SolidWorks?

James

[jharvey407]

Ed,

Don't pay full price. Contact them for info but hold out for a discount. I have read over and over that if you wait they will offer a huge discount,which they did for me as well.

I got BobCAD v24 mill, lathe, and BobArt for $400 with a second site license for $150.

James

[mcphill]

SolidWorks is a WAY better 3D modeller, but you can't generate GCode in it. The BobCAD 3D tools are not that powerful. But, you can import SolidWorks models in to BobCAD and GCode them, or you can get BobCAM and do it from within SolidWorks. Both work well (I have both). BUT, if you will work with STL files from customers, you can NOT do them in SolidWorks/BobCAM, but you can do it in BobCAD.

[cheetahcnc]

BobCAD is a reasonable CAD software, and I learned plenty about CAD with their training package. Their support is a bunch of phone tag nonsense. Never got my v21 to generate a line of usable code even with their $200 plus one year support package. Look around a little more, you won't be disappointed.

[mcphill]

I started on V23. Almost all of the posts that are anti-BobCAD are from people who tried it before then. They completely redid the interface between V21 and V22. V22 was very buggy. V23 is quite stable, but again, totally different from V21 and older. If you are commenting on current BobCAD, and your points of reference are pre-V23, I would say they are invalid.

I do agree that the CAD is "competent", but it is no where near as advances as AutoCAD for 2D, and it is WAAAYYYY far short of SolidWorks for 3D. BUT, if you can use another package to model in, and BobCAD do generate your code, it is a very reasonable and powerful package (at a negotiated price, NOT at list price, which is easily 4x what you need to pay)...

[A1CNC]

I Have used and owned bobcad since v18.

I own, v18,v19,v21,v23, and bobcam in solidworks.
I use it for Routing. Plasma, Milling, Lathe.

I haven't looked at v24 yet.

Learning curve, That will depend on how you think vs. how bobcad works.
I found going from V21 to v23 VERY difficult at first but I stuck with it, watched the videos and now I really like it for Cam. Bobcam in SW is even better than V23.

If I am doing 2d, I find I draw very quickly in v21.
3D, most frequently now I will use SW and bobcam.

Tech support, Not sure as any trouble I have had I was able to find or get the answer through the support forums pretty quickly.

I wouldn't buy any software now without training videos a manual, and a support group but, that's my opinion.

Sorry about the long post but, I hope it was informative!

[woffler]

I have been a user since version 21 ,they have made some big improvements over the years.The sales team are like a bunch of used car salesman and treat them as such!!!! HAGGLE,HAGGLE this is your best method of dealing with them. Support for the newbie a must have .Now that i have gotten a look at V24 i am pleased with the upgrades in the cad program as well as the cam program .How ever they have lost there way in the engraving again as far as tools and simulation as far as i can see so far i tried to simulate a engraving from the software and the tool just crashes through the stock and vanishes into thin air !! what the HAY!! there is no simulation of a v bit for checking your tool path

[segengineering]

Hi All,
Well I too have just upgraded to the new BobCad V24 from V23.
First impressions are a little bit mixed, screen layout for the Cad seems worse and a little more confusing, (this maybe because i'm used to V23).
Cam side, and the new tool path details and options look good.
VERY DISAPPOINTED with the new registration method instead of the Dongles, with the dongles in BobCad V23, I could put software on any PC or Laptop either at home or in the workshop, this was great as we have several around the workshop plus PC's at my house and girlfriends house and a couple of laptops, I could work on any no matter where I was, (I do have 3 seats for the software), but now I'm expected to call up and de-aurthourise, and then register on different computers all the time. This is not easy, less so when i'm in the UK, and theres the time difference to take into account plus the transatlantic phone costs.
Anyone, (maybe from BobCad), think of a way to make this easier, as it seems to be a lot of trouble and may make me start looking around for alternative CADCAM software.
Been with BobCad since V22 and one seat through V23 to 3 seats and pro plus lathe, now to 4 seats of V24 Pro Mill, Lathe, Art

[mcphill]

I think they did the same on V23. In the beginning it was only with codes, then they got it working with dongles. I for one could NOT convert if Dongles are not used - thanks for posting this as it is the first I heard of it!

[segengineering]

I think they did the same on V23. In the beginning it was only with codes, then they got it working with dongles. I for one could NOT convert if Dongles are not used - thanks for posting this as it is the first I heard of it!

I'm starting to regret the upgrade, due to no dongle support, too

If they do get it running with dongles and I manage to find my way around the Cad page with the larger icons, then the new tool paths should be good.

Everyone should request dongle support before they buy

[MBX5]

I have been using Solidworks since 1998....in my opinion it is a tremendous package for the price... SW standard is typically about $4k plus annual maintenance which continually gets you service packs and annual releases.

I had BobCam V23...for the price, it isn't bad... I just sold it on ebay for $350 with the dongle license. I was after a plug-in solution for Solidworks...

I recently purchased BobCAD V1 Pro for Solidworks...it was $1,000 for 2 licenses...the price was right....the salesmen were very high pressure types - I didn't appreciate that...but went with it anyway...within 2 hours I found I couldn't select solidworks features for simple pocket geometry...2d toolpaths.. I found it had serious issues with recognizing all of the pockets I picked to be machined....I suppose I could have worked around not being able to select certain geometry by putting in more sketch entities, etc, but the fact that it would not let me select all of the pockets in my model was a bit disturbing...I tried multiple ways, multiple entities, even tried selecting each pocket as an individual selection rather than bundling all of them into one operation...no mater what I did it would only select any 4 of 6 pockets....BobCAD tech couldn't figure it out - they were logged into my PC and couldn't make it work....to me it was useless...and I requested a refund from BobCAM - surprisingly they refunded me!!

So, I went with a much different package - I went with HSMWorks which is a CAM plugin for Solidworks...about 10x the price of BobCAM however....around the same price as MasterCAM X5 for SW...but for me a much nicer package.