Procam

[BROCD]

Looking for feedback on this software.can't find anything anywhere.

[HomeCNC]

I assume you mean something different than the ProCam we are using at work. http://www.procam-networks.com

[BROCD]

Correct.I'm talking about Procam by Teksoft.The company I work for had purchased this software before I started and no one could get it to work very well.I have gotten it going and now my boss wants to upgrade and I am wondering if we should spend any more money on it.
I have been looking for any feedback on it but can't seem to find any.

[CDignition]

PC is a good program...we used a real old version of it in an old job I had...they have since upgraded, and do alot of 3D solids on it...

I have CamWorks by Teksoft...I love it..it is pretty capable. It uses a DB for machining routines, and you will need to spend time customizing this t oyour liking..onec it is set, it is pretty fast.. It also workis inside Solidworks, so it is faster due to that too..

[BROCD]

Thanks CD, I appreciate your input.

[sirius]

Brocd, please get a demo to see whether its worth it.

I have used Teksoft Procam as a cad and cam package for about five years, and the company I work for have had it about 7 or 8 years.

Personally I loathe it. It really grates on me that we still have to use it. It depends what your aim is, and what your needs are, but if youre after a cad design package with a bit of CAM - FORGET IT! The design capabilities are laughable to todays standard. The design features havent changed since the dos/windows3.1 version they started with at work.

Now, if you want to be designing your full job in another package and just machining the odd 2.5d profile or imported 3d model, yeah, if you have a load of legacy data its worth having a look into ProcamII. But dont part with the money before you realise what it can and (mostly cant) do.

Perhaps things are (if only slightly) a bit different in the newer ProcamII, but we got sent a demo from our new distributor (OUR ORIGINAL SELLER DROPPED IT LIKE THE PLAGUE TWO YEARS AGO) but we didnt really notice any changes on actual construction of geomnetry or 2d/3d drawing.

The machining was revamped a fair bit, with the new feature recognition and solid modelling importation abilties (WHICH WOULD BE AN EXTRA COST at the time we tried it).

We have nothing but hassle importing data into Procam2000, both 2d and 3d, and exporting our designs to customers is a royal pain in the arse, the translators are pityfull.

Currently we want to change to something else, but our 2d lagacy data is virtually useless once translated, and the 'dumb' non advanced 2d design capabilities have made it a real nightmare fot the designers in the office to grasp 'modern' technologies.

The printing is abismal, illegal operations (especially on imported data) right left and center and a general "ARRGGHHGHHGH" factor when you lose a whole job because it crashed on a save or 'illegal operation'ed on a simple trim.


If your after just a simple to use CAM only package thats easy to program and would like to upgrade to the new ProcamII and pay for solid compatibility (IMPORT ONLY - IT WONT DO SOLIDS) and Automatic Feature recognition, then by all means give it a go on a demo version.

I do like the ease of machining anything, but I dont like drawing 2d OR 3d geometry in it for cutter paths- its a nightmare, theres no 3d to 2d drwaing creation or any sort of intelligence in general design features.

We use it as our primary full job design tool, and machine things in 3d as when they come along......and for that purpose I cant recommend it (personally). AutoCad LT is FAR FAR more advanced for that at a vast price difference.

As I say, it depends on what the plan is for it and what scale of outfit you are, whether you rely on import/export to customers or not.

Procam200 as a design tool gets 2 out of 10 in my book and for CAM gets 5 or 6 out of ten (for the parts we do).

Please shop wisely and investigate the alternatives, also realise the pitfalls of its 'dumbness' - for example try asking it to calculate an area, cross hatch a complex set of lines, and moving dimensions once placed!!!!!!!. All data is always seperate - arrow heads included, you can only imagine the wasted time this system causes in general.


Anywayz, hope Im not too late for you. Im a newbie here.


See ya

Sirius.

[sirius]

Please note CAMWORKS for Solidworks is a whole different beast, and my comments are in no way associated to that program, Im talking about Teksoft Procad (Procam) 2000 and ProcamII systems.

Brocd, Id be interested to hear what you have to say about this matter .

I could write a whole book on things I dont like, but if youve any questions reagarding Procam2000 (not ProcamII or Camworks) dont hesitate to ask. Ill try and check back in a few days.

[BROCD]

Fortunatly we don't have to design with Procad and all of our stuff is 2 and 2.5 axis. So we are pretty much just using it for program generation.
I would be interested to know what kind of service you have recieved from this company.
Thanks for the information it's what I was looking for.

[sirius]

Hi.

for what we do (mostly 3d mill), the Procam software does get the job done in the end.

2.5d doesnt get that much attention here, but I sucesfully programmed a combination of hole, pocket and profile operations in 2d&3d packages with no hassle at all, although we had to pay our vendor to custom write a post processor.

I would say its very, very easy to use, and 2d is a doddle, but obviously I am used to using the system now.

We are still on Procam2000 (when our reseller ditched it), for upgrades on the *CAD* side, NOTHING has changed since 1993!!!!. The machining side has had a few updates, but mainly in dribs and drabs, infact we ended up ditching the update subscription plan (rightly or wrongly) as we were being screwed on the design tools - but obviously this doesnt affect you.

We are not on the new "ProcamII", however (suprisingly) there seemed quite a few enhancements in the way you program and a new feature tree (a la camworks looking) to keep track of the programs' machining operations etc.
I cant really advise on whether you should pay a great deal for an upgrade to ProcamII for 2d machining as we dont use that particular version nor do much 2d machining work.

Im sorry if I sound a bit unhelpfull, but the 90% negative feelings I have for this software stems primarily as having to use it for design as well as machining and I wouldnt like this to sway you either way with the sole purpose of 2d machining.
ProcamII could be well enough equiped for your needs, but I know it has severe downfalls as an overall 2d/3d cadcam system.
Btw, ProcamII has its own file extension different to the earlier Procam systems.

The support from our (ex) suppliers was just mediocre, but I dont know if that was something the bosses had caused higher up the chain from myself......or just lazyness on the vendors half.

We never had any reason to contact the Teksoft company direct, so I cant really comment upon their actual support Im afraid, the suppliers tended to our gripes (eventually). So it depends on your reseller outfit I suppose.

Out of interest, would you be using it all day all week or just for the occasional job, also how much are you talking for the upgrade switch?

Let me know if you want me to find the 'whats new' from the Cd's we were sent (regarding the 2d details in your case of course). We got sent a demo cd of procamII and a proper installation disk.....but no updated 'cod' file to update our dongles - hence demo mode, there should be some information on there on what the differences are between Procam you are using and the new(ish) releases.


See ya

Sirius.

[CDignition]

I do hate Dongles...I run Camworks, but the Dongle sucks,lol...

I do agree using it for design would suck, but Acad would suck too,lol...using Solid Modeling spoils you forever..

[dherbman]

Wish I could add something positive, I can't. I'd hoped that things would change when the company was bought by On-Course, it didn't. I am strictly 2D and the app is not enough. As for support, I've posted a 30+ item list of bugs and deficencies on their site in December. Not ONE reply. When they first opened the user forum, I made a rather scathing post which was deleted. The VP of sales and marketing contacted me and inquired as to my problems. He assured me he would look into them, but when I followed up, he was gone gone gone.....

My favorite is when the program crashes on save and corrupts everything you've done. Another prime example is the response to an er I placed because rotating a part would cause bad geometry and the gcode would result in scrap. Instead of making the correct calculation, a message now pops up telling me to check my tool paths. They actually list this as an enhancement.

Hate it, loathe it, use it.....

[John S.]

Originally posted by BROCD
Fortunatly we don't have to design with Procad and all of our stuff is 2 and 2.5 axis. So we are pretty much just using it for program generation.

If you are looking for 2D and 2.5D than have a look at a program called Dolphin.
http://www.dolphin.gb.com

This is a very easy to learn and very good program for 2.5D work.
A lot of the commands are automatic if needed but can be overwritted or edited as nessesary. You decide the amount of input needed.
It can automatically add the tool diameter to the profile to produce an offset path, no need to define one. Change the tool and it changes to offset path.
Lead in's and outs are dialog box definable, again no need to draw them.
It's well worth the download and have a play with the demo.

John S.