Where should I start learning?

[neeboy]

Hello to all:

I would like to get a small Zenbot CNC router for earning the basics of CNC routing. My eventual goal is to make small architectural wooden toys.

I have worked with AutoCAD for over 10 years, and have recently taken college classes in Solidworks and Inventor, so I am very good at modeling in both 2D and 3D. Now it's time to make some sawdust!

My experience with CNC routers has been very limited; I worked in Microvellum/ACAD doing cabinet drawings in millwork shops (which I won't ever do again; that program is ****) Doing that kind of work limited my experience to cutting out in 2d only.

Here is a summation of the rest of my knowledge: I need a program for generating toolpaths, and that's probably going to be ArtCAM Pro. The machine I'm probably going to buy comes completely built with a pre-assembled control box for controlling the router.

I am used to reading books when I want to learn something, but I can't really find a lot about just plain getting started with 3d machining. All these forums certainly are great, but I dread having to post a lot of messages when I'm trying to learn from nearly scratch. Can anyone out there suggest a good path for me to follow?

[dertsap]

setting up and running starts with the simple basics of having a start point ( zero) then working from that point , similar to cad in that sense , I'd suggest understanding the codes then work from there , cad cam is a great thing but many times can be a crutch for the blind and is only as good as the guy using it , if a guy doesn't understand the code then it's going to be a blind go at it and is wide open to disastrous results and possibly injury , don't get me wrong I am not knocking cadcam but I think its important to understand the code first

http://www.cncezpro.com/gcodes.cfm this has some examples and gives some good explanations of how the code works , I'd suggest studying the codes and try writing some simple programs then run them in ncplot , you can get a free basic version here http://www.ncplot.com/