Bob CAD or Visual Mill

[nandomax]

The setup:
- I want to route 3D objects (from models and/or pictures)
- I'm very comfortable with many software packages, reliability is more important than user friendliness for me
- Looking for most bang for the buck at entry-level prices.

[rodneydeeeee]

If you have a CAD system Visual Mill is the route to go. If you need both CAD & CAM, BCC will probally suit you better. VM has better machining strategies but no CAD creation. I've worked with both, let me know if I can be to any assistance.

[DareBee]

A small correction.
VM5 does have CAD creation - it just really sucks.
Story has it that VM6 (which is due any time now) will have much more extensive CAD.

A picture is not something that can be machined from VM. You will need a Raster to Vector conversion program to convert the picture into a CAD supported format.

I have been a VM user for many years and I really like the program

[nandomax]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I should have included that I have extensive CAD experience. The most important thing for me, then, would be reliable 3D routing.