Should I get it?

[DroopyPawn]

As a teacher, I can get Mastercam with a substantial discount. But as a hobbyist, it's still a fairly large wad of cash to justify. A little more than CamBam would cost me. Is Mastercam worth the cost and learning curve for a guy who just wants to make hobby stuff on a Chinese 3040 eBay machine?

I also get a bunch of the AudoDesk stuff for free as a teacher, including AutoCAD, Inventor and some others. Inventor comes with a free 2.5D cad add-on.

CamBam is only $175 and is pretty simple to create code from.

Any thoughts?

[wudbutcher]

I love MasterCam and use it at work every day. I also have a 48 ×48 × 12 machine in my home shop. I got the demo cam bam but I just don't like using stl files. I bought some of the vetric programs with the router they are ok but the stl files again and no tool path strategies only a parallel tool path. I downloaded artcam from delcam, the demo version. I thinks it's a leg up on the vetric low end. The want $175 for the low end. The middle program is $2500 and they don't advertise the pro version. I would love to have MasterCam router pro but my God at the money!! Through in a seat of solidworks and you're in deep!

[DroopyPawn]

So I should get it then.

[wudbutcher]

For that price, you can't go wrong.

[cadcam]

Do you teach Mastercam at a college as usually the EDU dealer wants to know this before they give you a Instructor sim. I said college but you could be a teacher at a high school that offers it.if so then I would for sure get it and keep up on your skills of using for teaching.I teach it at a locale college and teach instructors at other college and help high school instructors at two schools.

good luck let us know what you did after all.

[DroopyPawn]

They did ask where I teach and what I teach. I guess they were satisfied with my response because the offer was sent.

[cadcam]

Do you teach Mastercam or any Manufacturing? just wondering. if they sent you the offer then they must be good with it.

[DroopyPawn]

As a teacher, I can also get (for free) any of the AutoDesk software. They give teachers and students a 3-year license to ANY of their software. I installed Inventor Pro 2015 and the HSM Pro CAM package. I'm just about to the point now where I can draw anything I want to make in Inventor. Still need a little work on the 3d stuff but I'm getting there. Went through a tutorial on the CAM part today. Seems like it will do what I want. I suppose is should as it's another $10k program. Maybe I should skip Mastercam and just go with AutoDesk. What do you think? Does anyone else here use Inventor + HSM ?