Mastercam doing what vcarve does?

[Smackre]

I already have mastercam so why would i want to buy vcarve. Is it possable to do the stuff vcarve does in mastercam that dont take forever?

[Halfnutz]

It is possible to do what Vcarve does and much more, if you know how to do it. I would venture to say that if you are asking this question, it would take quite a while though. Mastercam is a powerfull program, but it has taken me weeks to get to the point of comfortably moving around in it, and I still dont know how to do what can be done in Vcarve within minutes of opening up the program for the first time.

I dont know, if you can, I know I cant get it to. I hope to be able to someday, but I am struggling with it.

I can do the stuff in Gibbs, I know it better than MC, but it would take longer to make a sign in Gibbs for me, than to do one in Vcarve. Vcarve makes the sign for you with little effort.

A decent set of training CD's for MC cost more (or the same) than the entire Vcarve program does.

I geusse the reason why would be because you want to make signs quickly but you dont have the time to learn a powerfull CAD/CAM program.

In the long run the skills developed learning MC would be more valuable though. Learning Vcarve is not going to get you a job making a living in itself, but becoming proficient in CAD/CAM would.

[Smackre]

Well i have been using mastercam for about 6months now. but mostly on simple contour type of stuff. i knew mastercam could do what vcarve could do. but would it be as fast as vcarve?

[Switcher]

Originally Posted by Smackre Well i have been using mastercam for about 6months now. but mostly on simple contour type of stuff. i knew mastercam could do what vcarve could do. but would it be as fast as vcarve?

Define " Fast as Vcarve ".

Feedrate?

Time the software takes to write the g-code?

Finished g-code optimization?







.

[Smackre]

Time it takes to go from eps file to gcode. in Vcarve you can do it in under a hour usualy. Also i havent found a way to do some of the stuff vcarve can do. Stuff like when you have a trigangle shape. Vcarve will start out deepest in the widest spot and change depths as the width of the object changes. How do you do such a thing in mastercam?

[post_guy]

You'll need the Engraving add-on to read in a .eps file and toolpath it in the manner you you are describing.

From Mastercam.com:

Engraving (http://www.mastercam.com/Products/Router/Default.aspx)

Mastercam's optional Engraving gives you the effect of classic hand-carved art using your CNC machine. Sharp inside corners give the finished piece a crisp edge which is unattainable with conventional machining. Mastercam's Engraving add-on gives you a wide variety of choices:

* Standard "chiseling".
* Embossed images.
* Open pixel-based artwork as engravable geometry (.BMP, .GIF, .TIF, .PCX, .EPS, and more).
* Easily engrave any TrueType font.
* Inverse embossing for mold work.
* Use V-groove cutters with any angle.
* Engrave remachining allows you to cut an area with a large tool and automatically remove remaining material with a smaller tool.
* Use constant-volume depth cuts for more consistent tool load.


Another option would be Mastercam Art (http://www.mastercam.com/Products/Art/Default.aspx)

Your local reseller should be able to demo both options and provide pricing.

[ger21]

I bet the MC engraving option costs more than V-carve.

[Smackre]

Engraving option cost 1500$ i looked into it once.

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by ger21 I bet the MC engraving option costs more than V-carve.

Hey Gerry,

How are you doing? The MC Add-On may be more expensive but more than likely it will have more Functions, Better Simulation, and Faster G-Code Editing. Not knocking V-Carve but pointing out a few things about the Power of MC.

[dertsap]

i ve tryed mastercam router v9 ,i beleave it comes with the service pack ,
its a powerfull piece of software ,converts bitmaps and such into surfaces , i hadn t played with it much but i was pretty impressed with what i did see ,check your chooks if youve got the service pack ,you may just have it

[Halfnutz]

WOW, that MC Router looks nice. Same with the MC ART. Just way outa my league. If I could afford it, I would go with MC, but for my needs its not even an option. I can't even afford the VCarve right now. Too many other projects at the moment.

In a year or two I'll try snagging a copy of MCX. I have a student version of MC9 and it is way more than I need, but nice to have. Nice to know that anything is possible with it, just have to learn how to do it. It isn't hard to use, there's just so much to it.

[ger21]

Originally Posted by tobyaxis The MC Add-On may be more expensive but more than likely it will have more Functions, Better Simulation, and Faster G-Code Editing. Not knocking V-Carve but pointing out a few things about the Power of MC.

The simulation and editing would be part of the base MC Router package, though. And after looking at their website, I'm not sure that the engaving add-on would really do all that much more than V-carve, other than the re-machining. Keep in mind that I haven't used either one, so I don't really know. But if this is the case, the answer to the OP's question would be "To save $1000"