Any BobCadCam/BobArt Users?

[Rick7702]

I have been looking at this software to buy. Particularly using the BobArt. Is there anyone out there who has had any experience with either one?? I am looking at Ver21. I want to make embossed, wooden plaques from jpg and bimap art on my cnc router. Anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks and Happy Resurrection Sunday (Easter).
Rick

[gadget47]

greetings,
I'm very new to the cnc community and cad/cam/art programs. on advice from several machinist friends i purchased bobcad/cam bobart pro v22 and i am quite pleased and intimidated. after 3 weeks of play on this software i must say i didn't know what i didn't know! artwork and pictures are somewhat beyond my abilities but the program can handle it. I'm currently cutting out gear sets for a muller drivetrain, replacement parts (patterns) for my hobby milling machine and designing an indexing fixture from plans. I built the Rockcliff fixed gantry cnc primarily to help me make 3d patterns for casting in aluminum and plastic- now im doing that and pictures,engravings etc...
Bobcad will take me some time to get good, however results w/pics and engraving are quick.
I aso tried vcarve pro- seems like a great program but i wanted more cad than it seems to offer.

One thing about bobcad- seems a bit unforgiving with "random double-clicks and impossible actions" xp said by by several times in the beginning. Ha!

[Rick7702]

Thanks for the information. I have gone ahead and purchsed the software v21 and the CD help program. From what I have been able to do so far, I think I will like BobArt.
Rick

[cnczoner]

There is actually a whole Bobcad forum here... http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bobcad-cam/

[kthomson]

I use the CAM portion of BobCAD, but the CAD portion is so clumsy and non-intuitive that I can't stand it. I use AutoCAD for my drawings, then open them in Bobcad to create the Gcode. Even there, I always create the toolpaths manually because every time I've tried using 'Auto' the tool path was totally bizarre, and took three times as long to cut as doing it by hand.

As for BobArt, I have it but I haven't used it very much so I can't really comment on that portion.

[GeneK]

Originally Posted by Rick7702 I have been looking at this software to buy. Particularly using the BobArt. Is there anyone out there who has had any experience with either one?? I am looking at Ver21. I want to make embossed, wooden plaques from jpg and bimap art on my cnc router. Anyone have any recommendations? Thanks and Happy Resurrection Sunday (Easter). Rick

I have ver 20 and now 22. I received the video training pack with ver 20 and it helped a lot. But I think I have gotten the most help from Sorin's video at cadcamtrainer.com/forums/index.php
BobArt is a good program takes some fiddling to get the results you need. If coming from a picture, be sure to photosop it well which will make the clean up in BobCad a lot easier. Ver 22 seems better in converting photos and I can only say that the embossing is 'different', I don't have much time with it yet.

GeneK

[tobyaxis]

Funny I never saw this thread. V17, V19, V20, V21, and the buggy V22/V2007, Predator Virtual CNC Level 3, and Predator Editor Level 3.

Also Alibre V10 Professional, NC Plot V2.04

BTW; Thanks for the PM gadget47