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    I was able to purchase a seat of Solidworks Parts and Assemblies bundled with the BobCAM for Solidworks plugin several years ago directly from BobCAD-CAM Inc. The "Parts and Assemblies" does everything Solidworks Standard does except for detail drafting (drawings). It is significantly cheaper almost half the cost on the front end and with the annual maintenance cost if you don't need drawing capability. In my case I already had a seat of Solidworks Premium to make drawings with. It turned out to be the perfect solution for me as I have one guy doing regular CAD and drafting and a second guy programming the mill. If you are starting out with no CAD software I would recommend that you consider the Standard Solidworks license. I'm not sure BobCAD-CAM Inc. is in a position to bundle a seat of Solidworks Standard with the plugin, but even if they are, I would make sure that your maintenance and support come directly from your nearest Solidworks VAR. The VAR channel offers call in support and usually training opportunities, webinars, roll-out meetings with some introductory training as part of the annual support agreement.



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    So why is Bob Cad pushing this solid works deal? Maybe pushing is too harsh. I sure hope they don't stop their normal CAD CAM system. I can not warrant having any software that I have to pay a big bunch up front and then pay an annual fee to use it. That is a pure and simple nonsense deal. I think being associated with solid works is not a good deal.



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    Member jmullett's Avatar
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    I think the biggest thing being the Solidworks modeling is much more powerful on the CAD side of things than BobCAD ever was. Also, having the geometry being parametric makes it easy to change a dimensional and then easily update the tool path accordingly. Everything is done within the native CAD data. No .STEP or IGES output and importing dumb solid models into the CAM package. From my perspective it is one of the best things BOB did in terms of work flow. I can see though how the Solidworks license might be a fiscal stretch for hobby and entry level machinists. As far as annual fees are concerned, the license is perpetual. The annual maintenance is optional if you want updates every year and tech support, which I would recommend.

    The big improvement over the last few years has the incorporation of the ModuleWorks toolpath libraries within the BobCAM product. You will see that there is now not as much differentiation between BobCAM and the CAM programming products from a number of different vendors costing a bit more. At the end of the day a number of my customers are using Solidworks, so it just makes it easier to communicate bidirectionally with them. For your situation it may be different, and it might just be more attractive to use the BobCAD modeling package. I have had both the BobCAD-CAM product and the BobCAM for Solidworks plugin for several years now and I can tell you that I never model with the BobCAD modeling engine. Not without wanting to tear my hair out anyway.



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