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Author Topic: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)  (Read 14356 times)

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Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« on: July 23, 2006, 06:04:09 PM »
I recognize that I'm a total newbie to LC and to CNC for that matter but I'm about to through this stuff across the room. . .
  • First is there any documentation for the current version of Lazy Cam anywhere on the planet?
  • I have watched the video about a billion times and it is nothing like the current version.
  • I can find no written documentation anywhere, so I must not be looking in the right place, right?
I have been able to import a dfx and cut one part. . .Yay!!! with the help of a conversion program.  I try to cut a very similar part and it imports with only one layer visable and all of the other information gone. . .Hummm, very strange. . . Another part seems to import and then there is nothing viable and no layer information. 

Is there some magic repository of knowledge for this softwere?  Brian I agree with the others that this is going to be a great program when it is finished, but you have been talking about a new video and docs since march, do they exist and I am missing them?

I really really need this program, my machine is sitting idle and I have parts that I need to cut, I don't have the capital (nor the desire) to pay thousands of bucks for a CAM program.

Wow that is starting to sound like a rant, sorry about that, I'm just furaterated here. . .

Brian, you and Art are really doing a great service in offering your sotware at such a low price, that is really cool. . .Okay that said HELP!!!!!!

Offline ger21

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Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2006, 09:56:47 PM »
Post the files that don't work and I'll try to tell you why.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html
Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2006, 10:23:16 PM »
Here is the most involved file. . .

Thanks in advance for your help!
Bill

Offline ger21

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Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2006, 09:52:43 AM »
What did you create that drawing in? The problem, is that the lines were turned into blocks, and the block turned into another block. In AutoCAD, I needed to explode the block twice, then explode 2 more segments again. No CAM program I'm aware of will read blocks, and your .dxf is nested blocks, which is even worse.

Also, the drawing is very sloppy, with endpoints that don't meet, and lines that overlap. A clean, accurate drawing will make life a lot easier.

Here's the exploded version.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html
Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2006, 01:40:16 PM »
Thanks!  It was drawn, or rather traced. in adobe illustrator.  I redrew several of my parts last night, or was it early this morning, and they are now working.  Illustrator is not really designed to do CAD so it tends to decide on it's own how it will do things, evidently this is one of those cases. Unfortunately we are very limited on funds around here and can't lay out thousands of bucks for the "real" CAD programs. . .May be Santa will bring me ART CAM Pro and then I won't have to struggle so much :D

Probably not. . .Or everybody that reads this could buy one of my guitars then it wouldn't be a problem.

Thanks again.

PS it would be really great if there was some documentation for lazy cam.

Offline ger21

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Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2006, 04:12:58 PM »
ArtCAM Pro would definately not be any easier. VERY steep learnining curve. All you need is an inexpensive CAD program, like DesignCAD or TurboCAD, maybe even the free A9CAD from www.a9tech.com That and either LazyCAM or maybe SheetCAM and you'll be much better off than using Illustrator. Provided you spend a little time figuringout how the process works, from CAD to .dxf to CAM and g-code.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html
Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2006, 01:59:27 AM »
Thanks, but at some point (soon) I am going to have to be able to do at least 2.5D and better 3D for necks,  carved tops, arched tops and mandolins. .  so far that looks like a serious investment in software.  But if you have any good ideas in that direction I would love to hear them.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Offline ger21

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Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2006, 06:36:04 AM »
MeshCAM can create your 3D code for a very reasonable price. www.meshcam.com As for CAD, in the right hands, TurboCAD and DesignCAD can probably do what you want. Rhino might be a better choice. You can get Rhino, MeshCAM, and Sheetcam for under $1000 for all 3. If you're not familiar with CAD, be prepared for a fairly steep learning curve if you want to do arch top guitars and similar.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html
Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2006, 11:43:20 AM »
Gerry:
You seem to be quite knowledgeable with this stuff and your help is much appreciated!  I have been looking at DesignCad 3D Max on their website.  It sounds too good to be true.  $89.95 for CAD and $149.95 for CAM certainly fits the budget.  Do you have thoughts about this particular package?  I’m not particularly concerned about the “learning curve” I minored in Computer Science and have lots of experience with Graphics software.  Though my CAD experience is limited (a former employer used ORCAD) but we just did schematics and circuit board layout, I think that I can be “up to speed" fairly quickly.  The piece I don’t wish to get involved in is downloading lots of different “trial versions” and spending the learning time only to realize that the product won’t work for me.  I will need to trust you and others not to steer me in the wrong direction.
Thanks again for all of your help!

Bill
Mountain Craft Stringed Instruments

Offline ger21

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Re: Okay I must be stupid (or losing my mind)
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2006, 01:07:56 PM »
When I first started using DesignCAD, it was $279 for 2D only, and $495 for 3D, and the 3D part was in DOS. I no longer use it, since I use AutoCAD at work, but imo it's one of the easiest CAD programs to learn, and is very powerful. The pnly problem you might have is getting it to export files in a format that MeshCAM can read. MeshCAM can read .stl files, or .dxf's. But, the .dxf's can only contain 3D faces, which DesignCAD may or may not let you do. If it exports .stl, then there should be no problems at all. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that it does. There are conversion programs that should work though, and they are inexpensive. This one is $20. http://www.micromouse.ca/

You can download a trial of both DesignCAD and MeshCAM, and see if they'll work for you. (I know what you said, but for the price it's worth a try. I am a MeshCAM user, btw, since the very first beta. Nothing else comes close for the price.

Also, like I said before, you may find it difficult to produce the shapes your after using DesignCAD. If that's the case, then Rhino would be a better choice.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html