Joe,
Yes you will need to puchase a license for LazyCam. You get a lathe modual in LazyCam. There is very little documentation and Lazyturn ( which is in developement and maybe will be
Beta released a few months , near future whatever that is ) will replace the LazyCam Turn modual. If you have
a license for LazyCam it will apply for LazyTurn.
My opinion is Lazyturn will be worth every single penny spent for a license as no other program will touch it come near it, for ease of use, graphics, even as now restricted, and a complete manual on using it will be available. That's my opinion for what it's worth. You can take a look at the current manual in the Members DOCS. I strongly suggest you look and search on your owne and make your owne decision on lathe software.
Yep, if you have the time and effort you can hand code stuff. The lathe can be a pain to hand program, but for some simple stuff the learning will serve you well.
RICH