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Author Topic: 3d cam  (Read 7214 times)

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Re: 3d cam
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2010, 07:44:35 PM »
Well, I pretty much know what I can do with my first two cam programs.  Lazy Cam and DeskCNC.  Basically they are 2D pocketing and pocket island tools.  Cam Bam I am still learning, but as i mentioend in another thread I figured out how touse it to turn organicx shapes and roatated splines into either exploded splines or poly lines so that my other cam programs can interpret and display them. 

So far the closest thing I've found to an easy 3d point and shoot tool is Gmax.  One website does list them as a possible 3d CNC CAD resource along with a bunch of other programs including cnc toolkit. 
Re: 3d cam
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2010, 10:40:53 AM »
Well, once again I found myself writing the raw code by hand to get my cylinder.  I think I've written almost as much code from scratch using a macro in Excel as with my cam software. 

Excel is sure handy for re-iterative work. 

Cut this curve.  Step down .003, cut this curve, step down .003, cut this curve ...
Re: 3d cam
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2010, 09:44:39 AM »
Ok...  I am now playing with gmax.  It seems to generate some of the fundamental gemometric solids ok.  Spheres, cones, cylinders, etc.  Now how do convert that to something I can machine. 

For example...  how would I use that to generate a half cylinder shaped pocket in a piece of plate. 

..... snippage

I only have DeskCNC for the nice easy 2d cam features. 

Save the design from GMAX as an .stl file.  Open with DeskCNC and have at it to generate the 3D toolpaths you need.
If Gmax won't save as .stl, there are several similar file formats( which G-max WILL save to) that you can convert to .stl with Accutrans

Fred Smith - IMService
http://www.imsrv.com
Re: 3d cam
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2010, 02:37:59 PM »
Getting back to Cam Bam for a moment.  I was playing with the executions limited commercial product this morning and it is definitely superior in a couple ways to the last free beta version.  For one when it appears to freeze up, but is actually working it displays a CamBam is thinking message.  While I relaize this may not mean it hasn't locked up, so far it has not.  It really does need a lot of processing power.  I have a lot of older 3rd and 4th gen machines out in the shop.  This morning I ran it my daughters computer int he house.  In order to test it I ran it on some very complex engraving files.  Zing!  Nothing over abotu a minute to generate either tool paths or code files.  Stuff that was taking 15-30 minutes to generate tool paths on the machine I use int he shop and overnight to generate actual code files. 

Obviously I need to install the commercial executions limited version out on the my shop design computer to see if its really superior.  Its only a 2ghz single processor, and this machine is a 2.1ghz dual processor.  Both have the same memory 1G and the same hard drive.  I suppose also the graphics adaptor could make a difference.  Although they are both onboard AGP using shared memory. 

Time to break down and put a 2nd gen computer out in the shop I guess.