There is no doubt that Mach4 is indeed an excellent product but it is only as good as it’s Motion Controller will allow it to be and choosing the right Motion Controller can be difficult with pitfalls for us all.
The manufacturers of some Controllers are extremely active at keeping up with new developments in Mach4 whereas other manufacturers are extremely slow and there is no definitive list of the good and the bad to help us choose.
I use a CO2 laser and there are a number of things which I can do using Mach3 that I still cannot do using Mach4 (despite waiting some 6 years). This is certainly not the fault of Mach4 (which is more than capable) the issue lies with the Motion Controller. One day, I am sure the problems will be solved but how long do I wait ?
There is a lot to be said for having the software development of the Motion Planner and the software development of the Motion Controller under the same roof. Perhaps something Artsoft / NFS may consider in the future.
Tweakie.