As I just wrote, after looking I find the only affordable CAM systems that can do more than 3-axis are Fusion360 at $500 (on sale now for $270) and Solidworks which id free with EAA membership.
2.5 axis systems are easier to find and it seems FreeCAD does that. The free version of F360 is now to crippled to consider. On Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 6:58 PM Ken Strauss <ken.stra...@gmail.com> wrote: > How do you generate gcode from Alibre? I found > https://www.alibre.com/ecosystem-cam/ and AlibreCAM appears to be > $1000/year > to over $21,000. I can afford $199 one time but an annual licence costing > thousands is not in my budget! > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: John Dammeyer [mailto:jo...@autoartisans.com] > > Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2020 8:27 PM > > To: 'Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)' > > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] CAD for parts to make on a lathe > > > > There's always the less functional https://www.alibre.com/atom3d/ > > If can export step and stl files. You pay for it and use it off line. > Less than $200. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Chris Albertson [mailto:albertson.ch...@gmail.com] > > > Sent: September-17-20 5:04 PM > > > To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) > > > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] CAD for parts to make on a lathe > > > > > > Fusion360 just made changes that in my opinion kill the product for > > > personal use. You can not save your work locally as a STEP file after > > > October 1, 2020. So download your stuff now. > > > > > > OnShape and Solidworks look like good options. > > > > > > Solidworks is used for thinks like rocket engine design at SpaceX and > for > > > building cars at GM. You are not going to outgrow it but may not need > it > > > either. OnShape does not have native CAM. I assume people on the > LCNC > > > list want CAM. > > > > > > One opinion is to just pay for Fusion360. It is on sale now for about > $270 > > > but will go back to $495/yr at some point. > > > > > > What is REALLY needed is a good open source CAM system that accepts > .STEP > > > files from any CAD system. > > > > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 4:28 PM hubert <h...@hbahr.org> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > On 9/17/20 11:30 AM, dave engvall wrote: > > > > > Chris, > > > > > You might try Synergy, does the whole ball of wax. Not too > expensive. > > > > > Takes time to learn. Parasolids based. 2D, 2.5D, 3D, wireframe, > > > > > solids, turning and probably something i missed. Unusual feature > is > > > > > extrusion screws. > > > > > Runs on linux; will run on Windows but you lose a few features. Has > a > > > > > 30 day free demo. > > > > > https://www.webersys.com/ > > > > > > > > > I used to use Synergy but changed to Fusion 360. I talked to Bob at > > > > Weber Systems today and it is now down to just Him. While still > > > > supports current customers he is encouraging those who need other > > > > features to look elsewhere. He lost his Longtime cohort Larry a > couple > > > > or years ago but he is now retirement age. It was a long time UNIX > > > > product but hasn't transitioned to 64 bit. He is running it under > > > > Ubuntu 16.04 but had trouble with 18. I don't know if he would be > > > > interested in passing the product on, but he hasn't updated since > 2015. > > > > > As far a photoshop; gimp is pretty good but maybe not so easy to > learn. > > > > > > > > > > YMMV > > > > > > > > > > Dave > > > > > > > > > > On 9/16/20 12:15 PM, Chris Albertson wrote: > > > > >> No. I don't know of any CAM software for generating toolpaths for > > > > >> lathes that runs on Linux. > > > > >> > > > > >> The best 3D CAD that runs on Linux is https://www.onshape.com/. > But > > > > >> unlike > > > > >> Fusion360, Onshape does not have the ability to generate toolpaths > > > > >> unless > > > > >> you get some 3rd party add-in software. > > > > >> > > > > >> I have two computers here. An iMac for most things and a Linux > based > > > > >> 16-core Xeon PC with nVidia GPU for robotics software development. > > > > >> Onshape > > > > >> on the Xeon is 10X faster than Fusion on my older iMac But I've > not > > > > >> figured out a good way to translate the Onshape models to g-code. > > > > >> > > > > >> Gene suggests wring g-code by hand but that simply can't be done > for > > > > >> complex parts and even if one could do this there is no "proof" > that > > > > >> g-code I write is the same as what I designed in the CAD system. > > > > >> > > > > >> One solution is running a virtual machine on the Linux PC, > installing > > > > >> Windows 10 on that and then Fusion360. But this requires a > rarely > > > > >> powerful Linux PC. > > > > >> (At least as a minimum, a 4-core i7 with 16GB RAM and SSD.) > > > > >> > > > > >> I've been a Linux user (both professional and at home) for a long > > > > >> time and > > > > >> before Linux existed, BSD UNIX and Solaris but then one day I > wanted to > > > > >> edit video and process images shot with an SLR. Adobe is the > only > > > > >> game in > > > > >> town for professional-level media editing unless you consider > Apple's > > > > >> Final > > > > >> Cut Pro X. None of this runs on Linux. > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> On Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 11:38 PM R C <cjv...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > >> > > > > >>> On 9/16/20 12:09 AM, Chris Albertson wrote: > > > > >>>> Fusion 360 can generate g-code for mills and lathes. It's free > > > > >>>> even for > > > > >>>> commercial use until you make $50K using it. > > > > >>>> > > > > >>>> Fusion is a little bit like Freecad but is more complete and > better > > > > >>>> supported as you would expect of a product from Autodesk. > > > > >>>> > > > > >>> I have heard about that one. does it run on Linux too? > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>>> > > > > >>>> On Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 9:39 PM R C <cjv...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > >>>> > > > > >>>>> Hello, > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> I have been using freecad for designing parts, and then milling > > > > >>>>> them on > > > > >>>>> a sherline mill, getting the hang of that a little bit. > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> I have a lathe too, that works with CNC linux, but noticed > heard, > > > > >>>>> that > > > > >>>>> you can't really make parts, or g-codes, with it for a lathe. > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> What wold be a good choice for designing, simple, parts for a > lathe, > > > > >>>>> that will create g-code for it? > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> thanks, > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> Ron > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>>>> _______________________________________________ > > > > >>>>> Emc-users mailing list > > > > >>>>> Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > >>>>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > >>>>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> _______________________________________________ > > > > >>> Emc-users mailing list > > > > >>> Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > >>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > >>> > > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Emc-users mailing list > > > > > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Emc-users mailing list > > > > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > Chris Albertson > > > Redondo Beach, California > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Emc-users mailing list > > > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Emc-users mailing list > > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users