FREE CAM software

Leo Voisine

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I don't get excited about the FREE Cad or CAM software packages very often. So for me to even post something like this is a stretch for me.

This looks exciting.

Autodesk has been in my arena of usage for many many years. I cut my teeth on AutoCAD R9. I bought a student version of R10. I took AutoCAD in college as part of my degree program. I used Mechanical Desktop, which was my first go at 3D modeling. I was a draftsman using AutoCAD for several years. I even used AutoCAM, for several years.

So - Fusion has been out for a couple of years but I never looked at it. Today I did look at it, and it looks good at first glance. It appears to be full 3D, and not just BAS relief.

Anyway - it is certainly worth looking at.

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/3167-fusion-360-free-for-hobbyists.
 
Nice! I had looked at inventor a while back and ended up buying a new version of turbocad only to find out the version I got didn't support some of the 3d stuff I was wanting to do. I'll give this a try...Thanks!
 
It appears to be full 3D, and not just BAS relief.

Leo could you explain for those like me that are not in on this stuff what you mean by this. I tried searching but there was no short answer to your point.

I gather it has to do with resolution/ detail or quality of the output file such that it can allow a machine of suitable capability to cut and show greater detail in the final object ???:huh: Thanks for posting.
 
BAS Relief in my mind is "3d on a flat surface" -- that is something like a relief carving ... think of laying your hand flat on your desk, and from above only, carve the contours of your hand into a piece of wood's flat surface. The top surface is "relieved" to show the 3d subject.

TRUE 3D is the entire object is cut in 3D form -- think a full human hand. Like literally an entire hand shape, machined on all sides.
 
Jason is there.

On a cube there are 6 faces that are accessible to the software all in one model and all in a single session. You can move the user coordinate system or UCS for short, to any planer surface you want, and be able to do work on that surface.

Vectric software has accessibility to only one face in a session. Even though Vectric can do 2 sided machining it is still not a full 3D modeling. You cannot rotate the part around and do "modeling" on the bottom or side

Fusion appears to be capable to do undercuts - like a dovetail slot. Vectric cannot do that.

I "think" I can create planes in Fusion. Say I want a plane that is 15 degrees to a side face. That is completely out of the realm of Vectric.

Also, in 3D modeling you think in terms of primatives. sphere, torus, cube. You build on the shapes. In Vectric, thought patterns are a bit more like 2D, and create shapes from Vectors.

I think I may be talking a foreign language here. Is any of this making sense?

I need to dig in a bit deeper to see what Fusion is capable of.

I don't know yet if it is 4-th axis capable. Like cutting a Cam, or a pipe thread.
 
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