BobCAD feedback please

[ShootingArts]

have been owning and upgrading BobCAD for five years without ever getting to use it for one reason or another. They are chasing me to upgrade again. Adding Predator is the big thing. I have another use for BobArt also so I'm looking at cutting out inlays for the cues, rough cutting the pockets before touching up the corners by hand, and possibly using the 39"x25" work area router to do some shaft and butt turning with a dumb rotary axis. I do have an indexing set-up to use the same fourth axis to locate the pockets precisely.

I remember one or two guys were using BobCAD awhile back but I forget who. An unexpected development has had my on again off again shop shut down for a couple years and I got tired of trying to learn this stuff only to forget it before I used the router again. Had a return to zero issue that made me crazy, thought I had a flaky controller or couldn't find the right G code. That seems to be only an interrupt and sharing issue and I have the fix for that I believe.

All this ramble is to ask a simple question: Anybody using BobCAD and Predator? Happy, unhappy, issues I can expect working with it? Issues dealing with the current folks at BobCAD? I will go read up on CNC Machine too but a major concern with the router is using it for cue work.

Thanks for any feedback on this.

Hu

 

[scdiveteam]

Hi,

Bobcad is a great product for our application. Predator in my opinion is just another bell or whistle. We don't have it and are not going to buy it.

I was very overcome by all of the things I had to learn to make our CNC work with the design, posting, g-codes, and interpretation stuff to the final end result. That being said, I do suggest you take the 3 day training seminar when it comes to your area of the country.

It's worth it! The instructor Sorin is great and very helpful.

Good Luck,

Rick

 

[Mr Hoppe]

Predator is a G code editor. If you know your way around the code, notepad works well too. If you don't know your way around the code, tweak your drawing and re-post, or do a little research to learn the codes that you need. IIRC, there is a button right on the Mach interface that contains a quick ref to codes if you use the Mach interpreter.

Predator does have a useful feature that I like though, and that is it's simulator. It's integrated with BobCad, so after you have programed your machining parameters, you can use Predator's 3D cutting simulator to see a virtual tool cut your part. I find this to be a very useful check, especially when creating a part for the first time, as opposed to tweaking something that you have used before. That being said, the trial version of Predator that comes with BobCad contains this simulator for FREE! Definitely give this feature a try.

 

[WilleeCue]

Hi,

Bobcad is a great product for our application. Predator in my opinion is just another bell or whistle. We don't have it and are not going to buy it.

I was very overcome by all of the things I had to learn to make our CNC work with the design, posting, g-codes, and interpretation stuff to the final end result. That being said, I do suggest you take the 3 day training seminar when it comes to your area of the country.

It's worth it! The instructor Sorin is great and very helpful.

Good Luck,

Rick

I have found that inlays for pool cues are simple 2D contours and doesn't require any fancy features that Bobcad 21 and above offers.

The seminars are much the same teaching you all about things you would not use for making 2D pool cue inlays.

I have not seen any reason to upgrade above version 20.

 

[scdiveteam]

I have found that inlays for pool cues are simple 2D contours and doesn't require any fancy features that Bobcad 21 and above offers.

The seminars are much the same teaching you all about things you would not use for making 2D pool cue inlays.

I have not seen any reason to upgrade above version 20.

Hi,

I agree with Willie, we had V17 and when we upgraded 23 was out so we got that. Making pockets and inlays is pretty easy stuff that does not require the fancy features for sure.

Rick G

 

[ShootingArts]

Thanks everyone!

Cutting pockets isn't too demanding but some of my other work may be, I need to cut across a radius on a curve and would like to be able to cut at a basically consistent depth into a low crowned dome. There are other uses for the router, still not sure I need anything more than I have though. I was told twenty-three was plenty with the BobArt but I always feel like I am getting hustled by BobCAD. They tell you what you are buying will do what you want to do but then when they want to sell you something else they tell you that you need the new software to do the very thing they claimed the stuff you already bought would do.

I was tempted by the pricing but if they stay with the old practices it will be as cheap or cheaper on black friday or at the first of the year if I still think I want it. Their whatever the traffic will bear pricing has always been a little troubling too. Seems like it is decent software though from what everybody is saying.

Hu