SMART CAM

[Hardmill]

I smell a hi-jack.

We now return to the new thread topic.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

 

PEACE

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Sniff away.

 

There's a unit in Iraq that wears USC gear. I believe they are "Taken Care Of" of by the Trojan faithful. Somebody in the unit took the pic and sent it to Matt Leinart's Blog.

 

That Hawaiian Defender had no idea the freight train was coming through. That bought Matt huge cred with his "O" line.

 

FIGHT ON !!!! USC vs. Virgina Tech ... Live on ESPN 4:45pm PST

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

The line on the SC/VT Game is SC by 17.

 

I'll say SC by 3 because it's the first game, they're on the road, FAR from home, and VT is typically very strong at home.

[HEAVY METAL]

my boss who does the programming for the electrodes for our edms still uses smartcam. he has a seat of mc on his computer but just has not had the time to learn the surface machine side of mc. He always is saying he needs me to show him how to use mc. he is amazed at what i have learned and can do on mc . all this with out taking one class. Most of the credit has to go to you guys on the fourm. this is better than any class.

[kccadcam]

Just arrived in the mail:

Smartcam is back!?!?

 

www.smartcamcnc.com

SmartCAM Advanced Milling™ is the ideal solution for your fundamental 3-D production needs. It supports 2- through 3-axis machining as well as 4- and 5-axis positioning from wireframe and solids-based data.

 

Where's the 5-axis toolpaths?

 

Looks like they are using ACIS for Solids.

 

Do you think they have a chance of catching up?

[kccadcam]

All together now..... Let's click on the SEARCH button......

 

http://www.emastercam.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...t=008678#000000

[Charles Davis]

I checked out the web site. IMHO some old Smartcam employees who want to stay in Eugene, OR (hey, some people like it there) are dusting off the code and trying to make some $$ on it.

 

Nothing wrong with that, and I'm sure there is a need for ongoing support for old Smartcam users, but I don't think this can compare at all with Mastercam.

 

I know the Smartcam story pretty well. Some day some MBA student should do his thesis on the rise and fall of this company. It is an interesting business story with a lot of lessons for anyone in the CAD/CAM business.

[jackn]

its all a blur to me ...god my employers have had me learn cimatron....mastercam ...unigraghics...lemoine...duct...and the list goes on for the last 20 yrs but supprisingly we keep comong back to mastercam...tis fast and efficient on the floor...especially with tooling amd beats ruuning back and forth from the office all the time but i still do all my serious modelling with unigraghics

[CAM-mando]

I have a more fundementa question

 

quote:

---

We also use smartcam for lathe and wire. Just wondering if someone had a post for a Fanuc O/T Lathe controller, because i don't know how to edit a smartcam post.

---

Since it isn't a mastercam post is he allowed to ask for it without gettin' flamed ????

 

I defer to the judges

 

CAM

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I say let the SmartCAM folks start their own forum at http://www.smartcamcnc.com so they can adress their post/lack thereof issues amongst themselves.

 

Not to be a hardarse but this is a political, errrrrrrrr Mastercam Forum afterall, and I just assume leave SmartCAM in the past where it belongs. It's so far behind that even if they put 60,000 programming hours+ into it, it would still be years behind in terms of functionality, interoperability, etc...

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

To steal is always to steal

[Hardmill]

quote:

---

I say let the SmartCAM folks start their own forum

---

.

 

Yeah all two of them

 

PEACE

[Threept82]

Sorry.

But when SmartCam was bought out it was not far from where MasterCam is now !!!

[Hardmill]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

Sorry could'nt help myself.

Not even close BUD.

 

PEACE

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

---

...But when SmartCam was bought out it was not far from where MasterCam is now !!!

---

Now, now... You need to compare Apples to Apples now. Be truthful about that stat... That stat was considering ALL of SDRC's products, SmartCAM, CAMAX, Ideas, etc... Compare SmartCAM to Mastercam, not SDRC to Mastercam.

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

 

Now logging off ....

[Threept82]

Smartcam V11.1

[Charles Davis]

Threept82 has it right.

 

At the time Smartcam (aka: Stupidcam) started going down hill, it and Mastercam were about equal in market share and capability.

 

What caused Smartcam to implode was:

1. The basic structure made it difficult to implement surface machining. Smartcam was unable or unwilling to bite the bullet and make the internal structural changes to model and machine surfaces.

 

2. They put out a user interface that was garbage and that alienated many customers.

 

3. They screwed over their dealer network. That really killed them. When your dealers leave, you no longer have a business.

 

4. They quit listening to their critics, who were really just trying to show them the path.

 

5. They tried to implement certain technologies before it was ready (I remember them saying, "we don't have to machine surfaces, we'll skip that and go straight to solids).

 

6. They quit looking outward at what was going on in the market, the big, unavoidable trends (esp Surface machining) and were focused inward on their own turf battles and power struggles.

 

7. Critics (internal and external) became afraid to say what was on their mind out of frustration and fear of retribution, so they just shut up and jumped ship.

 

Like I said, a very interesting story. It's amazing to see how fast a company can implode.

 

The whole idea was to take the company public and all the top managers would have a fat payday. In pursuing that goal, they didn't care who they ticked off.

 

Well, the IPO never happened, and Smartcam took a rocket sled into the dumpster.

 

CNC Software surged ahead because their basic software structure was superior, they never ticked off their dealer network, and they made few business mistakes. In other words, CNC benefitted tremendously by being a stable, decent company to work with.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

---

...At the time Smartcam (aka: Stupidcam) started going down hill, it and Mastercam were about equal in market share and capability...

---

Are we talking SDRC taking over Point Control timeframe or are we talking UG taking over SDRC timeframe???

[Charles Davis]

I'm talking about 1989-90, well before CAMAX "merged" (ie: bought out) Point Control Co.

 

I think the progression here was:

1. Camax buys Smartcam

2. SDRC buys Camax

3. UG buys SDRC

 

Once these things start shuffling between companies, you know the gig is up.

[CAM-mando]

quote:

---

Are we talking SDRC taking over Point Control timeframe or are we talking UG taking over SDRC timeframe???

---

Actually as I rememeber ...

 

Poit Control was consumed by Comand THEN SDRC bought Comand. Then SDRC discontinued the Smart Cam product.

[Charles Davis]

Any other Point Control people out there that remember this different from I?

 

I did always have the utmost respect for one of the founders, Jerry. His wife was the most wonderful person I ever met: very soulful, kind, funny, engaging. She spent years away from OR teaching English in China. You said one word with Mary and something just clicked. She made you glad to be alive in her presence.

 

Jerry got out of the co. before things got too bad, and his lovely wife (to the best of my knowledge) died of breast cancer a few ago.

 

Jerry was (is) a good man.

 

[sorry these are old memories, and please correct me if I got any facts wrong.]

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Yeah, the was the progression. Point Control to Cammand to SDRC to UG to SmartcamCNC. My bad.

[Charles Davis]

Sorry to say, I don't think you can dust off that old code and make a viable product in today's market.

 

The new world is multisurface, multiaxis, solids, feature recognition, knowledge-based machining, mill-turn.

 

The cost of entry now is too high. Even if they have a workable product, they won't be able to keep pace with CNC Software.