What if CNC made cars ?

[Plastmo]

Hi Clay, I am planning to buy new computer so, would You please tell me Your "sweet secret" what

computer and configuration did You use before MCX release that every think was going smooth and good

when You tested Mastercam X?

Please, give me the brand, operating system, video card, RAM, etc.

Plastmo :-)

[Mjölnir]

quote:

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What if CNC made cars ?

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All our roads would look like a demolition derby crashed through them.

 

quote:

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MCX is immensely more complicated than a car.

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No it's not. Nor is it as reliable. Not by a long shot.

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

Maybe it's just me but that one DOESN'T sound like humor...

Do I smell a bridge burning?

[Bullines]

quote:

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No it's not. Nor is it as reliable. Not by a long shot.

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I'd say it's somewhat similar in complexity. I'd wager that more people understand the inner workings of a car than the inner workings of a large software application.

 

Will somebody from CNC please post either/or:

 

[*]stats such as number of classes and methods (UML or class and process diagrams would be kewl but surely you wouldn't give those secrets away )

[*]ballpark SLOC for X, not including purchased libraries/code

[*]# of X developers

[*]# man hours for initial X release

Then we show the pundits all of the fun to be had in the APIs and other libraries used to build X. When their eyes bug out and and the 'WTF' look comes over them maybe then they'll realize that a large software project isn't a walk in the park. It'll be worth it

[gcode]

Comparing Mastercam to a car may be funny, but its not a valid comparison.

1. Cars have been under developemement for 120

years, Mastercam 20-25.

2. Hundreds of thousands of engineers have been involved in designing cars, Mastercam 10-20

3.A car builder has control over everything

that is built into a car. Mastercam has zero control over what people buy for a computer or how they us it.

4. There is more R&D money spent on cars in a week

than CNC Software's lifetime operating budget.

 

Even big Cad/Cam companies have trouble with new releases

Catia moved to Windows when they released

CAT5. For the first year, even their dealers

were telling people to stay away. Its been three years now and they are up to CAT5 Release 16

and every release had 3 or 4 service packs.

We've had it for a year and Its gone from R13

to R16. Thats 3 point release and a dozen

service packs in 12 months.

And believe me, there are bugs aplenty

AND THIER CUSTOMER SERVICE BLOWS!!!!!

[Jon Griffin CNC Software]

I just thought I would share something with you all:

 

How to start a Model T (scroll down a bit, it's not at the very top)

 

I'm not saying that Mastercam X is all that like a Model T. It's much more complicated. What I am saying is that as technology develops, it becomes more user friendly. It's the nature of it. People want to have processes done for them that 10 years ago they would do themselves.

 

How many of you still defrag your hard drive on a regular basis?

How about installing new mouse drivers when you get a new mouse? Don't forget to boot the driver before loading kingsquest (not meant to infringe copyright or imply any ownership of Kingsquest, the game or intelectual property associated with it in any way shape or form.)

Does anyone remember scanning a floppy for bad sectors, or making sure the little black clickbox was set to writable when saving?

How about tearing the little strips with all the holes in them off your printout?

 

Anyways, speaking of cars, here's some tidbits about the model T:

1. One of the most common Model T accidents is a broken arm caused by premature engine firing due to an advanced spark setting. If the spark is advanced when no. 1 piston is in the wrong position, and the engine fires, the starting crank will rotate violently and break your arm or hand.

2. Lighting the headlights: Walk to driver's side of car. Turn valve all the way counterclockwise on cylindrical acetylene gas tank down by the running board. Go to front of car. Open glass headlamp doors. Light each headlamp by placing lit match to pilot hole at bottom of each reflector. Close glass doors.

3. Hill Procedure: Adjust Spark Control Lever to compensate for increased load when going up a hill... move lever up (retard spark) when going uphill. Note: when going up a really steep hill, turn car around and proceed in reverse gear.

 

I once saw Mark (our Pres) demonstrate how to cut a mold for a clothes hanger on Mastercam Megan (a very old version, comparable to the Apple Lisa) on an Apple IIe. It was fascinating. Each line was drawn, and then the arcs. The redraw took about 60 seconds. The procedure for creating a line took quite a few steps, and one of the selling points was that you could have the commands and the graphics on the screen at the same time.

 

Twenty years ago, nobody would have believed the things X is capable of. WCS. True solid 3 verification that you can rotate in space as you watch. Even "basic" functionality like the scroll wheel and entity blanking didn't exist.

 

I'm not allowed to say what's in MR1, and have no idea what will be in X3, but I can say we'll knock your socks off. Who knows, twenty years from now, it may be as simple as "Load solid model, click ok. Wait 3 seconds. Post." Maybe programming a part will be so simple that having a Programmer on the payroll will be the equivalent of having a Footman or a Driver.

 

What I do know is that we're commited to continually improving our software. I know that dozens of extremely talented programmers poured sweat and tears into X. Quite frankly, I'm honored they see fit to include me.

 

It'll never be perfect. Nothing ever is. I think if you look at where we've been, and see where we can go, you'll join me in amazement.....

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

And then, like me, you'll get back to work. There's parts to cut.

 

 

_____________________

Jon Griffin

Software Engineer

CNC Software

[Guest]

[John13]

[George Hardwick]

Slowly the message might be sinking in.

For 95% of users the Software is working great.I fall into the other 5%. I spent 4/5 hours today, on the phone with my reseller, fixing a print related bug.

Now, I paid for this Software with my own hard cash. I have every right to vent my frustrations through humour. And Toolman, if I went about it the other way im sure you would not like it.I know that it will all be better soon, but in the meantime please dont pretend its my fault.

 

George.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Jon,

 

[ToolMan184]

quote:

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Slowly the message might be sinking in.

For 95% of users the Software is working great.I fall into the other 5%

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Maybe that 5% is not due to the software. Maybe its the user not understanding how to use the new features. I have had some trouble with X, but its been me watching the forum and learning the new ways to do things. The troubles Ive had was not the software it was me not understanding how it is done now.

 

But, it seems so much easier to flame CNC Software for the sofware. I could xxxx and moan that I havent received Wire X yet. I know my transition will be faster because I am learning X now.

 

All I heard before was most complaining that X hadnt been released. Now they complain that it has. Make your mind up what you want. If you find a software package that is 100% will be a time when 2 fools meet. 1 for not buying it and 1 for offering a 100% no problem software package.

 

I will say this...... To everyone at CNC Software, The beta testers, most on this forum and Bullines. My hats off to everyone and for what they have accomplished and for the help you have provided.

[George Hardwick]

quote:

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The troubles Ive had was not the software it was me not understanding how it is done now.

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Somehow I can believe that.

[ToolMan184]

I wont even stoop to your ignorant level.

 

I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend.

[Bruce Caulley]

I can see the car salesman now:

"The front of your car caught fire because you don't know how to use the horn properly........and what is that long piece of bar for?"

 

Bruce

[gcode]

quote:

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The front of your car caught fire because....

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You put gas in the radiator

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

Hmmmmm.

When I read George's post I was lmao. The last part was not too funny though from my salesman perspective. (Note to self: avoid anyone with a brittish accent carrying bar stock with a cd taped to end.)

 

Frustration levels have been high for awhile now. A little venting is ok. Keeps us sane. The developers have been pushing themselves hard to get X out and bugs fixed. Beta testers have been finding alot of stuff that you guys dont know about cause its fixed before the release. Customers are waiting patiently as they can with the pressures of production and managers to get X going. Dealers... well I eat alot of tylenol here lately, and handle one call at a time.

 

Lets all just take a deep breath and relax.

[chowquoe^]

Ok if ya all don't mind I would like to add my 2 cents here, so here goes. I wrote my first program in VX this week, and it took a week. I ^%#$in hated it at first, then it started to grow on me, no not like a wart... more like that first blak hair you got when you were a teenager, I fumbled through it, found a parasolid translation bug, that was easly fixed by a phone call to our dealer, and finally got it completed. Then the moment of truth post it..... Had lathe paths with no Z axis moves, I was like what the ..insert your word here.. so I sent the file off to our post builder via email with a description of the problem; I recieved the fix very quickly. FYI not a 3, 4, or 5 axis thing more like 9, Mazak Integrex. Post builder is IN HOUSE SOLUTIONS hats off to them. To make a long story short; I needed a quicky, so I went back to V9.1 and it seemed like I was lost. Lets give the folks at CNC a break.... Microsoft, and Mac have never made a bad program.... ohh wait......... never mind. If the world was perfect we would all be unemployed because things would just appear. Think about this for a moment if you would.... Mistakes are alot like $hit..... it happens. Kudos to CNC Software, and In house Solutions, to all other lets just keep on keepin on.

[Cuda84]

I have only been useing MasterCam for a lile over a year. I came to MasterCam after useing Ideas software for 5 years, both machineing and design. The design part is way beyond MasterCam in some areas and not quite up to it in others. The machine or CAM part is very old UG purchased Ideas about 4 years ago and there have been no CAM updates since. There is only one thing it dose better then MasterCam and that is automatic faceing. (I do only mill work) The only reason I agreed to go to MasterCam was that X was soon to be released. The V9 interface just plane old S#%&ED. Most of the toolpathing was better when you got used to it. When X came out I was useing it the day after I got the software in, and I haven't looked back. There have been some bugs, but they are being fixed. There are a number of bugs in my other software that will never be fixed. So I am quite willing to put up with bugs as long as they are being worked on. If they keep improving the software what's the problem. Try being stuck with a software that dose the job but dose not have the same capabilities as the guy sitting next to you, thats about as bad as it gets. I look foward to future improvments in MasterCam, and the chalenges that improvement buigs create.

[Steve at JPI]

2 more cents and my tongue firmly planted in my cheek...

 

I've never owned a car that cost as much as Mastercam(I'm a blue collar toolmaker, can't afford a new car or "newer" used car).

 

If I bought a new car, I am 99% sure I wouldn't need a class, tutorial or book to operate it.

 

No, MC is not a car.

 

George, I thought the British humor was BRILLIANT!!

 

I don't like SPAM!!!

 

...And now for something completely different.

[George Hardwick]

For my part this does have a happy ending.

I was driving both myself, my reseller and you nuts with my nc file problems. I uninstalled all of X including registry entries. Reinstalled, updated to MR1/SP2 and- perfect no trouble at all. Cant find one thing wrong with X , best software on the market....

 

Some of you took a dislike to how I wrote my little story, please bear in mind it was intended for a control far more better than a simple Fanuc...

 

Read this.-

 

Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatdnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of thr hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn@t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclace. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sttll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

 

George.

[gcode]

quote:

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Cant find one thing wrong with X , best software on the market....

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George, is that really you

 

Tounge in cheek or not, its only going to get better.

 

I recieved a letter from my dealer Friday, announcing the release of MR1/SP2 and explaining the difference between an MR and an SP.

The letter also said there wll be 2 or 3 more MR's

this year, cumulating with X2 late in the year.

X2 will be a "point" release as in V8, V9,X, X2.

 

The beta sites are already ringing out MR2. All I'll say about that is that CNC Software really does listen to their customers.

[Guest]

quote:

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I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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Been around here long enough George. You should know by now that the spelling doesn't matter

 

 

Speaking of butchering the Queens' English

 

quote:

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far more better

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[George Hardwick]

jmparis

 

See what I mean. Cant help myself.

 

Have to see if I can do gooder in the future.

 

G.

[Guest]