Bobcad? How about GibbsCam huh?

[FLIPPER™]

Ok Ok, Now that you all have had a dig on Bobcad. Does anyone know how Mastercam compares to Gibbscam? Anyone with experience in both want to offer some comments? Yehaa fire away............

[Kannon]

my comments are.... your in a Mastercam forum...many of the softwares offer demos or trial downloads.

 

Try it and tell me what you think, Im not in it to down softwares... Im just here cause I like this one!

maybe others here have better insite on Gibbscam..and if not I am sure Gibbscam has a forum that they will be willing to offer suggestions between the two.

Kannon gettin sick and tired of software comparasion.

Thought this forum was for people having questions with Mastercam...and at the least catagorys like this should be in off topic

BUT THAT JUST MY 2CENTS

[Jim at Gentex]

quote:

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Thought this forum was for people having questions with Mastercam

---

I agree with you Kannon, but being in a Mastercam forum should allow us to sing its praises. The only way to honestly do that is by comparing it to similar products.

 

I also posted a question about PowerMill in the Bobcad vs. Mastercam thread because my employer is seriously thinking about switching to PowerMill and I would VERY MUCH like them to stay with MC. This forum is one of the few places I can think of where I can find GOOD information from experienced programmers who have been there and done that with many different software packages. I'm not making comparisons just for fun here or to throw stones at any product, especially Mastercam. I want my employer to stay with Mastercam so I need to gather FACTS to defend my position. Since I have zero PowerMill experience, I figured this would be a good place to ask. Yes, I can download the demo and try it, but that isn't the same as asking someone who has actually used it in a work environment. I hope you can understand my position here.

[terry5357]

I used SurfCam for about a year and a half at one time, and while in the drawing/design side it was tremdously weak, but on the toolpathing side it was much easier to set up ramped leadins into pocket routines, toolpath surfacing was 2 choices planar (parallel) for more or less flat surfaces, and "Z finish" same as contour in MC.

I worked with aguy that was forced to use Gibbs for a year or so because some dumbass engineer said it was the best thing since sliced bread. His comment was "it's okay for 2-D machining and it uses parametric surfaces for toolpathing and you either can't or its hard to manipulate the surfaces. So in my book its MC then Surfcam then everything else, and Gibss is one of the "everything else". just my 2 cents worth

[Kannon]

Its like walkin in McDonalds and ordering a WHOPPER. j/k

 

I understand and would do the same...ask the forum I mean..

[Thee Dragracer1951]

I could never figure out what was up with movin those little icons around. That's Gibbs isn't it? Been a long time ago.

Jim

[Trevor Bailey]

Was a Gibbs user and now I sell Mastercam....enough said.

[Mr.ZX]

I started at a new company, they had Surfcam. At first I thought this stuff sucks, the drawing package is totaly crap. but I do have to admit the tool path is ok and the speeds and feeds are pretty good also. I will take MC over surfcam any day, but it is ok.

 

Gee what ever happened to Geoprompt? that stuff rocked!

[Guest SAIPEM]

quote:

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Gee what ever happened to Geoprompt? that stuff rocked!

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It became GeoPath and the company was taken over by Scientologists.

The owner of the intellectual property is a company called Basic NC, Inc.

 

http://www.solution-ware.com

 

The MazakCAM portion of their software is the only thing worth buying.

 

http://www.mazacam.com

[crazy^millman]

I am sorry guys but [RANT ON].

 

Why in the hell come in here and ask about some one elses software. I mean get real and pull your head out of the 5th dimension and how about reading where you are and what forum this is. I have been stuck learning PRO-E and not using Mastercam and do you see me coming in here looking for advice on what others think. I can form my own opinion and so far I really really think chasing you tail and then trying to figure out a rubix's cude is faster than trying to write a program with this stuff. I understand WF3 is suppose to be better, but a prime example is doing multi countours. It seems not easily done and if you do some chasing and some major work you might can get it ok. Where as with Mastercam it is 2 click on the contour toolpath and done. Surfcam, Tecksoft, Gibbs, Bobcad, or what ever the hell else you want to ask about go ask in those forums. All of the have been asked alot and sorry but it is a Mastercam forum so come in here and talk about Mastercam or I can start doing 1000's of posts asking PRO-E questions if you would like to make it something beside a Mastercam forum.

 

[Rant off]

[FLIPPER™]

wow nice response everyone.............

[Guest SAIPEM]

quote:

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Why in the hell come in here and ask about some one elses software?

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Because it makes sense to do so when a company is comparing Mastercam to several other systems for a potential purchase.

 

Mastercam stands up well.

 

If it doesn't bother In-House Solutions then why should it bother you? You don't own this forum.

[HevyMetl]

Hey Crazy I will be glad to answer some of your Pro/E questions. Drop me a line. I have some expeirence and some wonderful resources setting next to me. And yes you are right on how you feel about this forum and its uses. This stuff should be in off topic, but for my 2cents worth Gibbs is an adequet software and will function for many things. Their "forum" stinks to the high heavens, and their tech support is not much better. If you can figure it out on your own you can make parts, but money will be a little harder to get.

[Guest]

Flipper,

 

How's that NX training coming?

[gcode]

quote:

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How's that NX training coming

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In my case, its not.

A mass revolt by the manufacturing engineers

has lead to a postponement of training to

're-evaluate implimentaion of NX".

They bough 26 seats and NOW they're thinking about it ???

So its X and Solidworks for the time being. They are upgrading my system to SW2007 next week.

[Guest]

quote:

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They bough 26 seats and NOW they're thinking about it ???

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Oh that's rich. Sounds like a similar at my company, not quite as large "only" 8 seats + 1 CAM seat. No one knew anything about the learning curve and the cost involved before hand. 2 yrs, a reevaluation and the maove was made to SW and to keep MC.

 

We have SW '07 in house, we are waiting for a new box to come in, old one is running W2K, then we'll all get '07. Should be this week sometime

[crazy^millman]

yeah you are right and since I dont have Mastercam anymore guess I should just say to hell with caring out this place to huh.

 

 

Out

[Kannon]

quote:

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yeah you are right and since I dont have Mastercam anymore guess I should just say to hell with caring out this place to huh.

---

nooooooo!

I appreciate your knowledge Ron in Mastercam your still one of the best! by the way they are jammin ProNC down my throat and it dont taste so good

[pronc]

Well it seems like you guys are still fortunate than other people when it comes to Pro/nc. When I started on it 8 years ago there wasn't WF3 around and I didn't have any support from my manager at all.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Hey, I'm learning and using CATIA V5 R16 but I still come in here and contribute my 2¢.

 

Now for my 2¢ on GibbSCAM....

 

Ok, to me GibbSCAM makes ZERO sense. CATIA makes sense for the most part though many things are more difficult than they need to be and it's not as intuitive as MC but I get it. When I called and talked to a guy from Gibbs about learning how to use it(while I was at Mori Seiki), he told me to "... forget everything you know about CAD and CAM..." That was the point where I said thankyou for your time, you can come pick up your software. With CATIA I don't have to forget everything I have been doing since 1992. It takes what I already know and pushes me forward. If something does not push you forward, it's dragging you backward.

 

Mastercam is a complete package (compared to GibbSCAM). You get a well featured CAD System. It gives you more than enough tools to get just about anything you need to create done. Had I made the decision long ago to use and stay with SmartCAM, or some other inferiorCAM, I would not be anywhere near where I am today.

 

Go with Mastercam, GibbSCAM is cartoonware.

 

JM2C

[FLIPPER™]

Hey John,

Nice you remember me. NX Training is Slow at best. Work still needs to get done and MasterCam pulls me through. Without any formal training yet it will be later than sooner that any major work will be done from NX. I like it, though cumbersome. MasterCam is really starting to flow for me now. Still in v9 here but have X2. Yes everyone, Gibbs is what I did for many years. 3 or so now in MasterCam for me (just a pup). Must say at first I just didn’t want to switch. Was comfy were I was at. Then a job change, and another. Both MC. Didn’t hate it (MasterCam) just wasn’t familiar with it. Now I really like it. Learning all the time. Getting a chance to do more with it than I ever did with Gibbs. Not because Gibbs was not capable, more that the place I was at just didn’t need more than 2.5 axis mostly, very little surfacing and 4 axis cam work. Simple stuff. After moving from there, its been MasterCam and is at my current employment. NOW they want to switch to NX. I understand the reasoning that they gave me. Not sure how profitable it will be though. I hear that even some of the stronger NX Cam users are not as fast as MC lends it self to be. Even Gibbs was fairly quick and to the point. Software, everyone thinks they have the better way with accomplishing the same end result. Good flawless (as good as my post is) G-code. In the end it’s what works best for you. I’ve been lucky to work in many. Sometimes wishing I had definitely started sooner in MC. It’s nice to have a software that just flows through the fingers and onto the screen. Being more learned of one is what it takes. But if the software just doesn’t want to flow and interrupts your concentration because of the way it works it makes it difficult to get anything done. Although just starting in NX it seems that way. Not flowing. Obviously because I’m a novice. Or maybe not? Dono just yet.

What I do know is Matsercam is really starting to flow for me now. Not just because I’m learning more (although it helps) but because MC has that Flow to it that helps you keep that train of thought going 9 or X. It is what works for me now.

It’s been very different in this forum for me (in a good way). Don’t really post much. Not a lot to offer, yet. But learning all the time with everyone’s great help they offer this forum. I feel like I’m starting to know some of you just by reading your replies. And from employee friends here that have worked with some of you. Sorry for the length of the thread but thought it was time ya all new some some about this one here. Thanks again for the help everyone offers. Priceless I must say. Philip

[Brandon Walker]

Gibbs has terrible posts from what ive seen, and mastercam multiaxis is far superior. Mastercam documentation and help functions are also much better than what gibbs has to offer. Remachining in corners after roughing is like pulling teeth in gibbs, where in mastercam it is much simpler, plus it also calculates remaining material and shows a visual representation of what is left in the corners to remove. gibbs requires the use of reference markers along the toolpath to set an entry and exit point and manipulating the markers is kinda tough because they never snap to the toolpath in the right place. takes a lot of gtetting used to. i could go on and on lol

 

 

edit:

 

ps, i was also a fairly gibbs oriented guy as well until i got into MCX and now i also sell mastercam nuff said.