drawing in mastercam vs autocad

[rgollar]

Hello,

I have been programming in mastercam for years now and my question is. I always draw my parts in autocad and then import them into mastercam, as I am much faster this way. I have had this debate with people that draw all there stuff in mastercam. And I yet to come across a person who can draw faster in mastercam then I can in autocad and bring it in. Now I am not saying there aint people than cant. What I am trying to figure out is there a benifiet from drawining in mastercam than autocad? I am in no way saying my method is better just havent heard any good reason why. The reason I bring this up is I am finding programmers are spending so much time drawing more complex parts im mastercam. Just looking for some advice, by no means bashing people for drawing in mastercam. Just trying to figure out if maybe there is a better way of doing my job. I am an certified in autocad so I can draw really fast im autocad. But I am wondering if I am limiting what mastercam can do but my methods. Thank in advance for advice.

[Guest]

I think the thing is whatever works for YOU.

 

I do ALL of my design work in Solidworks, there are people who do it all in Mastercam, I think because either that is all they have or that is all the understand.

 

Mastercam can be used for drawing nearly anything that needs doing but it is NOT a true CAD system.

[htm01]

i've used a few (MC,SW,CadKey)and find i can do geo just as fast in MC as anything else for making parts,now if your talking finish drawings

that's another story.

[Justin Beebe at Folsom Tool]

I have never used anything but Mastercam to draw so I really can't compare it to autocad. However I think drawing in mastercam has made me better at Mastercam in general. If import a file and need to create any extra geometry to program it for toolpaths etc. I can do it rather quickly no matter how complex it may be because I am very used to creating geometry in mastercam. That being said if I create a solid in Mastercam I always do it in design, save the part with history in case I need to make a change, then resave it as a parasolid or run the nohist.c-hook before I bring it into mill to program it. I think that all the solid history geometry just makes things confusing when I go to program a part. I not saying my way is best but It works for me. I am interested in learning a cad system so I can compare.

[Thad]

quote:

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I think that all the solid history geometry just makes things confusing when I go to program a part.

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You could blank your construction geometry or put it on another level. It sounds like changes could be a nightmare.

 

Just a thought.

 

Thad

[Justin Beebe at Folsom Tool]

Thad,

 

I was doing it that way for a while but I rarely have to make changes. Saving the solid in design with all the history at least gives me somethng to revert back to if I need to make a minor change. Sometimes I end up with a lot of 2d geometry when creating a solid depending on how complex it is. I don't know if this is normal because I kinda learned solids on my own and I don't know if I do things in the most efficient manner when it comes to creating solids. I may already have 2d geometry on twenty or thirty levels by the time I get done making the solid. Like I said I have no other cad system to compare it to. I will keep what you said in mind, I always appreciate what you have to say in this forum.

Thanks,

 

Justin

[YoDoug®]

I do just about all of my geometry creation in ProE. All of our design engineers use ProE, so that's what all of the models I get are. It's just easier to create fixtures and machining models from the original solids, plus then my tool/fixture design remain associative to the original design model. I just wish ProE-Mastercam had a plugin like SolidWorks.

 

BTW if you have to draw it one way or another i say use whichever one works the best for your needs.

[Jack Neelands™]

I have used Unigraphics and Euclid(Strym) to design 3D models and have yet to find anything better ..but when it comes to programming they can be most cumbersome for just the simple things

 

When companies go shopping for that ultimate package they get the offer of a cam package with the cad at a bargain price and think ...All cam packages are the same ...Why go out and get another software when we can have it all in one?

 

Makes sense dollar wise but when you are looking at learning curve that might be many months as compared to a month with a more versatile cam package then whom is making the dollars?

 

Your competition of course .....they are the ppl with the 2 separate and complete packages...one for modelling and one for programming.

 

Now I have been modelling with Mastercam for years as most employers dont buy the 2 and have become quite versatile with it. My tendencies are to create the 3D model first, program it and go back to do the Drawings...where as most Modellers will Draw it .....make the 3D model ...then program it.

 

My reasoning for my dyslexic ways...is I always find something wrong or missing info when it comes to programming it ...ie stock size....wrong angles ...surfaces missing/holes etc, but once its programmed I can see what is coming up and how to deal with it so that when drawings are released on the floor they are correct and there are no descrepencies

[Tom Dorgan from American Precision]

rgoller,

I too am Autocad certified and can draw just as fast in Mastercam as I do in Autocad. There are things I still use autocad for like exploding splines into lines that I can't simplify in Mcam. They took my license away from me for someone else to use Autocad once I got just as proficient in Mastercam. Practice makes perfect in anything.

[cadcam]

(There are things I still use autocad for like exploding splines into lines that I can't simplify in Mcam.) Why not do this in mastercam instead then.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I agree with John. It's whatever works best for YOU.

 

Personally, if I had my own seat of CATIA I would seriously consider going that route but since MC is all I have, it works quite nicely for me and in all honesty does EVERYTHING I've ever asked of it. The only reason I would lean towards something like CATIA is because I really like the Parametric aspects of the CAD Software. I'm only about 25% slower in CATIA CAD than I am in Mastercam and I'm fairly confident that would greatly improve with time.

 

But if AUtoCAD does it for you, then by all means keep it up. It does have some very good CAD features.

[kinglouie V]

autocad is so 80's. I think it sucks. not to offend, I just think that mastercam is far more intuitive.

[rgollar]

Thank you all for your replys. As also this site is very helpful. I see I should give mastercam a honest shot in the drawing aspect more than I have. And let me correct my self by saying I use autodesk Inventor for my modeling. As I like the parametric portion of 3d modeling. Again thank you all for you replys. I think some of the Issues I have seen is when I watch another mastercam user draw it just seem like it takes them forever. But I must remember not every one that uses mastercam is truely trained properly. As I myself am self taught, which is my opinion not a good thing for me. Because I know there are better ways to do things than I am doing. Again thank you all for your help.

[Thee Dragracer1951]

I use Solidworks for all of my solid modeling and Mastercam for all of my quick 2d stuff. I used to use ACAD exclusively. I couldn't even rmember how to draw a line now. I used Cadkey for a bit. Hated it. Solidworks and MC is what works for me but really, like everyone else has said, what ever works for you.

[Thad]

quote:

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I may already have 2d geometry on twenty or thirty levels by the time I get done making the solid.

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Justin, I see how that could get confusing. Organization is the key, but I have to admit that I struggle with it. I do very little modeling. Our files are created by our design department. Other than pacthing in a few surfaces here and there, or creating some wireframe for machining, I don't do fancy stuff enough to get good at it. Just last week I had some fixture repair work to do that involved creating a lot of new views (compound angles, then standard views from them, merging left and right hand parts, fixture components, etc). It was the most complex job I've done in a long time. Keeping levels and views organized and named in a useful way was getting tricky.

 

If you'd like to send me one of your complicated files (with construction geometry), perhaps I could make some suggestions. Email me if you'd like.

 

Thad

[Justin Beebe at Folsom Tool]

Thad,

 

Thanks a lot I really appreciate that. I just started a new job this week. When I get organized and setteled in I will shoot you a file to look at. It may be a while before they give me anything worth sending your way.

 

Thanks again,

 

Justin.