Would you go back?Please vote

[Lars Christensen]

Alright we are running V8.1.1, but the owner have opened the door and got a quote to upgrade to X2, but he is skeptic. I have spend hours today re-reading old topics here for people asking this question and watched videos on mastercam.com, but I still feel like I am missing the bullet.

I was hoping that a simpel print out of a poll of users given there opinion would be more powerfull and direct than a bunch of "over the head flying" arguments.

I know some might be a little tired of this hole issue, and I personally are convinced that a upgrade is necessary, but I got to try to convince someone who is not a user and do not put as much weight on sketch function as to $

If you take the time to vote I would verily appreciate it, thank you.

 

Lars

[crazy^millman]

Would never go back!!!!!!!!

 

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gcode]

When you first start using X2 you will be slower.

Its different and it will take some time getting

up to speed.

See if you can get your dealer to come over and get your posts upgraded. That will be a huge help in transitioning to X2.

 

I would not accept a job that required me to go back.

9 months ago I started a new job.

The owner told me they were using X2 and I made sure the shop was on maintenance before I acceptted the job.

My first day at work the lead programmer told me X2 sucked and I'd be using V9. I said I'm an X2 guy and I'm not going back. Now my old school V9 lead programmer is an X2 guy too.

[mman10]

Can't imagine going back. So much better than the older versions and easier to work with.

[John13]

Would not, could not go back.

[Thad]

Would not go back.

 

Thad

[Jamie Betz from InterTech Supplies]

I wouldn't go back either, things can be done so much quicker and easier in X2 than some of the older versions. We have people here that refuse to use the new versions saying that they took a good thing with version 9 and made it worse going to X. I can only try to explain so many times before I just tell them do what you want but you could do things much quicker with the new versions.

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

I am in the same situation, Jamie. I am a little more....drastic tho. When our V9 guy went on holidays I had the IT department remove V9 from his computer and put X2 on. When this fellow got back he was not very happy. But with a few custom toolbars to get him rolling he happy using it now.

 

Myself, I would never go back (although I only used v9 for less then a month before X hit).

[Pat-TGM]

I wouldn't go back

 

But few of my programmers, they stay with V9. they refused to move to X...X2MR2. The main reason: the Bug in X....X2 is effect regular day to day their jobs

 

Links

[Guest]

Could not imagine having to go back. I went X the day it was released and never looked back.

 

Question 2, that is a little more dicey depending which side of the fence you're on.

 

Mill, Wire and Router, yes

 

Lathe, that one's getting tougher to understand.

 

:DISCLAIMER:

As I own my own seat, the above stated are my opinions, not those of my employer.

[jeff]

I had a chance to work with X when it first came out.

My employer didn't want to spend the money/time to send me to training so I tried to train myself for a month while still using V9.

I couldn't do it with that A$$hole breathing down my neck because my programming took a hit.

So I ditched X and been with V9 ever since.

Jeff teh wishes to hit the lottery so he can get X3.

And program from home in my underwear.

[TR Mfg.]

I voted yes and I'm the one that has to sign the check to pay for it. The transition is slow but worth it.

[Kannon]

I would never go back to V8

[keith mc.]

never look back. the newer versions of any software are to make it easier for the users not to hinder them. when you first start out with mastercam x it will be a learning curve for you but you'll manage

[doyleg]

Remember that along with maintenance, you get free help from your reseller for things like posts and programming probs. That is if it isn't answered here first. But if you do have a hard time with posts, the basic ones are free and they (at least mine does) will edit the posts to output as you need fit. I know that sometimes getting the reseller to help takes a while, but in the long run is worth it. I've had the experience in the past that if we had a hard time with a certain program operation. Our reseller would program the part for us to show us how to use that operation. Great to have a real example to see how a certain toolpath was made.

[gavetta]

I wouldn't go back. I still have V9 on my pc though but have only used that to open older files since I started using X. I can understand why some people haven't made the jump for various reasons but once you get your head around it, it's pretty sweet. I wish I would have had some of these tools 10 yrs ago when I worked in a mold shop programming trodes and such. It would have made life a bit more productive and less stressful.

[Lars Christensen]

I verily appreciate you guy's taking the time to do this, this is awesome.

I made the pole for a 24 hour time period just to have some specific time period to present, then I will print out the comments and vote result and present it.

Again thank you so much for your votes and comments.

Please if you have not voted or comments it would be appreciated.

 

Kannon,

when is your presentation due, or have it already happened?

[Storkman]

Lars, you won't have much problem with the transition. Chris knows his way around X2 pretty well.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

No going back. The X interface is way quicker. Once you get over the initial shock its great great.

 

One thing I recomend is getting a copy of the prep kit from your dealer as well as the blue-n-gray inhouse tutorials. Turns out the things that drove me crazy at first are what makes X faster.

 

Here's a preview of the prep kit:

http://barefootcnc.com/tngex.htm

[heeler]

Someone has to be different, so I guess that it will be me. I liked using the earlier versions better. There is a lot of stuff that is better about the way that X works, but as far as the interface, I liked the standard keyboard shortcuts in V9 and earlier. There is a lot of customization in X, and that is part of what creates issues for me. I hate all of the icon driven toolbars, and that every computer you go to has a completely different layout of mastercam. I spend half the time of helping someone trying to find the icons to show them, because that is what they want. I use the menus at the top for most things.

 

JM2C

 

Glenn

[Tom Dorgan from American Precision]

Glenn,

The toolbar issue is why I try to get my people here to leave it the heck alone. I have a custom toolbar that has all my icons that I use all the time. It is portable across the network. I leave all the stock icons alone so anyone who sits down should be able to find the standard items. Customization is a wonderful ability to have but some folks can get out of hand with it. IMHO I was hesitant to make the change at first because we were buried in the shop when X came out. The owner decided to learn Mastercam and started with X and I had to switch back and forth for a month or 2 and then made the switch and never looked back. Of course to support my router software customers I trained myself and had it on my pc's but when you are buried with programming jobs it can be tough to make the switch. Glad to have all the newer stuff in X and have not opened V9 in almost a year. Don't even have it on my work PC anymore.

[beej]

Lars,

I think that your poll has a flaw in the way the questions are asked. I'm not sure if I'm faster at programming because of the newer versions. But I know that our machine time is better. Those high speed paths have really helped us by allowing inserted tools to run longer without breakage of inserts and tool burial. The finish is better because it always climb mills and the machines tend to run unattended more often because they require less babysitting.

 

The other thing is if the machines were running unattended before, the operators would have set the feedrate to accomodate the worst situation in the program, like when a cutter bangs into an inside corner. The new highspeed paths will actually add a small radius to those inside corners allowing cutters to swing an arc rather than pound into them and break the inserts or flutes.

 

so if you are a shop that tries to get machines running unattended the newer versions are worth their weight in "Gold"

[Kannon]

LARS...

 

My presentation worked..I just sent you the word doc. that I used for the reasons for the upgrade. Some maybe stretched a bit but I consider that in the benefit of the company. Its approved for me...just need the signatures...so about a month I am guessin.

 

Hope it helps..

[Lars Christensen]

Terry,

Yeah he is going to be pretty tired of my questions pretty quick, will try to squeeze his cell phone number out of him, so I can call him 24/7

 

beej,

That is a very good point, I will defiantly make sure that is taken into consideration.

 

Kannon,

Thank you for the mail, defiantly very useful information, and congratulation on the X2 wagon.

[Nils N]

Sure there's things I miss from V9 but to go back would be crazy. X is much better, once you learn it you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner.