I'd Like Mastercam To Allow Me To:

[Jayson Kramer]

Hardmill about 5 min from him.

[Hardmill]

quote:

---

Hardmill about 5 min from him.

---

So what cha selling for how much ??

Ill ask him and send him home with some money tommorrow.

 

You can get it from him.

 

 

PEACE

[FLIPPER™]

oh ........well I guess I stand corrected. I am sorry.

[Tyler Robertson]

I'm coming at this from an objective point of view - is there any harm in someone making some comments based on observations/experiences with Mastercam?

If they are not unfounded and they will help people/the product, then absolutely not.

 

I'm not too good at fishing, but myself and some others here (some being part of said clique) have seen an opportunity to help educate someone on functionality within Mastercam, as well as lend an open ear (or eye) to concerns/comments. Are they coming from someone with a history with respect to this forum, and others? Sure - does that mean they have to be ignored? It might - but that's just it, you don't have to read them, or respond; However, some people have decided to respond, and I don't think posting completely off topic in this thread

is paying them much respect. Regardless of what you think of one poster in particular, I'd hate to take away from good posts from Colin, Jay, Ron etc.

 

am I wrong?

[Namliek_J@TheeCircle™]

quote:

---

No worries I dont mind being the bad guy

---

The Wicked EMastercammer from the West.

[gcode]

quote:

---

Some ppl gave him that benefit last time he came trolling around here. And it was business as usual.

---

That would be me

[Hardmill]

quote:

---

I would be one of the people reading this thread looking for your input on what you think is needed in Mastercam to make your job easier and faster.

---

You really want my input Jon ??

 

 

PEACE

[Tyler Robertson]

I've read that and much more - I've lurked much longer than been posting here.

[Thad]

You've been censored, Winnie.

 

Thad

[Jayson Kramer]

Hi all, I know I am going to get slammed for this. but I have removed the uneventful posts to see if we can get more of what the topic is about. it seems there are many members that are seeing a positive from this post.

 

We know how a good few feel about this person.

but know I am seeing other members loosing out on some of there thoughts.

 

Lets try and put forth some good thoughts for updates or we can call them upgrades.

 

Well lets try and see if this can go a little farther before we have to close the topic. hopefully we wont have to.

 

So were do I get one of those flam suits from the movies?

[gcode]

quote:

---

Mastercam Forum on CNC Advertising Zone. Some people call it by it's incorrect name CNC Zone.

---

I don't go there, don't read the posts and don't even have a screen name.. In fact I was in blissful ignorance of this entire soap opera

untill someone cut and pasted it here on eMastercam... now that its been deleted..

I'll go back to blissful ignorance

[FLIPPER™]

[NeilJ]

Change At Point. In my opinion it takes to long to use Change At Point. How about split the Mastercam graphics screen like this when using Change At Point:

 

http://www.camplete.com/truepath/truepath.htm

 

 

A spreadsheet with all your points could load into the bottom area like is shown in the link above. Now a Mastercam user would be able to edit multiple points at once, instead of one at a time.

[Jayson Kramer]

You reference Camplete this not a Cad or Cam software but a tool for posting ,editing and machine collision checking.

So I think you need to use another reference or just remove that thought of example and use the point you stated.

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

You've been censored, Winnie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I respect Jay as moderator .

He reigns here .

Me simple bear without brains .

The time will show who is right .

[NeilJ]

"You reference Camplete this not a Cad or Cam software but a tool for posting ,editing and machine collision checking. So I think you need to use another reference or just remove that thought of example and use the point you stated."

 

I only used CAMPlete to show how I think a graphics screen should be split on the bottom for doing editing with Change At Point. I think this interface would be ideal for something like Change At Point. I guess I could have also use SolidWorks Animator as an example because it also splits the graphics screen on the bottom.

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

This is the serious bug still remains in X3

 

If Sweeping ,rotating ,and squashing a pot

Can not extrude even a small honey dot ,

About what sanity and total humanity

A bear can smell when all infidelity ?

[YoDoug®]

Since this thread is about being honest....

 

We came to a point here several months ago that we had 2 multi-turret multi-spindle machines that needed to be programmed. We also have three more on order. We needed software that can synchronize. We had no confirmed date for this capability in Mastercam. This forced us to evaluate our software needs overall. We were using Mastercam for mill and basic lathe, Renishaw AEpro for probing, and Vericut for code verification. Now we were going to have to buy and support another software for advanced lathes. My direction from my superiors was that we have been paying maintenance on fives seats of Mastercam for how many years and now we have to buy yet another supplementary software package was unacceptable. We also don't know if there is going to be a cost for Mastercam's multi-tasking when released. My task was to search for a solution that could combine some of these needs.

 

I created a few parts that represented the type of programming we need. Some 2.5, 3, 4, and 5 axis milling, millturn type parts, etc. Those were the parts that we sent to software dealers to demo for us, not their pre-made demos.

 

Some of the criteria we were concerned with:

 

1. Use of solids, every part we machine has a ProE solid. How well does it recognize features/chaining, etc.

 

2. processing time.

 

3. Graphics quality, Yes the bottom line is machine code, but our programmers have to look at the screen for 8-10 hours daily.

 

4. Machine simulation/Verification. Most integrated verification won't match the ability/power of Vericut, but 75% of our parts don't need that level of verification. However we need a fast simple way to check machine code.

 

5. Stock recognition between operations.

 

6. Ease of importing objects like clamps, bolts, vise, etc and assembling them on screen.

 

7. We are planning to implement a PLM system in the next year or two so compatibility with major PLM systems was also key.

 

8. The ability to drive probes and other non cutting machine cycles.

 

9. User friendly post creation and modification.

 

We looked at ProMfg, Esprit, Delcam/partmaker, and NX CAM Express. We chose NX CAM Express. I have been using it for almost two months. So far I am very impressed. The learning curve is not nearly as bad as I have heard, likewise the support is great. I do have to say though that our Mastercam dealer has always provided great support. We have several machines set up and gaining ground fast. Unless there is some major set-back, so far so good, we will be cancelling maintenance on Mastercam (5 seats), Vericut, and Renishaw next year. Those Maintenance costs alone are enough to buy 1-2 more seats of NX CAM Express.

 

I debated on whether or not to post this, but in the end I decided it probably good for all to understand the reasons why Mastercam has lost a customer.

 

Fire away, I'm ready-------

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I hear you Doug about Multi-Tasking Lathes. If there ever was a serious peeve of mine with Mastercam it was when they ceased development for nearly 10 years on Multi-Turret/Multi-Spindle lathes, and decided instead to develop/support develpment on the Art and Router Products. HUGE mistake on their part. Tremendous loss of revenue. I believe I've reccommended either PartMaker or Esprit around 15 or 16 times is memory serves me correctly - and customer's eventually bought said software. Kills me but at the end of the day I have to reccommend the best solution for each individual customer on an application by application basis. Now with that said, I have seen what they have and will release in the near future, and when I see good code for my machines with wait codes WITHOUT having to go through all the rigamarole that Ron has to with his HIGHLY functional post, I'll begin reccommending Mastercam. Until I see code, I'm not even close to considering reccommending our high-end Lathe Customers get Mastercam.

 

JM2C

[NeilJ]

Doug, I appreciate your post and your honesty and I understand where you're coming from. I hope you can understand that my wish is to see Mastercam improve in areas you find it weak. I don’t expect Mastercam to be UG NX. I do expect Mastercam to improve in areas that I feel really cost our shop time.

 

"Graphics quality, Yes the bottom line is machine code, but our programmers have to look at the screen for 8-10 hours daily."

 

I feel this is the best answer for Mastercam:

 

http://tinyurl.com/5buh3c

 

"Use of solids, every part we machine has a ProE solid. How well does it recognize features/chaining, etc."

 

Every part I machine is from Pro/E as well. I wish to understand where UG NX has an advantage over Mastercam when it comes to chaining. I don't understand this yet but I'd like to so that I can think about if Mastercam could do something better in this area. Perhaps you could be more specific about this.

 

[ 08-25-2008, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: NeilJ ]

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

Fire away, I'm ready

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thats fair enough .

In my situation we would gain nothing ,JMHO .

We are 3 programmers ,12 mills ,11 lathes

We mill 2.5,3,4,5 axes simultaneous + lathe

(One with milling )

We are planning to add horizontal MILLING machines and may be wire .

No vericut,

We program stable and fast .

We have good support .

To migrate has no sense for me .

We have tons and tons of parts programmed in MAstercam for many years and this parts returns

and need to be repost .

So Mastercam still has us as a client .

But for others it may have good sense to migrate .

So others do .

And in both directions .

I used Cimatron and Solidcam together with bunch of others .

For what I do now I prefer MAstercam .

Somewhere else I would use something else ,as it was in the past .

Cimatron is a mighty program .

I know stories of those who came from Cimatron

to Mastercam ,and others who went in opposite direction .

And both were happy

[YoDoug®]

To be fair though I will say that there has never been a part I couldn't get done with Mastercam. With help from many on this forum including Ron, JP, James, Tim, and many others I have learned Mastecam posts and modified them to handle some probing and even a hacked together post that outputs some wait codes for one of our Star's. In the end we were supporting too many different software packages and it was starting to consume too much of my time. We have grown from 9 CNC's to 23 in three years and we will be adding 10 more in the next few years. Now imagine having to do exstensive mastercam post work + Vericut machine and control cofigs + Renishaw posts for each machine. We simply needed a single solution regardless of if is the absolute best at all of the specifics we need or not. Most of the criteria used to make the selection were issues that I did not care for how Mastercam handled those, however I had a solution/work around for every one and was able to get the job done. It was the need for synchronization that afforded me the option to search for better solutions to the mentioned criteria.

[NeilJ]

"We simply needed a single solution regardless of if is the absolute best at all of the specifics we need or not."

 

I don't believe one exists for most / many shops.

 

I also believe that if some of what has been suggested on this forum is implemented, Mastercam could rival or exceed UG NX in some areas.

 

Will that happen? I guess it depends on how much value CNC Software places in what has been posted to this forum.

 

How much longer can the CAD end and the user interface of Mastercam not see serious improvement before it becomes a real liability?

 

When it comes to smaller accounts the Mastercam VAR marketing network puts Siemens to shame at this point. It's going to take a lot of focus and effort from Siemens to impact SolidWorks market with Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology. If this happens and I believe it will UG CAM Express will see more presence in smaller shops. It's not going to happen overnight though.

 

[ 08-26-2008, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: NeilJ ]

[sharles]

quote:

---

I'd like to see more people who really have a lot to offer, like you obviously do, think about taking the next step and reaching outside their physical contact area and put what they know about Mastercam on video.

---

Neil/Jon,

 

I thought about your reply over the weekend. I'm not so sure that what I have to offer is to the mastercam trainee but the mastercam trainer. It's teaching the trainer how to teach others within his company to learn mastercam.

 

I understand your frustration about learning mastercam. If I read your various posts correctly, you seem to learn like I do. Many people, not just on this forum, but in general, don't understand different people learn by different methods. I (like you, I believe) have to see something. I wish I could read the mastercam manuals and get it like so many of the guys on this forum. Even the guys under me, when they come to me and start describing their problem, my mind just kind of freezes. Inevitably I say, let's go out to the machine and you can show me what you're talking about. Then I get it, and can tell them a solution. So I understand your desire for high quality videos.

 

But I'm not a guru like the others on this forum. I know enough to get by in a shop that doesn't see the value of having highly trained people, and because I struggle learning by reading, I have somewhat stagnated (if you read my soliloquy thread on the off topic board, you'd also realize why at this moment becoming a guru is NOT the highest priority in my life).

 

I could teach others how to teach. But really it's just a matter of consciously telling myself over and over..."do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

[Teh Bear without Brains kinda idiot]

Obviously he's said some mean things to James, but somehow I think James can stick up for himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a personal business of James .

Why on Earth if it is so obvious to you ,

you are so indifferent ?

Degm ,when you`ll become a man and start to say what you really think ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

eyore I love you man, but.... maybe you and piglet should sit down and have a talk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think thats you together with Jay ,Tyler and some others need to talk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thats my humble opinion .

Cheers ,my brothers and sisters fellow idiots !

 

And that`s serious Mastercam bug

 

I composed a yeller about VERY BIG PROBLEM -

 

It started all good ,it was a sensation

I drew a big pot on the Mastercam station !

I drew it in Solids and painted it green

And put in some honey on level 13 .

 

I opened the same file the next early morning

The pot was all there ,but where`s the honey ?

I`m yelling from hunger and desperation

I `m seeking for help and consolation

(And CNC Software must pay me some compensation ) :BangHead