just starting..

[jtwrace]

Alibre seems very resonabley priced. Almost to good to be true. Have you used it against Solidworks? I'm basically at the point now where I just can't spend the money for Solidworks but Alibre is an option cost wise. The only drawback that I see is the training is ONLY online from what I can see.

[Jayson Kramer]

(Jay, could you clarify this some. What marriage? Mastercam Direct?)I am suppriseed you have read about it here. We just showed this today at the Mastercam user group here today . Mastercam for Solid works. were you have the Cam side of mastercam running inside of solid works for you tool paths.

 

Jay

[Thad]

Something to at least consider...

 

This forum has the best support around. What are you going to do when you buy SolidWorks or Alibre and it's 5 PM and your reseller just closed for the long weekend. Where are you going to get help so you can get the job done before the weekend is out? At this forum, you can get answers 24/7, including all major holidays. Highly skilled people from around the world frequent this forum. There's even a few guys from Iowa. You can have the sweetest design software known to man, but if you get stuck and can't get past it, at that point in time, it's worthless.

 

This shouldn't be your *only* consideration, but it definitely should be considered. Actually, you could probably ask your SW and Alibre questions here and get answers. That's the kind of knowledge that frequents this forum.

 

Thad

[jtwrace]

Thad,

 

You bring up some of the most important questions. No doubt. The bottom line is funds...I hate for it to be that way but it is. I'm doing this on my own and not through a company. The Alibre seems to have some great features for the mid package (can't post cost here). I originally was set on Mastercam but doing this on this forum got me confused, In a good way. So, here I am. Let's hear what you think of Alibre.

 

So far, Mastercam Lite will not do solids. Where Alibre can for half the cost of Mastercam Design. Alibre does have a user forum.

 

hmm..

[BernieT]

OK - I'm going to push Rhino one more time.

 

I'm sure Rhino is comparable in price to Alibre.

Many of the people on this forum also can answer questions about Rhino as it is a popular complement to MC.

Rhino has an excellent help forum just like this one. And many answers come right from the Rhino staff. Check out the link.

 

 

Rhino3D

 

 

quote:

---

Rhino provides the tools to accurately model and document your designs ready for rendering, animation, drafting, engineering, analysis, and manufacturing or construction.

 

Rhino can create, edit, analyze, document, render, animate, and translate NURBS curves, surfaces, and solids with no limits on complexity, degree, or size. Rhino also supports polygon meshes and point clouds. Rhino offers:

 

Uninhibited free-form 3-D modeling. Tools like those found only in products costing 20 to 50 times more. Accurately model any shape you can imagine.

 

Extreme precision. Design, prototype, engineer, analyze, document, and manufacture anything of any size no matter how small or how large.

 

Unrestricted editing. Revise freely without concern about how you got there or where you want to go next.

 

2-D drafting, annotation, and illustration. In addition, flatten 3-D surfaces into 2-D patterns and drive laser, plasma, and water jet cutters.

---

Good luck !!

 

HTH

[GMM]

I might be wrong, but can't you get a student version of some of the software, if you take a class? I think the licence is only good for 6 months or something?

[RandyN]

I have designed molds, dies, etc. in Mastercam for years before I got into a real solid package. I started with pro-e and now use solidworks for design, but have a seat of mc design also since we use mastercam for our cnc programming, and I can ready the files for their use before they hit the shop, ie naming levels, adding notes, etc. I also have all the translators on mc and there are times when sw doesn't translate customer files as well as mc, and I need to have the tools to get the job done asap. We have a typical 2 week lead time no matter how tough the prototype stamping is.

 

My point is, you can design anything in mc and if you are interfacing with the shop for nc programming you really can't go wrong learning to design in mc. The tools are all there, learn how to use them and you won't be sorry using mc for design, even if it isnt a "real" design software..

[ARP]

jtwrace,

If you are working in a company that designs and machines, then consider learning the CAM package they use on the floor or talk someone into buying Mastercam.

Since you are spending your own money, I would take some courses long before buying anything. You get the benefit of an instructor and other classmates to bounce ideas off. Way better than going it alone on your own time and you can evaluate different software before committing. Its a bit like marriage, you don't want to rush into it.

Lastly, if you are learning the whole design/machining process the learning curve will be long. You can't expect to buy a cheap design package and then migrate into CAM in a few months. You need to learn to walk, before you learn to run. I'm guessing that if you show up on the shop floor of most shops with a program you wrote yourself, you won't find too many guys that will just say " ya sure, use my machine while I'm at lunch". Its a nice gesture but not realistic. The transition from designer/engineer to machinist is a very long-term process and typically met with some hurdles along the way. Whatever design package you chose is not going to fast track the process.

[bogusmill]

You may look at what type work you want to do. As already stated Mastercam is for machining, AutoCAD is best with architecture, Catia if aircraft is your thing, Solid Works is mostly non-aircraft work. I was a conventional machinist so I started in Mastercam, I played with AutoCAD, and have had formal college Catia & Pro-E classes. I've been playing with Solidworks too every so often. Catia and Solidworks are the ones I like best. Didn't like Pro-E or AutoCAD much. My only experience with Rhino was a C-130 wind tunnel model which didn't convert very well into MC.

 

A major difference in them is in Catia/Solidworks you can create parts and assemble them, make them move. If you change a feature like a hole or bolt pattern in the part level the change updates all instances of that part. These things Mastercam doesn't do. Personally I would like to design in Catia or SW and make parts with Mastercam. This University has gotten away from AutoCAD and Pro-E and now only teaches Catia and Solidworks. My 2¢

[jtwrace]

Thank you for all the reply's. I do understand all the very good points..I've ruled out AutoCad for sure. The real question is do I spend the money on MC Design Lite and take a three day course or do I purchase say Alibre and the training CD's? Design Lite isn't a solid package...Where the Alibre is. I would hate to take the MC training and then find out that it was almost a waste and I still need to purchase a solids CAD package. I will be doing automotive parts drawing.