How to convince a stubborn 9.1 guy to go to X2?

[Hardmill]

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I just bought a refurbished HP @ frys

for $400.

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This one is simuliar Linky

 

I still get the 1yr manufac warranty also.

 

 

PEACE

[iowajim62]

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I am in and out of MC9 200 times a day.

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What are you doing wrong and have to fix ?

That's 25 times an hour or every 2 minutes, how can you possibly need to do that ? Are you making 1 toolpath programs or what ?????????

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

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The real solution is to have MCX optimized for startup time.

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You're in luck.

 

Start, Programs, MastercamX, MCAMX Control Panel Applet. Selwct Mastercam X3 (or whatever the latest release you have installed), and check the "Show Splash Screen at Startup". This sill significantly slash startup time.

 

Also, generally speaking, applications launch MUCH faster the second time you launch them. So in the morning you would fire up Mastercam X. It will take however long it takes. You do your thing, close Mastercam. Come back sometime later, fire it up again, it should only take a fraction of the time it took the first time. But since you like to count seconds, lets take a look at what substandard workstations cost the average user... 2 seconds per launch at 200 launches is about 27.77 HOURS per year (based on 5 day work week at 50 weeks per year). Standard shop rate let's say is $60 so you're spent $1,666.66 in wasted time. $4,000 workstations are out there but most people do not need them and there are some very nice workstations right around $1,000-$1,200. So, without going out and buying a new computer, you've already paid for it in wasted time.

 

JM2C

[JOVATO8]

I have tried to learn X2 but have not been able to learn it. Belive me, I have tried.

Maybe it has something to do with my learning ablities(not trying to be funny).

But up to version 9.2 eveything was pretty simple.

X2,X3 I cannot get the hang of it.

Machine definitions,tool paths,tools menu,all confuse me.

I do want to learn it and will keep trying.

[robh]

My way was Stearming Teacher also eapprentice is good I hear. it'll give you a way to transition from V9 to now.well worth to few hundred $'s for 3 months and with your password you can access it from your home computer instead of watching the TV..

Regards

robh

[bogusmill]

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Also, generally speaking, applications launch MUCH faster the second time you launch them.

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So true James. In Vista, Catia launches in 15 seconds flat. In XP or previous OS's 90 seconds is the norm. Vista learns your use habits rather than let RAM sit unused, it will pre-load programs so they launch in about the time XP did for the second launch.

[Jack Neelands™]

Wow!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks for that James!!!

[Jayson Kramer]

Don Trust we just put new Dell optiplex Dual core 3g with 4 gigs a ram and vista buss with a Quardro 1700. for about $1500 a pop and mastercam X3 mu1 launchs as fast as the old V9. it luanchs faster them my work box that is a

Daul Quad core xeon 3.4's

Win X64

8 gigs ram

Quadro 5600 1.5g ram

that cost $10,000 buy the IT guys.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Everything has a cost. EVERYTHING! Doing nothing has a cost. Inefficiency has a cost. It takes a while to train yourself to see the real costs of things but once you do, you'll look at things A LOT differently in life. It helps to be able to distinguish needs from wants.

 

Between the interface improvements in X AND the purchase of my SpaceNavigator... the time savings has been tremendous compared to the cost.

[Don Trust]

Whew!

 

OK, I guess I exagerated on the 200 times a day. Sheesh.

 

Jay, thanks for the ifo on the Dell. Right now we have a Dell precision 380 with 4 gigs, and an FX1400 quadro card. Maybe time to upgrade.

 

JM2C, I'll try the getting rid of the splash screen. Thanks for the tip.

 

Hardmill, thanks for the links. Again, maybe it's time to upgrade a bit.

[Jim at Gentex]

Daniel,

 

If this guy works for you (or your employer) I wouldn't give him a choice. Unless he is signing the paychecks, I would give him a transition date, allow him time to go for X training, then when the transition date arrives install X, update everything, and delete 9.

[Thad]

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check the "Show Splash Screen at Startup". This sill significantly slash startup time.

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I thought splash screens were just something pretty to look at while your software was starting up...making no difference in actual start time. It *seemed* like it was quicker to view the splash screen because it kinda "passed the time" while staring at a blank screen would *seem* to take forever.

 

Thad

[Guest]

Just tell him it's time to upgrade or get out

 

 

See, easy enough

[cadcam]

I am at my class room and started mastercam cold with splash screen and counted to 5 and it was fully up. That was from the time I double clicked the icon to full screen.

 

But I am agreeing with all there are allot of new and faster tools compared to V9.

[tedly]

Trying to convince that person is a loosing battle for you plus an extreme headache. I'm speaking from experience of dealing with this kind every day.

[Don Trust]

Daniel,

 

Something to consider.

 

Get a part that neither of you have seen before. Something that would take maybe 1/2 hour to an hour to complete. Have you both start at the same time. Hopefully, you finish first with X3. :-)

 

anyway, assuming that happens, maybe you could then show this guy WHY you finished first because of the better tools available with MCX?

 

Just a thought. I know it's kind of a backdoor way to get thru to him/her, but it might prove useful.

 

Perhaps even better would be a part that could ONLY be completed with MCX, assuming there is a beast.

[Philcott]

Do you ever make gears? Check out the gear C hook that's in MCX

[taperlength]

The new icons drove me nuts at first but using the "large icons" setting for a week helped.

[baba]

Chicks dig the new X3 guys. Think that'll work?

[Matt@ShopWare]

Get rid of all the 'toolbars' The text pull downs at the top are exactly like v9. Also with every X,x2,x3 install there is a V9 to X(n) PDF that have every function in V9 in alphabetical order, then the name and location of that function in X. Print it out and keep it by your desk.

[Moonlightmachining]

Try showing your crew all the jobs availible for X3, UG, Catia, Cimeron..., then try to find a high paying job requiring MC9. The format of X transfers over to most of the other software better than 9 did.

[Greg VN]

I still use Mill 9.1 SP2 5 axis here. I missed a couple opportunities to get in for a good price from my reseller. I know that X would probably be a better world to be in. I almost never have the same job twice and I have not found one thing that was required that I could not program with what I have.

Some of the projects are very simple and others are quite complex.

Today I am cutting out some beams and corbels for T Boone Pickens to go in a conference room up in the pan handle in Texas. Last week I made custom volutes and handrails for several stair company's. Next week I will be making custom moldings for some of our jobs in Dallas.

If I had X I might be able to go a little faster or I might like some tool paths that I don't know anything about, but for now I can get a long just fine.

[gcode]

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If I had X I might be able to go a little faster or I might like some tool paths that I don't know anything about

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The advanced 5X toolpaths introduced in X2 are

very powerful.. the learning curve is a little steep, but they'll run circles around basic 5X.

There are also 2 pricelss Chooks from Verisurf

Hole Axis is one.. and another very powerful one coming out in X4.

If you do a lot of 5X stuff.. you owe it to yourself to look into Advanced 5X.

 

For example.. to finish the floor bewteen 2 blades of an impeller, we used to draw a C/L chain

and use 5X curve..it would take hours to draw the chains just right..and we'd need a seperate chain for roughing and finishing.

Now I use the left and right wall surface, the floor surface and the "morf between 2 surfaces" toolpath... To change between roughing and finishing.. copy the toolpath and change the step

over value.

[Candolini]

I think it depends on what you are doing. Some people need to only create a quick 2d sketch and export to dxf/dwg.

 

In this case, why on earth would you pay more to upgrade to something that has a long list of new features you don't need and spend months learning something that in the end, was completely unnecessary?

 

All I'm saying is some guy in a small job shop may have zero need to upgrade to X, let alone Windows XP.

[gcode]

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All I'm saying is some guy in a small job shop may have zero need to upgrade to X, let alone Windows XP.

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True enough.. I got by for 15 years with a pencil

a pad of paper and an HP calculator