favorite brand of video car + alternative to verify

[herbert west]

#1 We need to swap out our video cards on our computers and I was wondering what brand to spec out to the boss. We currently run: Win 98 v2, P4 1000mhz, 384 meg ram, Mastercam V9sp1,(level 3 with solids and Nethasp) and a Revolution #9 Hawkeye 4 video card. This card locks up when verifying and prevents the mouse pointer from moving to the far right of the screen. Also all the computer's icons shift position to the left. so far the only way out is to reboot. On average 77% of system resources are available when this occurs.

 

#2 We also need a faster way to verify our toolpaths then the standard MC methods;(standard, true solid, turbo, etc.) We were thinking of checking out Vericut. Any opinions?

 

Thanks!!

[gcode]

Video cards: NVIDIA Quadro is first choice

NVIDIA GeForce 4 Ti is second choice

 

I use Predator to verify my toolpaths. It can be launched from Mastercam like MC verify or you can

proccess your gcode. In either case it is much faster than MC verify, though its graphics aren't as good. Its not as good as Vericut, but is much cheaper.

[herbert west]

Thanks Gcode!!

[Guest]

Love my NVIDIA Quadro4 980 XGL. The Quadro FX boards are faster, but cost 2 or 3 times more. The 980 was not exactly cheap as it was. After an ATI disaster it was well worth it.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

First, dump Windows 98 and get Win2k Pro or Windows XP Pro. Win9x doesn't even utilize the extra 128MB RAM you have over 256MB. The OS in and of itself is unstable and not suited for industrial/mission critical applications.

 

Second, the Video Card, NVIDIA chipsets are quite good (except for the lower end MX series) and stable. Matrox makes a nice card as well (the G450 is what I use and I heartily reccommend it.

 

Third, you may want to look at Meta Cut View to verify your G-Code. It has a TON of features and is VERY reasonably priced. You can check them out here; Metacut's Website

 

HTH

[Guest]

Hi James,

Absolutely agree. He could also have the NTFS file system then.

I was glad to see you recommending Matrox. I contacted both Matrox and MC tech support and did not get a positive comment from either as to Mastercam compatability. I was a little dissapointed and since I had already lost a lot of time because of a poor graphics card choice, I played it safe. However, there will be a next time.

[herbert west]

Thanks for the help guys!. If I had my way where I work anything having to do with win98, nt, xp, 2000 etc... would be replaced with linux.

[Anthony CIMCO]

Two cents on verification solutions...

 

MetaCut Utilities is a product you should take a look at if what you are doing is 2 1/2-axis and 3-axis tool paths. MetaCut Utilities (formerly MetaCut View, with some more functionality) is a very popular product with Mastercam users for a reason; it is a great product for what it does. Northwood Designs, the vendor, works with CNC Software on various projects and the owners are really dedicated to the Mastercam community. Metacut Utilities also offers some nice productivity features when run alongside or inside Mastercam. Click here to check it out: www.emastercam.com/tools/mcu/index.html

 

If you are looking for Mold & Die solution and are working with large files (30+ MB) two solutions you should look at are CIMCO Powercut and the VERICUT Mold & Die package. (What's the difference?)

 

CIMCO Powercut is a product designed exclusively for visualization of large 3-axis mold/die programs. It is fast and inexpensive ($1000 - $2000 depending on whether you want straight ISO/3D G-Code or ISO/3D G-Code and Mastercam NCI support). If you are looking for verification, syntax checking, virtual measurement, etc... this isn't the product. But, if all you need is rapid visualization of large 3-axis mold & die files, this product is a great investment. For info click here: www.cimco-integration.com

 

VERICUT Mold & Die is a package of VERICUT specifically tailored for the Mold & Die industry and is a complete verification, analysis, and optimization tool for 3-axis milling, drilling, and wire EDM programs. You can also purchase add-ons for Model Export, Auto-Diff, EDM Die Sinking (very cool add-on), and multi-axis for simulation, verification, and analysis of four and five axis milling, drilling, turning, and mill/turn ops. I believe VERICUT Mold & Die starts at $5000 and is worth every penny.

 

VERICUT - Now, for all around and complete simulation, verification, analysis, and optimization of your 2-axis turning to full 5+axis milling and mill/turn programs (and incredible machine simulation) there is only one product that stands on top - VERICUT from CGTEch. In addition to all the power and functionality their VERICUT-to-Mastercam interface is great. These guys have been around for years (since 1988) and are a first class organization. Check out all their info by clicking here: www.vericut.com

 

 

There are a number of other products on the market and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of what you evaluate you need to make sure that you put each product through its paces, with your programs, for your CNCs. Do all the features work accurately? Is the verification you are seeing really valid? When you need support (and everyone does) how many people are there to support you? Never let price be the determining factor in what you choose. With verification, you definitely get what you pay for.

 

Good luck, and let everyone know what you find.

 

[ 03-01-2003, 12:29 AM: Message edited by: Anthony Graves ]

[Rick Damiani]

quote:

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Thanks for the help guys!. If I had my way where I work anything having to do with win98, nt, xp, 2000 etc... would be replaced with linux.

---

Win2K is way more stable and reliable than Win98 is. So much so that the two operating systems have very little in common.

[cadcam]

herbert west Just a thought as you can see me and Gcode and there are others that use Predator Varify to view Gcode.

 

At any time you can contact me and I will set you up with a 30day trial of the Varifacation software.

 

Thanks Jay