SolidWorks CAM

[gcode]

Solidworks announced the introduction off 2.5D milling and turning modules to SolidWorks 

It is currently in beta

 

Autodesk Fusion must have them worried

 

http://forum.mastercam.com/Topic18381.aspx

 

 

[Mick]

Solidworks announced the introduction off 2.5D milling and turning modules to SolidWorks 

It is currently in beta

 

Autodesk Fusion must have them worried

 

http://forum.mastercam.com/Topic18381.aspx

 

Is there much information out there about it? I couldn't find anything.

[gcode]

I couldn't either

I think it was just announced yesterday or this morning at SolidWorks World

[Mick]

I couldn't either

I think it was just announced yesterday or this morning at SolidWorks World

 

The Autodesk guys were chuffed about being able to supply free HSMExpress to Solidworks users. It will be interesting to see where all this leads

 

Being that HSMWorks isn't a gold partner, that puts them on a lower tier.

[Sticky]

I'd like to learn more. It sounds like a good play for solidworks.

[gcode]

I'd like to learn more. It sounds like a good play for solidworks.

I doubt it will be as robust as MCfSW

Dassault has treated SW like the black sheep of the family since they bought it out

Autodesk saw an opening and has been flooding high schools and colleges with Autodesk Fusion.

I routinely get emails offering a 2 year subscription of Fusion for $80.

I haven't bit, but it would be a bargain for someone starting up a small machine shop.

As the next generation of engineers gets trained up on Fusion, SW is feeling the pain

and they are showing up very late to the party.

Had they produced a CAM module for SW when they bought it out, Autodesk would be playing catchup

Instead, SW is the one who is behind.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

One thing is certain though, if it's a for purchase add-on, I won't be buying.

We've already got MCfSW

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Kids these days are learning to do all their work in the cloud.  My son does his schoolwork on Google Docs.  I'm sure many of them won't have any idea how to keep files secure.

[gcode]

Once someone needs to move up from Fusion, the next step up is various modules of HSMWorks

I've got to say, I was shocked at how expensive it is though

Prices are way up since Autodesk bought them out

[Mick]

Once someone needs to move up from Fusion, the next step up is various modules of HSMWorks

I've got to say, I was shocked at how expensive it is though

Prices are way up since Autodesk bought them out

 

Autodesk are really thumping the Cloud drum. It sure isn't for me.

 

I wasn't aware of HSMWorks pricing before Autodesk took it over, but I know there is a lot of resistance to the subscription type license.

[Jayson Kramer]

I am going tomorrow to SW World will be looking at this new Beta and what it can do.

It is funny about the HSMWorks for SW before they bought from Cimco it was a gold Partner but after Autodesk bought it they were shunned by SW. As I know I do not thing they are gold partners still.
I remember working at an Autodesk both showing HSMWorks and Inventer HSM and we were right next to SW they would not send anyone over to us.

[Mick]

I am going tomorrow to SW World will be looking at this new Beta and what it can do.

 

It is funny about the HSMWorks for SW before they bought from Cimco it was a gold Partner but after Autodesk bought it they were shunned by SW. As I know I do not thing they are gold partners still.

I remember working at an Autodesk both showing HSMWorks and Inventer HSM and we were right next to SW they would not send anyone over to us.

 

It will be interesting to hear about what it can do

 

I remember when the Gold Partner status was removed for HSMWorks. Autodesk were "wtf?"... Still, Autodesk would probably do the same.

[Newbeeee™]

 

Prices are way up since Autodesk bought them out

They gotta get their money back...

[jlw™]

That subscription service is crap. I hate it no matter what it is. IMO cell phones started that crap. Of course we all had land lines, cable and other utilities but cell phones are a paid convenience and then you have all the apps that are pay to play and people eat them up. I will use 20 year old software before I commit to a subscriprion service. Subscription services can suck it. It's a racket like insurance. Thanks guys, I now think of insurance as a subscription service.

[#Rekd™]

Wonder if they will use some of their own tool paths or licence them like Mastercam does.

[gcode]

found some info on it

 

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/cam-packages.htm

 

I've been a SW beta tester for a decade and the link has a "Sign up for beta" option

I'm surprised they didn't contact existing beta sites about this.

 

Typical SW customer service... I heard about their new product from Mastercam  

 

and the "sign up for beta" link does not work

 

I am either unauthorized or the web page is still under construction

 

The buzz words on this page sound a lot like CamWorks.. it will be interesting to see

 

what they do

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

When SW introduced the "CAM" addon yesterday morning at SW World, they used the phrase "powered by CAMWorks".

There has not been as much buzz about it here as we might have expected, but we've had quite a few interesting conversations with people about it.

 

No changes are seen in the immediate future for MCforSW's status as a Gold Partner product.

[gcode]

Thanks for the update.. 

that definitely doesn't sound like serious completion for MCfSW

[gcode]

There has not been as much buzz about it here as we might have expected, but we've had quite a few interesting conversations with people about it.

 

I think CamWorks was the very first CAM add-on for SolidWorks.

I went to a tech demo for it in 1999 at Machining Time Savers in Anaheim.

The person putting on the demo currently works for my local Mastercam dealer

I have no seat time with it, and given it's head start as a SW CAM add-on,, it's market share

speaks volumes about it's capabilities

[htm01]

camworks lied about their products capabilities, told us we could program molds with one click, co bought it back in 07.

never got a good program out of it. they would say the feature we needed would be out in the next version, then the next, or the next

[gcode]

camworks lied about their products capabilities, told us we could program molds with one click, co bought it back in 07.

never got a good program out of it. they would say the feature we needed would be out in the next version, then the next, or the next

Camworks was started by TekSoft

TekSoft was a decent cam package.

I owned a copy in the mid 90's and it did all I required of it.

In 97' they started contracting their code from India and ProCad 97 was an unusable crashfest

which lead me to switch to Mastercam.

At some point Procad and Camworks was purchased by the Indian developers

[htm01]

there is a lot more to feature based programs than they let on, even the way the model was created could matter, in the beginning couldn't tell the difference between a 1/4 drilled reamed or tapped hole,

2 holes that intersected became 4 holes, but they showed the owner a demo at a show that could program a part with one click.

another problem was we didn't get solid models from any of our customers

[mkd]

CEO Bass is stepping down from Autodesk.

Carl Bass’s personal analysis of his 11 years as Autodesk CEO
In a personal letter on the Autodesk blog, Carl Bass reflects on the big changes from his decade-plus in charge of the company, including the push into cloud services and the move to all-subscription licensing.

 

I'm sure neewbee is glad to see him go.

[Guest]

There’s also one nice joke. Rather than using the classic formula ‘leaving to spend more time with his family’, Bass comments: “I am not leaving to spend more time with my family — that presumes my family wants to spend more time with me. I will, however, be spending more time in my shop with my robots.”

 

I can attest to this. He has his own personal machine shop (not the one at SF Pier 9) but one at this house. He once came to a meeting right after cleaning out the tank on his water jet... (anyone that has done that knows it's not a particularly clean endeavor) in rubber boots and still covered in abrasive.

 

I've met him. Probably one of the most unasuming guys you could ever meet. Nice guy. Loves manufacturing tech. Definitely an advocate for our industry and for getting the next generation involved in designing and making stuff.

[: Chip :]

I'm interested