Bobcad Users

[gadget47]

Greetings Everyone,

Hope I'm not overstepping any boundries by proposing a bobcad thread.
Ive noticed alot of interest in this software so this could be the active thread for Q/A and file posts/share. I personally have a few designs/drawings and dxf files i dont mind sharing.
I was looking at v-carve pro and bobcad (side by side demo mode prior to my purchases ) and partially because of my friends, the direction i wanted to head for in machining, and also the seemingly endless design abilities i went with Bobcad. I have the latest version v23 pro with Z level, equidistant , HSP machining and bobart pro x. It wasnt cheap to do this but the free software i was using just did not fit the bill (so to speak).
This hobby has challenged and intrigued me from the beginning, and like any good hobby, I always look forward to the next task.

Gadget

[Wolfrr]

Hi Gadget,

I was just going through some old threads to see anything related to cad cam dilemmas, and what you have described in your thread is exactly the same situation that I face now.. I would like to produce 3d work in wood to replicate wood carvings and I have tried so many trial versions of software now that I need to make a decision soon. I think Aspire would be the way to go ahead if I had that sort of money ( well actually if money wasn't an object then artcam pro would be the obvious choice ) but unfortunately this isn't the case and now I hear that bob cad are doing special end of winter deal for bob cad and bob art for around $375 my question would be , are you finding the software easy to manipulate, converting 2d drawings and producing 3d artworks and does this software compare with the other top end range of products available ?, I also thought that the vcarve pro might be a bit restrictive in what i would like to produce, but it could be a stepping stone to upgrade to aspire , still so much to learn about !!

Thanks Andy

[Ignacio]

Gadget,
Great idea. That way I can hope to glean a bit from you guys who have more experience with it. I really enjoy working with Bobcad on the cad side and am now learning it on the cam.

Wolfrr,
You can get a better deal from Bobcad if you push a bit.

[Wolfrr]

Hi Ignacio,

Have you any examples of the design work that you have done that I could look at please.

[Ignacio]

Nothing to brag about. My first project was an simple enclosure with a cavity. I am a rookie with Bobcad.

[Ignacio]

Here is the beginners first drawing on Bobcad.

[Wolfrr]

That looks good,, I am now the proud owner of bob cad and bob cad art, I also got the 12 tutorial videos just in case,,, cant wait till the delivery now.

[gadget47]

Hi all,
congrats on the new ownership of bobcad! lots of stuff to learn in it.

Here is a pic of something i'm working on. I built it in wireframe,skinned it and set it up for z-level rough/finish cam. A few processes are involved, but not too difficult to build. If the proto-types work out, I'll be making them on a regular basis.
p.s. i put this pic in my bobcad album also

Hey Ignacio, is it there yet? hope by the week-end.

Gadget

[Ignacio]

Just opened the mail. It looks perfect!!!
Thanks!

[gadget47]

Great, hope it works as designed. I left the sanding of the corners and bottom for you.

Bob

[Ignacio]

Already being done. Thanks for the huge favor.
BTW- Got the bobart running today. WOW!!!!!!
I tinkered with a coat of arms and it looks awesome. I can't wait to actually strt chipping someday.

[gadget47]

Hi All,
I recently obtained camtasia, a voice over program showing all of your actions on any program. if i can help in an area of bobcad I will make a tutorial of that solution for you (its worth a try anyway) Or possibly a Rockcliff mach3 setup in video format? the possibilities are there.

Gadget

[gadget47]

So,
any word from you bobcad users? I'm slow but steady using v23, and I've added to my abilities. I've also encountered some problems that have-not been addressed (fixed) by bobcad. If anyone is having problems embossing from an image or experiencing LONG CALCULATING times for tool paths, you have those issues too. Basically my answer - from Burrman of bobcad- was get a new computer and possibly easier to use software! How is that for tech help and professional advice?!! I also e-mailed Chris of bobcad- and although he was helpfull with some of his advice, he dropped the ball too. I don't know if its because i do not have a tech support account-if its for that reason-shame on them for not standing behind their product and trying to prove they are a superior company. If they are trying to entice customers to purchase tech support-well, I'll pass for now

Gadget

[Wolfrr]

Hi Gadget,

Yes I agree with you about the calculating times for bob cad, ialso have had a similar problem almost to the extent of wondering whether the program has crashed while calculating, I have not yet tried to emboss an image and work out the toolpaths yet and am not looking forward to using this feature. But on the plus side the vcarving and 2 dimensional cutting has worked a treat so I don't think I will be too dispondent as yet .. Cheers andy

[gadget47]

Hi Andy,
don't get me wrong, there are a great number of features in this software and it is very flexable w/v-carve and 2d. I'm one for always saying this"DONT CHANGE THE RECIPE" I removed bbcd and re-installed it up to version 1465, after that the program stars to act a bit strange (I'm not getting new computers yet).
Havn't lost the faith,

Gadget

[gadget47]

Hey Andy,
if you didn't know , you can speed up the process a bit by iincreasing your computers pagefile size- set it to the same size as your memory size. An
Embossed photo toolpath seems to take the longest time to calculate (I've waited in excess of 3-5 min to process some lithopanes-no bigger than 6"x4" )- dxf and vector embossing/toolpath are fairly quick though.

Gadget

[gadget47]

Hi all,
for those of you (like myself) who were experiencing toolpath/g-code problems (along with video rendering errors) the problems are corrected with this latest update #1812 for V23. So far (2 days of cad/cam work) the toolpaths generating has been fairly quick, no system crashes, and my cutting simulator is fixed (only renders one tool instead of a trail of tools). I guess that bobcad has new programmers on board, and they decided to actually listen to customer problems and try to fix them. I'm still not signing up for support though.
I have a ton of things to do over the next month, so I'm sure I'll be going through the software (to my limited abilities) and discovering things.

Oh yes, when generating a toolpath (now) if you make a mistake in how you select operations, you get a notice and not a system crash- this is a good thing (considering i spent alot of time crashing the system!)
I made a few camtasia videos on some bobcad tasks, but i'm not sure how to post them in here if anyone wants to see them- i can put them in youtube (i think)

Gadget

[kendallickes]

Hey guys, hey gadget47, i bought bobcad v23 a while back, i didnt want that one bc i'm very farmiliar with autocad for my cad stuff but i got a good deal on the whole bobcad/cam package. I know you have been using it for a while. i dont know where to start :P i might bug you with a question here an there if you dont mind.

[kendallickes]

I have been trying to make gcode in bobcad. when i try to post a code nothing comes up, i have made my toolpaths and it seams easy enough. i think something is not set up such as the cnc machine or something. other programs were easy to use but this is what i got any idea what i need to do?

[gadget47]

Hey Kendall,
I'll try to help- one of the first things you have to do is setup the post prossesor (probably mach3- im guessing) This will be an edit option in the cam menue tree. if you dont see a toolpath being generated for your drawing- then the tool or the parameters wont work in the selected geometry. If you need visual help I can do a quick camtasia video on making the part/toolpath.
I can also take your bbcd file and set it up for you to see.

Bob

[kendallickes]

i have been working on the issue, it does have something to do with post processors. i set it to use mach3 and it worked a bit, however he scale is off just a bit. are there settings i can adjust in the post processor or is my problem likely something else? thanks :P

[gadget47]

Hi Kendall,
I'm not sure i understand the scale issue- is the drawing / tool path scale off ( in bobcad), or is it within mach 3 when you load the g-code

Bob

[gadget47]

there are a few setting in the cam/milling tool/current settings/ posting to check- make sure post settings is selected (not absolute or incremental) as this will allow you to scale the drawing from within mach3 (at the dro's)

[gadget47]

I've also selected the wrong tool diameter for the job, this will change the part toolpath (i do this on purpose to compensate for minor corrections in the part "fit"- too lazy to re-draw part with more tolerences in it.) Look in the lower right corner of bobcad window and it should read "mm" or "inch" for the drawing you are making. this could affect the scale also

[kendallickes]

i found my scale problem, for some reason my z axis has become really sloppy, i dont know how i didnt notice before, it was cutting fine. so i gotta fix that. i still find it difficult to make tool paths in bobcad, and the cad part is the hardest for me, i find it frustrating because i can draw so easily in Autocad but not in bobcad, o well i'll learn i guess.

thanks :P

[gadget47]

Hey Kendall,
I understand how you feel. i crashed bbcd many times just learning how to draw simple geometry (still) Autocad etc.. have the same logical progression towards construction, you just have to concentrate in a few tasks at a time, not the whole project I'm currently teaching myself KeyCreator 7.5, and am just now (after a few months) able to create what i want within a reasonable timeframe.
The machine process in bobcad is (compared to say keycreator) simple and progressive; what to do next in the toolpath is laid out for you in a sequential order-this helps alot. One big thing you can do is to hide almost all of the task icons and use the pulldown menue(s)their layout is simple-- to-- complex in their order and hiding the icon will force you to -work on what you want to do and find the button -vs. finding the button and seeing what it does. There is also -always- an easier way to create, just stick with what is working and then (after you feel comfortable) try to find a better way.

A good friend of mine gave me a project to do in bobcad, and it helped -A LOT- to learn how to draw in 2d/3d and set up toolpaths. I'll put together a video of this for you along with the bobcad file of the drawing. Work it similar to the way i show you (as was given to me) and you will be real happy with the results and understanding of bobcad logic. give me a few days, i promise it will be worth you doing.

Bob

[gadget47]

Hey Kendall,
ok, i have the bobcad file for you to work from (or anyone else interested) and i started making the videos. I completed about 40-60 min of instruction for this excercise but I'm not done. Please don't take offense to some of the beginning actions or narration, as we all have to start somwhere . I broke the tasks down to 30-40 min sections because there is alot of material to cover, and also because the training videos don't really take the extra time to explain some (most ) things. I can break the vids down to 15 min each, but that seems to be counter intuitive to how I work (nothing takes me less than 15-25 min to do in bobcad start to finish) Anyhow....
this series goes from dimensions to finished g-code ready to cut in 2d, then we convert to 3d and do the toolpaths/g-code in 3d. I learned a bit of info when i first did this excercise, and re-learned some things again this time around.
I'm not sure how to go about posting the videos in this forum, some help would be good, or i could always send the files to whoever wanted them via drop box (on the web). Let me know...

Bob

[gadget47]

this is the bobcad file and the training videos. They run in windows media player and you can start/stop/rewind at any point. these files load when you click on them, or you can save them to your pc

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352103/BobC...n%20wheel.bbcd
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352103/bobc...on%20wheel.avi
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352103/bobc...%20wheel-2.avi
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352103/bobc...%20wheel-4.avi

[kendallickes]

thanks a bunch i'm going to get on this over the weekend :P !!!

[gadget47]

Hey Kendall,
I found one of the original training vids from my friend, Ill load that to the drop box too. this one deals with making a 3d object from a drawing , and making a drawing from a 3d object, with good stuff in between. just make sure you download the bbcd file along with the video.

bob

[gadget47]

Hi all, I havent heard from anybody about bbcd help or otherwise, so I'll be brief this time around. I'm running bbcd v23 pro w/hsp, zrough/finish and eqidistant offset w/latest update 1812 and things are still runing smoothly. I ran into a few issues w/v-carve toolpath problems, but I have the work-arounds if anybody needs them. I also have preditor editor backplot-which opened the doors to a whole new set of problems/fixes /work-arounds.
I also purchased the lathe module in anticipation of obtaining a cnc lathe. I now have the lathe but I have to purchase the software to run it (it doesnt use mach 3 lathe) Soon enough I'll have the software and I'm sure I'll be in it deep!
The lathe was a gift from a dear friend (and top shelf tool/die maker-master machinist) I just had to go halfway accross the country to get it I always seem to have these adventures- anyway , its a Rhino st/6 cnc lathe, still made and sold today.

So, I'm messing around w/bbcd lathe module and making g-code for things to do on the new lathe -after I learn how to turn it on
I'll keep posting...

gadget

[gadget47]

Hi all, just decided to share some info. I have been using bobartpro to make lithophane artwork, and recently started making lithophanes on my 4th axis, along with engravings and spiral designs. To do this in bobart I set the stock type in the cam tree to cylindrical w/the appropriate dimensions first, then setup the embossment within those parameters. just before completion i set an adittional border for the cutpath. ( I can make a quick video of the process if anybody needs the info) This allows me to make a wrap of the g-code - y axis code gets turned into A axis. the sim feature doesnt show this but the backplot in predator editor (if you have the upgrade ) does. Mach 3 (i use) has to have the a-axis features turned on in order to view and cut in 4 axis modes.

Bob

[gadget47]

Hi All,
hopefully no-one is tired of me adding my 2 cents to different subjects. My view is that it might help someone as it did me.
anyhow,Ive been playing with holding the work to the table in different ways, and up until recently, was not able to use holding tabs in the software (for part holding) unless it was in the nesting feature of bobcad. this was a big pain because this feature (nesting) is really designed for multiple parts, not one, and setting it for one caused other problems (at least this is how it went for me!)
My partner in crime with ArrZee custom asked me-"why dont you cut the tabs out (incorperate them) in the final cut?" Why not? so now i do.
in order to make the profile to accept this patern of cut , you have to break a section of the profile and not select it during the final cut pass.This procedure is simple but easier to explain in a quick video, so if anyone is interested i'll post it to this forum and my youtube account-3sectionmonk.
regards
gadget

[gadget47]

Hi all,
I recently started playing with designs for the lathe and decided to learn the revolve features of bobcad-cam. What is nice about this feature ( other programs have it as well) is any profile design can be revolved around any axis up to 360'-perfect for lathe work. If you have a lathe g-code program (mine is in Bobcad) you can make the rough,finish cuts and look at a simulation to see how it really happens. I've found this very useful because sometimes the work gets ruined due to the tool comes in the wrong way (manually we just reposition the toolpost and tool)At least this way the scrap pile doesn't grow (fast)
On this same feature, I'm also changing the UCS orientation and building swept surfaces (handles, spouts, fixtures) and adding them to complete the design. Bobcad has some good videos of these proceedures on youtbe (subscribe if you havn't already) and check them out.
regards
gadget