[WallyL7]

I guess since I've always been a maintenance customer, I wasn't aware that they would allow non-maintenance customers to wallow in a version that wasn't stable, or had inherently weird anomalies.

I would like to voice my concern about that also. There should be some serious effort in getting non-maintenance customers a patch or whatever for each version so they can at least enjoy the version they paid for to its fullest extent.

And I'm like you, cadcam. There hasn't been a part I couldn't get good code for yet...

[foxsquirrel]

If they would do something like that it should only be for users that actually have a license. They did lose my future business, actually the first thing that got me cranked up and prompted the dropping of maintanance was the our Rep's technician that never did get our posts correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If my machines would have ran properly, more than likely we would have continued with maintanance and would not be stuck MasterCrap X3/zero update. Then to make matters worse the post is not easy to modify by lay people, its obvious since the Rep we paid $17,000 to could not get it correct.

So, if you look at the chain of events, it was MC's greed policy that kept the "post modifications" a secret art only to be known by the chosen few. My company makes parts, thats why we spent the big bucks on software, do you think I have time to spend screwing around tweaking a post, tracking down variables and contextual switches. They like to keep it complicated and arcane so your only choice for help is to call the Rep(only if you are on maint.)


Early on I said the Haas post works fine, well, I lied. It does not output the G154 P1-P what ever fixture offsets, this is a Haas post that came with MC, yes, I am upset..........

[TheBigJW]

Smart move on their part, they are going to have an extremely hard time competing because the other players are hitting them with price point. Competitors know MC has problems with both knees so they are going to hit higher and harder using price point. SolidCam is running their complete 3D package at $5995, I believe MC quoted around $20k for their plug in version. X5 might be their last version sold using the current distribution model, if you read alot of complaining on here and other forums their only option will be to regroup and retain market share with price point.

Here in Canada it's even worse.
I was just quoted 7000.00 for a 2D mill add on for Solidworks. Thats not including a seat of Solidworks. Thats just to add mastercrap on top.

So I can buy a full seat of Solidworks and add Solidcam Express for less than the Mastercam add on. It's a no brainer. And Solidcam express has some 3D tools included.

It's way out of wack.

It may be a little different in the US because our dealer is robbing us on the exchange. Thats why Canadian mastercam uses should be asking to switch to a US dealer. Way cheaper.

John

[WallyL7]

Yeah - it is a little odd that you can't just go to a different dealer and deal with them if you aren't happy with your current dealer. I guess my hope here is they monitor this and see their sales slipping and step up. What they do with this information will tell us what type of company they are.

As far as Fox' issue with the G154...I'd bet that the guys at emastercam would have a solution for that. I've seen those guys help hundreds of people out - myself included - regarding custom tweaking of posts. I've said it before...those guys are like lions to the slaughter when someone has posts issues. They eat drink and breath that stuff.

I just got done updating my post to a new mpmaster one for my haas and needed a little final touch and they had me finished and running in a half a day.

[Jaxbubba]

Been using MasterCam since 1986. I now use X3 where I work at and it does
everything I ask it to do. 3-5 axis milling. Most of the problems are with the Reseller. Ver X was a major transition from Ver 9. Menu Driven to Icon Driven.
Takes awhile to adjust. Great software when you actually sit down and use it everyday. My Company keeps trying to make me go to NX6 or Catia Ver5 R 19,Those Two are basically Design Program's that added machining capacity to the Software. MasterCam was developed as a machining program that should have specialized with the Machining End and not tried to compete against UG and Catia. When I had the Post Issues with Ver 9, I didn't try to go into the Variables or switches to make the Post output what I wanted. I just added a "HARD" output line in the post that said the code I wanted the program to Post. Just an Old Timer's View.

[foxsquirrel]

Yeah - it is a little odd that you can't just go to a different dealer and deal with them if you aren't happy with your current dealer. I guess my hope here is they monitor this and see their sales slipping and step up. What they do with this information will tell us what type of company they are.

As far as Fox' issue with the G154...I'd bet that the guys at emastercam would have a solution for that. I've seen those guys help hundreds of people out - myself included - regarding custom tweaking of posts. I've said it before...those guys are like lions to the slaughter when someone has posts issues. They eat drink and breath that stuff.

I just got done updating my post to a new mpmaster one for my haas and needed a little final touch and they had me finished and running in a half a day.

What tweaks did your Haas post need? I'll look into the emcam site sometime.

[WallyL7]

Fox,

Like most of us, we have a way that we like to see things in a program,...either for simplicity or clarity, there are things that we may or may not want posted.


The most important thing in the mpmaster that I needed fixed was the output of a M6 at the end of a tool, instead of the M5 then G28G91Z0 then the M1.



The haas, like most machines that I am familiar with, only needs the M6 macro to change the tool...the Haas is nice in that it stops the spindle while sending -Z- to home, instead of the M5 sitting there while the spindle stops, then sending the -Z- home to change the tool. So, the end of a tool simply has a G0M9 line and a M6 line. Simple, doesn't take up any extra memory, and does what I need to. I always start with a T?M6 at the beginning of a tool, so this is just a redundant M6 at the end of a tool.

So, pretty much all the typical ending blocks I new how to customize as well as the beginning stuff, but to get it to put the M6 (tool is already staged) at the end of each tool...but not at the end of the program, since I don't want it to change there, was where I was a bit lost.

Once again, my hat is off to the guys at emastercam. They had me up and running in no time.

I looked at using the Haas post they give you but I like the Mpmaster layout better. It was closest to what I wanted in the end. All in all, it doesn't need much effort to get a really clean program...