[magicniner]

Internal grooving and back boring for the lathe module?

[aldepoalo]

In V25 we could have this on our screen.
V26 it don't

That screen shot is from v26. So you still have this option.... If you need help changing your simulation screen layout give me a call...

[SBC Cycle]

I'd take a look at BobCAM V4 for an idea of what is coming for BobCAD V27.

[Kencor1]

I would like to have the tool path output order be able to use the order the geometry was selected.

[jrmach]

I would like to have the tool path output order be able to use the order the geometry was selected.

Start a new thread on this,there are several ways to post the in the order you need/want.

[Kingjamez]

I'd like to see the mouse controls in the cad-cam GUI match the controls in CutSim. Or at least be able to change the mouse button behavior in the cad-cam GUI.

I wish that you could perform actions after selecting items without having to click "Ok".

Independent skin tolerances per axis for roughing operations would be nice.

Advanced 3D finishing with a maximum cut width would save a lot of time.

-Jim

[jrmach]

"I wish that you could perform actions after selecting items without having to click "Ok".


As it is now you either have to r/click ok or you can hit the space bar,,in case you did not know

"Advanced 3D finishing with a maximum cut width"

Not sure I understand what you mean by "maximum cut width" ?

[Kingjamez]

"I wish that you could perform actions after selecting items without having to click "Ok".


As it is now you either have to r/click ok or you can hit the space bar,,in case you did not know

"Advanced 3D finishing with a maximum cut width"

Not sure I understand what you mean by "maximum cut width" ?

With the whole "ok" thing, it's really just a nit-pick. I still think it's mostly an un-needed step. I think the action you want to do should work on what you've highlighted without having to click ok (or hit spacebar,r/click,etc.) Things like geometry selection would have to change so that the window doesn't go away when you are choosing what to cut.

I should have worded "maximum cut width" differently. I meant to say a maximum tool engagement angle in 3D finishing techniques. I find myself working in hard materials very often, things like titanium and inconel. I wish that I could tell a 3D tool path to never take a cut that is more than 10% of the tool diameter while still maintaining constant step down's like in equidistant or z-level finishing.

-Jim

[mmoe]

I'd like to see acceleration and decceleration variables in the machine definition for simulation. Additionally, it would be great if there was a way to specify a time allotment for start and end sequences, plus each tool change. Ideally, these would be used to calculate a much more accurate run time. The simulation assumes instant achievement of full programmed speeds while a machine with a 1500lb head obviously takes some time to go from 0 to 200ipm or 400ipm, so depending on how many changes of direction the toolpath takes, the simulation run time estimate can be anywhere from 10% off to 50% off. More often than not, I find that I need to roughly double the run time estimate to equate to real life machine times. IMHO, this would be one of the biggest useful features that could be added since it should be able to facilitate much better quotes to customers. As it is currently, I always feel I have to quote based on a doubled run time, and then refund any unused machine time if I'm off in order to prevent giving my clients a quote that is too low. I would love for the simulation to be able to produce a run time that is within 5% of the actual run time every time.

Other than that, I'd like to see an additional level for the 3 Axis package above Mill Pro, where all of the strategies of 4/5 axis are available in a locked 3 axis. I don't need the 4/5 axis capabilities, but there are toolpath strategies I could use in the 4/5 axis package if I understand them correctly, such as machining between two curves, parallel to curves, etc.. Paying for the full 4/5 axis package and then using it as a 3 axis package just doesn't make sense in my opinion, so another level of 3 axis Pro with those toolpath options would be great.

[jrmach]

Other than that, I'd like to see an additional level for the 3 Axis package above Mill Pro, where all of the strategies of 4/5 axis are available in a locked 3 axis. I don't need the 4/5 axis capabilities, but there are toolpath strategies I could use in the 4/5 axis package if I understand them correctly, such as machining between two curves, parallel to curves, etc.. Paying for the full 4/5 axis package and then using it as a 3 axis package just doesn't make sense in my opinion, so another level of 3 axis Pro with those toolpath options would be great.



Who was it,?SBC I believe said "look to V4 for hints of what may be in V27.Exciting times coming it looks to be.Just hope I can afford all this,lol

[Big Chips]

V4 is a indicator of some things to come...but there is more....

[jrmach]

Spill the Beans,,Mr. Chip's

[Big Chips]

oh no...not me... lol

[eman5oh]

I would love to have it work with the line of 3dconnexion 3d mice.

[RAF.]

Would be nice to be able to copy and paste ---- Measure Entity Value

[ShortTrack]

Thanks for asking, Al...
I have V25, and haven't had time to look at V26, so this might have already been addressed. I would like to see a 4th axis rotary tool path designed to rough layers ID'd from stock in toward part as opposed to part out towards stock. I understand the merits of index, mill, and repeat

S-Track

[The Engine Guy]

Biggest thing that is needed is the reduction of the enormous amount of computer resources required to run BobCAD, it is way past other other much more complexCadCAM softwares ! !

Crazy really, I can run other CadCAM softwares on an old IBM T60 with just a Dual core 2 x 2Ghz, 2Gb RAM and just 32Mb of onboard graphics and compute the same/similar tool paths in a fraction of the time.

The way BC is going we will need the resources of Pixar to do any 3D work, the worst "offender" is probably the "Advanced Rough" strategy, I am having to do Mold work in small "slices" because the files are too large and takes too long to compute, I did one a couple of weeks ago that I left computing the toolpath at 5.30pm, was away on another job till 11.0am the following day and it had done about 30%, the file ended up at 780Mb over 3 days, it is virtually impossible to do a decent size 3D job with all the features in it so it can be done in one operation on the machine as we should be able to do it, too much time is being lost getting the toolpaths done ! ! !

The PC has :-

Win 7 Pro OS
i7 Quad core 3.4Ghz Processor running as 8 logical cores
16 Gb RAM
nVidia Quadro K4000 Graphics with 2Gb on board memory
Top quality 256 Gb Solid State Hard Drive.

On any other program loaded on this machine it "flies", on BobCAD it crawls.

So that is what I would ask for way above and beyond any minor enhancements, pointless being able to get a real good deal on the software when thousands have then to be spent on the hardware to run it, might as well have gone and paid for the expensive software and run a cheap laptop ! ! !

We are in fact going to have the PC completely "flattened" so there will nothing but BobCAD and some printer software on the PC and this will hopefully speed it up a bit, the specification level of the PC should be plenty good enough but it is struggling.

Make it run easier ! ! ! There are a lot of users having regular "crashes" on a lot less complex stuff than I am doing, so come on BC ease off on the resource requirements or you are going to lose an awful lot of your smaller customers, they are the folks that have kept Bobcad alive for a lot of years.

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

[BurrMan]

Have you tried setting the machining tolerances down from the defaults? Or do you have machines and jobs that really do create .0001 or .0005 curved surfaces?

Try setting the ops to .001.........

[Big Chips]

bobcad runs smooth on all my puters...sumthing must be up in the UK....

[mmoe]

bobcad runs smooth on all my puters...sumthing must be up in the UK....

Same here, though I use only 3 axis Mill Pro, so perhaps that's a difference. I run toolpaths with tolerances set to .01mm (.0005"), and have no problems with computing time. The only thing I've noticed with V26 vs. earlier versions is that it takes longer to start up and longer to close than before. Not sure why that has changed, but it is noticeably longer. Since I leave it open for long periods of time (days more often than not), this hasn't been a terrible inconvenience. Once open, V26 has been stable and solid, and similar in speed to V24 and V25 given similar parts and similar toolpath settings. I often open and close up to 10 or 15 different jobs over several days before I actually close the application itself, but rarely have any issues with stability.

I don't use Bobcad to draw anything, so if that's where you are experiencing slow performance, I can't really comment on that. I import IGES or SAT files from Viacad Pro or Bonzai 3d, and produce 3 axis toolpaths from there. Some of the jobs I run toolpaths on are way beyond what most people would consider complex geometry, and most are at least moderately complex (just produced a set of 3d aluminum heat press fixtures for dye sublimation label application of injected molded plastic parts, for example). It's very rare that I have to wait more than a couple minutes for all toolpaths of a job to calculate, which typically include Advanced Roughing, 2d Profiling , Equidistant Offset or Slice Planar, and drilling procedures at minimum. I have been very pleased with V26 in terms of speed and performance, other than the initial start up time when opening the application.

I would welcome the addition of multi-core processing for those toolpath strategies that still don't use it, particularly slice planar. That's about the only way my jobs would get any faster.