What do you use to design things and get cutting lists?

AstroTurf

AstroTurf

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I currently just use a mix of artcam/corel/eurocut.

Although they work I would like to know if anyone has found something that works better for designing things like cabinets, boxes, stands, shelves etc and then being able to get eps's or dxf's out of the design for cutting?

Want to make some more complex things on our laser engraver and would like to be able to design the object then "put it together" and take it apart on the pc before actually cutting up my perspex.
 
You're looking for a nesting tool or delve into the world that's specialist cabinet programs (some spew out optimised Gcode for routers). Search for a CAM tool with nesting, there are many options at many prices.
 
Timber_MG said:
You're looking for a nesting tool or delve into the world that's specialist cabinet programs (some spew out optimised Gcode for routers). Search for a CAM tool with nesting, there are many options at many prices.
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Artcam does nesting (for optimal material use) and I can create and view virtual parts but I can't put them together to form the object I am designing without actually cutting them.

I also looked at some of the cabinet software but cost for DIY projects is to high (what I will mainly be doing with it is for home not work so I can't really justify buying it).
 
AstroTurf said:
I currently just use a mix of artcam/corel/eurocut.

Although they work I would like to know if anyone has found something that works better for designing things like cabinets, boxes, stands, shelves etc and then being able to get eps's or dxf's out of the design for cutting?

Want to make some more complex things on our laser engraver and would like to be able to design the object then "put it together" and take it apart on the pc before actually cutting up my perspex.
Click to expand...

Do you mean nesting? I use to use e-cut with my laser and cnc.

For the full 3d stuff I would recommend Rhino. Its very expensive tho, but its made for engineering so you could easily build and disassemble stuff before creating cutting lists. I'm not sure about the nesting there tho. It also takes imports from corel well using the basic .ai filter.
 
Madman88 said:
Do you mean nesting? I use to use e-cut with my laser and cnc.

For the full 3d stuff I would recommend Rhino. Its very expensive tho, but its made for engineering so you could easily build and disassemble stuff before creating cutting lists. I'm not sure about the nesting there tho. It also takes imports from corel well using the basic .ai filter.
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Artcam pro does nesting.

I'll take a look at rhino, played with it years ago but not recently.

Catia is seriously overkill as are all the things mentioned I actually think.

Artcam is great for "3d" designes for cnc/laser/routers and similar but you can not virtually take all the parts you design and fit them together to make a virtual presentation of your final object (unless the final object only has a front and a back, as in a die or mould).
 
AstroTurf said:
Artcam does nesting (for optimal material use) and I can create and view virtual parts but I can't put them together to form the object I am designing without actually cutting them.

I also looked at some of the cabinet software but cost for DIY projects is to high (what I will mainly be doing with it is for home not work so I can't really justify buying it).
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For diy stuff Rhino is out of the question too. Have you had a look at blender? I have seen plenty of people creating mock ups in blender before manufacture on reddit.

just out of curiosity, what cabinetry would you be doing on the laser? I seem to remember you talking about a co2 laser, are you making the cabinets out of ply? Trupan? The thickest Trupan I could cut nicely with my 100w was 6mm. It cut 12mm but the edges where like charcoal.

Edit: sorry I just saw now you're talking perspex :p. I'm sure you already know, but keep in mind that the thicker the perspex, the more the laser flares the edge. when I made stuff out of even 10mm perspex i found it better to cut on the cnc and polish by hand if there was any assembly to be done. The edge comes out beautifully polished on the laser, but its nowhere near flat or square.
 
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Madman88 said:
For diy stuff Rhino is out of the question too. Have you had a look at blender? I have seen plenty of people creating mock ups in blender before manufacture on reddit.

just out of curiosity, what cabinetry would you be doing on the laser? I seem to remember you talking about a co2 laser, are you making the cabinets out of ply? Trupan? The thickest Trupan I could cut nicely with my 100w was 6mm. It cut 12mm but the edges where like charcoal.
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Plexiglass :) (display cases, cabinets, soft boxes, small tanks for bugs, castle for daughter's dolls including all furniture, things like google cardboard out of plexiglass although i have pretty much already designed that just using plain logic and vectors and so on).

I just want to see the things before I make them out of expensive materials and it would be nice to be able to virtually make all the parts and ut them together/play.

At the moment I make a rough sketch then go and fiddle and play with vectors till I am reasonably sure I have what I want, nest it and cut it then fix whatever I miscalculated (not often but it does happen, there is no strict formula as I am always trying something new).
 
AstroTurf said:
I'll get a solidworks demo from Artcam and play with it :)
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You can download fully functional copies of all Autodesk software from Autodesk as well.
Student copies with a watermark.

Inventor is very simple.
Solidworks is also a good call but I'm not sure you can get a free version, maybe a trial.
 
Electric said:
You can download fully functional copies of all Autodesk software from Autodesk as well.
Student copies with a watermark.

Inventor is very simple.
Solidworks is also a good call but I'm not sure you can get a free version, maybe a trial.
Click to expand...

We have several artcam products (6 or 7 dongles/licences) so easy to get a demo dongle for a month or two.
 
Going to give autocad invent a go and see if that is worth it.
as long as I can export eps/dxf at the end for cutting it's all good.
 
For the price of Inventor you may as well get rhino tbh.
I think the mindset of rhino is closer to CDR than any other 3d package.
 
Been playing with an autocad invent demo.

quite fun, bit of a learning curve but easier than i expected so far.
 
I know people have also used Google Sketch Up to do 3D models and then export cutting lists. I've tried getting used to sketch up but could never get the hang of it, probably because I'm used to professional CAD tools. There are plenty of demos on the net and its all free (I think, not sure about all the plugins).
 
furpile said:
I know people have also used Google Sketch Up to do 3D models and then export cutting lists. I've tried getting used to sketch up but could never get the hang of it, probably because I'm used to professional CAD tools. There are plenty of demos on the net and its all free (I think, not sure about all the plugins).
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I can't get my head around that program either.
Need to try it again though, not touched it in years, was just too quirky.

Duan said:
Also look at Creo from PTC
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Thanks, Will do :)
 
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Just do what I tell you please.
I've been a Mechanical Designer for going on 16 years now.
 
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