Using Part Wizard

[ron_cleaver]

Does anyone have experience with this new software from ShopBot & ArtCam?

My experience with it (only the demo CD so far) is so negative I hestitate to write more.

[frank]

Hi Ron,

Part Wizard is a pretty powerful program for the price. I think you would be hard pressed to find a program that does more in that price range. The Demo CD hit the presses without the manual included, so it might be somewhat difficult to figure everything out. The manual is now available for download from the ducuments section on the website. This should be a big help in getting you up to speed on this software. If you are still having any difficulties figuring this software out, don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email to support.

[sheldon@dingwallguitars.com]

Is there a link to download the Part wizard demo?

I looky but no findy.

[jerry]

Sheldon,

You need to contact Shopbot (Dianne Reynolds) and she will mail you a CD. The program is to big to put on the website for download.

----jerry

[Nancy]

As Frank said, the Part Wizard manual in pdf form is not on the demo version of the software. However, it can be downloaded from the Downloads page on the ShopBot website http://www.shopbottools.com/download.htm (http://www.shopbottools.com/download.htm). Look under documents.

Direct link to it on ftp site is ftp://ftp.shopbottools.com/Documents/PartWizardUserGuide.pdf (ftp://ftp.shopbottools.com/Documents/PartWizardUserGuide.pdf). It may be easier to right-click on this link and select the option of saving the file to your computer. If you just double click on the link, nothing appears to happen until the whole file downloads and Acrobat Reader FINALLY displays the manual. Then you have to remember to save it to your computer at that point.

[ron_cleaver]

The manual is on the CD, but in HTML form. I downloaded the PDF manual and it seems to be identical to the HTML version.

It's not the lack of a manual that I was complaining about. It's the design of the software. (My day job is designing software and managing software development, so I feel qualified to comment on this).

For example, when drawing a rectangle, you first specify the y dimension, then the x dimension. Then, incredibly, you have to specify the "centre" point, first the x coordinate, then the y coordinate, opposite of the order of specifying the dimension. That's absolute nonsense. Why would anyone expect me to specify the center of a box? It requires two unnecessary calculations. To me that's counter-intuitive!

I tried what I thought would be a simple exercise, i.e., cutting a sheet of MDF into 9 equal pieces with tabs. Besides being a frustrating experience (encountering other design anomalies), when I generated the toolpath, it was wrong. I couldn't get a working model.

I'm reluctant to continue trying to use Part Wizard after this.

[dhunt]

I haven't got to Ron's stage of actually making a cut-file, far less controlling a ShopBot with it.
I'm having dificulty just finding my way around the software, which is not at all like I expected.
Something's kinda geeky about the interface: I have no doubt it's capable software, but I find it odd and clunky.

[beacon14]

If you are already fluent in another design/drafting software, it may be much easier to continue using what you are comfortable with and just use Part Wizard for the toolpaths. While it won't do everything, the toopaths I have generated with it have been right on.
As fluent as I am with my CAD program, it's much faster for me to import my finished drawing into Part Wizard, and then create a toolpath.
The one feature I wish it had would be the option to program a roughing cut with a large diameter bit, and a finish cut with a smaller bit, to pick up all the little areas that the large bit can't get into.

[grant@shopbottools.com]

Ron, I appreciate your frustration with Part Wizard. It is true that it is not a traditional format for a CAD / CAM program, and I feel that may be to blame for the misunderstanding. Let me see what I can do to shed light on the situation.

Drawing rectangles: You have a handful of options here, not all of which need to be used. You can either specify height and width or simply drag a rectangle out on the screen. It is possible to specify a center point, but I do not usually. When drawing rectangles it is advantageous to do almost all of the work in the transform tool. My typical process is to open the make box tool, click quickly on the screen twice to draw a rectangle, ignoring for the most part what size I drew and where it is, then I hit "create" and "close" and go to the transform tool. Once in that function, you have the option to click any corner or the center of the object, specify exact width, height, and location in coordinates, as well as move, scale, shear, and rotate the object freely with slider bars. This technique has allowed me to be both quick and accurate.

Rest machining: David, it would be nice to have rest machining in Part Wizard, but I am pretty sure that DelCAM is planning on saving that for ArtCAM Insignia and Pro. You can get it to rest machine to a degree. You can do a profile cut around islands in an area clearance done with a larger bit. You can actually specify machining operations to be performed on the two dimensional view of a toolpath as well. For instance, if you do a profile, then select the 2d representation of that profile cut, you can do a profile of it, effectively letting you offset your toolpath twice, or as many times as is necessary. If there are a number of corners or detailed areas that are giving you trouble, it may be best to create a second .art file specifically for dealing with them. Insert points onto the lines that define the crevices, and connect the points to cap them off into areas that can be pocketed individually with a smaller bit.

Ron, cutting a sheet of MDF into 9 pieces shouldn't be a heartbreaking process in Part Wizard. I would think that four lines in a "tic-tac-toe" pattern and a "machine along vectors" toolpath would do it. Why don't you give us a call and we will try to sort out where your file went awry? Our 800 number is 1-888-680-4466

DHunt or anyone else that is having trouble with Part Wizard, don't hesitate to identify your particular problem, and I will then address it for any and everyone else on the forum. Hopefully this will get us all up the learning curve and in production faster. We decided to go with Part Wizard as our OEM design software because we believe it is a strong package that can get you drawing, machining and cutting quickly, and we're willing to provide whatever help is necessary to convince our customers of the same.

[beacon14]

Thanks Grant
Basically, for the price, Part Wizard is remarkable. We all need to be willing to climb the learning curve for any "new" software. And in this forum I needn't mention the level of customer service, especially when compared to the price paid.
Thanks again, ShopBot

[ron_cleaver]

Grant,

The method you describe, double-clicking..., works but as far as I can tell it's not in the manual. I also found, by accident, that I could change the width and height by right-clicking and selecting 'Transform Vectors' - another indication it was designed by Brits.

And why does it want me to enter the height (y coordinate) then width (x coordinate) but if I also enter the 'centre' point, it's x first and then y. That's poor user interface design.

I wasn't thinking of cutting MDF into 9 equal pieces using the method you describe, because I want to use tabs. So I need to space the pieces far enough apart so each piece can have tabs.

Is there a way to use tabs in Part Wizard? I searched the manual for 'tabs' and checked the table of contents, but didn't find it.

The tool path was the circumference of the MDF sheet - hardly useful.

[grant@shopbottools.com]

The only way to tab in Part Wizard is to leave a .010" - .030" skin on the bottom, and then once the sheet is cut, hit the back of it with a trim router. Also, if you have a wide belt sander, you can run the whole sheet through and the parts will come out free on the other side. A second technique is to use the ShopBot Workshop tabbing feature. At the command prompt, if you type "VB" for Values / taBbing, it will bring up a menu where you can input tab width, thickness, distance of incline and decline, and the gap between tabs. You cannot determine their exact location on a given part, but you can ensure that over a given distance of cut, there will be a corresponding given number of tabs. Once it's set up correctly for your material, you don't need to affect change on the settings again. Then, when running any part file, tab down to the "tabbing feature" checkbox in the grey fill in sheet, and use the spacebar to mark it. When you run the file it will be tabbed on the fly by ShopBot Workshop. Both of these techniques are fully capable of securing your work, and either should be sufficient.

Give us a call any time during business hours and we can go over the procedure.

[dhunt]

Momma TOLD me not to buy any -- that's ANY --software that was a "Version One".
Need I say more?
Part Wizard is going to be a Wizard,indeed, by the time it gets to a version 3.7 or something of that order, but for now it's not enthralling.
Although I'm a British citizen in good standing, I must say "What a pity this software wasn't Made In AMERICA!" where 'user-friendly' is usually the by-word!
Previous users of ArtCAM Insignia must have experinced little if any problems transferring to PW, but as a previous(AND CONTINUING) user of Vector, the two seem to be Chalk and Cheese.
I never thought I'd say this, John Forney, but THANK GOD FOR VECTOR!!

[jkforney]

David
And to think that it is on a windows machine, yet.
However, Dave, I now use ArtCam Pro and Vector 9.3 and find them great. The strengths in one make up for the weakness in the other.

John Forney

[king_midas]

Is it not possible to create tabs with the "tic tac toe" method simply by creating your lines as "dashes" with the breaks between the lines the width of your tab. I have to create my own tool paths occasionally in Surfcam using this method and it always seems to work for me.

[RonV]

You can place tabs any size and width in any area of your file and as many as you want, you just need to use the rectangle or circle tool and a weld command in your cad program.

Ron V

[Mkuhrau@hotmail.com]

My experience with Part Wizard is very disappointing, too. I ran into the same frustration Ron is experienting. Price is good, agreed - but what is it worth if you can't use it. The manual is not good and the software not user friendly. It has a great advantage over Vector, carving raised letters is not done correctly with Vector, Part Wizard does it fast and correct. But for all other tasks I use Vector, much easier to use.

[pappy]

I have just started the tutorial on Parts Wizard and have a problem with the v-carved letter B.
It says to enter .6 in the "Finish Depth" box and the only box I find is the "Start Depth". I get an error message that I will cut through the base material. What is wrong with this picture?

[pappy]

Sorry, I did a keyword search and found the answer
as I expected, someone has had the same problem.

[grant@shopbottools.com]

Michael, I'm sorry that has been your experience. The manual was adapted from the Insignia manual, and it has proved difficult to eliminate all references to differences, much more so than we anticipated. We are keeping track of all of these inconsistencies, so the manual will be updated as soon as we can. I imagine we will post an updated version or something like that.

Doug, the depth of a v carved letter is determined entirely by the angle of the cutter and the breadth of the character. When you set "Start Depth" as .6, it believes you are trying to start the carving .6 below the top of the material, which is why it is giving you the warning. The option you see in the manual is something from ArtCAM 2d. As I said, we'll be quick to get it corrected.

DHunt, while it may be new, Part Wizard is far from being a "version one". The underlying code for it's functions has been in development for the better part of a decade by one of the most respected software companies in our field. You will be hard pressed to find better engineered software at any price.

Part Wizard is a simple program by intent - it is easier to learn and live with for most of our customers than any program we have been able to offer before. We have never claimed that it is the ultimate solution for CAD/CAM, but as far as the jobs and needs typical of our customers we feel it is capable, intuitive, and stable. If you disagree, tell us how you're going about what you're trying to do, and I'll be happy to let you know the best way I've figured out to do it or any tricks I know.

We really appreciate the feedback and we are using it to make better products. It's much of what has brought us here. Thanks for using the Forum.

Grant Bailey
ShopBot Tools Inc.
grant@shopbottools.com (mailto:grant@shopbottools.com)
1-888-680-4466