I'm gonna rant...can I get a witness?
Depending on what version of Artcam you are running, the functionality will vary between functions in VCP and what you are used to in Artcam. Personally, I have found nesting to be lame in any program & prefer to nest things out manually. Nothing trumps the power of the human mind in this regard.
Yes - Artcam is pretty much dead now thanks to AutoDesk. They bought it, ran it into the ground, lied to loyal customers - freely taking their thousands of dollars in maintenance fees knowing full well they wouldn't be doing any more development on the software and would be killing it off. They let all their ArtCAM staff go - all the people who were there for many, many years - so much knowledge and skill down the tubes. AutoDesk has a history of killing off free, low cost or inexpensive programs that were accessible to the little guy.
Many have only had exposure to Vectric products, which for most fits their needs perfectly. However, many have absolutely no clue just how brilliant ArtCAM has been as a tool for advanced high resolution relief creation and 3D toolpathing. There are toolpaths in there that can make your lowly ShopBot produce work that would make your eyeballs pop out of your head...the kind that needs no sanding...all that's down the drain now, or at least until your license or dongle keeps working.
Truth be told, Vectric is WAY better at listening to their customer base and implementing changes - so we should all be thankful for that. It's a shame that this software was acquired and subsequently killed - the only losers here are those who could have benefited from the advanced features and tools - and now many will never know what could have been possible on the higher rungs of the ladder. So now there will be veterans who know what you don't know, in terms of what is possible - while you, still don't know, what you don't know. This is unfortunate because instead of getting better or more advanced, CNC routing as it relates to relief work & 3D machining is getting dumbed down.
Vectric posted this announcement, basically saying that they would not be going to a subscription based licensing scheme & that permanent licensing would remain:
Quote:
If I buy a Vectric product will I actually own the software?
Yes – from day one you will own the software outright. In addition, unlike most software companies Vectric allow you to transfer your licence to another user if you sell your CNC on the payment of a small licence transfer fee.
Kudos & gratitude to Vectric for taking the road less traveled - and supporting the little guy trying to feed his family. Furthermore, upon hearing about the demise of ArtCAM, Vectric Aspire now has the ability to import ArtCAM v9 .RLF files - which is a life line for guys who have 15+ years of 3D relief work that they may get locked out of soon. Vectric is such a great company for doing this - and they have my deepest respect for it. We should all be thanking them for making this decision because it DIRECTLY AFFECTS ALL OF US!
I am personally boycotting ANY software company that does not offer a permanent license of their products. While other types of software are less critical to day to day operations, I find the idea of holding a working man's files and ability to work during slow times, repugnant. It is by definition a cardinal sin. They do not care about the little guy scratching his way through to make a living doing this type of work - they only care about the money - and I will vote with my dollar by not supporting them and their wicked ways - as my allegiance lies with the working man and his sovereign right to work. Imagine a guy with a wife and small children, weathering out a slow period and then an opportunity to get out of the hole comes along...but he doesn't have the money to pay just to have access to the tools he needs to work. Think about that - Do you like giving your money to people who think this kind of thing is OK? At some point you have to take a stand and say enough is enough...otherwise, you're part of the problem by condoning it. I am disappointed that ShopBot is bundling AutoDesk software with its tools.
There is no such thing as 'free' anywhere, anyhow, any time EVER - so beware of strangers bearing gifts (of the free CAD/CAM kind) because they WILL start demanding their pimp fee from you every month when the gravy train ends. Don't be fooled by these snakes and their tactics. Have a look at the list of software they laid to waste - pretty much verifying their track record of throwing YOU - the working man - under the bus. Think it won't happen to 360? I think it will - and the only way to keep going is to pay them their fee because you would have invested too many hours to learn something else in order to keep working.
-B