Sketchup to Shopbot software flow

[jTr]

Greetings -
I have been drafting all my furniture (tables, chairs,etc) and cabinetry projects (kitchen/bath) in Sketchup for close to 4 years now, and feel more than ready to leap into CNC. Seems the shopbot is ideal for me, but am hesitant due to software concerns. Am I missing something, just dreaming, or is a solution avialable to take dxf exports and automatically nest/generate toolpaths for plywood? Just wondering if a one person shop like mine is going to realize any real efficiency if I'm nesting/programming toolpaths sheet by sheet when average is 3-6 sheets per project, each batch being unique. Currenty, I use Cutlist Plus for project management/nesting of plys, but thier dxf exports are square shapes only, meaning I'm back to manually plotting joinery/holes/curves/angles. As I study the online tutorials and videos, the advantages of the machine are obvious for repeating carved parts, but using it as a time saver for processing of sheet goods and the manual process of nesting/plotting involved seems to be a wash out. Should I first invest in KCD and come back for my Bot next year, after the magic software is paid for and I've passed their learning curve? Anyone able to fill in the blanks on an efficient workflow from Sketchup to Partworks?

Shopbot Hopeful,
Jeff

[zeykr]

If you're outputting layered dxf files, take a look at the toolpath template feature of vcarve pro (partworks comes with shopbot routers and has the same features as vcarve pro).

http://www.vectric.org/video/aspire3...templates.html

As far as KCD for cabinet design, it will work with a shopbot either using one touch machining or with dxf output and using dxf layers as above.

But before investing in KCD, take a look at E-cabinets and the shopbot ecabinets link.

[bleeth]

You have a couple options for processing cabinets much more cost effective than KCDW/Cabinet vision/microvellum.
1. Cabinet parts pro-Full version has quite a bit of functionality including nesting and SB code output. Low cost bare bones cabinet processing software
2. E-cabinets-Thermwood designed full parametric software with lots of bells and whistles downloadable for free. To run a shopbot you need a "Link" dongle that retails around 1400.
3. PartWorks (Comes with every Bot)-You can use this for cab parts by developing your own library-no nesting but with a library of standard cabinet sides and a sub library of your standard hardware it can be fairly quick to layout your usual parts and develop unique ones quickly.

IMHO-spending big on software is something to do after you have your tool.

[adrianm]

You can take DXF files that have been created with layers, import them into PartWorks, nest them, apply toolpath templates and be ready to cut extremely quickly.

Best bit is the software comes included with the ShopBot!

[2Egress Sound & Design]

Hi Jeff,

In my short experience with my bot I have come to learn that the software that comes with it is amazing. I too did everything in sketchup pro and when I got the bot I was fighting using their software as I am a Mac guy and designed everything on it. I was able to export my sketchup out R12 dxf files from it but it was running back and forth and I keep the bot offline. So everything was USB key back and forth.
One day I just started using the partworks software and now it is really fast and all in one kinda thing. At the bot save the file and run it. So much easier.

You will love your bot....

Good luck!

Brock

[wberminio]

Hi jeff

I have and use KCD with my bot for 4 years now.Works well but.....
If Ecabs was available when I first got my machine, I would have gotten it!
Dave is right on with his advice.

[myxpykalix]

When I first started thinking about getting a CNC i did research and contacted Bob-cad and they tried their hardest to get me to buy their software, which after buying the shopbot I realized I didn't need, so i'm glad i didn't make that mistake.

Like ken says there are demo versions of pgms you can d/l and try. I don't know much about sketchup but your issue might be outputting a usable file but if it outputs dxf, i think you would be ok. Point is, don't buy anything till you get your bot or at the least talk to Shopbot and find out the various compatibilities.

[steve_g]

Jeff:
My experience with Sketch Up is limited to the free version... I am curious if curves and circles are rendered as smooth vectors in the pro version... the free version defaults to 24 segment circles. I am using PartWorks for 99% of my work, but when I need the rare 3d file I export a sketch up file as an stl. 24 segment circles make for a lot of cleanup!

Steve

[adrianm]

In Sketchup Free and Pro you can easily change the number of segments that make a circle/curve to make it smoother but most people who put models in the library don't bother.

I used to do everything in Sketchup, I even wrote a cabinet designer Ruby script to go with it (which was obsoleted by the advent of dynamic components), I don't use it that much these days, other than concept drawings, as I find it so much easier to lay everything out directly in Aspire.

[englert]

Introductions first. I'm the Training Manager for Thermwood, the company that developed eCabinet Systems and a CNC router manufacturer. Through our relationship with ShopBot, Thermwood offers the ShopBot link. The link essentially interprets a encrypted file that is exported from eCabinets and converts it into a program that can be run on the ShopBot.

The advantage of many cabinet design programs and particularly, eCabinet Systems is that it is parametric. Once you have a few parameters setup, if you insert a shelf, it'll add the shelf pin holes for an adjustable shelf or it'll add a dado, if it's a fixed shelf or partition. It'll adjust the cabinet components if you resize the cabinet. BTW, that is another parametric feature. You can easily resize a cabinet or change many things about a cabinet and the parts will resize appropriately for that change. To be honest, there are just to many features to highlight with regards to dedictated cabinet design programs. The advantage is that it can put out more than squares and that you don't have to go through the mental exercise of determining tool paths. In the case of the ShopBot Link, it creates all the tool paths based upon the geometry. On a Thermwood, that is done at the Control.

With any cabinet software you will have a learning curve. There is just no way around that. I'd also venture to say that none of their methods compare to Sketchup. The learning curve can be made a lot easier by using forums like this, attending formal training or other learning avenues. In our case, we offer more in-depth documentation and/or a subscription service for video training online.

With regards to your need for a CNC. I can only relate to our customers, but I know that in the case of a two man shop, the software and the machine reduced their production requirements from five days to less than two days. By production requirements, I mean manually handling sheets of material through table saws and the various other work stations to drill and mortise and whatever else.

While at first it may seem like a huge expense, purchasing a machine also has a financial advantage. As noted above, production. More pieces in less time. Faster response to a customers needs. More jobs.

Software is one of the key ingredients to any CNC system. I train CNC programming and you could, that is if you're a glutten for punishment write the entire program in G-Code. Not very practical! You can also spend anywhere from nothing for eCabinet Systems to somewhere in the $30K range, plus pay for maintenance support fees.

So there are a lot of choices out there. I think that the one choice to purchase a machine sooner or later, should be sooner. Many have already highlighted that the ShopBot comes with software. This makes it usable right out of the box (so to speak). eCabinets is free. Try it out. If it does what you want and you have a ShopBot, get the link. A couple of guys that posted here are eCabinets users and own a ShopBot. They are there and are willing to help. Just ask.


Good luck with your decision.

Dennis Englert