Artcam lives!!!

[robtown]

There is no right answer. It is like "I can't decide between a Ford and a Chevy." There is unlikely to be a blinding light on the way to Damascus.

If you are using VCP then maybe Aspire is the way to go since you know how Vectric functions and the best software is the one you know.

I have no experience or first hand knowledge of Artcam. The only complaints I have ever heard were "it's too expensive." Software is like a marriage. It is very hard for most people (me) to change software and make the commitment in time and effort needed to learn a new program.

One thing I have wondered about is the cost of owning and upgrading Carveco, Vectric has about a major upgrade a year at a cost 0f about $450. What will be the upgrade costs for Carveco and how often? If you use either program a lot then that may not matter. I upgrade Aspire pretty soon after every new version and never regret it but it may be a consideration. I know that the Carveco is a perpetual license and you can use it without ever upgrading it but that is not the same as not being able to afford to. Among the questions I would have for Carveco are "Can you sell your license and what is the cost for transfer?" How many versions back can you upgrade? I believe that Aspire lets you upgrade any version for the same price. I recently spent $1600 for a new license for my Cad program which I have used for over 20 years because they will only upgrade from two versions back.

The last consideration I have is that Carveco is a brand new company albeit with Artcam alums. If you purchase Carveco as your 3d modeling and toolpathing software you are betting that they will be around. I don't know anything about the company or the people but "new company" perks up the ears. The streets are full of new companies which failed even though they had great products. I'm sure that that is a big reason the that the introductory price is where it is — making the bet more tempting.

I don't know the answers to any of those questions but they would be among the ones that I would ask.

A learned opinion, based on years of experience... perfect.

I don't need anybody to make my choice for me, nor do I not have any experience myself.

Being that I'm currently getting by just fine with a 10-11 year old copy of VCP running on an old XP machine (that stays off or unplugged from the network when I don't need it to be), upgrade paths and costs aren't a huge consideration for me. What would be a consideration is whether or not I'm just renting the software and will be required to pay out yearly, which doesn't seem to be the case with either option.

I'm a hobby user at best anymore. I do maybe one or two paying gigs a year anymore, and I don't really make much on those as they're usually more along the lines helping or donating to folks or causes I feel are worthy of my help.

But I do have some relief ideas that I'd like to play with, that I could absolutely do with my current options. But currently I have the, money, time, and inclination to go ahead and update my CAD/CAM solutions.

Thank you all for your time. (I'm probably more of a Ford man myself...)

[robtown]

FWIW...
Pulled the trigger on the (Carveco) purchase this AM.

[benchmark]

Please keep us updated on how you get on with Carveco

[robtown]

Absolutely

[Brady Watson]

FWIW...
Pulled the trigger on the (Carveco) purchase this AM.

Very good...Hold the spacebar down when in 3D view to move it around...F2 for 2D view, F3 for 3D view. Many of the same shortcut keys as VCP if you used them...

[garyb]

Very good...Hold the spacebar down when in 3D view to move it around...F2 for 2D view, F3 for 3D view. Many of the same shortcut keys as VCP if you used them...

Pressing down on the mouse roller wheel button does the same, makes it quicker and easier than holding down the space bar.
Gary

[SteveNelson46]

I think there are still a few unanswered issues. For instance, post processors. Does Carveco have choices for other machines and are they included in the program? Another issue is tech support. Are they one of those that have good marketing but "Send us an email and we'll get to you as soon as we can" or are they readily available after hours and on weekends. Their website is pretty bare so we don't have a lot of info and Vectric's tech support would be difficult to match. Does it run on all Windows platforms and versions? The introductory low cost may seem to be a good deal right now but, $1600 is still a lot of money to invest in a risky startup company without a little more info.

[Brady Watson]

I think there are still a few unanswered issues.

Does Carveco have choices for other machines and are they included in the program?

...are they readily available after hours and on weekends.

Does it run on all Windows platforms and versions? The introductory low cost may seem to be a good deal right now but, $1600 is still a lot of money to invest in a risky startup company without a little more info.

All post processors are included for any machine controller that you are likely to have.

Yes. It's better than that. You can live chat with support and they have staff on the clock for international time zones. You can also use the forum. You can also use email.

Yes - However, don't expect it to run on XP or Vista. If you aren't running at least Win7, you don't need to spend money on this program - you need a new computer.

Can't address the 'risk' thing, as that is personally subjective. All I know is I spent $9k in 2008 for the same program; now it's $1600. I've run a job shop that does it all for 20 years. It's a tool expense for me. I'll get it all back. If you are a hobbiest it most likely is not for you for a number of reasons. One being, if you haven't previously considered ArtCAM, researched it and recognized the value of the program's features, you aren't likely to ever need them. Just get VCP to cut pre-made 3D files. Aspire if you want to do some 3D modelling. Way easier to learn - more than enough power and features than you most likely will ever use. Nobody's ego wants to hear that - but it is the truth.

Right now their website is sparse - but it, and their forum will be adding more info and features as time goes on.

Shopping on price is dumb. If you don't like the cheaper one, you have to go buy the other one, now you've spent double.

[robtown]

All post processors are included for any machine controller that you are likely to have.

Yes. It's better than that. You can live chat with support and they have staff on the clock for international time zones. You can also use the forum. You can also use email.

Yes - However, don't expect it to run on XP or Vista. If you aren't running at least Win7, you don't need to spend money on this program - you need a new computer.

Can't address the 'risk' thing, as that is personally subjective. All I know is I spent $9k in 2008 for the same program; now it's $1600. I've run a job shop that does it all for 20 years. It's a tool expense for me. I'll get it all back. If you are a hobbiest it most likely is not for you for a number of reasons. One being, if you haven't previously considered ArtCAM, researched it and recognized the value of the program's features, you aren't likely to ever need them. Just get VCP to cut pre-made 3D files. Aspire if you want to do some 3D modelling. Way easier to learn - more than enough power and features than you most likely will ever use. Nobody's ego wants to hear that - but it is the truth.

Right now their website is sparse - but it, and their forum will be adding more info and features as time goes on.

Shopping on price is dumb. If you don't like the cheaper one, you have to go buy the other one, now you've spent double.

Curiously, they list "Shop Sabre" in their list of supported machines on the site, but not "ShopBot".

I'm fairly certain that this is just an oversite since they've always had an SB post (unless they removed it when AutoCAD took it over?). Plus, can't you use gcode in SB3? I did send them an email pointing this out and asking for clarification on the possibility of selling the license and transferring it to another user.

They haven't replied yet, but I'll update you guys if and when they do.

I'm a hobbiest, I took the chance. I think it will be worth it. I feel like it's nothing but good for Carveco AND Aspire that Carveco succeeds.

On edit: I clicked over to https://carveco.com/carveco-software...machine-tools/ and I see ShopBot now...

[SteveNelson46]

All post processors are included for any machine controller that you are likely to have.

Yes. It's better than that. You can live chat with support and they have staff on the clock for international time zones. You can also use the forum. You can also use email.

Yes - However, don't expect it to run on XP or Vista. If you aren't running at least Win7, you don't need to spend money on this program - you need a new computer.

Can't address the 'risk' thing, as that is personally subjective. All I know is I spent $9k in 2008 for the same program; now it's $1600. I've run a job shop that does it all for 20 years. It's a tool expense for me. I'll get it all back. If you are a hobbiest it most likely is not for you for a number of reasons. One being, if you haven't previously considered ArtCAM, researched it and recognized the value of the program's features, you aren't likely to ever need them. Just get VCP to cut pre-made 3D files. Aspire if you want to do some 3D modelling. Way easier to learn - more than enough power and features than you most likely will ever use. Nobody's ego wants to hear that - but it is the truth.

Right now their website is sparse - but it, and their forum will be adding more info and features as time goes on.

Shopping on price is dumb. If you don't like the cheaper one, you have to go buy the other one, now you've spent double.

I have used Artcam in the past but it's been a few years. It was a great program but the expense for ownership was just a little above my budget. Actually more than just a little. It would be nice if Carveco had a demo where one could experiment a bit before taking the plunge but alas... Based solely on your advise I bought the program. That probably wasn't a wise decision and I really would liked to have had a little more information but I liked the program so much in the past that I figured "what the hell". It does have a pp for a Camaster but only for the Cobra and nothing for the rotary lathe. I contacted tech support but they only responded with a "canned" message and stated that if I had any problems to contact them again. I kind of expected that answer but, hopefully, they will advise or help me revise the PP at a later date.

Shopping for software based on cost alone is dumb. That is why it is essential to do the research first.