I don't own a ShopBot yet, but I keep thinking up new uses to justify the potential purchase. One of the latest ideas would require the use of the indexer to rout non-symmetrical curved / twisted pieces. Picture a spiral/rope design that includes a slight curve along its length.

I currently use TurboCAD for my 3-D design. Since I would have to find appropriate CAM software, I am interested in opinions of the best tools for this application. I like TurboCAD, because it has some tools that should simplify my designs, but I recognize that I might have to consider an alternate CAD system as well.

I reviewed earlier 4-axis posts, but most of them were questions regarding specific packages. Since this is still in the idea phase, I have not completed any of the designs yet. Once this is done, I would like to generate the necessary CAD/CAM files to rout a prototype. Thanks.

Craig