ArtCam Pro version 4. Anyone using this?

[tuck]

Recently I have concluded that I must learn 3D carving. I thought I didn't have the software but lo and behold, I do have ArtCam Pro 4. The disc (given to me by a third party), was collecting dust for many years, but today I successfully installed it. I don't know a thing about it except that I have it, along with some (no audio) training movies to watch on the basics of the program.

I know that ArtCam Pro is up to version 9 now and version 4 must be archaic in comparison, but money is tight and 4 is what I have. Updating is not an option even if I could afford it, and purchasing 9 outright is out of the question.

My question is to you guys that may have used or are still using 4: Is this gonna do it for me? I don't want to spend the time, efforts and resources learning this old program only to find I have a turkey on my hands.

Any feedback will be much appreciated.:)

Mark

[kevin]

Mark

Its the way to go

Maybe the later version will come in handy as you get more skilled

Your not wasting your time

[joe]

Mark,

Don't do it! I did and wished I never had. ArtCam DOES NOT offer any training CD's. If you are like me and wouldn't use the program very much you'll never be able to remember enough steps to make it worth the time. There are other options.

Give me a call and we can talk.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[tuck]

Mark,
Give me a call and we can talk.


e-mail sent for your phone #, Joe. 'preciate it.:)

[tuck]

Bump for Mr. Crumley. Check your e-mail, Joe. Very curious as to your take on 3D software.

[garyb]

Firstly Mark version 4 is 8 year old the current version is 2010 and soon to be 2011. The Versions went 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 2008,2009,2010
Its still a workable version for doing 3d just doesn't have the latest bells and whistles which has been developed over the last 8 years.
The good side is you can still upgrade to the latest version for around the same cost as purchasing another lower end package.

Joe you had to want to learn the program for it to work for you. I supplied you a number of training cds and tutorials which I don't believe you ever worked through.

There is tons of training videos and how to for ArtCam, Mark here a few links that will help you

http://forum.artcam.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11081
http://forum.artcam.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=15088
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=artcam+tutorial&aq=1&oq=artcam

There's probably about 30-40 hours of videos on the above links and this is not including the ones that are on the live link from within ArtCam

[tuck]

Well thank you Gary, I do appreciate it. You may not remember, but I purchased a set of 3D cutting bits from you maybe 3-4 years ago. Would you believe they are still in their packaging? :o

I would be curious to know from you other Botters that are cutting 3D regularly as to what program you are using, likes and dislikes about it, etc., just for general discussion and educational purposes.

And Joe, I still want to talk with you, sir.

[joe]

I should say Gary is a master at this program. He knows it back and forward. He's also an excellent teacher. If anyone is going to buy ArtCam he's the persone to go to.

It's a memory thing. No matter how well you understand this program during training it's doubtful, months down the road, it's going to be of much use. You've got to stay with it. It's not like riding a bicycle. For me, to be effective you must use it often. No you won't receive training CD's. No their training manual isn't of any help. I'd suggest everyone visit the Artcam Forum to get a mental sample of what it's all about. This is a true professional program and isn't for the causal user like myself.

The good thing about having Gary on your side, he can and will pull the fat out of the fire. He could have written the software. I hate to admit, I'm a dofuss on this stuff and comfortable at that level. Perhaps I should have prefaced all my opinions with,"At my age".

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[kurt_rose]

I have been using Artcam for a couple of months now. I have to admit that it was very difficult to get over the learning curve hump, but with the help of a few members here and also the videos found on the net it's getting easier everyday. Keep in mind had absolutely zero CNC experience what so ever. It's is definitely a very powerful tool and I'm going to stick with it. My goal is to make this my full time occupation so I'll hopefully be using it daily. Signs and gingerbread reproduction. I live it Cape may NJ that has a lot of historical Victorian homes. Mark is right about you have to have the want to learn attitude, but I truly believe it will be worth the extra work. Do yourself a favor and buy some 4x8 foam sheets from Lowe's and cut that for a month. You'll be surprised how far you will get in 30 days. Also make sure you download the free 3d reliefs from vector art. Mr. Crumley. I truly admire the contributions you make to this site and this is by no means any disrespect to you. I just believe that if he already has it he should give it a go, even though he's a Falcons fan! Everyone knows that the Eagle is the king of the Sky!

[kevin]

Mark look at people work and ask your self is that where you want to be

CNC is not an easy ride .I remember when I first started I belonged to wood carving club .I said no way I can make a living doing this now I.am able to add this to my work 20 years later

[tuck]

Mark look at people work and ask your self is that where you want to be

CNC is not an easy ride .I remember when I first started I belonged to wood carving club .I said no way I can make a living doing this now I.am able to add this to my work 20 years later

Oh I know. Some of the 3D work I've seen in here is nothing less than amazing.

I've had my Bot for most of a decade and have yet to cut 3D. I had no demand for it and was doing well with just 2.5D & 2D, including V-carving.

Part of my reluctance to do 3D has been not just the time required to learn the program(s), but reports of how long it can take to cut the files. But lately it occurred to me that while it may take hours and hours to cut and finish a larger file, imagine doing it by hand! See the following thread I started a week ago to know why I am determined now to learn what I should have been learning years ago:

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12952

Thanks for your feedback, guys.

[joe]

What we need are more post from 3D artists.

Please post and show us what you're doing!

Joe crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[tuck]

he should give it a go, even though he's a Falcons fan! Everyone knows that the Eagle is the king of the Sky!

Oooh, Eagles fan, eh? Being that you are in NJ, I had you pegged for a Giants fan! :p

[michael_schwartz]

Cutting files in 3D really isn't that bad and while cut times are sometimes longer you can work on other things.

I am a big fan of Aspire, and the first 3 jobs I did with it paid for the upgrade. I would suggest watching some of the tutorials, then downloading the demo version and giving it a try. Once you know what the basic modeling functions do, you will begin to look at everyday objects and see them as vectors, 2 rail sweeps, and an assortment of basic shapes.


If you already have a workable copy of Artcam you might as well use it for the time being and perhaps it will make you enough money to upgrade to a current version, or buy a program such as Aspire.

[tuck]

Thank you Michael. I have realized that if a large 3D file is gonna take 8 or more hours to cut, that makes for a real opportunity to wet a line! :)

[myxpykalix]

Mark,
If you want to start with 3d and are just intimidated with trying to create something from scratch, don't be intimidated. I started in 3d back in the early 90's on an amiga computer with lightwave and 3d studio in DOS.
So much has become intuitive and automatic and far easier then it used to be.
But forget all that, you can go to vectorart3d and buy premade 3d models and use their program to cut it.

Depending on the size some files can take in excess of 20+ hours but with most of the 3d files they are light passes and are less of a worry to leave them cut while you do something else.

I have a camera setup in the shop and set a file to work and go in the house and watch tv while i monitor the camera.

Start out with something less then 12"x12" It will take less then a couple hours.. Get a 1/8th ballnose bit and get to it!:D