Cabinet pro software is killing me!!

[JR959]

Ok... Here is my situation. I had been looking at shop bots for a while and got very very close to purchasing one, but at the last minute decided to go with shop sabre. I have the machine installed and have cut out the shop sabre logo sign that came loaded on the dedicated pc. I had used the free ecabs and had gotten proficient at designing and manipulating cabinets but room layouts still were rough. Well since I did not go with the shop bot the ecabs option was out the window. So I had heard some good things about cabinet pro. Not cabinet parts pro. So I purchased cabinet pro for 3200.00. It seems much more cumbersome than ecabs but finally pushed through and built small library that graphically seems correct. Then you move on to the cnc setup. Well with Ecabs once you had the cabinet correct you just identify whether you want butt joint or blind dado etc. now either I am severely over analyzing or cabinet pro seems very very difficult. In their cnc portion you have actually draw and design your dado cuts etc. I could live with a one time operation like that but unless I'm missing something looks like I have to draw all dados shelf holes back dados etc and do that for left and right sides. I can't help but if cabinet pro has been around for 10 years it must be me. There is no way a software can be that counter intuitive and continue to sell. Now my question is somewhat similar the the 64 thousand dollar question. I have to update cabinet pro at a cost of 600-700 to continue to get limited tech support or should I cut my loses and invest in another program?? If any one is using cabinet pro on a daily basis and could offer some real world help I would much rather pay them for their time than cabinet pro... Really hope it is me and I have not wasted 3200.00. Thanks in advance!!!

[jTr]

JR,
I've been using sketchup for years. I was hoping for an automated way to convert my drawings to part files when I got my shopbot a year ago. Turns out, even after spending a grand or two for a new program, I've got to draw all my boxes and build my own library, again. :rolleyes:The only advantage would be automated part file generation for the cnc. If you're not getting that from your software, it seems utterly pointless to burn the cash when you can model it, build it and generate dxf's for free with sketchup.

Thanks to some coaching from other users here, I've learned to manually lay out the project and generate dxf's with Sketchup. It is tedious, but not as much as learning a program that is counterintuitive when compared to sketchup.
I paid for an unnecessary upgrade to pro ($400) so I could export dxf's, but sadly found out the best way to export dxf's from sketchup was by using a free plugin.
As for managing solid and plywood parts, I use another free plugin called cutlist. It exports data from a sketchup drawing that I import into my $99 cutlist plus software. This gives me a detailed cutlist, and estimates sheetgood optimization. This way, I can quickly produce a shopping list for any given project. Just be sure to develop a part labeling system and use it as you draw.
All of this takes time, but I do not see another automated program that even comes close to the ease of drawing in sketchup. Those that do are still in the category of "out of reach" for me. ($5k+) OR they want a flat rate of $150 a month for the use - you never really own it.
Qualifier: I don't do a lot of kitchens, or that dollar figure would be much more digestible. The one i'm currently producing is only my 3rd in a 10 year career.

Here's a screen shot or two. Appliances are actual photos from mfgr websites that are simply "painted" onto appropriately sized boxes and scaled to fit. Even the plumbing fixtures are accurate, as I was able to import cad drawings to sketchup from the manufacturer. Incorporating 5mm holes for shelf pins, hinge mounts and even drawer slides now - I personally love the full freedom of being able to build / alter at will, whether it is a dining table and chair set, a funhouse mirror or a full kitchen. This is why the cnc and sketchup work so well for me, as the creative license is vital to my business model.

[gerryv]

Thanks for that post. It answers several questions I've wondered about.

The only one I'm still findiding it hard to get a definitive answer on is the one where I often read that Sketchup only produces a very large number of small straight vectors to represent curves. I've occasionally seen someone state the contrary but the former of these comments seems to persist. Any idea where the truth lies?

[steve_g]

SketchUp AND the Pro version make circles from straight segments... default is 24 but you can specify more.

SG

[jTr]

Gerry,
Indeed, this is true - sketchup generates a series of flats. At first it was a bit of an issue, but I've quickly learned to deal with it, and even found it to be an occasional advantage.
1> When you draw a curve or circle, you can left click to select what you just drew. Right click and choose "Divide" from the list of options. A few red dots will appear at the ends and middle of your curve, similar to a "node" as you see in Partworks. It is a little wierd at first, but you basically move your mouse left or right, and the nodes will either multiply or "divide". You are simply changing the length of the segments. In most cases, you simply divide until you have a series of so many dots, you cannot see the blue highlited curve. This is typically satisfactory. However, you'll see that you even have a bit of control over the value of the length. Which brings me to the next phase:

2> I needed to produce a "curved" face for a cabinet, and it needed to be covered with slats of solid wood like barrel staves, rather than a continuous bender. Those inconvenient little flat lines were perfect for applying the slats - I simply used the "divide" function described above and altered the length of those segments to a size that was in harmony with the slat width, giving them a solid flat surface for mounting.

Results were spot on:

[jTr]

Gerry,
You may also deal with this in Partworks.
1> "Fit curves to selected vectors" tool, though partworks often interprets Sketchup curves as what they are - a series of lines = no correction. However, you have the option of adjusting how accurately this function fits the vectors, but does not always correct the issue.
2> Re-trace a Partworks curve over the Sketchup curve, which is easier to do if you move the segmented vector to a layer I typically call "to trace", which can subsequently deleted when you're done. I usually use a contrasting color, and find it is most accurate to drag your partworks arch out to one of the intersections of the Sketchup segments, rather than along one of the flats.

Obviously, it is much simpler to divide segments in sketchup, but if it is particularly critical, I will re-draw Partworks vectors, even if I've divided in sketchup.

First time I cut a 3" hole with the shopbot, I thought something was broken, as it will accurately cut those lines, even as short as 3/8" while cruising along at 5 ips. It's quite a gyrating little dance:eek:.

What a testament to how accurate these machines are. I love it!!!

jeff

[gerryv]

Jeff and Steve,
Thank you very much!
Gerry

[bob_s]

Just another opinion
most of my work is carvings and detailed moldings, but I have done a few large entertainment centers and a couple of kitchens that I had laid out in Sketchup. I found it easiest to use Ryan Pattersons "cabinet parts pro" to do the parts. It is a bit quirky, but really inexpensive and once you get the hang of it its very fast. it also does your nesting so you know how much stock is needed. I use Aspire for most of my work so I could pick up the dxf of the shapes that needed embellishment and cut them or add the grooves etc in Aspire. the two programs play very nicely together.
I believe a number of production shops use Ryan's software if you search the archives here. They may be able to give you more input for your purposes. Unfortunately this has a similar program name, but Ryan who is now at Shopbot was a cabinet maker when he wrote this so it really works. It is parametric so once you get your dados and all set to your liking box sizes can be changed with no problems

[JR959]

After many lengthy emails i must have convinced cabinet pro that there are holes in there information and that you it is virtually impossible to get from screen to machine with out extensive help. Frank has gratiously agredd to walk me through my issues under the banner of the free tech support as opposed to formal training. I will keep you posted as to whether this help make the software more manageable

[gerryv]

Sounds like;
- Good for you
- Good for him
and, with a little luck,
- Good for the rest of his user community if things get better for all.

[gene]

Very happy to see you getting a hand from Cabinet pro . Hope all works out , Best of luck.

[ken_rychlik]

I have the same "brand" machine as you and have been using cabinet parts pro with very little trouble. The mfg was pushing Router Cad, but I found it to clunky. You had to enter every dado on every part manually and that is what you want the software to do for you. If you have not tried the simple little cabinet parts pro, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.

[wardsa]

Good old Frank. I had many conversations with him years ago ( phone and email). I leased it at IWF in Atlanta years ago. They were selling it as a working program. When I started to work with it, I was told "well, it's about 95% complete". So........what do I do about the other 5%. Switched to KCDw and never looked back.