Upgrade

[rayman]

I need an opinion..This is mostly to anyone who has Aspire or Art Cam Advantage or any of their 3D software... I am contemplating upgrading to a better 3D software pkg and can't decide which way to go so if you have Aspire or Art Cam please let me know how you like it.
Thanks,

[paul_z]

Raymond,
I'm absolutely biased toward Aspire. The support from the developers and the forum are incredible. The workflow has been very carefully designed to allow you to think about your end goal without getting lost in the details of a program interface. I still go back and watch the tutorials and learn at least one new trick each time.

For the really complex CAD work I use a separate CAD program. For example, I used the CAD program to make a pagoda roof with upswept tips on the ends. I then applied about 2000 rigid shingles to the roof. I’ll pull this detail into aspire and add some more detail to the overall building.

If you haven’t done so yet, check out the Vectric forum.

Paul Z

[bob_s]

Having worked with digital technology for 25 years I have not seen any company/community support system that works as well as Vectric, the company behind Aspire. I know very little about ArtCam, but I use Aspire a lot, and would say it has one of the easiest learning curves for a complex program I have ever experienced. The support for Shopbot owners is also accurate and accessible as Vectric has been involved in the development of the Shopbot software interface for years.

[ironsides]

On a scale of 1-5 for Aspire, I would give it a 6.

George Kelly

[erik_f]

I guess it depends on what kind of 3d work you want to do. If you are looking to do. If you are looking to model in 3d then I wouldn't suggest artcam or aspire...if you are looking to do things where you are doing carvings and reliefs then these programs are great. I have Aspire and have not used ArtCam...ArtCam is way too much money and there is a support fee every year. I do all my 2D cam work on Aspire as well since it is so easy. I really enjoy it and it has been pretty easy to use. The tutorials are great. I'm not sure, but I think ArtCam does a few more things...but overall I think they are pretty close in capacity. What programs do you use now and what is it you want to achieve?