Author Topic: The worst CNC-Software experience i've ever had.  (Read 865 times)

So, today during my CNC programming class i was introduced to the worst piece of software i've ever used and i want to warn you guys and also let off some steam.
Until now, we've designed our stuff with AutoCAD, AutodeskInventor, Rhinoceros5 and our favourite: SolidWorks. But today we were introduced to a program called
"Surfcam6" and oh boy, I got a bad feeling the very second it booted up. We had to enter our license server address manually(there was no serverlist or history) and then it would give you a list of licenses that you can use within the server.
We had to choose our license from the list, there were twenty of them. However when another student pick up a license, this license becomes unavaliable for others(which the license list doesnt indicate in any way).
So after i got a license i started to go trough the manual. Then again the manual was outdated and some functions presented in the manual were removed or changed. Anyways, I started following a tutorial about making a random steel lid.
I found out while making a rectangle for the base that this program was coordinate based and that you would need to draw every shape either on snap points of other elements or world coordinates(no freehand whatsoever)
Then i made my first mistake while misplacing a hole on the base, i trid undoing it but Ctrl+Z did nothing. Then i checked the file menu for any kind of undo action but no, there wasnt anything. So i tought that maybe its called something else,
So i decided to do a google search. What i found was a ton of complains and rageposts about this program not having an undo feature, YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT, IF YOU forget UP YOU NEED TO START OVER.

https://solidedging.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/surfcam-v6-and-the-sorry-saga-of-undo/
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/surfcam/28733-surfcam-doesnt-undo-feature.html
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/cad-cam/help-surfcam-vel-3-a-194846/

Wow, i really dont know what to say about this. But the worst is still ahead!
So once i completely remade my piece from square 1, I tried creating chamfers on the edges of the piece and worth mentioning is that all other programs so far have automatically made the chamfers according to the direction of the corner you apply them to.
But when i used surfcam's tool, This is what happened:

This stuff right here is loving unbeliveable, Turned out that you need to consider the way that surfcam detects corners(or more precisely how it does not) You ALWAYS need to start the chamfer from the bottom left corner of your piece and then move clockwise.


And guess what? No undo!

If you couldn't guess already, i was getting quite pissed at this software. But after alot of work, i finally finished drawing the piece.
I thought it was smooth sailing from now on. All i needed to do now was to configure the Tool-bit and the milling pattern for the CNC machine.
and to not make this too long, lets say it didnt really work in my favor.

Anyways the bottom line is: FELLOW MACHINISTS AND HOBBYISTS! DONT BUY THIS stuffWARE! Theres tons of other cheaper software that does this better and with less frustration.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2015, 07:27:29 AM by The 1 »

I feel so sorry for you...

I used to do CNC all the time in high school. Im too tired to read what you posted tho. Ill come back later. Cnc is cool once you figure it out.

ditch surfcam and switch to something less incredibly stuff

Yeah, why'd they make you switch from SolidWorks and Inventor? April fools joke?

what kind of idiot thought it was a good idea to switch from solidworks to surfcam

Inventor is best.

Although I've never actually tried solidworks...