[cad-linux] Re: Newbie question: Any linux cad people outthere ? What happened to Varkon ?
- From: Kim Lux <lux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: cad-linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 11 Jan 2003 10:07:22 -0700
Comments below.
> Hi Kim
Hi Ray.
> Yes it would be nice to have the CAM (Computer Aided/Assisted Machining)
> side of CAD/CAM look and act like the CAD side but IMHO there are
> negitives at this stage of development.
I agree with you, Ray. Now is not the time to start development of the
CAM side, but it is time to start discussing it and planning for it.
That is the downside of what I see in the Linux CAD offerings. I don't
think anyone has thought about the big picture. Many were designed as
2D,with no thought to going 3D. I don't think anyone has thought about
CAM. BTW: Who am I to complain and judge ? I didn't write one line of
the CAD systems out there. I thank those that have contributed so far.
> The first is that many drawings don't end up as g-code for a mill, lathe,
> or router.
True. But there are people that would love to run Linux that need that
functionality.
> A good Linux CAD package needs to be applicable to a wide
> variety of professionals so that we build up the momentum to move the
> open source project forward. A CAM package aims at a very narrow target
> audience -- you and I for two.
Very good point. The mechs want the CAM stuff. The civils and interior
designers and the structural guys, etc. couldn't care less about CAM.
> Some folk almost skip the CAM part by creating a polyline out of the
> drawing for each tool and send that to a LISP script. Others purchase
> very expensive systems and then only use the CAM side to create the
> machine code. Seems to me that a good stand alone CAM package could be
> written that would input a set of standard file types and allow the
> operator to order them, create the roughing cuts and connecting paths,
> and add in tool and speed and feed data for the specific breed of machine
> that is going to do the cutting.
I very much agree with that, Ray. CAM as an add on to the package would
be a good way to go. The CAD package has to export files that the CAM
system can make use of. It has to be a consideration when designing the
CAD part.
> Ray Henry
> Michigan's U.P.
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