DesignCAD 3D MAX v.21 review

[John McNamara]

Gee guys.....
I would like to know how well the CAD and CAM? features work?

I have an Autodesk design suite licence that includes AutoCAD and would like to know if Design cad 3D is 100% compatible with AutoCAD in particular solids.

I think the price is OK. even on a seat by seat basis, Yeah it is a pain, and it is a pity the developers were not a little more accommodating. However the real question we should be asking is does it work?

I do a fair bit of unpaid not for profit design work using AutoCAD, for people that cannot afford a mainstream commercial CAD product. In Particular "Men's sheds" in Australia.

I would like to be able to recommend an inexpensive Cad Cam package for them to use. We are developing a CNC Router that uses laser cut steel for the frame, and is fairly easy to assemble. The first one is built and installed. Now other sheds want one.

Is any forum member (Or outside this forum group) actually using it for CNC?

Regards
John

[cropwell]

Hi,
For the price Design CAD and ContourCam would be worth a punt, but my issue is that the software needs an Internet connection to verify the signature of the install files. This renders it useless to me as I run all my CAD CAM and machining on one computer, which has not even got the windows networking components installed.
The system is remarkably fast, stable and secure and I don't want any virus upsetting that.

Cheers,

Rob

[jonnie]

Hi John

"if Design cad 3D is 100% compatible with AutoCAD in particular solids"

In general the answer will be that 100% is not achievable between any two CADCAM systems which use complex geometries ( ie more than simple analytics like planes, cylinders and so on ).

The reason is complex I will try and explain if asked but the upshot is that if you are using anything more complex than simple geometry then the model you see before you is as much a product of the software as it is by the data that defines when you save it out to file. The raw data is not enough to define the model.

If you import to a different package you are not merely converting data, you are asking the software to translate as the existing 3D data untreated may not hang together in the second modeller.

A simple example - one modeller uses a linear resolution of 1.0e-08 defined over a 1000 box ( no units here ) another modeller works to 1.0e-05. That means that a "rip" between two faces which is at its widest point 1.0e-06 will appear as an unitentional slash or "hole" in one modeller but will be safely within tolerance bounds in another. To fix up one modeller will have to try and repair a slash or hole between two faces and this may fail - the other modeller has no such task to complete because it works at a difference tolerance and to within the higher tolerance the faces meet so there is no hole or slash.

Once you go past facetted ( mesh, triangular ) models or simple analytics then import/export starts to incurr a reliability penalty hence the various software vendors who sell translators - these are not mere converters, they have to repair and replace geometries and topologies to get a model from one system to work in another.

I have not used Design CAD 3D so I cannot tell you if it can import AutoCad solids say 95% but 100% is doubtful between any two packages that do not share the same base code under the hood so to speak.

This is probably more detail than you wanted I just thought some users might profit from understanding that 3D models cannot in general be trivially moved from one bit of software to another in the way that we expect graphics files to move from one drawing package to another.

Jon

[Swarfing]

I think Mr Magic needs to listen to potential customers?

Microsoft are learning the hard way with their loosing battle in the mobile computing stakes for being too short sighted. Apple for example allows you to reload it's software on many devices and remembers 'you' from your account not certificates. Android the same as Apple for most software in the main.

It would have been simpler to have said thank you for the suggestion and say you will go away and look at it. Trying to defend on here is suicide especially when this forum probably covers the majority of your potential market.

PS

I find CAMBAM offer this service (i know not 3D), they listen to their users and are very friendly :-)

[cropwell]

All I was trying to do was get some idea what DesignCad and ContourCam would do.

A 3D CAD/CAM for £130 quid seemed worth a punt. It will probably do all I want, but I want to check it out, but I can NOT port it across to my machine because of measures put in for piracy protection. Fair enough for AutoCAD or SolidWorks or something costing gazillions that your company has paid through the nose for, but I don't want that. I haven't got enough interest in life left to invest in learning something complicated. I want quick and dirty solutions, but cheaply !

I also want Software on a CD, not a download that disappears when the hard drive fails, with a manual I can take with me on a plane, train or toilet. I like books I can flick through, make pencil notes in, put placemarks in, not pdf-s on the same machine that I am using to cut a Perspex cock and balls.

Good Grief

Rob-T

[John S]

Rob,
Just in case Mr magic can't open your dxf file in his single license program here's a video.

[EddyCurrent]

You must have a couple of Prince Albert's in there

[cropwell]

The knob end is the same size as a £1 coin. If you cut it out of 3mm ali it should work as a shopping trolley key. The rear 'Albert' puts it on your key ring

[Swarfing]

Rob

If you were taking offense from my reply please don't, it was not aimed at you at all. i do feel for you though and understand the issues your facing.

[cropwell]

I cant see anything you've said that might case offence