Quote Originally Posted by Robin Hewitt View Post
I got that cheap Alibre for $99 3d drawing package, but the freeby CAM is a bit naff, only does parallel lines, much too steppy, want to cut watermarks. Been looking for software that does that, doesn't seem to be there :nope:

So I emailed my brother, gave him a stinky stl file and pointed him at Wikipedia where stl is explained.

Took him approx 3/4 hour to read the file, put it on screen as a wireframe and let me turn it in all 3 planes.

He's gone away to shade it so it will look solider.

He says toolpaths are dead easy, ball nose not a problem, anti-collision easy, it's 'only' vectors. Basically I can have what I like

So any ideas what I should ask for? What do the big boys do that is so freaking miraculous?:heehee:

I want to cut injection tooling in 7075 T6 alloy.
Sounds like a good step forward...

So he's doing STL to G-Code?

I'm assuming he's figured out inside v outside for the toolpaths?

Feed rate/DOC/Spindle revs for given tool type/# flutes/workpiece material/chip loading?

Tool change points?