Totally new to the world of CNC.... Not yet received my machine

[Kitwn]

Hello Kit, Thanks for the friendly welcome... I've not made any decision on software yet.
I'd like to create my own designs... or use downloadable files if it is something I want to do.
As I understand it there is a two part process .... creating the design and then determining the cutting paths/depths/speed of cut etc

I thought I might use the free trial option a lot of software offers before buying... or use open source software.

Always open to suggestions.... Someone told me I needed a 'gaming standard' laptop to run suitable software.... So one of the first things I need to do is find a suitable laptop... probably s/h.... My 17" HP is ancient and runs as slow as a no.4 bus on a wet week when there is a ton of roadworks... It may not, most likely isn't, even be upto the task.... I have a Lenovo Thinkpad... but that is supplied by County and I don't have admin rights to install software etc.

Several others have offered you advice already and you will see there is sometimes more on offer than you want! In order...

Creating the design is Computer Aided Design (CAD). This involves making a drawing of what you want and can involve any 2D or 3D drawing package.

Computer Aided Machining (CAM) is the next stage of creating the instructions your machine will follow to cut out the design. CAD and CAM are combined in all the software I mentioned earlier and I don't think many serious players are doing these two stages in separate packages these days. CAM produces what is called 'G code' instructions. These are simple text instructions which originated with manual programming (Numerical Control or NC) of machine moves just after WW2. Now we use computers to generate the code hence Computer Numeric Control (CNC). The individual instructions are for simple moves but if you combine many tens or hundreds of thousands of tiny moves you can cut some very complex shapes. You would not code that by hand!

The final stage is machine control. A list of G code can be fed into almost any machine but how those instructions are converted into physical movements of the machine itself depends on the specific hardware. How many motor revolutions per mm of movement on eac axis? What's the maximum speed and acceleration YOUR machine can move at? This is completely separate from CAD/CAM and can involve a built-in controller as part of the machine you buy or software that runs on a computer and talks to the machine via an interface such as USB (not generally regarded as reliable), Parallel port (works, is cheap, but not found on laptops or recent PC hardware) or Ethernet (preferred by many on this forum for new equipment).

Re the computer for CAD/CAM: I use a ten year old HP laptop with an early i7 processor which I've upgraded to Windows 10 and it works fine with CamBam which does not have fancy graphics but works well for me. Upgrading to a solid state HD and adding some more memory (8GB is much better than 4) will liven up an old machine quite well. I also use a similar vintage, not expensive DIY desktop machine which works well and have a lovely 32 inch XHD resolution monitor on it which is great for drawing and the best single upgrade I've ever made. Fusion 360 has some fancy rendering capabilities which will require more graphics power but 'gaming' is way above the level were talking here for anything but highly detailed sculpture work.

More waffle than I intended, but one last point: What is best for you will depend partly on what kind of things you want to make. Bass relief carvings, signs for houses and businesses or mechanical parts? The best advice for your needs will come from people who are experienced in making the same kind of things you want to make. Which isn't necesarilly me.

Kit