DesignCAD 3D MAX v.21 review

[Magic]

Sorry for the trouble, Rob.

We added a "program signature" validation pass to the DesignCAD 3D MAX v. 23 installer to give people more confidence that DesignCAD hasn't been corrupted, and to avoid Windows 8's "This program is from an untrusted source" messages.

So far it's been a hassle for us; without an internet connection Windows doesn't seem to recognize the security certificate used to "sign" the builds.

We're still looking into how to solve the problem *without* having an internet connection.

The internet connection is needed during installation only, not while running the programs afterwards.

As to manuals it's true that we don't provide printed manuals except for the 50 page Introduction to DesignCAD 3D MAX, if you buy the program from Magic CAD/CAM on a CD-rom. This is purely a question of cost.

However, if you go Start > DesignCAD 3D MAX 23 you'll find a 30 page Getting Started Guide as well as the 290 page Reference Manual in .pdf format, and if you go Start > ContourCAM, there is the 125 page ContourCAM User's Guide in .pdf format of which chapters 7 and 8 are 2D and 3D tutorials.

[cropwell]

The machine that I run the CNC process (from design to realisation) has a very lean version of XP Pro. I have taken out as many Windows components as I can, Networking being the main one. Without networking I don't need Antivirus. I also don't get interruptions and a cold boot takes 35 seconds and a shut down takes 7 (I have a SSD) because I don't have Microdaft and Java and Uncle Tom Cobbley checking for updates I don't want. The system is stable, I want it to stay that way.

I am loath to connect this machine to the internet just to load a demo of a program I may later reject, anyway the program has to run on the machine eventually, so it is a waste of my time even looking at it on another computer.

And one final comment - Search for DesignCad on Amazon and note the price.