Well… as the title says really.
I have Repetier setup, and Estlcam (which I find annoyingly non user friendly, but that might just be me).
I have basically zero experience with CNC software, so wondered what people were using.
I can never seem to highlight multiple objects or delete a project in either Repetier or Estlcam.
If I load a file, is it right that I have to click on every single line and tell it what I want it to do? On complicated milling shapes, that takes FOREVER.
Why can’t I find a setting/method to highlight the whole project/piece and then apply my requirements?
I’m sure someone here can help with estlcam specifically better than I can, but this is my software opinion so far.
I use easel for anything simple/2d. If its basic shapes/engraves/passthrough cuts, it’s just too simple to pass up. A simple find/replace for rapid movements make it mpcnc friendly.
It took me a long while, but once I got comfortable with fusion 360s cam, I use it for everything else now. In exchange for more tedious set up I can shave my run times 2-5x now by telling it exactly what I want it to do and how. This quickly became valuable cutting aluminum parts where time == money
Estlcam was a nice in between, I imagine I’ll still load it up now and then for 2.5D carvings but it never felt very intuitive to me. I like its 3d mode (block machining I think it calls it? I forget), and how simple it makes that. It’s other mode where you do the manual selecting, I just felt easel and fusion do it easier/better.
I wouldn’t say it is user friendly, but it is simple and easy to learn. Also, harder to send crappy gcode to the machine (but not too hard). Things like undo/redo missing really bother me.
There is a menu for automatic toolpath creation. I forget what it is called. SOGC used it in his last project video. He also selected multiple toolpaths and changed their settings. He also deleted some toolpaths.
I find myself doing save project as a lot if I’m doing any in depth work. I just make too many mistakes.
It is a bit tedious and misses some features, It is line by line. But it works very well and I get the code I want. Lost my well-developed scripts for startup, shutdown and tool change yesterday by saving over what I had created. I don’t quite understand how post processors are saved and how that works. I’ve poked around in the setup and default texts int he Program Data directory, but still learning my way around. I assumed I was saving the Marlin preset post processor, but then I ended up saving the wrong one as default and something got wonky.
I hope to do a step by step how to for milling a box that does a friction fit top sliding over a bottom. It took me a while to understand the workflow. Like I wish that there was a way to auto-populate the finishing pass better. I see that part of the tool setup, but not quite with each operation. Maybe I don’t have the automatic milling functions all filled in yet.
I think I have finally understood how the workflow should go. I did a test piece on some foam and then MDF and it came out great. Finally realized I had my endmill sized wrong. Found out my machine is very precise. I had perfect 0.36 mm around a part sticking up in the foam where the tool didn’t machine since I did a pocket on one side of one depth and a hole on the other side with a different depth on either side of the line.
I paid for the Estlcam since I knew I would be able to get some help on this forum and that it is recommended by @jeffeb3 and @vicious1. Does 2.5D well.
Hard to say about what to invest time in learning. Fusion will do what you want but that’s a big overhead. I am comfortable making SVGs for the designs I need and so far it works for carving letters and making signs.
I haven’t thrown an STL at it yet.
This is a good conversation to have. I’m still figuring my way around this but I haven’t given up on it for sure.
I updated my Fusion 360 installation Friday with the hopes of using it. Hate to not use Onshape which I have gotten very efficient in. Just can’t pay the CAM part.
Most of what I was going to say has already been said so I’ll just second everything Jeffe said. I have tried out some other CAM programs but they are a lot harder to learn and get setup to work with marlin. Estlcam is great once you get some basic ideas figured out. Like using automatic functions, tool list etc… I have found it can handle 95% of what I want to throw at it. The last 5% is raster images for laser engraving. For that I use other software.
My two biggest complaints are not enough YouTube videos for all the questions I have had in the past. And no Edit Undo or undo history.
Hey Steve, I know you did not ask about Fusion 360. First I am not affiliated with this link in any way. No benefit to me other than it helped me so much. I have learned, forgotten and relearned Fusion 360 more than I care to admit over the last few years. I hope this helps some. Free and Easy CAM/CAD tutorials
I use fusion 360 for design, I have started using it for CAM and Gcode creation.
Estlcam is quite easy to import an STL then a couple of clicks and it spits the gcode out
