From Artcam to Aspire...

[jymmee]

I have been using Artcam for 14 years and just recently downloaded Aspire (trial version) to give it a test drive. With Autodesk dropping its support of Artcam, it’s a necessity that our company and all its vendor subsidiaries find another 3d modeling/millpath program.
I have a couple of questions:
Is there anyway to make a greyscale while in the program. In Artcam, all you had to do was click a button to produce current up to date greyscale?
Is there anything in the works that would allow you to select a specific color (like Artcam) by double-clicking on the bitmap color and/or background color to produce vectors specific to that color?
Also, will there be a way to see a 3-d preview while you are in 2-d mode (like artcam)
Thanks, Jim

[Leo]

Jim,

Vectric Aspire IS a great program, but it is not Artcam

Artcam WAS a great program but it is not Aspire.

I am sure you got very used to working with artcam as many of us are used to working with Aspire. There are pro's and con's to everything.

Does Aspire work like Artcam - no. But then again artcam does not work like Aspire.

About 10 years ago I made a personal choice to go with Vectric, and have never looked back.

I am certain there are ways to do what you want with Aspire.

[LittleGreyMan]

Jim,

As Leo stated, you'll have to change some habits, but there's no reason you can't do the same job with Aspire. You'll simply have to do it sometimes a different way.

AFAIK, some toolpath types are missing in Aspre compared to Artcam.

What do you mean by "make a greyscale"? 3D components will appear in greyscale in the 2D view tab. If you select one (in the 2D or the 3D tab), you can export it as a greyscale bitmap from the Model menu.

I don't remember how you manage vector colors in Artcam. In Aspire, you can use layers and assign a color to a layer.

You can tile 2D and 3D windows in the View menu to see both 2D and 3D views. IIRC, Artcam displays vectors in 3D view. This feature is missing in Vectric (except if I didn't find it in the V9 demo) and would sometimes be useful.

If you plan to use intensively Aspire, take the time to read the manual (search for pdf manual on this forum, as getting it as a pdf file is not that obvious since V9).

Vectric manuals are excellent, as the numerous tutorial videos.

Good luck with your switch.

[Rcnewcomb]

Is there anyway to make a greyscale while in the program.

[adze_cnc]

ArtCAM didn't automatically create a greyscale representation of a 3D component. If you needed one you had to create a greyscale layer as an operation.

[mtylerfl]

Another option is to save your models from ArtCam as rlf version 9. Aspire can import those directly.

That's what I did when I provided my ArtCam models to James Booth. He preferred rlf version 9 files.

[adze_cnc]

Jim,

I never modelled in ArtCAM only used its toolpath creation for imported Rhinoceros / Solidworks models so I can't comment on Aspire's modelling capabilities vs ArtCAM.

Is there anything in the works that would allow you to select a specific color (like Artcam) by double-clicking on the bitmap color and/or background color to produce vectors specific to that color?

The "Trace Bitmap" option should be able to work for this operation.

Also, will there be a way to see a 3-d preview while you are in 2-d mode (like artcam)

I can't answer what may or may not appear in the future but I expect what your asking is: can you view both a 3D model and 2D vectors in the same viewport?

Personally I always wished that ArtCAM would not do that by default as it always seemed to be in the way so I've never really lamented not being able to do that in Vectric's programs.

I needed to switch to the Vectric suite from ArtCAM and I worked around what I had with the previous program. For that matter I still have ArtCAM 2010 installed just in case I need to do something that the Vectric programs can't.

In the past school year I have done two projects in ArtCAM that I couldn't do otherwise:

1. I needed multiple roughing passes, for an absurdly thick MDF mould blank, using progressively longer router bits.*
2. I did a v-carve (ArtCAM's "Smart Engraving Toolpath") as I wanted ArtCAM's ability to specify more than one large area clearance tool.

* Yes Aspire/VCarve can specifiy mutiple roughing passes but will always try to cut close to the model. ArtCAM allows a start and stop depth for the cut avoiding "cutting air" for each subsequent roughing operation that I needed to do.

If I had one other wish for Vectric that would be to ape ArtCAM's "Smart Engraving Toolpath". It so much more versatile than the "v-carve/engraving" one.

Steven

[mndiscgolfer]

Hello All!

I am also looking for a replacement from Artcam, ( user since 2006) so I'm looking forward to continuing this discussion.
Hoping to download the trial version this week

[Leo]

Seem like when Artcam went to a subscriber base many people became unhappy. At least that is my observation. I know I would feel that way too.

[TReischl]

There is no point wondering if Aspire can do anything like ArtCam did, none whatsoever. Simple fact is ArtCam is a dead product. About all a person who loves it can do is continue using what they have until it is no longer supported by the operating systems. These things happen.

On the bright side, there will be no "upgrades" to pay for! Or any "service contracts"!

This was bound to happen as other software rolled out. Anyone want to place a wager on how long it will be before AutoDesk starts adding artistic functions to other software?

I use other software a bit. Like any full featured 3D modeling software it has a darn steep learning curve. As of now, it is not useful to do artistic stuff. Even importing STL files is quite clunky and limited. But, for mechanical stuff? A whole different ball game.

[ger21]

other software was released before Autodesk bought ArtCAM from DelCAM

Personally, I don't think other software will ever get ArtCAM like features. But I could be wrong.

I think the demise of ArtCAM was that they took a $150 program (ArtCAM Express) and made it a $40/month subscription.
And the pricing on the Pro version was outrageous, at about $3000/year

[IslaWW]

When Ted says: " Simple fact is ArtCam is a dead product." That may or may not be actually true. If, like Leo says it can still be used, especially be keeping a legacy computer to operate it.

Case in point: Mach3. IF ArtCAM is dead, Mach3 has been "dead and stinkin" for 10 years. Yet it lives on... and on.... and on.

[ger21]

I had an ArtCAM 2018 subscription (got the one day $99/yr special). When they cancelled it, they sent me a new, perpetual license,

I wasn't aware of that. Maybe Autodesk is not as evil as everyone thinks.

[TReischl]

Maybe I should have written:

In the software world, dead is when a product ceases to be developed and sold.

Sure, one can scrounge around on fleaBay and find some old puter to make something continue to work. But even then, eventually those machines get recycled. But, I do not disagree, afterall, I can still find 8 inch floppy disks for an external drive to hook up to my old Commodore 64! Not sure I can find anything for the old TI 99-4a though. . . . . Now, if only I could get someone to fix that bug in my PET software!

BTW, I never thought AutoDesk was evil. Pricey? You bet. Sorta clunky? Uh huh. Stodgy? Sure. I find it amazing that they are letting non commercial folks and those under 100K per year use other software for free. There are some really good things about it, but it is not my go to software by any means.

Gary: Mach 3 is still being sold, not sure if anyone is working on it? Sort of doubt it since Mach 4 has come along. But NewFangled is definitely collecting revenues from it. The reason I do not know if anyone has done any updates is that mine works just fine. I am one of those guys who does not just update because I can. If it is working, I leave it alone. Sort of like when my wife is cooking, best to leave her alone.

[martin54]

I find it amazing that they are letting non commercial folks and those under 100K per year use other software for free.

That isn't strictly speaking true Ted, the wording is a bit misleading. If your Business turns over less than 100K a year you can use it for prototyping etc for free BUT as soon as you make something with it & sell it then you have to start paying.

I had it for 2 years as it seemed like the only way I would be able to do 3D modelling (didn't have Aspire then), When it came up for me to re-register for the 3rd year they wanted $40 a month for me to continue using it.