[simpits-tech] From idea to CNC - what software is used

[Alex Wiebe]

> I've never heard of CutList before - does it best-fit your parts into
> pre-defined sheet sizes in order to give you your material requirements?

Yes and spit out a bill of materials. The problems are a) it appears
to only use square bounding boxes for the parts and b) outputs a jpeg
or gif - not a drawing in Sketchup.

> The process I use involves creating the flat parts in AutoCAD, then
> bringing them into Inventor in order to verify fit, then from there I
> "panelize" the parts to fit on a 4x8 sheet of material.  That step is done
> in AutoCAD as well.  From there I use VCarve Pro to create the tool paths
> for the ShopBot.

Do you have a link for Inventor? Is it an AutoCAD plugin? or stand
alone product?

> You can use the free version of TurboCAD to draw your flat patterns & for
> the panelize process.

Will look into that - thanks.

I'm also going to try zomadiCAM mentioned from the ShopBot page. It
might be able to get me close enough so that the Phlatboyz script can
take over. (http://code.google.com/p/zomadicam/ - now abandoned? last
update in 2007?)