As some of the above replies indicate, there ARE alternatives.
Fusion 360 does both CAD and CAM, and is probably the second most popular option among forum users. It reputedly has a much steeper learning curve than EstleCAM.
I use FreeCAD for both CAD and CAM. I really like it, but I may be a minority of one. 8^)
I’m aware of a few web based CAM options.
Easel is very easy to learn, but limited (at least in the free version, I haven’t tried the “Pro”)
I’ve also been using F-Engrave for V-carved images and text, and really like it. It also supports V-Carved Inlays, but I haven’t tried that myself yet. I will soon…
Literally ALL of my successful cuts have come from using Fusion. I have tried multiple times with Estlcam, but it just doesn’t click with me. Granted, I have spent many more hours watching Fusion tutorials on youtube. (This guy is great https://www.youtube.com/user/cadcamstuff)
If you try Fusion remember you can get a free hobby license and you’ll need to add the post processor for mpcnc.
I’ve had the opposite experience from @JakeB. I was already fluent with Fusion, and when I started with the CNC I used it. For the most part I love it but it is so buggy. I love how much control it gives you, but with even a moderately complex SVG or DXF import it just hangs; and even on some simple models I’ve had it crash when I try to post-process.
I poked at FreeCAD, and while I think there is something there, the learning curve was too steep, so I decided to come back to it another time.
There were a couple of other ones that I tried that had the same issue as Fusion in that it couldn’t handle logos etc that had a lot of features.
Easel is cute and handy for a few letters or a simple 2D cut. I found it most limiting in that it could not ramp into a pocket, it just plunges in, which only works with some bits.
A couple of weeks ago I finally tried ESTLcam, and I bought it the next day. The undo thing is annoying, but not a deal breaker. I have noticed that some of the algorithms simply don’t work. For example I cut something yesterday that had islands, and it worked fine in linear and parallel modes but missed major sections in peel mode. It also seems to have some cool features in its “CNC Controller” subprogram but for that you need to hook it up right to your PC, which isn’t Marlin friendly. Most importantly, it imports complex SVG files like a champ, and doesn’t slow down much with them.
I’ve written some pretty advanced graphics software in my day, and if I were retired I’d probably take a stab at it, but that’s 10 years away.
I will add this to the list because I have seen it listed in similar threads. If you are using Onshape.com there is a plugin called Kiri (or something like that). it can be used as a CAM or laser engraver. I played with an early version of it and had some trouble getting it to work but that was about 2 or 3 years ago. I know it has been actively worked on since. I plan to give it another try as a potential program of choice after I am done building my new laser engraver.
Well I am glad I am not the only one.
Had a few more tries today. Mixed results. Several ‘Now why did it do that’ moments.
When you use carve, it says you must use a ‘V’ bit. But, I am trying to ‘mill’ out a square area, so the bit wants to be flat ended.
Should I be using engrave instead for that?
I have had a few attempts that have resulted in my hitting the emergency stop button. One downside to that is that my rig drops under it’s own weight when the power is removed.
This then promptly bores a hole in your work anyway as the router spools down.
Think I may design a ‘power off’ brake for the Z rail.
I have only used EstlCAM for 2D cuts so far. Fusion seems very complicated with so many options that it scares me away.
My experience with 3D (2.5D) cuts EstlCAM is not that great. Somehow it takes an unreasonable amount of time to mill something. It doesn’t give you many options, and it’s hard to understand what those options mean. I tried some variations, and put the gcode in my handy little tool to visualize the result of a cut. The result was not really what I expected though… so I didn’t dare to run the gcode on my machine.
I thought to myself, how hard can it be to generate some gcode for milling a 2.5D design? It’s basically milling pockets at different heights. My plan was to use OpenSCAD projection and offsets etc to easily generate SVG at different heights in the model, and to convert that to gcode. Turns out that OpenSCAD projection is very buggy, so I went a little deeper into the rabbit hole. So far I’ve got a Python script computes all contours to mill and generates gcode. It has some issues I want to fix before I make anything public, but it looks promising. Maybe something useful will come out of it.
Speaking of Estlcam, I’m just starting to read the tutorial on it and noticed a discrepancy. When setting up the 1/8" tool there’s a setting that’s not listed in the V1 tutorial. It asks for an "a(z+) setting and the tutorial doesn’t mention that one. Also the tutorial has settings referencing 45% and 180* entries but the Tool screen doesn’t have a spot for those entries. Suggestions?
You can customize what fields are shown in the tool list. I suggest for beginners that you hide the ones that are not explained and show the ones that are in the tutorial.
Most of the extra fields are for advanced cuts in hard materials.
Yeah Steve the carve tool is intended for use with a V bit. It will raise and lower the bit to carve wider and narrower cuts in the wood. Great for letters with fonts like times new Roman.
Kiri:Moto is the plugin for Onshape. It is also a stand alone browser based app that you can use with an SVG or an STL of your own. You can also download it and install it locally. I have played with it in CAM mode. Mostly I use it to make SVGs of the models I make in OnShape. It is absolutely the best resource for making OnShape laser friendly. I haven’t quite gotten to making it useful for CNC work though. Not quite sure about it. I use EstlCAM and I am very pleased with what it does. Takes some time to get familiar with it.
Just get over it and use Fusion. I know…very options, much scary. But it is worth it.
Tutorials are on YT, they show you how to set up basic parameters and give you a nice overview on what you really need of all those unticked boxes (Spoiler: not much). Learn how to set up your tools, your workpiece and simple toolpaths. Simulate. Simulate. Simulate.
“But the tutorials are not for an MPCNC”…so the f*** what? Its a CNC after all, it moves a spindle that spins some spinny thing at its bottom end. A 2D toolpath is still a 2D toolpath, just adjust you DOC and Feedrate to more hobby-ish values (Fusion wants to go pretty ham per default).
First thing i did was to create a part with a flat surface, an outer countour and a pocket in the center. 3 Operations. 3 Toolpaths. Try to geht that working in the simluation. Once it does and your workpiece is set up according to its real life properties it will run that toolpath on your machine once the gcode is loaded. Run it in thin air if you are scared.
I’m also at the end of my rope with EstlCam. I refuse to buy the license for the software, until I feel I’ve tested every aspect of it. But the countdown timer that cumulatively grows each and every time is getting to be too much. I haven’t figured out carving anywhere near to the point of feeling confident in purchasing the license.
No that would be an eternity for me I paid to not hold my breath.
It may be it’s been a long time since I purchased it. there is a point where it stops getting longer though if your patience can hold out you don’t ever have to pay.
Kind of a difficult thing though. Saving a project and getting the simulation is what will help you get more proficient, but you have to pay first to get a quick save.
I get the point of the (annoying) delay when you save to prompt you to buy it.
But, the damn delay also appears when you accidentally open the wrong file, and it won’t cancel until the delay is up. That just creates frustration.
If I press cancel… then cancel.
Learning Fusion would be great. But I don’t have the time available to sit and learn something else from scratch. I have watched a few Youtube videos about it. I don’t think I need that level of CAD abilities to carve a name in a plank of wood.
I have actually had pretty reasonable success with Tinkercad. If you are making a simple front panel with cutouts, holes, text etc, it works quite well.
You have to remember however that if you want to mill an area, you need to make it a hole in Tinkercard, and then once exported, select that ‘hole’ as an area to mill.
If you draw the area in Tinkercad as a milled area (say 3mm thick in a 6mm piece), it doesn’t export.
