With Space Claim you have to try and pull and drag things. With a parametric system, you can change a value and let the computer chug away and update. The direct modeling functions are frustrating on complex geometry. It is not good for surface modeling or complex lofted and blended 3D shapes. The modeling side is good for solids and prismatic shapes. I used it a few years ago, and it could not do detail views, broken views, automated BOMs, custom sections, and some GD&T call outs were not supported. If you need to make drawings for the shop floor or to send out, you will be frustrated. The drafting package is missing a lot of features. With this trend comes a corresponding need for CAM systems that allow you to take your 3D geometry and programme it for cutting in your desired material.Space Claim is a good modeler, it is not a full CAD system. The issue here is that, while the price of CNC machines may have dropped, the same can’t really be said for many CAM tools. There’s also a second issue to consider: most CAM applications are built to meet the needs of users who are looking to create optimised toolpaths for final parts, intended for production, in the shortest time possible.īut if you’re doing prototyping work and just want to grab a chunk of model board and rip out a concept model, the functionality that these high-end applications offer is overkill in many respects. This is where a system like MeshCAM comes into its own. Developed by GRZ Software, it’s become a favourite among users running affordable CNCs, for a few reasons. The first is cost: MeshCAM pricing starts at $250 for a perpetual licence. Second, it’s cross-platform, working on both Windows and Apple OSX.īut above all, and unlike many production-oriented CAM systems, it’s geared to deliver in ways that don’t automatically come to light straight away - so let’s take a look at how it works and why we think MeshCAM’s a solid bet. The MeshCAM user interface is pretty sparse.Īlmost all of the operations and commands are driven from a smattering of icons positioned on the left-hand side, which the user works through sequentially. MeshCAM only works with STL data, so you’ll need to ensure that your part is output at the highest resolution your CAD system can manage.Īs you import that part, the system will ask about the type of job you’ve got planned. MeshCAM supports 3-axis cutting, 4-axis if you have a rotary axis on your machine, and two-sided cutting.
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