Official Luthiers Forum!

Yeah, I know.... 3000+ post but when it comes to CNC i AM a newbie!!

Well, just got my CNC assembled and should be up and running pretty soon. I need however to get started with a decent (and easy) 3D software.

Bob Garrish tells me to go with Rhino or Moi 3D or Solidworks but when I look at those programs one thing comes to mind.... CHINESE!!! yeah, thats what it looks to me.
For mr. Garrish who unlike the rest of us thinks in algorithms and math Rhino is a piece of cake....unlike me!
While I am very computer literate and well proficient with Mac and PC, Photoshop, Dreamweaver plus a bunch of other stuff, this 3D stuff is getting me frustrated. So, if you have had similar frustrations or can shed some light please share your experience and piece of mind!

Thank you!!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I'm fortunate enough to have been exposed to CAD way back when there were no 3D packages but - I still had to learn from scratch when I got back into this recently.

All of the CAD packages out there have step by step tutorials that come with them on how to get drawing. Most of these packages also have demo versions that you can download or there are other ways to evaluate the software for longer periods of time. The tutorials are the place to get started with any CAD package.

Download the software, grab a beverage of your choice and set aside 2 or 3 hours with the software and the tutorials with no interruptions. By the end of the first session, you should be getting an idea of what you're getting yourself in to. After a few sessions, you should be able to start drawing simpler parts and what not on your own.

I won't go as far as saying that anyone can do it but, I'm sure anyone on this forum can do it.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I have been CNCing for a while but only recently have I ventured into the 3D realm. Doing 2D+ is a snap with CamBam and for the most part that's all I would need until I decided to try and design LP style carved tops and neck backs. I have a copy of Rhino and the learning process was pretty easy. Translating that into G-Code has been a challenge, though. I just got a demo copy of MeshCAM and that works pretty good. So, here's my list:

Autocad and CamBam for 2D+
Rhinocad3D and MeshCAM for 3D.

Stay away from LazyCAM. I used it for a while but it is infuriatingly unpredictable for pockets and offsets.

Peter, I can feel your pain. I spent a lot of time with Sketchup, which everyone says is easy to work with, but couldn't get much beyond basic 2D drawing. On Bob's recommendation, I downloaded the demo for MOI3D and was able to make a fairly decent bridge after only a few hours of playing with the software. Try as many demo's as you can until you find one that fits you the best. Then plan on spending a couple of weeks going through tutorials. After a couple of months you should be proficient enough to model just about anything you might need to build a guitar. Also, remember that many guitar related parts, inlay and jigs are modeled in 2D. You only really need to use 3D modelling techniques for things like bridges and electric carved tops.

Care to share info on your new CNC machine?

Bob

Peter,

I have about ZERO previous CAD experience. I dabbled with house building software a bit but that is about it. I bought Rhino because it was competitively priced, it is used by a lot of guitar makers and it is also used by some naval architect friends of mine. I can't say the program was intuitive for me but the more I use it the more it makes sense. I have had hours of conversations with Michael Turner and if it wasn't for him I would either still be struggling or I would have had to travel 1000 miles and take a couple of weekend courses. Rhino is now also doing some online tutorial courses. At the end of the day, Rhino with MADCam has been working very well.

Shane

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Canada

Thanks everyone for taking the time. I will download some demos and try them all out!!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com