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Originally Posted by LouieAtienza
OF course. However this is the way things are headed toward, so I thought it be of interest to discuss.
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I appreciate you contributing your knowledge and experience.
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This may have been true 10 years ago, but for the most part today's DIY CNC crowd are pretty sophisticated, and you can get high-end CAD/CAM like Fusion360 for free. Just like anything, there is a learning curve.
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It varies. Some users are quite sophisticated, others not so much.
A friend of mine has a membership at a very well equipped makerspace - a usually commercial shop where anyone can purchase a membership to use a variety of manual and CNC machine tools. Like many other makerspaces around the country, members of the public can attempt to bring product ideas that they have to fruition. My friend, who is heavily involved in his local makerspace has repeatedly found that there are significant impediments to people walking in off the street with an idea for a project and their being able to manufacture that idea. Those hurdles include being able to model their idea in 3D, being able to generate G-code and being able to actually run the machines - feeds, speeds, choice of cutting tools, hold-downs, etc.
A primary aspect of my job for the last 25+ years has been teaching draftsmen, designers and engineers how to use 3D modelling CAD software. Having taught hundreds of people, it has been my experience that it isn't all that accessible to technical people, let alone those without a technical background.
I agree that Fusion 360 is a good tool and is free for the average user (<$100k in revenue).
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And I agree with the cost of those "CNC-ready" files, that anyone can get for free, with better quality, and editable, online. Which is why I made that point.
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It is a good and valid point.
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Here it is in a nutshell. Click on a curve - for example, a pickup pocket. Go to the toolpath menu and pick pocketing. Select tool cutter size, how deep per pass, and final depth. Click OK. Done. It really is that simple.
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For some, it's like falling off a log. For others, they won't get past turning the computer on. You, like Steve, have a lot of knowledge and skills the average person doesn't have. Don't underestimate what you know and can do.