

BobCAD salesmen are RIDICULOUSLY pushy. Many of these contribute not only to a lack of user friendliness, but also to needless repetition that leads to human error. I probably have to work around a new one of these little problems daily. STL files, almost none of BobCAD's functions work on them (e.g. + While it can technically open and generate toolpaths for mesh-based. stepover, tool to use, depth per pass, etc.). + You are not able to specify defaults for almost anything, so if you are going to make 20 different toolpaths of the same type you have to manually enter every setting every time (e.g. + Every time you create a new toolpath it defaults to the same pointless 1/2in "system tool" which it insists on adding to your tool DB, even if you remove it. if you wanted to machine a donut shape without touching the donut hole) + It lacks the ability to create a toolpath in the region between two nested shapes (e.g. Software is a bit "clunky", and lacks little features that you would use constantly, if it had them. I run BobCAD out of memory daily (32-bit processes can only access 2GB of RAM). This means that many toolpaths you want to generate when doing 3D cuts simply will not complete. Software is not 64-bit, and toolpath generation routines are very memory inefficient (especially Pro toolpaths). Variety of toolpaths, and more in Pro (I had Std, and now have Pro.). It feels more 2005 than most competitors (which scream 1995). New v24 interface has a nice "modern" feel. It performs better than cheaper $150-ish software, though not nearly as well as true $3000-class software, without naming any names. It can be purchased at a very reasonable price for hobbyists (a couple hundred dollars), which makes it a very good bang for the buck. I use BobCAD v24, and am happy to share my feedback.
