Looking for direction. Total newb to CNC. Download Fusion 360 and started watching the tutorial videos. Not sure if I have the same version, if you’re not supposed to use chrome or what, but I got a bit frustrated trying to follow along. Any tips?
Table should be here in a few weeks and I’d like to be able to hit the ground running.
Honestly if you just ordered your machine it’s going to be a couple of months until you get it (ordered mine mid November, still don’t have it) which gives you plenty of time to learn your software you chose to use for designing, because you will need to learn alot while your waiting for it to come! The easy part is cutting your part out, the time consuming part is figuring out how to design your pieces or artwork and use the software properly. The program’s I use for design is fusion 360 (for basic design and tool path), and I use inkscape and Gimp for the majority of design and convert the svg or PDF to dxf using convertio. All of these programs are free to use.
Honestly what you should do is start designing things so you can just cut them out when you get your machine. Learn how to use inkscape or Gimp so well you can design things without having to look at tutorials. You will also need to go over the CAM tutorial from the langmuir systems videos. Once you understand and memorized what the different tools are for in these programs it will make it so much easier to making things. Setting up the sheet metal or plate and getting the plasma cutter and air compressor working and actually cutting the work piece out is simple.
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I ordererd mine a while back and it should be delivered mid to late January they said. I’ll have to check out the inkscape and Gimp programs. I converted a pic to a vector using AI, and got it to upload into fusion. I’m trying to change it in fusion to get rid of some of the tiny details that will make it difficult to cut right. not having much luck there. I did also order the Mach3 Full software. Thats just for controlling the machine right? not design.
Hi @KBinCO - you can’t run Fusion with Chrome OS; has to be Windows or MacOS - maybe Linux but no Chrome books. Our Tutorials are mostly done on windows (there are windows critical tutorials and then some are on a mac) - that may be where some of the visual differences are coming from.
Mach3 is just for controlling the computer and that needs to be on a PC - but you can do your design work on a MAC
I’m having some issues with the tutorials also. Pretty dang frustrating when the tutorial
screen and my screen are different. Not a lot but enough to make pull my hair out. Wayne
The trouble is the software changes (it changed a few months ago to Manufacture from CAM for instance). They’d have to have someone updating the video tutorials all the time. Most companies only do it with major releases if they do it at all.
And if you’re running a different OS, it’s even worse - need multiples of everything.
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Thanks for the reply. I’ll just keep plugging away. I’ll get it eventually. Another perspective is always good. Wayne
It used to be that Youtube allowed flag notes to be overlaid onto videos which was great for making clarifications.
I have a bunch of posts here that have screenshots that are now out of date because of an update to Fusion but that’s more work than I’m willing to do 
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As I encounter them though I’ll add an edit comment noting the difference with the current version. May take awhile before I get them though. (I still have to do my oversized design indexing write-up but this is tax weekend & next is lost for a class I’m teaching…life keeps getting in the way.
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