Carbide Create 440 Beta (Now 445)

We just posted build 440 to: https://carbide3d.com/carbidecreate/beta/

This is the first public build with our new tool database system.

The UI will be different, not all materials are in there yet but there are representative versions of each broad material type.

Speed and feeds are hand generated for each machine/material/cutter, there is no longer an algorithm generating them.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

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Hey Rob:

I just downloaded the new version and went straight to the library and it looks good so far except that Iā€™m not sure how to add a new tool. I can apparently duplicate the library but what about an individual tool? The recommended speed of 10K for the 201 on the Shapeoko for example is fine for the Makita router but it is low for a Dewalt or Carbide router.

Right click on the library to add a cutter. Youā€™ll need to create your own library or duplicate one of ours first. You cannot add to or modify our library.

Regarding speeds and feeds, weā€™ll continue to tweak but our goal is not to make these ā€œoptimalā€. Theyā€™re going to be conservative-cannot-fail recipes. We made it easy to duplicate our library so that advanced users here can tweak values to their hearts content and share the results easily.

Ah! That was the missing info

OK, when I copy say the Shapeoko MDF Endmill library, the menu comes and fills-in Nomad, Acrylic. Shouldnā€™t it default to Shapeoko MDF? I tried to copy the 201 endmill and it does not appear a second time in the library. BTW, I have the Mac version.

Did you copy and then paste?

I donā€™t see paste in the menu, Edit, Copy, Delete or on the window

Right click on the library youā€™d like to paste to and it should appear.

Maybe Iā€™m doing something wrong but when I right click after the copy, I only have Edit, Copy, Delete

OK, I got it but only if I click on the library title.

A little more info on the library idea:

If you click help->about->Open Data Directory youā€™ll be presented with a folder that contains all of the Carbide Create user data. In that folder, youā€™ll find ā€˜toolsā€™ which stores all of your tool data. Each library is saved as itā€™s own .csv file.

The files that start with Carbide3D are our own ā€˜conservative, will not failā€™ libraries.

But - if you duplicate one of those libraries and name it something like Edward+Shapeoko+MDF youā€™ll find a new file in the directory with the same name and the .csv extension.

These are regular CSV files that can easily be edited in Excel or Google Sheets or Open office or even a text editor. The format is simple enough to understand you donā€™t need us to define it - just open a file and take a look.

You can edit then save these files in the same directory and CC will load them into the tool library.

We are really excited to see what sorts of libraries you all come up with - and if someone wants to use your library - you can just send them the csv file!

-Edward

6 Likes

so far I like it, about to use it for a sign to cut out (got to test that new bitsetter somehow :wink:

suggestions (Iā€™m sure several are on your todo list already but might as well mention them again):

  • In the tool selection toolpath view, make a drop down in addition to the full ā€œChange toolā€ selection; the drop down likely should contain bits that 1) are used in the current project or 2) were recently used (we all have our favorites). Maybe bonus if you show V bits for v-carving toolpaths

  • In general, the setup of the workarea is where you already put in the machine and material, ideally those populate the default filters in the tool selection screen

  • Metric bits. 1/8" shaft 2mm cut is a nice tool. yes I can type 0.078ā€¦ but still. Maybe just show always both?

  • CC just lost my library somehow; I added a new library, new tool. then later I picked a standard Carbide 3D tool. And now my library is not on the list. The library is back once I restart Carbide Create.

  • In the cutter information screen, it would be great for new users to show a picture of an endmill with the elements that make up the dimensions and label the input fields to matchā€¦ something like http://www.harveytool.com/secure/Content/Images/terminology_end_mill.gif

  • thereā€™s no current way to specify stepover for 2D tools. I havenā€™t needed to tweak that ever but I can imagine some folks do

  • For the Carbide 3D toolsā€¦ allow an URL for ordering, so we can click easy and open a browser tab to order more tools?

  • Maybe in general allow an URL for a datasheet kind of link

  • Inventory feature? We all have some bits and not othersā€¦ if we can somehow flag ā€œI have this oneā€ as a filter

1 Like

The comments that I have answers for:

If you define a metric cutter itā€™ll show everything in metric. All of ours are basically ā€œinchā€ so we donā€™t have any in the default library. (I know thatā€™s not quite what youā€™re asking for though)

Could be a bug or it could be related to how the filters are currently set at the top of the page. If you find a repatable whay to make that happen, Iā€™m sure we can fix it.

On the Todo.

Stepover defaults to 50% of the diameter. We debated making this more explicit but since we donā€™t have ramping and adaptive clearing paths youā€™re always going to end up slotting somewhere in the toolpath so this seemed ā€œsaferā€. We may change this in the future.

Carbide 3D tools do have a link in the info pane to the store but we donā€™t have any other datasheets online yet so this is the best we have. We wonā€™t allow linking to third-party sites because that could be a security problem.

Something we talked about but weā€™re trying to avoid creating a database app with lots of fields. Our thought was that you could just duplicate our library and delete the ones you donā€™t care about. Or, create an empty library and copy the ones you do care about to it.

We worked hard to distill this down to the bare minimum that could work so we donā€™t confuse ā€œnormal peopleā€.

Big picture (as Edward outlined) is that we expect that more advanced users will create their own library full of goto tools, with speeds and feeds that they like, and then be able to easily share them.

Medium term, weā€™re planning on a ā€œSave as a templateā€ command that would save a toolpath and tool into a template that can easily be applied to any job youā€™ve got. These templates would also be easily sharable between users (Thatā€™s the plan, weā€™ll see if itā€™s a good idea).

1 Like

Can we enable the pro features?

I had no problems enabling a Trial15 license.

If you do, let us know at support@carbide3d.com

No trouble at all!!
The new tool library features are much more intuitive.

Every time I consider spending a boat load of money on software you all pull crap like this!! CC and CM just keep getting better!! Iā€™ll spend the cash on a 80/20 extrusion bed and keep using your alls CAD/CAM!!:wink::wink::wink::wink::wink::wink::kissing:

2 Likes

If you add vee bits to the library how do we list the angle??

The angle seems to be included automatically after editing:

Just edit the tool:

Just curious to see if the extensive Amana tool database will be included now that Carbide will sell those bits and are you going to follow the Amana tool numbering system?

ok I narrowed the steps to reproduce down to something pretty simple

  1. Start with a new design
  2. Draw a circle (or whatever)
  3. Go to toolpath ā†’ Contour
  4. ā€œEditā€ on the tool
  5. ā€œChange toolā€
  6. New LIbrary, MDF + Shapeoko
  7. Paste the 201 bit from the C3D library into this new library
  8. BUT select a tool from the normal C3D library after that
  9. FInish the toolpath
  10. Edit the toolpath and try to change the tool the new library + 201 clone ā€¦ and notice the library is not there
  11. If you save + exit CC and then start it and load the file backā€¦ and do the same edit, the library is there
2 Likes