Hi all! I’m a new Shapeoko owner and I’m looking for advice. I know there are a lot of software conversations here and I’ve read many of them but they didn’t answer the specific questions I’m looking for so I hope you’ll indulge me.
I have a Shapeoko 4 coming. I’m fairly new to CNC. My wife is an artist so I’m going to be doing some of her blanks for ornaments as well as supplementing my woodworking business with new products. I have some familiarity with Sketchup pro and already own that. I’m looking for software that works well with Shapeoko and lets me move files from Sketchup and other sources. I know carbide create can do a lot but I’m looking at Vcarve pro or fusion 360 for more detailed items.
I’m totally open to feedback and knowledge from the community on this. What are your pros and cons for VCarve pro and Fusion 360? Do I even need them or are carbide create and Sketchup enough?
Vcarve Desktop limits you to 24x24 inch cutting area. The Vcarve Pro is not limited by cutting area. The Vcarve is oriented to cutting wood. Fusion 360 is a much more robust CAD tool which you can use for a CNC for wood but it is primarily a high level manufacturing design tool. I find Fusion 360 very hard to use and not at all intuitive. There are thousands of tutorials on the internet for both Vcarve and Fusion 360. There are other pay software like Carveco and others. The bottom line all of these commercial software packages are expensive. Some are cloud based so if you have good internet then it is not a problem but if internet access is limited then the cloud based software are limited for use.
I would recommend you start with Carbide Create. You might be surprised how robust it is for free. They do have a Pro option that is designed around 3D carving and creating. Now the CC Pro is not nearly robust as Fusion 360 or Vcarve Pro but you need to crawl before trying to run. It could be that CC will satisfy your needs without the expense. You can always upgrade later. The think about Vcarve is if you start with Desktop and decide to upgrade to Pro you only pay the difference. You dont have to start all over.
There are a lot of open source free CAD programs and you can investigate them but start with CC and dip your toe in the water.
Inventables has a free Easel but it is cloud based and you can investigate that. They also have a Pro paid option but if the OEM cannot get it done going to a 3rd party is not likely to work as well as Carbide3D makes for free.
So it depends on how deep your pockets are and your willingness to learn the more advanced programs. It takes time and energy to become proficient in any software you use. Likewise it takes time and energy to develop your CNC skill using the Shapeoko.