Replacing Cabinet Vision with SketchUP and Open Cut List

SketchUp
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Hello!

I started working at a small shop that uses Cabinet Vision to draw cabinets for budgeting and exporting CNC files. I would like to be able to transition to SketchUp, Open Cut List and other possibly other extensions for budgeting if necessary. Cabinet Vision seems too clunky for our small and fast turnaround shop, I feel a SketchUp workflow with Open Cut list would be way faster and more efficient. I wonder if anybody has gone this way? Pros and Cons? Thanks!

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Bonjour Alex,

As a member of the OpenCutList team, it will be difficult for me to list many cons. But since you already have Cabinet Vision, I think the few right question to ask yourself are:

  • What does Cabinet Vision do well that you wouldn’t want to lose by switching to OpenCutList?
  • What features would you like to see better suited to your process?
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Bonjour Boris,

Thanks for your reply, very constructive questions we we’ll be asking our selves next week and start exploring the idea of switching. I’ll reach out if I have any questions. Thanks a lot!

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Hi Boris:

Does OpenCutList work with Machine Panel? That’s what we are currently using to run the CNC machine. If so what kind of file do I need to export?

Thanks,

Alex

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Hi Alex,

What is Machine Panel? Is it the software that controls your CNC?

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Hi Boris,

Yes, Machine Panel controls our CNC machine, we have another software to control it called Maestro, but the operator is not very familiar with it. Cabinet Vision provides files with and extension that are not .SVG nor .DFX. Our operator is not familiar with these files so we are in the process of figuring out how our CNC machine can read files exported from OpenCutList. It is my understanding that OCL exports only those two file formats per what I read in the manuals. Our CNC is a Morbidelli 100

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OpenCutList is not a CAM software, and can’t control or export directly to a CNC.

It exports 2D drawing (SVG or DXF) ready to help a CAM software to compute tool paths and use a post-processor to export a language your CNC knows.

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Thanks Boris. Do you know of any CAM software o a post-processor I can look into to fill this gap? Or any other forums I can look into where people are using OpenCutList files and CNC machines to ask how we can make them talk to each other. I am assuming some user of OpenCutList are using CNC machines and have a workflow as you described.

Thanks a lot for your time!

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To my knowledge, some users successfully use Vectric’s software (Aspire or Cut2D).

But I’m pretty sure that Maestro already permits to import DXF and configure tools according to DXF layers like Vectric does.

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Thanks Boris, that gives me a great place to start with.

I appreciator all your help!