CAM/CAD software for Jewelry Design

Hi everybody!

I’m a new jewelry designer in Canada and I’m looking for a jewelry
design program for my computer. I’ve come across Gemvision, which is
too expensive for me at this time. Are there any other programs you
can turn me onto?

Thanks,

Catrina
@Catrina_Warner

One of the best cad/cam desifn software is Rhino 3D
http://www.rhino3d.com and it’s for $795 You can download a trial
version and see if it pleases you.

Fady Sawaya
3D jewelry designer

fady@fadysawaya.com
http://www.fadysawaya.com

Hi,

There is a JewelCAD available. It is very good package for Jewelry
Designing. If you are interested please let me know I will send you
all the details.

Gopal Mahajan

Catrina, If you go to www.rhino3d.com you can download a 30 free trail
of the program. The help pull down menu has practically the whole
manual. You can workj while those windoware open. The main software
for the jewelry industry is Solidworks. I have never heard of
Gemvision. Good luck. Sue

Hi Catrina,

My name is Dmitry I’m designer from New York, use software “JEWEL CAD”
4 years check my web at: http://www.doctorjewelcad.com

The best software for jewelry is “JEWEL CAD”

Regards
Dmitry

Aloha, It’s been awhile and can’t help but put in my two cents.First
of all let me say the software described is CAD or more specifically,
3D CAD software. CAD stands for Computer Assisted Design. We are
resellers for Rhinoceros (Rhino 3D). CAM stands for Computer Assisted
Manufacture, which is a totally different animal. It creates
toolpaths (as on a CNC Milling Machine, CNC is Computer Numerical
Control) or other method of manufacture. SolidWorks is not the
industry standard for CAD/CAM jewelry manufacture, period. It is a
feature based Parametric Solid Modeler, CAM (read if you want your
product to look as it came out of a machine shop ). It is not a
Surface or Nurbs modeler (read can’t make organic shapes as a program
like Rhino and many others of greater expense). Whereas Rhino is an
inexpensive robust solid, surface, and nurbs modeling program. The
price is $795 for an industrial license or $195 for a student
license. SolidWorks with training is $8500 plus, and no way to output
(other than running it through either a CAM package or outputting to
a 3D printer directly (read you have to buy those also, or send it
out to a service agency, with CAM software and a CNC mill or a rapid
prototyping output device). If you want to learn more (from a
modelmaker, that not only is just a salesman and really that really
uses the technology), please feel free to contact me. I will show you
what we have and the competing products, to give you a basis to make
an educated decision. We have your solution. In the meantime, please
review our website @ www.modelmaster.com

Best regards,
Christian Grunewald
Precision Modelmaking Technologies
Hawaii
(808) 622-9005
(808) 224-1115 Mobile / Cellular

dmitry, what do you think of Rhino??..have you ever heard of Tyler
School of Art??..its in philadelphia…i go there… molly

Hi Catrina,

It’s been a crazy week or I would have responded to this thread
earlier. First, let me state that I am a Jewelry Designer here in NYC,
and I have been completely digital for more than two years. My clients
include some premier hand-made manufacturers, as well as some of the
largest mass manufacturers in our industry. I do not represent or sell
software.

It would be helpful if you could answer some questions:

A) What type of computer system are you using now? B) In what capacity
do you function as a Jewelry Designer? ie. Are you primarily a "paper"
designer, doing sketches and mechanical drawings, or are you more of
a “model maker” creating pieces in either wax or metal? C) Are you
working in-house for someone, or are you free-lance, working from
home? D) If you are working in-house, are they willing to help support
your involvement with digital technologies? E) Do any of your clients
currently use Computer Aided Manufacturing technolgies within their
operation, and if so wich ones?

In the mean-time I would like to comment on some of what has been
said on this topic during this most recent thread.

First, there is no “industry standard” for software in the jewelry
industry, although as you may have sensed, a number of software
manufacturers would like there to be. The jewelry industry is just
now beginning to really embrace these technologies. I might also add
that it is unlikely that there ever will be an industry standard
software, any more than there is for automotive design, industrial
design, textile design, toy design etc.

Second, that all of the products listed so far on this thread are
being used to good effect for jewelry design. They all have their
strengths and weaknesses, and there is a real professional advantage
to being familiar with as many of them as possible.

Third, there has been no mention of the usefullness of basic,
inexpensive graphics software for jewelry design. A number of these
programs can be used very effectively during the design process and
they are Mac friendly, which might be an important issue for some
designers.

Fourth, another category of software being ignored in this
conversation is the really high-end engineering based application.
Included in this category would be SDRC’s Ideas, Pro Engineer, Alias,
Catia and others. It has been my experience that these are the types
of applications being used in most of the large manufacturing
companies currently utilizing CAD/CAM profitably. While these products
are well out of reach for many of us, meeting the needs of our clients
using them (effective file format transfers etc.) can be an important
professional bonus.

Anyway, the whole CAD/CAM arena is a fascinating new facet of the
jewelry industry. It can be expensive, there is a genuine learning
curve, and the truth is you don’t need any of it to create wonderful
jewelry. But that being said, I’d never go back to “analog”.

Catrina, if you wouldn’t mind responding to the questions above, I
would be delighted to continue this conversation. You may also feel
free to contact me directly at: @knelson

All the best,

Kim Nelson

Hi Molly,

Rhino is grate software, but not for jewelry. You can create jewelry
on many different program. I’ll do on “Jewel Cad” 10 times faster. I
know Tyler School of Art, Prof. Stanley Lechtzin. Check my web at:

Greetings! I agree with Christian here on several points, but want to
stress there are many ways to peel an apple. There are alot of
complexities to the methods and many packages available for Computer
Aided Design or Computer Aided Manufacturing. Rhino is one that I use
and my company sells as well for the same reasons Christian
describes. It has many benefits. Each package has benefits that are
uniquely its own. Some jewelers tell me JewelCAD is a great jumping
off point, but has its limitations. Any tool does. I haven’t used
JewelCAD so I can’t speak to its pros and cons. I can say that all
this technology is very exciting stuff worth checking out. Many
jewelers are intimidated and are scared away, or intimidated by
realize the potential that this all presents. You can give it a free
try at www.rhino3d.com See for yourself if it is for you. There are
many discussion groups including a great one offered by the Rhino
staff to address problems specifically of cad object creation. Cheers
to all of you giving it a go! Pam

Aloha, It’s been awhile and can’t help but put in my two cents.First
of all let me say the software described is CAD or more specifically,
3D CAD software. CAD stands for Computer Assisted Design. We are
resellers for Rhinoceros (Rhino 3D). CAM stands for Computer Assisted
Manufacture, which is a totally different animal. It creates toolpaths
(as on a CNC Milling Machine, CNC is Computer Numerical Control) or
other method of manufacture. SolidWorks is not the industry standard
for CAD/CAM jewelry manufacture, period. It is a feature based
Parametric Solid Modeler, CAM (read if you want your product to look
as it came out of a machine shop ). It is not a Surface or Nurbs
modeler (read can’t make organic shapes as a program like Rhino and
many others of greater expense). Whereas Rhino is an inexpensive
robust solid, surface, and nurbs modeling program. The price is $795
for an industrial license or $195 for a student license. SolidWorks
with training is $8500 plus, and no way to output (other than running
it through either a CAM package or outputting to a 3D printer directly
(read you have to buy those also, or send it out to a service agency,
with CAM software and a CNC mill or a rapid prototyping output
device). If you want to learn more (from a modelmaker, that not only
is just a salesman and really that really uses the technology), please
feel free to contact me. I will show you what we have and the
competing products, to give you a basis to make an educated decision.
We have your solution. In the meantime, please review our website @
www.modelmaster.com