Kenneth: Rhino 3.0, Flamingo 1.1, DeskProto 4.0 , Taig Micro Mill
200LE, Rotary 4th axis…all for less than $5,000. If you’re not
competent in Rhino you’re not going to be producing any models in
three hours. If you have the time I’d sugggest downloading the demo
version of Rhino, download some tutorials and work them through.
Twenty to thirty hours should give you an idea how you’re going to
get along with it.
If you don’t have the time and you really need to get a system up
and running soon, then maybe you’ll have to consider ArtCam , or
Matrix(Rhino based Plug-in for jewelry design) , or some other
"jeweler friendly" software. I spent a long time investigating the
different options available and chose the system above. I couldn’t be
happier with both the hardware and the software but I admit I was by
necessity “pinching pennies” or rather “pinching thousand dollar
bills”. I simply wasn’t prepared to borrow $15,000 to $20,000 for a
so called “turnkey system”.
There is no “CAD/CAM for Dummies” that I know of. I think you’ll
find there is a learning curve for whatever system you choose.
Good luck.
Robert Hood