CAMDuct Requirements

[kfscsm]

We are purchasing 2 copies of CAMduct with our new CNC plasma machine and I am planning on installing 1 copy on my current computer that I use for AutoCAD Mechanical & Inventor Professional. The other copy I plan on building another computer to run. I cannot find any certified hardware published by Autodesk for the Fab series. Will I be able to run CAMduct without problems on the following systems? Do I need the discrete graphics card for the machine that is only running CAMduct?

My current AutoCAD/Inventor Computer:

Intel i5-2500

8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Nvidia Quadro 600

My intended build for CAMduct:

Intel i7-3770

8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Nvidia Quadro K600

Thanks,

Brian Smith

[cadbob]

More than enough Horse Power!

[kfscsm]

Thanks for the reply Cadbob!

Do you have experience running CAMduct? Do you know if the disrete graphics card is a waste on the computer I'm only running CAMduct on?

[cadbob · Accepted solution]

No not at all, a PCI Video card is fine. I have been using CadDuct and CamDuct since 1991, I was the 1st USA user back then. I have been more on the CAD side but the software uses the same Datbase and CAD and CAM work the same. I have setup plasma tables and have trained people as well in both softwares.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130585&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-G...

[kfscsm]

Thanks again!

[cadbob]

Your welcome good luck and you did choose the best software out there! I'm just a long time user and have used many software's to compare it with.

[lsm-drafter]

"We are purchasing 2 copies of CAMduct with our new CNC plasma machine"

Are you purchasing two copies for one machine? If so, do you realize this only has basic drafting functions? It does not load into AutoCAD. The companion application "Autodesk Fabrication CADmep" (formerly CADduct), and not to be confused with "AutoCAD MEP", runs on top of AutoCAD for drawing duct and pipe in 3D. These 3D objects are drawn from the same database used with CAMduct, and these items can be exported from AutoCAD (provided you are using the CADmep product) to CAMduct via an "*.maj" file. All the cam operator has to do with the maj file is review, nest, and burn.

You can input duct, fittings, and such into the CAMduct interface, and can even do so through a basic "drafting" (quicktakeoff) interface, but it's very basic and nowhere near the capabilities of the AutoCAD interface. Just wondering what the advantages would be of having two seats of Autodesk Fabrication CAMduct for only one burn table. We have just the opposite, one seat of CAMduct driving two burn tables. We feed our CAMduct operator from up to four CAD stations running CADmep (Autodesk Fabrication CADmep) on top of AutoCAD. We are all working with the same parts from the same database.

[kfscsm]

Yes, we are using 2 copies of CAMduct with 1 table. I have the Autodesk Product Design Suite with ACAD & Inventor already, so I will be mostly using it as a post-processor for my custom .dxf's, and on the other computer we will primarily be doing duct fittings.  We have been using this program since I believe 1984 when MAP owned it (we were the first US customer) and this is always how we've used it so that we can work on different projects at the same time. Our newest copy has not been updated in over 15 years, and I know Autodesk has added some things to the program since they bought it, so I just wanted to be sure we had enough power to run it.

[lsm-drafter · Accepted solution]

Ahhh.... you are doing a lot of custom pattern development then. I can see where that might work to your advantage. You have definitely got alot more experience with it than I do. From what I can see even the latest version of CAMduct still does not tax system resources too much, and nowhere near what AutoCAD requires.

[cadbob]

KFSCSM,  Are you guy's in Located in the North West, Washington/Oregon?

[kfscsm]

No, we're on the east coast in Pennsylvania.

[cadbob]

Ahh ok, I'm a friend of the original Owners of MAP, was curious as Peter started his company in 1984 and he had told me his 1st Plasma Table retro fit was a company in the Northwest he believed. Ours was there 2nd and boy we had issue's good thing he had winter home in florida. 🙂

[kfscsm]

Yeah, I never met Peter, but my dad dealt with him. He said he used to pick him up at the airport and gave him a bunch of the american HVAC pattern books because prior to that, the program labeled all the fittings by industry terms in Britain. We have an ESAB plasma/oxy torch that we bought. ESAB bought out, I believe Linde, who makes lighter machines right after we bought it and apparently gave up on their software because the company they bought already had software. My dad ended up meeting up with Peter and Ken Shannon down at Advanced Cutting Systems. They ended up putting on a KN Aronson controller and the MAP software. We still have one of the original copies with the serial dongle running on MS DOS for the one guy who doesn't want to update anything.

[cadbob]

LMAO, dont you just love those guys that dont want change! 🙂 They brought a German Controller company to replace our old Lockformer, cant remember the name thou so long ago.I do know Ian was still living in UK thou. 🙂

  Think it was ANC Contoller's but they had to come in under the Radar as i gentleman named **** Levine was suing everyone! His law suits really hurt the industry.

[davedykes]

Adolph Numerical Controls was the company, they are still going but don't see much of them these days. 🙂

[cadbob]

Yes that was there name David! Dang Alziemers here! LOL

His son came state side to do the hook-up, he was smart kid and nice guy from what I remember. How is he doing?