[Jewelry making - Article 00260] - Re: [Orchid] Cad cam or traditional model?

[Andrew Werby]

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>      I'm thinking of having someone else do my prototypes for me in
>     the future.  My skill level is beginner and my design sense is
>     advanced. 

    What sort of look does your advanced design sense favor? Is it
    something you'll be able to adequately convey to another person? One
    of the nice things about designing on a computer is the fluidity of
    the model while it's in progress. If you don't know exactly what
    you're looking for, but figure you'll know it when you see it, then
    you might be better off doing the designing yourself, tweaking the
    model until it's right. If you do this to a person who is trying to
    carve waxes to your specifications, it might drive your carver
    nuts... 

>        My question is what is cad cam capable of producing? 

    CAD, generically considered,  is not really limited by anything
    particular in what it can produce. Your imagination, skills, and
    aesthetic sense are the main boundaries. Of course different
    specific programs are strong in different areas; the one you choose
    may determine how things come out, to a certain degree. CAM (which
    generally means subtractive carving using a rotary spindle on a
    computer-controlled tool) on the other hand, has some definite
    limitations, mostly related to the ability of the tool to reach the
    surfaces of the part, the necessity of holding onto the part while
    cutting, and the ability of a round tool to produce sharp interior
    corners. However, additive Rapid Prototyping machines won't suffer
    from these limitations, since they don't use a cutting tool. 

>     Where does one look to find someone who does this? 

    This might be a good place. 

>     And comparing a traditional hand wrought prototype model and a cad
>     cam model, which is better and why? 

    [I don't think something is necessarily better by being
    "hand-wrought" (let's not get back into that debate, though). I do
    feel that some designs are easier to do by hand, and others are best
    done (or only possible) using computer-aided techniques. Whichever
    method best realizes the intent of the designer  is best in my book.] 

>     What is the typical cost of having someone else do your modeling?

    That depends on the complexity of the design, how exacting you are
    about its perfection, and who you use... 

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com


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