E-cabs versus.....

Roger Erismann · Post by **Roger Erismann** » Sat, Oct 13 2007, 8:01AM

For the past nine months I have been working at an Architectural Millwork Company with a Thermwood router, our monthly sales are right about 550K/month....probably about 2/3 is casework....alot of comercial stuff

This company started out with no CNC experience at all and a few drafters that had plenty of CAD experience but no CAM experience...

Initially they tried using e-cabs but the drafters had a hard time with the interface so they moved on to Micro-Vellum

By the time I got their in January(as a cabinet maker) the CNC was mostly unused and their was a waiting line at the Panel Saw...

So I offered to help,

Almost a year later e-cabs is the default production software and Microvellum is still being developed.....

There are a few reasons why this company decided to use Micro-Vellum:

1. The drafters said the software(e-cabs) was no good
2. Production of submittal drawings is very poor in e-cabs
3. The drafters were unfamiliar with the interface of e-cabs
4. Salesman at MV made promise about screen to machine times etc...

Personally I use them both, daily, including Auto-Cad

E-cabs would be the hands down winner if the LDE was more user friendly.

Production of 2D submittals drawings from the assembly editor or custom layout screen is just downright clunky, the main reason comercial shops dont like e-cabs.

Custom parts generation works best when used in conjunction with Auto-Cad.

Custom cabinets is by far easier in e-cabs

Personnaly I think you got it right here, if you could work out the LDE issues this would be the powerhose of software for the comercial market...

Although I am somewhat an active member on this forum; I am not biased either way. When the goal is to use the best tool for the job, e-cabs has come out on top more often than not.

Robert Glenn · Post by **Robert Glenn** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 11:23AM

Roger,

What's LDE?

Rob

Peter Walsh · Post by **Peter Walsh** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 11:50AM

LDE stands for \"Line Drawing Editor\" within eCab.
regards,

Robert Glenn · Post by **Robert Glenn** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 11:56AM

Duh!

I thought it was some fancy acronym used by designers or drafters. Thanks!!

Joe Dusel · Post by **Joe Dusel** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 1:07PM

Yep, I totally agree about the LDE. It is one of the weak parts of the software. Hopefully this is on the list for version 6. I still say their should be a way to have the LDE images update when the original objects are updated. This would work best if the images in the LDE could be setup using some sort of \"View Port\" arrangement, so what is in the LDE is not an actual \"object\", but rather a view of the object. This should take up less RAM space for the software and produce smaller ESJ files.

The other editor that I think is a real pain to use is the Display Part Editor. This editor could really use more of the functionality of the Cabinet/Assembly editor. Mucking around with a multi-part HSF is like trying to draw a picture using an Etch-o-sketch - downright painful. It sure would be nice if the DPE had the Cabinet/Assembly editor's part selection, movement, rotation, align item and grid functionality. Assuming this is all object oriented code I would think you could easily copy this functionality to the DPE.

Joe

David Norton · Post by **David Norton** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 3:07PM

Wow, hell I'd buy that program.

Rick Palechuk · Post by **Rick Palechuk** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 4:11PM

Align to zero in DR would be good too. Plus my ultimate dream function.......user defined mouldings.

Joe Dusel · Post by **Joe Dusel** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 4:47PM

I'll vote for the user defined moldings as well.

Joe

Mike Seisser · Post by **Mike Seisser** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 5:36PM

User Defined Moldings. Hear, hear.

Joe Elbert · Post by **Joe Elbert** » Sun, Oct 14 2007, 5:56PM

User Defined Moldings has my Vote

Kirt F. Bowman · Post by **Kirt F. Bowman** » Mon, Oct 15 2007, 12:38PM

Hi Roger
I hated the LDE at first but now I am getting used to it, the CV, MV, debate will never cease no matter what, when you put autocad people in front of Ecabs of course they will hate it it has no command line, you don't have to go to college to learn to use it and the cost of entry is less. Why would any \"professional draftsperson\" want Ecabs. I used CV for a year coming from a different industry that had its own weird propriety software, but after 6 months it got easier. Same with this industry except I never got over the the first hurdle with CV, then I saw Ecabs, downloaded it and could not really do anything with it right away due to hardware issues, once that was worked out, it got easier. I still have issues with Ecabs stability and hardware overhead, but that is not that big a deal right now. Ecabs is chugging away doing what ever we need right now.

Cheers

Michael S Murray · Post by **Michael S Murray** » Mon, Oct 15 2007, 1:03PM

Yes, add my vote for attention to the lde once again, its a hassle for commercial work. The part editor could also use some attention, but is usable for me at this time. e-cabs has come a long way and I think thermwood is still aggresivly pushing the envelope. I visit many of the other forums daily, and beleive me, no one is perfectly happy with any of the other software available at any cost.

Post by **Jason Susnjara** » Mon, Oct 15 2007, 1:42PM

Hi Guys,

Changes to the LDE will come but probably not until after V6. The programmers do have some ideas that they are looking into for this area to make it work with the commercial casework applications.

Ken Susnjara · Post by **Ken Susnjara** » Tue, Oct 16 2007, 8:32AM

For those using Microvellum you might be interested in knowing that we have been working with them to develop a job level interface between their software and Thermwood CNC routers. One of the big advantages of the eCabient Systems/Thermwood combination is the ease of transferring a job to the machine. Hopefully, in the future you will be able to use this same single file transfer with all the other softwares. Microvellum is AutoCAD based which makes drawings a strong suite for them.

Michael S Murray · Post by **Michael S Murray** » Wed, Oct 17 2007, 8:45AM

While were voting again, can we get some momentum going for part editor capability in the drawer editor? Also a high priority for my business. Just imagine the pullout storage units you could build with this.