Quote:
Originally Posted by M. Krass
High-end CAD packages like CATIA and Pro/ENGINEER will generate G-Code out of the box.
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That's because they're not actually CAD programs... they're CAD/CAM packages
At any rate, any decent CAM system will accept native Inventor files (granted, I've only used the big ones like Gibbs, MasterCAM, SurfCAM, etc. Cheap/freeware may not be so user friendly).
SolidCAM is more than a plugin. For all practical purposes, it's a new program, and costs accordingly.
If you're looking at long term need for a CAM package, we use Solidworks with CAMWorks (another Solidworks integrated CAM package). It cost us I believe $100 a seat under an educational license, and it supports 4th axis machining.