Here is an incomplete summary of what I have found in this sub forum (I only spent 3 hours reading through each post and trying to summarize as best as I could):

It seems there are many CAM programs out there to choose from and selecting which program you are going to invest time and energy could best be done in a random manner. 'pls choose any from below which you think may do the job and then get back to me if you want it: I told him what I was looking for (the same broad question) and he replied with this: I emailed a guy on eBay asking about the $15.99 CAD CAM CNC Machine Software CD. Some software can automate some steps or build a database of choices you've made before, but programming will always be an interactive process. These decisions must be made whether you are using notepad or the latest >$50,000 CAM program. How fast can I run those tools without damaging them?.What tools will reach those features/areas and produce the correct geometry with a good enough finish?.What features or areas do I need to cut?.How am I going to hold the part in the machine?.Some of the decisions that must be made include: Programming is a step by step process that nails down enough of the variables that the part can be made. There are so many variables in machining that even for simple parts there are practically infinite ways the part can be cut. Well, unfortunately a cnc mill is not the same as a 3D printer. I thought that once the 3D geometry was defined that the computer should be able to calculate the toolpaths with no further input. I had the same misconception about cnc programming when I started. At least not any g code that you would want to run. As far as I know there is no software that will simply convert your 3D model to g code.

VariCAD 2023 v2.06 downloading