Zünd Cutter, ArtiosCad - PC or Mac front end?

Started by rickself, April 12, 2018, 02:09:52 PM

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rickself

We are finally having to spring for a sample table of our own. The cutting table is a Zünd that we are purchasing from Hobby Lobby. It is a production table that is right now used for cutting picture frame matte board. They have 11 of them and are letting one go. We are then going for ArtiosCad software on the front end. My dilemma is that I will no doubt be the main operator. And being a true Mac person, am finding it difficult to put a PC on the front end. Artios will run on a Mac that can support VMWare. Seems my MacPro is the ONLY ONE from the 2012 class with a processor that cannot run the software.
Any thoughts on running a newer (NOT new) Mac with VMWare Windows emulator?
Should I just give in and let the PC through the door to run the system?
Thanks
Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

Joe

#1
My opinion....if this is something you won't be spending a lot of time on a virtual machine makes sense. Your 2012 can probably run VirtualBox which by the way is FREE. Keep in mind though to run a virtual machine you have a buy a copy of Windows in order to get it activated properly so that is a couple hundred dollars there.

If it is something you will be spending a lot of time with I would not try using the virtual machine and spring for a mid range Dell desktop PC. You can get one with Windows 10 Pro, an i5 CPU and 8 GB of ram in the $500 - $600 range (monitor not included) from newgg.com.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

rickself

Thanks, Joe. To start, we'll just be cutting samples for standard structure and whatever sizes we need. Some nesting and eventually more design. But I'd like it to end up being more than just a sample table. The table is approx 50x70 and our press only goes to 28x40. So there's a lot of table to be used.
Going with a PC is probably the best option, knowing that only one other employee of 24 knows how to operate a Mac.
Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

Farabomb

I sill don't get the PC hatred in graphics. I run both and honestly, once you get the basics down they are not that much different. Things may be called something slightly different and are ni a different place but they both work well.

If you put a Mac on the front end that pretty much guarantees you're going to be the sole operator. Put a PC there and you can pawn it off on someone else. I actually did the opposite here. I didn't want the boss on the mac ever because he's cancer for computers. Well, that and I eventually want to take it home. I took all the backup drives, cloned them for when he deletes something and put it on one of the office PCs. I parked the cloned drive in a box so he can't ruin it.
Speed doesn't kill, rapidly becoming stationary is the problem

I'd rather have stories told than be telling stories of what I could have done.

Quote from: Ear on April 06, 2016, 11:54:16 AM
Quote from: Farabomb on April 06, 2016, 11:39:41 AMIt's more like grip, grip, grip, noise, then spin and 2 feet in and feel shame.
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rickself

I agree Farabomb. And my intent to try to keep it on a Mac was also so I could take it home and learn the software. Everybody wants the work done but nobody goes the extra mile to maybe learn from outside of the office. If I need to learn how to do something, I'll do it from home if need be.
And you are correct, software is near transparent from one platform to the other.
Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

EmptyWords

Rick,

ArtiosCAD can be run on the 2012 mac pros easily using Parallels 13 or earlier or VMFusion (earlier than ver. 10).

Parallels 13 requires Mac OS X 10.10.5 or later, and as you stated Fusion 10 won't run on the 2012 MacPro, but Fusion 8 will and you can still find that version sold on the net. I know many who run ArtiosCAD in Parallels with no problems (we are one of them), but not to a cutting table (can't get the bosses to bite on that one, yet).

One of the Esko techs who visited us about a year ago to show us some new things in ArtiosCAD, AE and iCut had it running on his Mac laptop and had no issues, he said the thing you really need to make sure of is you have enough RAM installed for either Parallels or VMFusion, but both work just fine running the cad software.

As Joe stated, you will have to buy the Win OS for either Parallels or Fusion, have you looked at iCut as an alternative to ArtiosCAD, it's much cheaper than Artios, but I am not sure if they run older Zünd tables, might want to check with your Esko rep.

EW
Esko Automation Engine  •  Imaging Engine  •  Nexus  •  Odystar  •  Neo  •  ArtPro  •  ArtPro+ Layout
Esko ArtPro+ Advanced  •  ArtPro+ Essentials  •  Esko PowerStepper/PowerLayout  •  Kodak Preps 8
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rickself

That's all good stuff, EW. I'll look into it.
Our decision to go with ArtiosCad is this: the designer we've used for years is moving to another company but he will still be able to provide custom structure designs for us. We can then cut samples on the table from the ARD or PDF files he sends to us. ArtiosCad is a pretty penny tho.
I would prefer to do it on my Mac mainly because there really isn't anybody else in the company capable of learning or wanting to learn software.
The many hats of Prepress, huh.
Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

EmptyWords

I can understand that, always helps to be self motivated, many are not, but I always like to learn new things and be able to understand what the software and equipment we use here can do and won't do. That seems to be a common trait the members on this site have.

I don't know if you are buying it through a Esko rep, but if you are, make sure to get them to check with the support crew that there are no known issues running the Zünd tables from a Mac under a vm.

Best of luck....

EW
Esko Automation Engine  •  Imaging Engine  •  Nexus  •  Odystar  •  Neo  •  ArtPro  •  ArtPro+ Layout
Esko ArtPro+ Advanced  •  ArtPro+ Essentials  •  Esko PowerStepper/PowerLayout  •  Kodak Preps 8
Hyphen ImpoProof 8400S  •  CGS Oris ColorTuner // Web  •  Epson Stylus Pro 7900  •  Apogee Prepress
Agfa/Screen Avalon  •  Xerox iGen  •  Versant 180  •  Iridesse  •  Mark Andy  •  Heidelberg  •  Kirk-Rudy

rickself

I think I've come up with a solution - as long as the user limitations on the ArtiosCad don't stifle my idea.
I will go ahead and use Joe's suggestion, a Dell or HP PC with adequate RAM and speed to run the ArtiosCad software.
I have VMWare Fusion 8 now on my Mac. Very inexpensive software. Parallels 13 is only $50ish. Hopefully ArtiosCad will allow me to install a working copy on my Mac and I can use it to learn the program.
Joe says Dell - is there a noticeable difference between Dell and HP? Performance or support?
Thanks, guys -
Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

Joe

#9
I've just had better luck with Dell's than HP's. And I haven't bought an HP in a while now but the last time I did they had more crapware installed on it than a Dell seem to. Your mileage may vary.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

rickself

Rick Self, Prepress Oldie
Mac Mini M1   G5 Quad-Core Intel Sierra  HP DesignJet Z6 44in   RICOH Pro C5200S
Fiery BCE5  Xitron Navigator v.13   Screen 8000II   Azura Plates   Komori L640

scottrsimons

rickself, just a thought, if you ever need support on something like that, and there was a PC on the front end, and I could be wrong, I would say at least 75% of the time there will be. It will probably be easier and quicker for help to have a PC on the front end pushing the data.

And besides, it will force you to "learn" at the shop, and not take the work home to learn. Which if you are probably like the rest of us, you do that too much already.  :strangle:

And to quote Farabomb:
Quote from: Farabomb on April 13, 2018, 06:14:39 AMPut a PC there and you can pawn it off on someone else.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!" - Homer J. Simpson