Overview
Configurations
videos
Additional details
Overview
VisualCAD/CAM
VisualCAD/CAM is a complete CAD/CAM software package developed by MecSoft. It combines:
- VisualCAD – A program designed for machinists that is completely free
- VisualCAM – MecSoft’s flagship CAM software for CNC programming.
Together, they provide a powerful standalone design-to-manufacturing solution for machinists, product designers, and manufacturers who use CNC milling, turning, nesting, and artistic machining.
Unlike plug-ins that require separate CAD platforms, VisualCAD/CAM is self-contained, making it an affordable and efficient choice for anyone looking for CAM capabilities in a standalone environment.
What does VisualCAD/CAM do?
VisualCAD/CAM helps engineers, machinists, and fabricators go from 2D & 3D design to toolpath generation in one workflow. It is a single platform for everything from prototyping to full-scale production.
Key functions include:
- 2D Design – Use built in 2D Design tools to create 3D geometry
- 3D Design – Import and modify 3D parts directly in VisualCAD
- CNC Programming – Generate toolpaths using VisualCAM modules:
- VisualMILL – For 2½–axis to 5–axis milling.
- VisualTURN – For CNC turning applications.
- VisualNEST – For nesting and material optimization.
- VisualART – For artistic reliefs, textures, engraving, and woodworking.
Post Processing – Output NC code compatible with a wide range of CNC machines.
Configurations of VisualCAD/CAM
VisualCAD/CAM is available in five editions designed to match different business needs and budgets:
- Express (XPR) – Entry-level CNC programming.
- Standard (STD) – Expanded toolpath options for everyday machining.
- Expert (EXP) – Advanced 3D milling strategies including 4 Axis Milling.
- Professional (PRO) – Everything in Expert plus additional 3D as well as 3+2 milling
- Premium (PRE) – Full 5 Axis machining, including all modules enabled.
Configurations
VisualCAD/CAM
VisualCAD/CAM software comes in 5 different configurations to suit the varied machining needs of our customers.
VisualCAD/CAM Xpress (XPR)
Who It’s For: Perfect for educators, CNC beginners, and makers working on small-scale prototypes, training projects, and desktop machines.
VisualCAD/CAM Standard (STD)
Who It’s For: Designed for job shops, prototyping labs, and vocational training programs needing reliable everyday CNC machining without complexity.
VisualCAD/CAM Expert (EXP)
Who It’s For: Ideal for toolmakers, jewelry designers, and small manufacturing shops that require 4-axis machining for complex parts and detailed geometries.
VisualCAD/CAM Professional (PRO)
Who It’s For: Best suited for mold & die makers, custom furniture shops, and manufacturers who need high precision and efficiency for production-level work.
VisualCAD/CAM Premium (PRE)
Who It’s For: Built for aerospace suppliers, advanced mold makers, and high-end manufacturers that need maximum flexibility and accuracy in multi-axis CNC machining.
videos
Videos
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Indexed 4 Axis CAM Setups, Machine, Stock and WorkZero
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Indexed 4 Axis Rotate Table CAM Setups
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3 Axis Operations within Indexed 4 Axis CAM Setups
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Cutting Order Discussions within Indexed 4 Axis CAM Setups
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2½ Axis Operations within Indexed 4 Axis CAM Setups
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2½ Axis Profiling within Indexed 4 Axis CAM Setups
Additional details
Additional Details
Benefits
While there are many different CAD/CAM products on the market today, we at MecSoft Corporation feel that our VisualCAD/CAM software is among the best! Why? Because VisualCAD/CAM includes some truly amazing features, some of which we even make available absolutely free to all users. The free VisualCAD program is a complete drawing package and host for MecSoft’s advanced Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) plug-in technology.
Plug-in Architecture
VisualCAD/CAM’s scalable and modular plug-in solutions enhance the CNC machining market as well as various related industries. With its educational modules, amateur users can become proficient in CAM technology. These modules include VisualMILL, VisualTURN, VisualMESH, VisualART, and VisualNEST, each accommodating a host of manufacturing needs and objectives.
VisualCAD
The free VisualCAD program acts as the host platform for MecSoft’s CAM plug-ins. Using VisualCAD, you can conceptualize and create computer-aided design projects by utilizing the available 2D drawing and 3D design tools.
Perform 2D Detail Drawing
VisualCAD is a complete drafting package where you can perform detail drawing using the large selection of curve modeling tools available. Once complete you can also add dimensions, text and annotations to your drawings from a variety of linear, angular, radial and annotation tools. Fully functional Layer and Property managers are also available to help you organize your work and make quick editing of geometry dimensions and properties.
3D Surface and Solid Modeling
With VisualCAD you can also perform 3D surface modeling, mesh modeling and solid modeling tasks, each geometry type occupying its own tab on the ribbon bar of available commands. You can build surfaces from complex curve and profiles to create planar, extruded and revolved surfaces. You can also create 3D solids and mesh geometries and combine them to form more complex designs.
Construction Plane Modeling
VisualCAD is full of modeling aids to speed the selection and creation of geometry. For example, construction planes (also referred to as C-Planes) can be used to import, draw and model details anywhere on the 3D model. The C-Plane can be locked to any orthographic view, 3D face or coordinate location in 3D space. In the VisualCAD multi-viewport display, the C-Plane automatically snaps to the active viewport. For example, you can draw a profile in the front viewport and automatically extrude it into the right-side viewport. C-Planes can also be named, saved and recalled on demand.
Cut Start Point Control
Curve start points are a good example of how tools within the CAD program can drive and influence where tool path entry and cut motions begin. VisualCAD provides tools to visualize and edit the starting points of curves and polylines. You can also use tools available within the CAM plug-in to create pre-defined regions from curves or 3D face edges. These regions can then be modified to move start points, change directions, add bridge points and even automatically clone a region across all matching regions within the drawing or design.
Milling Module
Turning Module
Nesting Module
Artistic Module
VisualCAD/CAM Features
VisualCAD/CAM comes in 5 different configurations to suit the various needs of our customers. These are Express (XPR), Standard (STD), Expert (EXP), Professional (PRO) & Premium (PRE). The features found in each of these configurations are tabulated below.
CAD
milling
turning
Common to Mill & Turn
Artistic Modeling
Parts nesting
other features
CAD
| USER INTERFACE | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribbon Interface |  | | | | |
| Multiple viewport layouts | | | | | |
| Scalable Icons | | | | | |
| Docking Toolbars | | | | | |
| Customizable UI | | | | | |
| FILE TRANSLATORS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Studio Files (*.3ds) | | | | | |
| Adobe Illustrator Files (*.ai) | | | | | |
| AutoCAD (*.dxf;*.dwg) | | | | | |
| IGES Files (*.igs;*.iges) | | | | | |
| LightWave Files (*.lwo) | | | | | |
| OBJ Files (*.obj) | | | | | |
| Parasolid Files (*.x_t;*.x_b) | | | | | |
| Point Cloud Files (*.csv;*.txt;*.asc) | | | | | |
| RAW Triangle Files (*.raw) | | | | | |
| RHINO 3DM Files (*.3dm) | | | | | |
| SAT Files (*.sat) | | | | | |
| STEP Files (*.stp;*.step) | | | | | |
| SLC Files (*.slc) | | | | | |
| Stereo-lithography files (*.sla;*.stl) | | | | | |
| Universal 3D Files (*.u3d) | | | | | |
| VRML Files (*.wrl) | | | | | |
| CONSTRUCTION AIDS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Planes | | | | | |
| 3D Mouse Support | | | | | |
| Hot Keys | | | | | |
| Layers | | | | | |
| XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select by dragging a window on screen | | | | | |
| Select by Layer, Color, Type and Name | | | | | |
| Invert Selection | | | | | |
| Select Last Created and Previous | | | | | |
| Invert Selection | | | | | |
| Select by geometry types | | | | | |
| Selection Mask – To select only certain types of geometry | | | | | |
| Selection command to select duplicate objects | | | | | |
| TRANSFORMATION TOOLS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Move, Rotate | | | | | |
| Array Geometry – Rectangular and Polar | | | | | |
| Graphical transformation of objects using Graphical Manipulator | | | | | |
| Allow graphical scaling of geometry | | | | | |
| Scaling using fit to rectangle | | | | | |
| User Defined Cycles | | | | | |
| DESIGN TOOLS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinate input for geometry creation in World & Construction planes | | | | | |
| Create Points, Point Clouds, Lines, Arcs, Curves, NURB Curves | | | | | |
| Create Text and Text on a Curve | | | | | |
| Curve editing tools (Trim, Offset, Split, Merge, Chain, Chamfer, Fillet) | | | | | |
| Simple Surface creation tools | | | | | |
| Surface Edit Tools (Trim, Wrap, Reverse Normal, Unify Normals, Explode) | | | | | |
| Mesh creation Tools (box, sphere, cylinder, cone, tubes, extrude, revolve) | | | | | |
| Mesh Boolean Tools (Unite, Subtract and Intersect) | | | | | |
| Solid creation tools (box, sphere, cylinder cone, torus, extrude, revolve, tube) | | | | | |
| Solid editing tools (Unify Normals, Explode, Stitch) | | | | | |
| Curve extraction tools(Flat area regions, Create Surface Boundary and section curves) | | | | | |
| Dimensioning tools (Horizontal, Vertical, Oblique, Radius, Diameter, Angular, Leaders & Annotations) | | | | | |
| Delete holes/cap holes | | | | | |
| Tool to detect open loops in curve | | | | | |
| Creation of boundary curve when a topologically connected set of surfaces are selected | | | | | |
| Auto Fillet curves | | | | | |
| Arc fits on a poly-line | | | | | |
| Create silhouette curve around a part or selected geometries parallel to the c-plane | | | | | |
| Corner rounding of a poly-line | | | | | |
milling
| 2 1/2-AXIS MILLING | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pocketing | | | | | |
| Profiling | | | | | |
| Facing | | | | | |
| Engraving | | | | | |
| V-Carving | | | | | |
| V-Carve Roughing | | | | | |
| 2-1/2 Axis Feature Detection | | | | | |
| 2-1/2 Axis Feature Machining | | | | | |
| 2-1/2 Axis Roughing | | | | | |
| High Speed Pocketing | | | | | |
| Chamfering | | | | | |
| Hole Profiling | | | | | |
| Hole Pocketing | | | | | |
| T-Slot Milling | | | | | |
| Slot Milling | | | | | |
| Thread Milling | | | | | |
| Drag Knife Cutting | | | | | |
| Re-Machining | | | |||
| Saw Machining | | |
| 3 AXIS MILLING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizontal Roughing | | | | | |
| Parallel Finishing | | | | | |
| 3 Axis Feature Detection | | | | | |
| 3 Axis Feature Machining | | | | | |
| Horizontal Finishing | | | | | |
| Radial Machining | | | | | |
| Spiral Machining | | | | | |
| Clear Flats Machining | | | |||
| Plunge Roughing | | | |||
| Horizontal Re-roughing | | | |||
| Plunge Re-roughing | | | |||
| Projection Pocketing | | | |||
| 3D Offset Profiling | | | |||
| 3D Offset Pocketing | | | |||
| Pencil Tracing | | | |||
| Valley Re-Machining | | | |||
| Plateau Machining | | | |||
| Steep Area Parallel Machining | | | |||
| Horizontal Hill Machining | | | |||
| Curve Machining | | | |||
| Between 2 Curves Machining | | | |||
| Reverse Post Machining | | |
| 4 AXIS MILLING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Axis Indexed Machining | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Auto Multiple Indexing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Continuous Facing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Continuous Pocketing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Continuous Profiling | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Continuous Engraving | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Parallel Roughing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Parallel Finishing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Radial Finishing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Projection Pocketing | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Drive Surface Machining (True 4 Axis) | | | |
| 5 AXIS MILLING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Axis Indexed Machining | | | |||
| 5 Axis Curve Projection Machining | | ||||
| 5 Axis Continuous Flow Curve Machining | | ||||
| 5 Axis Between 2 Curves Machining | | ||||
| 5 Axis Drive Curve Machining | | ||||
| 5 Axis Surface Normal Machining | | ||||
| 5 Axis Swarf Machining | |
| HOLE MAKING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic Hole Selection, Sorting | | | | | |
| Drilling | | | | | |
| Tapping | | | | | |
| Boring | | | | | |
| Reverse Boring | | | | | |
| User Defined Cycles | | | | | |
| 4 Axis Drilling | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Tapping | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Boring | | | | ||
| 4 Axis Reverse Boring | | | |
| TOOLS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Tools (Ball, Flat, C Rad., Vee, Drill) | | | | | |
| Advanced Tools (Taper,Tap,Bore,R.Bore) | | | | | |
| Form Tools | | | | | |
| Stepped Tools | | | | | |
| Analytical Holder Collision Detection | | |
| TOOLPATH EDITING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolpath Graphical Viewing | | | | | |
| Toolpath Graphical Editing | | | |||
| Toolpath Instancing | | | |||
| Toolpath Arc Fitting | | |
| POWER FEATURES | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoid Regions | | | | | |
| Predefined Regions | | | | | |
| Default Knowledge Base | | | | | |
| Machine Control Operation | | | | | |
| Cabinet Design Decomposition | | | | | |
| Rotate Table Setups | | | | ||
| Multiple Setups | | | |||
| Fixture Offset Programming | | | |||
| Check Surface Boundary Creation | | | |||
| Tool Silhouette Boundary Creation | | | |||
| Tool Double Contact Boundary Creation | | | |||
| Tool Holder Collision Boundary Creation | | |
turning
| 2 AXIS TURNING | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roughing | | | | | |
| Finishing | | | | | |
| Groove Roughing | | | | | |
| Groove Finishing | | | | | |
| Threading | | | | | |
| Follow Curve Finishing | | | | | |
| Parting Off | | | | | |
| Groove Finishing | | | | |
| AXIAL HOLE MAKING | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drilling | | | | | |
| Tapping | | | | | |
| Boring | | | | | |
| Reverse Boring | | | | |
Common to Mill & Turn
| CUTTING SIMULATION | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolpath Animation | | | | | |
| Cut Material Simulation | | | | | |
| Advanced Cut Material Simulation | | | | | |
| Visual Holder Collision Detection | | | | | |
| Part-Stock Comparison | | | | ||
| Machine Tool Simulation (MILL Only) | | | |
| POST PROCESSOR GENERATOR | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customizable Post Generator | | | | | |
| Simulate Cycles | | | | | |
| Arc Output | | | | | |
| Helix Output | | | | | |
| Spiral Output | | | | | |
| 5 Axis Output | | |
| MISCELLANEOUS | XPR | SDT | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTML Shop Documentation | | | | | |
Artistic Modeling
| ART MODULE | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create 3D Relief from bitmap image files | | | | | |
| Ability to limit creation of reliefs using colors and/or curves | | | | | |
| Create puffed up 3D volumes using closed curves | | | | | |
| Create 3D sweep volumes using various profiles | | | | | |
| Combine 3D volumes using various Boolean operations | | | | | |
| Export created 3D volumes as Mesh geometry to CAD system | | | | | |
| Convert 3D CAD geometry to ART 3D volumes | | | | | |
| Convert Raster to Vector to create 2D curves | | | | | |
| Save & reuse previously created 3D volumes using Shape Library | | | | | |
Parts nesting
| NEST MODULE | XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rectangular (sometimes referred to as ‘block’ nesting) | | | | | |
| True Shape Nesting | | | | | |
| 2D & 3D Parts Nesting | | | | | |
| 2D & 3D Parts Nesting | | | | | |
| Specify Distance limits between part and sheet | | | | | |
| Control Accuracy of Nest | | | | | |
| Set Nest Direction | | | | | |
| Set Grain Direction | | | | | |
| Unlimited number of Sheets | | | | | |
| Nested sheet output by Layers or Color | | | | | |
| Specify Distances between Parts | | | | | |
| Specify Rotation limits of Parts | | | | | |
| Allow mirroring of Parts | | | | | |
| Allow Part-in-Part Nesting | | | | | |
| Estimate # of Sheets needed for Nest | | | | | |
| Allow Overflow Utilization | | | | | |
| Tag Nests for part IDs | | | | | |
other features
| XPR | STD | EXP | PRO | PRE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 bit Support | | | | | |
Frequently Asked Questions
RhinoCAM is a plug-in that runs inside Rhino 3D, while VisualCAD/CAM is a standalone package with its own CAD (VisualCAD) and CAM (VisualCAM) modules. Both products, however, use the same CAM engine from MecSoft.
Yes. VisualCAD, the CAD component, is completely free. You only pay for the CAM modules and configuration that fit your needs.
It is widely used in woodworking, prototyping, artistic machining, production machining, and custom manufacturing.
Absolutely. You can start with Express or Standard and move up to higher configurations like Professional or Premium as your shop requires more advanced features. If you need additional CAD features there is an upgrade path to Rhino+RhinoCAM as well.
VisualCAM includes a huge library of post-processors that can be used for most common controls. We also offer custom post creation services to match virtually any CNC machine.
What Our Clients Say
“When looking for a CAM program for Hancock Central High School I started off using Fusion 360 but didn’t like it at all. That’s when I downloaded VisualCAD/CAM and really liked it! While at Ford Motor Company I used Surfcam exclusively. Today I find VisualCAD/CAM much easier to draw in and certainly much easier to program toolpaths in than Surfcam!”
“I really like VisualCAM’s ease of use for setting up parts for machining. It allows us to have our own custom knowledge bases and tool libraries. We use them extensively to organize and accelerate our design through manufacturing procedures.”
