Ok, so I have purchased a new 1.2.1 micro and I am currently patiently awaiting its arrival.

so while I have been waiting I am considering all of the things I can do to prepare for when it arrives.... like: preparing the workshop space... researching the best set of mill bits to get... envisioning all of the cool things I can make... eagerly awaiting (and wishing) for the 3d printing addon... wondering about DIY laser cutting... considering DIY laser scanning... and most importantly to me checking out the best software to use for my needs.

I am going to be using the micRo primarily for artistic projects. mostly sculptural, relief, installation based... perhaps some jewelry... however I have lots of different ideas and I think I will begin challenging myself with something rather complex to begin with... like: http://www.georgehart.com/sculpture/sculpture.html .... I do also plan to use it to help make myself a projector or 2 and some robots
so my question is what would be the best software to generate g-code from my designs?

Lets hypothesize that money is not an issue here. Although I am definitely going to be learning all of the opensource linux based tools to complement EMC2, I would be interested in what is the best high end software to consider.

I have been looking at artcam at the moment, but have been considering mastercam or something similar.

I work in 3D so the design side of things is covered... I can convert my created models into any format required... but I would really like to know the best method to CAM UP the models, generate the tool paths and then easily generate the g-code to send into the micRo controller.

please note that I have NEVER used any CNC device before... and I know very little about it other than that I want in! ( I have done as much research as I can on these forums and the internet)

any advice would be greatly appreciated

"Money is not an issue" is a loaded phrase in the CNC world!

Since you have the design side covered it sounds like you just need a CAM program and a controller.

The controller is easy: EMC2 or Mach 3. To me, it seems like most people on CNC Zone are using Mach 3, and at $175 (the price recently went up) it's not too bad in the whole scheme of things. On the other hand, it looks like most micRo users will be using EMC2.

Finding the right CAM package is a lot harder. First of all, only some of them have a demo version. Out of those that do have a demo, only some are easy to download (some companies will only give the demo to "qualified" businesses). THEN if you can actually get your hands on the demo, only a hand full will allow you to export G-code. Without the ability to export G-code it's impossible to test how well the CAM software works with your actual machine. I only know of a single program that will let you export (AKA "post process") G-code from custom models: MeshCAM. I think the various Vectric programs will let you post G-code for a few of their sample models.

If you're ready to buy most of the CAM companies that I've seen will arrange a demonstration where they'll connect to your computer (remote desktop style) and walk you through one of your parts. As I've never done one of these remote desktop demonstrations I don't know what you should expect from them, but I imagine it would be helpful for someone that already knows their way around CAM, for someone with little to no experience with CAM I would guess an ~hour long demonstration would be kind of wasted.

It would not be hard to find a CAM package that could cost over $10,000 ($40,000 (yes, forTY thousand dollars) isn't unheard of I don't think).

On CNC Zone a lot of people say MasterCAM is a good, high end package. OneCNC looks very cool too. I wish I could offer personal recommendations on these programs but I haven't used MasterCAM since it was on DOS and the OneCNC demo didn't seem to work right on my computer.

A program you'll probably see a lot if you search the internet is BobCAD/CAM. I lost patients with this program very quickly (the installer didn't even work correctly). It might be a fine package, but the UI of the program, the installer issues, and the very high pressure sales department turned me off to the program.

I'm using Rhino3D and RhinoCAM. I love Rhino to death, it's great! RhinoCAM on the other hand feels unfinished. It gets the job done though, and since it's a plugin for Rhino most of the UI is familiar. I have the lowest priced package (RhinoCAM: Standard - $900), maybe the higher versions are better... I dunno.

One thing "they" say: look for a CAD/CAM package that can grow with your company. For instance OneCNC has four levels of their Milling package: Express (3 axis), Advantage (3 axis w/ more options), Professional (4 and 5 axis), and Expert (4 and 5 axis w/ more options). Prices for CAM packages are hard to find, but it looks like Mill: Express was ~$1000 a couple years ago. I couldn't find a price for Mill: Expert.

I think with a $800 router table that the high $ Cam packages would be out.

For free there is CamBam. They have two downloads, the Beta .82 is free and works OK.

I'm looking at Dolphin Partmaster Pro. It can be had for about $400 (hobby price) and has a nice CAM function. I am not good enough to judge it yet. The USA demo will work 100% for 30 days and the CAD part is free.

Also everyone seems to love Vectrics VCarve Pro and Cut3D too, VCarve is about $600 and Cut3D is $299.

http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/cut3d/c3d_index.htm