You can output a project for rapid prototype (RP) production by simply exporting it as an STL file. However, since RP production may not be available or appropriate for many designs, the same project can also be used to produce the toolpaths required to cut the model on a CNC machine.
This approach also enables you to machine stereolithography (.stl) files or 3D Studio Max (.3ds) models produced in other modelling packages or downloaded from the Internet.
The complexity of this machining process is entirely dependent upon the capabilities of your CNC machine and the actual shape of your project.
Although ArtCAM provides the 3D Machining Wizard to automatically perform all the steps needed to machine the majority of models you are likely to make, it is important to understand the process it uses. The Wizard simply automates a series of operations that are available to you manually, but it has been optimized for the general case.