Operation Stuck In Multi Threading Manager Can't Delete

[dlewis1000]

I have a optirest path that seems to be completely stuck. It had originally froze at 70% in the multi threading manager. I decided I was going to stop it, delete it, and try again. This is a pretty common occurrence for me. This time when I hit the stop button it just stayed there and the operation still shows the little green icon next to it. Since it wasn't unresponsive, I decided to save my work in hopes of not loosing my other toolpaths I had just made. Closed it and re opened the file, and it's still stuck there with the green icon and still shows in the multi threading manager. 

I'm hoping someone knows what's going on here. The main thing that I really want to figure out is why it always hangs up at 70%. 

[JParis]

Well CTRL+ALT+DEL to close Mastercam...you should get a message along the lines, "There are active tasks....." yes you want to close...

If it still won't close, reboot your compuetr...the hard shut down will end the task...

Now, you say this is a common occurance...in my experience, when a 3D paths get hungs up like that, it is almost always a user input error of some kind..

It may have a step down set to a miniscule value..

Stepover may be a tiny value

Might for arc filtering is WAAAAY to tight

Might be there are bad faces in the solid.....with this one, just select a few faces in the area to be machined...see if that regens

The depths set may not be set properly...

Invariably, it is usually a setting.

[AMCNitro]

JParis beat me to it.  I sometimes have that problem too.  I CTRL+ALT+DEL, plus Ill also restart the computer.  Usually the operation will regen just fine after that.  It used to happen a lot more when I had a crappy computer.  Also, get in the habit of tuning off the PC every couple of days, it helps MC run better.

[gcode]

2 hours ago, AMCNitro said:

Also, get in the habit of tuning off the PC every couple of days, it helps MC run better.

I used to shut down every day when I went home

I can't do that anymore because I frequently need to remote in from home now.

Since I can't shut it down every night, I've made a habit of rebooting first thing every morning.

[dlewis1000]

10 hours ago, JParis said:

Well CTRL+ALT+DEL to close Mastercam...you should get a message along the lines, "There are active tasks....." yes you want to close...

If it still won't close, reboot your compuetr...the hard shut down will end the task...

Now, you say this is a common occurance...in my experience, when a 3D paths get hungs up like that, it is almost always a user input error of some kind..

It may have a step down set to a miniscule value..

Stepover may be a tiny value

Might for arc filtering is WAAAAY to tight

Might be there are bad faces in the solid.....with this one, just select a few faces in the area to be machined...see if that regens

The depths set may not be set properly...

Invariably, it is usually a setting.

It probably does have something to do with my selections. I always select the entire model when doing optirough stuff. I guess that's from years on fusion and solidcam. I really can't make sense of picking individual faces unless I'm surfacing. 

[crazy^millman]

21 minutes ago, dlewis1000 said:

It probably does have something to do with my selections. I always select the entire model when doing optirough stuff. I guess that's from years on fusion and solidcam. I really can't make sense of picking individual faces unless I'm surfacing. 

Being Lazy is what I call it. I have models that might have 30k surfaces on them. Does it suck sometimes to pick a group of surfaces yes, but calculations are much faster picking what I need when I need it verses all those extra surfaces I don't need. With any math problem the more you throw it the harder and longer it is going to take to crunch it.

[gcode]

Sometimes it useful to group surfaces by color, drive, drive + .004, check, check +.05 etc

Then you can use color mask selection to select them

[AHarrison1]

On 6/10/2022 at 6:46 PM, crazy^millman said:

Being Lazy is what I call it.

Fella is 4 posts in and already branded...maybe he just know any better.

[Corey Hampshire]

+1 for colors and quick masks. I take the time initially to color solid faces when setting the part up. I can then window select areas of the solid and set avoidances and machining (checks and drives) using the color quick masks. I can select and program an area of the part to machine in under 30 seconds. The work up front is definitely worth the time savings on the back end. Plus I find it easier to identify and process what I am doing using the colors. It makes me have to have a plan before I start tool pathing. 

I also use view sheets and quick masks for quick selections of fixtures that are on a separate level. One click and I have selected my steady rest without getting anything additional.

Ron is spot on, I only select pertinent solid faces in the area that I will be machining. I do not select the whole model. Tool paths are usually generated faster and are cleaner. Most often less is more. 

[crazy^millman]

5 hours ago, AHarrison1 said:

Fella is 4 posts in and already branded...maybe he just know any better.

Not branded just letting the idea you can do things differently be known. I never try to come across wrongly, but sugar coating something helps no one. Having flexibility in our process is important and like I said got a 4-200 faces part okay pick the whole solid, but got a 2000-40,000 face part developing methods and process more suited to make better use of  programming time is not just picking the whole solid sometimes. I have seen as much as 50% reduction in calculation times by picking the features needed verse picking a whole solid. When I have 200-600 hour programming project staring me down and can reduce days of crunching time by using methods that are suited better for the process then I am going to make mention of that to help someone along. Doing 20-30 minute programming projects let it rip, but I tried to make mention of the difference in my comment.

There were a lot of things I didn't know better until someone said pretty much the same thing to me. You know your being lazy or hey there is a better way. I didn't like hearing it, but it made me a better programmer and machinist each time.

[dlewis1000]

9 hours ago, AHarrison1 said:

Fella is 4 posts in and already branded...maybe he just know any better.

Just a bit confused because I can do what takes hours in this software in 30 minutes on other systems, and I did exactly that. 

7 hours ago, Corey Hampshire said:

+1 for colors and quick masks. I take the time initially to color solid faces when setting the part up. I can then window select areas of the solid and set avoidances and machining (checks and drives) using the color quick masks. I can select and program an area of the part to machine in under 30 seconds. The work up front is definitely worth the time savings on the back end. Plus I find it easier to identify and process what I am doing using the colors. It makes me have to have a plan before I start tool pathing. 

I also use view sheets and quick masks for quick selections of fixtures that are on a separate level. One click and I have selected my steady rest without getting anything additional.

Ron is spot on, I only select pertinent solid faces in the area that I will be machining. I do not select the whole model. Tool paths are usually generated faster and are cleaner. Most often less is more. 

I'm on the plugin for solidworks. Not sure those things work the same way.  

[crazy^millman]

42 minutes ago, dlewis1000 said:

Just a bit confused because I can do what takes hours in this software in 30 minutes on other systems, and I did exactly that. 

That good to know maybe they need to speak to you about your experience to make the software catch up to others. Watching paint dry sometimes waiting on stock model and HST regenerations is not fun.

[dlewis1000]

14 minutes ago, crazy^millman said:

That good to know maybe they need to speak to you about your experience to make the software catch up to others. Watching paint dry sometimes waiting on stock model and HST regenerations is not fun.

I would love to. I for sure spend more time in mastercam waiting on things to load than I do actually doing work, and know it shouldn't be that way. 

[Corey Hampshire]

14 hours ago, dlewis1000 said:

Just a bit confused because I can do what takes hours in this software in 30 minutes on other systems, and I did exactly that. 

I'm on the plugin for solidworks. Not sure those things work the same way.  

No, Mastecam for Solidworks doesn't have the same tools as the standalone Mastercam. I have used both and I find the standalone Mastercam to be more stable and easier to use. I was of course trained on Mastercam and not Solidworks, so I am sure that is a big part of it for me. Perhaps you could try the stand alone version? I believe they are dropping Mastercam for Solidworks after this year anyway, so it might be a good time to transition into the standalone version.