Large file Solid Selection

[Guest]

I have a larger file, for me at least, that I am working on. I am using a high speed core rough and then a high speed rest mill a couple of times stepping down the cutter size.

 

My toolpath generation times are what I feel to be LARGE, 15 - 20 minutes. If I select the entire model to machine there are 890 drive surfaces.

 

I've thought about just selcting the surfaces on the side I am machining but there are quite a few, is there a way to increase to processing time on a toolpath generation.

 

Is there an easier way to do this?

 

3.00 ghz XEON Processoer

2 gig ram

[Thad]

quote:

---

is there a way to increase to processing time on a toolpath generation.

---

I assume you meant decrease.

 

John, the only way that I'm aware of is to only select the surfaces/faces to be cut. It's a pain when there's a bunch, but hopefully, once you select them, you can copy them from op to op so future selection will be nothing. Using smart selection techniques can speed the selection process along too. Windowing from certain views, windowing using in +, etc. I'm sure you know the tricks.

 

Thad

[DavidB]

I find the HS toolpaths slow to generate in general so doing a large solid I feel your pain.

 

What I use to do when I was toolmaking working on very large solid modals was, create surfaces from the modal.

Then I know it's a pain but I would change the color of the the surafces I needed to select, then select surfaces only that color,or put them on a separate level. Now instead of selecting the whole solid which MC internaly converts to surfaces anyway you say there is 890 buy selecting only the needed surfaces I'm sure there will less hence a faster generation time.

 

HTH

[88Matt]

similar to dave, i create surfaces over the model for roughing and finishing 90% of the part and then do the detail work that needs to be done.

 

FYI: By using splines to create your surfaces, u can create one were there was once many.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Matt

[Saultspics]

The new HS toolpaths are very slow. I did a toolpath this week that took over 40min. to generate when I selected the entire solid.

[Jack Neelands™]

40 min...try 3 hours for a 5 axis multi...lol

step across .005 and step along at .01...anything less and i dont have enough ram...with a gig and 3.0 chip

[Guest]

OK, so it's not just me then with the long regens.

 

I've got surfaces selected now and I'm up to 15 minutes toolpath generate going doesn't seem like there will be any greater difference between the 2 at this point.

 

This is just too long.

 

As much as I hate to say it, I do have "other" options.

 

I'll have to time a rough path on that and see the difference.

 

20 minutes as I type

[beej]

I always have a lot going on here. So I setup all of my paths to generate at once and go take care of other responsibilities while they process. I also loosen up the tolerances on my roughing paths. If i'm leaving .010 stock then I open up my total tolerances to .005 that really improves time.

 

my biggest time eater is verifying. No vericut. I wish mastercam's verify would work in it's own window and let you keep working. Sometimes our machines cut faster than I'm verifying.

[Thad]

quote:

---

Sometimes our machines cut faster than I'm verifying.

---

beej,

 

In case you didn't know, there is a speed slider, a quality setting and an invisible tool option that might be able to help.

 

Thad

[Guest]

You can also bump up the step/refresh as well

this cuts some serious time off of verify

[beej]

quote:

---

In case you didn't know, there is a speed slider, a quality setting and an invisible tool option that might be able to help

---

I know about the sliders, but I'm not sure what you mean by "invisible tool" do you mean turbo mode?

 

quote:

---

You can also bump up the step/refresh as well

---

I just tried that and that does cut some serious time off. thanx

[Thad]

quote:

---

but I'm not sure what you mean by "invisible tool" do you mean turbo mode?

---

Yes, I meant turbo.

 

Thad

[Jeremy Haage from MCAM NorthWest]

John Paris,

 

Do you have an Nvidia Quadro card? We have a customer with a Xeon processor + Quadro card and even though there's a setting in Settings > Configure > Screen to disable unified back/depth buffer, he had to turn this off in the display properties. I've seen that this setting fixes backplot tool display issues but in this customers case it actually significantly increased his toolpath regeneration times. If you have a Quadro card I'd really recommend disabling that setting in your display properties.

 

Also I have found that when machining lots of surfaces, switching to machining on an STL model can significantly reduce HST regeneration times.

[Guest]

Jeremy,

 

No I do not, ATi Fire GL. Backplot and verify are not my issue.

 

HST toolpath generation is.

 

I cannot imagine for the life of me why a videcard would have anything to do with toolpath generation???

 

Can't say it doesn't but is shouldn't.

[edmBosto]

Would it help to save the roughing verify as a STL file and then turbo verify the finish passes

only by calling up the STL file?

[Guest]

Same part, same settings, same size tool, HSM toolpath, NX4 crunched the rough path in 3.5 minutes.

[DavidB]

I bet powermill would do the same John.

Now you can see why MC is still so far behind in some aspects of CAM

[Saultspics]

John,

have you tried surface rough pocket on the same part to see what the generate times is?

[Guest]

I have not on this part. I really want to use a HSM strategy on this part because of the amount of material removal involved and the shape. I don't want to deal with the sudden cornering changes the Rough Pocket will give me.

[DavidB]

These HS toolpaths we got are from a third party. So can CNC improve there processing time?

[Saultspics]

I use both the original surface and HS toolpaths. The original surface toolpaths generate much faster but I like the toolpaths of the HS toolpaths.

 

DavidB,

I hope they can improve the processing time.

[Guest]

I seriously hope with X2 they are taking a hard look at the processing times of these toolpaths.

 

I'm not looking a minimal difference in time. This was a huge difference.

[Ralph@Faustson]

dittos I hope they cam improve memory handling in X2 also. I have a flow5axis toolpath that generated fine in 9.1 but runs out of memory in MR2..

[Guest]

:bump:

 

:grumble: :grumble:

[Guest]

Gee, good thing I NEVER complain