Mastercam Solids

[Mick]

Just interested: Out of the users here, how many:

 

1) Dont use Mastercam Solids or any other modelling package (use surfaces/wireframes)

 

2) Use an alternative modelling package (Solidworks, SolidEdge etc etc) and then import

 

3) Use Mastercam solids

 

I'm purely interested, for interests sake

 

Oh, and isn't it sweet...I find out today, that a long time knocker of Mastercam, is now using it quite happily and productively to program his machining centre. I guess it takes some people a bit longer to realise a good thing

[Fig sign]

Hi, Mick!

I use Mastercam Solid mostly for drawing .

It is not a Solidworks, but for a lot of things it is enough ,it is simple and powerful.

But for most of time in milling I use surfaces.

It is more simple ,safer and stable.

BTW ,you can always produce surfaces from solid :

Create-surface-from solid .

 

Iskander.

[Kenneth Potter]

I use all of the above questions. & that depends on were i,m at in my drawing sessions. For my most complexe jobs i use Alias then import to Mastercam. Then sometimes i use Mastercam Solids Then export to Alias

 

I got a Mastercam Looooove JONES

 

Kenneth Potter

[Matthew]

Because we also do some designing in CADKEY, I will use it to model any part I need to machine, then export .SAT to Mastercam where it comes in as surfaces.

[beav700]

ProE 2001 for modeling then import to MC, change it to surfaces and cut it. I do use MC Solids sometimes for simple models.

[cadcam]

Well I do every thing in mastercam have sense ver2.

I use solids every chance I can.

It has mad my life allots easer.

If I were going to use software for design I would use Solid Works.

 

Allot of my files do come from the customers so I ask what they use and get solids when ever I can.

 

And I usually all was cut from the solid.

I am a BIG fan of solids, can’t you tell.

[mold100]

We use Pro-e for all of our mold desgining,and electrode extracting,then import the iges files.Although this week I started to use Moldplus (demo c-hook)to do some trode extracting,and so far i like it,it works well with the surfaces,never tried solids,though i would like it im sure,i also would like to try out solidworks,just to get something else under my belt.Ive used a couple differant cam softwares,MC is the best for me.I would support any add ons for it.

[cadcam]

Mold100,Are you going to go with V9?

MC has lic with Pro-E,so the converter is better then before and now right in the Convertoer dir.

 

See

This allows you to bring the solid right from Pro-e if you have solids on your MC.

[mold100]

cadcam,were trying to get the v9 approval,we just bought more new equipment so our backlog is being evaluated,for the software upgrades,with v9 were buying moldplus.Is the pro-e converter included or is it an add on still?Thanks.

[cadcam]

Truefully it still is an add-on.

Or should i just say you need the codes updated to activate it.

But it is better then ever.

[Charles Davis]

IMHO if you are re-creating a part, you can't beat Mastercam for drawing. I used mostly solids, but sometimes surfaces if solids can't do the geometry, or certain other cases where I want to conserve memory (file size) and solids are not needed.

 

If you are in the initial phases of design, or if you are doing complex assemblies (more than 10 or so components), you really need a dimension driven, associative solid modeler.

 

I've only used solidworks, and all I can say is it's a dream come true for mechanical design of complex assemblies.

 

I'm sure the others (proE, autodesk inventor, and solidedge, etc) are excellent too. The important keywords are solids, dimension driven, associative, and ability to handle assemblies.

 

Of course, when it comes to making real world parts and making money at it, import the solid into Mastercam.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I use Mastercam Solids every day. It works for me. I generally take "Engineering's" Flat 2D DWG's and make them into what they envisioned but could not create themselves. It works well for us. I do Assembly Modeling in Mastercam but it's not designed for it. It does have a wink of parametrics though. Say you want to change the diameter of a hole that you used to bore a hole through your solid with, Analyze, pick the arc, set the edit switch to "Y" and modity your entity. Alt+Y (Solids Manager Hot-Key) Right Click on the dirty Solid, Regen Solid. There you go. Not exactly as clean as say Solid Edge, Inventor, or Solid Works, but what the hey, it works for me.

 

I do use a combination of SOlids and Surfaces for my toolpaths and modeling. I often have to trim a Solid to a Surface, so I'll create complex Cooons Surfaces to achieve the desired result.