Mastercam woes - X3

[Bob W.]

So I just upgraded Mastercam earlier this week because I had a nice chunk of time alotted which is what it usually takes. Well, I installed it and the migration utility DID NOT WORK so I needed to track down all of my settings from the X2 install and even then I spent an hour on the phone with my reseller to get it fixed.

 

So now I am up and running with X3 and my setup sheet takes 10 minutes to display and I get an error on my machine every few minutes because Mcam is not adding the linear move on my lead out. I now get an error when my machine tries to cancel the cutter compensation (G40). Every one of my operation defaults sets my cutter comp to wear so this is a major time sink.

 

So I could sit here and write a few lines worth of 4 letter words to convey just what I think of this but I think you get the point. I thought I paid $,$$$ per year for maintenance to INCREASE my productivity. I'm not sure anyone at CNC software gives a crap but this REALLY pisses me off. So how long do I need to wait until these bugs are fixed? Does anyone care about quality anymore?

 

After these bugs are fixed I believe I am through with maintenance. It appears that all I pay for is the same old bugs plus a few new ones. The value of the new features comes nowhere close to ofsetting the cost of the bugs. You want to add value to the maintenance, come up with a release that fixes all of the bugs, then start working on new features.

 

If anyone knows somebody at CNC please forward this to them.

 

Thanks,

Bob

[gcode]

Bob,

Uninstall X2 and X3 and reinstall X3..

Do don't use migrate.. Install a clean copy of X3

and 99.9% of the troubles you are having will go away.

 

One thing to watch out for .. a clean install

will overwrite your operation defaults.. one in particalar is really bad..

Bull nosed and bal endmills will comp from the center rather thatn the tip.. this can kill you if you're not paying attention.

 

migration has bit me in the a$$ everytime I ever used it.. so I quit using it.. back in V9..

[Midwest]

+1 gcode

 

Upgraded with no major problems here, use X+ for our set-up sheets.......been using X3 for quite some time.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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...Bull nosed and bal endmills will comp from the center rather thatn the tip.. this can kill you if you're not paying attention...

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Yup. That one bit me HARD. I was not even looking for it either. Sure sucked.

[cobra95kev]

Speaking of that one, how or why the he@# would that get changed? I would think most of the time most users use tip comp?

[neurosis]

quote:

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Bob,

Uninstall X2 and X3 and reinstall X3..

Do don't use migrate.. Install a clean copy of X3

and 99.9% of the troubles you are having will go away.

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Is it really necessary to uninstall x2? Im just curious because ive installed x3 mu1 although I havent started using it yet. I did not use the migration utility when installing and figure that I will have to spend some hours changing my settings and operation defaults which is why I havent started using it yet. I dont have the time.

 

How about tool libraries? Can those be migrated in to X3 or will I have to create new ones in x3 as well?

[Guest]

quote:

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Is it really necessary to uninstall x2? Im just curious because ive installed x3 mu1 although I havent started using it yet. I did not use the migration utility when installing and figure that I will have to spend some hours changing my settings and operation defaults which is why I havent started using it yet. I dont have the time.

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Do you HAVE to, no. You do however need to be careful about what files and locations you are using, less you trash both installations.

 

You choose IMO the best way to install X3 using NO migration.

 

Hours???? I can configure my seat in about 20 minutes, I think hours is a "bit" much.

 

 

Yes you can update you tool libraries, however, since you have X3 MU1 installed, update on the fly is NO longer an option, you must use import directory.

 

Because it imports an entire directory and not a single file, I lie to create an empty folder and copy only the files I am going to import and use that folder as my import "From" folder, then I only get what I want instead of all files of that type in the system folder.

 

I am hoping in X4 if they keep the use of Import as the update option, that they add the ability to choose ONLY specific files instead of ONLY the entire folder.

[Hitachi]

Yeah the tool comp from center issue almost thru me for a loop, luckily I noticed while editing operations, we can't afford to lose any parts in this unstable economy!

 

Elco1971

X3 MU1 Mill L3 Lathe L1 5X

SolidWorks 2007 SP3.1

Dell Xeon 2.8GHz 2GB Ram

NVidia Quadro FX4500

Windows XP Pro SP2

[Midwest]

quote:

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Yeah the tool comp from center issue almost thru me for a loop

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Had to go back and check and alter some programs i had written ahead of time for a new mold.......got them changed and altered the operation defaults..........should be OK now.........

 

Guess I got lucky.......

 

[Thee Rickster ™]

Does the tool comp only affect 2-d paths?

 

I plan to start using X3 MU1 real soon on lesser expensive molds for testing. I mainly only do 3-d paths unless pocketing and profiling inserts and slides etc.

[gcode]

Rickster.. Its not a bug.. its a default setting

that's set in a way that will bite 90% of Mastercam users.

Once you are aware of it and set your defaults to "Tip", its not an issue.

Fortunantely, I became aware of it running a

program through Verify.. others were not so lucky

[Glenn Bouman]

quote:

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Speaking of that one, how or why the he@# would that get changed? I would think most of the time most users use tip comp?

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I agree, that is why we made the addons file that has the defaults set to tip.

 

http://www.emastercam.com/patches/x3/

[neurosis]

quote:

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Hours???? I can configure my seat in about 20 minutes, I think hours is a "bit" much.

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I am including the time it takes to set up my tools as well. There is probably a faster way to do this but I havent been able to figure one out. Even though I know I can export to a text file, I havent found it any faster to edit the tools this way. Since I didnt use the migration utility my libraries werent transferred over.

[Bob W.]

So will uninstalling both and doing a clean install of X3 fix the lead out issue? That is the biggest gripe of mine right now. My lead out consists of an arc move followed by a linear move but it is only outputting the arc move. My machines stop with alarms every 30 minutes because all of my programs use a tangent lead in with cutter comp set at wear.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Dave,

 

You mean your tool libraries? You can copy your tool library folder (so you aren't screwing up the originals), then use the File | Import Directory function to batch convert your tool libraries... This will not hose your other installations if you do it correctly...

 

Also, Thanks for the patch Glenn that will come in handy for sure...

[neurosis]

quote:

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So will uninstalling both and doing a clean install of X3 fix the lead out issue? That is the biggest gripe of mine right now. My lead out consists of an arc move followed by a linear move but it is only outputting the arc move. My machines stop with alarms every 30 minutes because all of my programs use a tangent lead in with cutter comp set at wear.

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Does this happen in every situation? I just drew up a quick square and a 2d tool path contour inside of the box. The lead-in/lead-out posted fine. Give me a scenario and i'll test it.

[Cad-Camr]

Upgrading your software takes some patience. You will always have to work through some default settings and config changes. If it was plug and play anyone could do it. Consider doing it without the support of the forum. I can tell you, plenty of gray hair. Even with the bugs Mastercam is the best cam software I know of. Cheers