64 bit OS issue

[scooch8292]

We need to make inspection sheets for the operators in the shop. They need to be generated in V9.1 as that is all that is available in the shop for them to open up. When I try to add dimensions or notes to these .mc9 files, they blink and are mostly invisible until I click the mouse to "drop" them in place on the display. Our IT department thinks this has something to do with the wow emulator, running a 32 bit application in a 64 bit enviroment. Kind of over my head but he asked me to post this here. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Scott

[Guest]

quote:

---

They need to be generated in V9.1

---

V9 and x64

 

Good luck with that.

 

A couple people claim they have gotten it running but no one has ever said how.

 

It may run off of a Nethasp but AFAIK, not a HASP

[gcode]

V9 is not supported in Win7, either x32 or x64.

As a workaround, do the files in X4 then

Save As V9 for use on the shop floor....

assuming the shop floor machines are still running

V9 and Win XP

OS Compatilbilty

[crazy^millman]

Well if you have a nethasp you might get V9 to run on a 64 bit environment. I have made it work, but do not recommend it.

[Verndog]

V9 = Win XP. I setup my system to dual boot into XP or Win 7 (hard drives are cheap :-)) just to support some older customers that only run V9. Sucks but thats life when you want to make progress while others want to hold you back.

[scooch8292]

My IT guy has set up a couple other applications to run in XP. Maybe version 9 might be set up like that. Thanks everyone for you input. I'll let my IT guy in on what has been discussed here and see which way we'll go. Generating these inspection sheets in X4 will probably be the most efficient.

[crazy^millman]

quote:

---

Generating these inspection sheets

---

What is creating those inspection sheets? A model with MBD on it or another program like Verisurf?

[scooch8292]

Just using our model in mastercam and putting some notes and dimensions on a different level and printing them so our setup people can verify the setup is documented and correct. Sorry about the run-on sentence. No OT is allowed and I gotta go!

[Verndog]

For one thing V9 has the GD&T chook that imports dwg. tolerancing symbols that as far as I know never came out in Ver X... personally, I setup a layer with GD&T notes that I import for std box tolerancing if I need it then scale to fit part.

[bogusmill]

Have you tried XP compatibility mode? It is a virtual installation of XP. Get Win 7 running then you launch XP mode. I have a scanner that works but didnt get drivers written for it. I also have dual monitors so on one screen is Win 7 x64, on the other is XP x32. The mouse goes from one screen to the other like usual too. Feels kinda creepy, two different operating systems at the same time but the scanner works great. It's a free add on from Microsoft for Win 7.

[crazy^millman]

quote:

---

For one thing V9 has the GD&T chook that imports dwg. tolerancing symbols that as far as I know never came out in Ver X... personally, I setup a layer with GD&T notes that I import for std box tolerancing if I need it then scale to fit part.

---

The GDT fonts are still available and you just use those fonts as the ones to use for Mastercam and all the MBD symbols will come right in no problem. Not as slick as the V9 tool, but if you bought the MBD add-on from Verisurf then you would have the full MBD package. Go over the the Verisurf forum. I have tech tip up with the download and instructions on what keyboard keys create what MBD symbols.

 

www.verisurf.com/forum

 

[ 06-14-2010, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: Crazy^Millman ]

[Chris Rizzo]

quote:

---

Have you tried XP compatibility mode? It is a virtual installation of XP. Get Win 7 running then you launch XP mode. I have a scanner that works but didnt get drivers written for it. I also have dual monitors so on one screen is Win 7 x64, on the other is XP x32.

---

x64 or 32?

 

I'm curious if your setup will run v9. I've been helping someone who is trying to run v9 on 7 x64. Yes it's the hasp that 7 won't see for 9.

 

Not that I blame it, 9 was written for an operating system over 10 years ago! It should go away.

[scooch8292]

Chris, Ver 9.1 does work fine. We just set it up to run in compatibility mode for Windows XP service pack 3. The only issue I've seen is just the dimensioning and note issue I've described above. We are also running a nethasp for all our seats. Seems to work fine.

[Ron Branch @ Verisurf]

quote:

---

We are also running a nethasp for all our seats.

---

There is the key.

 

quote:

---

When I try to add dimensions or notes to these .mc9 files, they blink and are mostly invisible until I click the mouse to "drop" them in place on the display. Our IT department thinks this has something to do with the wow emulator, running a 32 bit application in a 64 bit environment.

---

Yes I would agree with this assessment. One of those you want to use something that came out about 10 years ago you kind of have to deal with it. Funny they spend all the money on new computers to use such old software on them I guess to each their own.

[scooch8292]

Ron, we're only keeping version 9 kicking around because in the machine shop, they only have Version 9 Draft installed, so they can just print out these inspection sheets. The programmers are all using X4. I'm the guinea pig, being the first Windows 7 x64 user. Our IT department just wants to know about any issues that develop with the new system before they bring in more of the same pc's for the others.

[gcode]

quote:

---

they only have Version 9 Draft installed, so they can just print out these inspection sheets

---

Why don't you do your inspection sheets

in X4 and use a PDF utility to save them as

PDF files. Then you could bag the V9 draft

and print PDF files all day long on any old

computer.

[crazy^millman]

Well I would then say you might look at the LT version of Mastercam X4 or the Demo Version.

 

Either way good to see you in Win 7 64 bit land.

[scooch8292]

I like the idea of the .pdf files over the Demo or LT version of Mastercam. That way our operators would have less of a chance of manipulating the files and possibly changing them. I'll run these idea's by the IT guys. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[ 06-15-2010, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: Scooch ]

[Chris Rizzo]

pdf's all the way. That way the programmers have all control over their content, yet any computer can still open them.

[Verndog]

What utility are you guys using to capture the PDF? Does it run from the print capture? Reason I ask is when I've tried to use PDF captures in the past, something in the utility would loose the aspect on the output...in other words a circle became an oblong (not alot but noticeable with calipers). Also, the line quality seemed to drop on the translation over a straight "hardcopy".

[scooch8292]

Yeah, we're really leaning towrds the pdf files for this now. Does anyone have a efficient way to convert mcx files to a pdf?

[gcode]

CutePDF

 

I've used CutePDF in the past. Its been a couple of years but it worked well the last time I tried it.

[scooch8292]

gcode, yep that works very well here. I just selected the cutepdf writer as my printer and then saved the file as a pdf when prompted to do so. It doesn't get any better and simpler than that. Thanks for the input.

[AstornicsNY-IT]

Hello everyone. I am the IT Technician who works with Scooch. We are confident that the PDFs print the drawings successfully. Our issue now is that we have approximately 7,000 files to convert/print to PDF and about 95% of them are .mc9 files. It is not realistic for us to open every drawing and manually print them to PDF. I have done batch conversions of text based files (.doc, .txt, etc....)to PDF however this is a whole new ball game for us. Does anyone know if there is a system that they might use or ever heard of that could successfully open the MC9 files and print/convert them to PDF with a script? I understand this is a bold request but I figured I would ask the Mastercam community before going on a wild goose hunt for an answer. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

[gcode]

X4 has the ability to launch and run VBS scripts.

You could write a script to open a V9 file, launch

CutePDF and write the PFD file and crunch its way through a folder of V9 files

The only problem I see is that each V9 file would have to have the proper layers turned

on ( or off) and there is no way to do that without human intervention.