Mastercam verification limitation

[Thee Rickster ™]

I dont use 2-d paths, just curious if X6 has optirest in a surface path?

[neurosis]

Yes.

 

We have optirough in X5 also. The 2d paths are called dynamic. The SHS paths are opti*. In X5 it was only optirough. Now in X6 it is Opticore, Optiarea, and Optirest.

 

This particular bug was not present in X5. I did find a bug in X5 optirough that causes part gouging though and I am not certain that particular bug got any attention. They ran the part that I sent to them in X5 which produced the gouging and then in X6 where it did not, so they said that the bug was ?apparently? fixed in X6. When someone cannot explain to me why one version of the software was gouging and the next version is not it does not give me a great confidence in that it is for sure a fixed problem but time will tell.

[Thee Rickster ™]

I use the optirough in X5 alot

 

Have not had a gouge yet on the CNC, but when it decides to skip 3 or 4 z level slices, in

only certain areas, I go back to the core roughing path

[neurosis]

I use the optirough in X5 alot

 

Have not had a gouge yet on the CNC, but when it decides to skip 3 or 4 z level slices, in

only certain areas, I go back to the core roughing path

 

I just had that happen to me last week. I had to section the part up which ended up working better anyway. The part was rather large and it was faster to limit the areas that were being roughed. That is another bug that irritates the xxxx out of me. I have never sent that one in.

 

The part gouging issue is pretty big. I have only had it happen twice and cant figure out what causes it. It always happens in areas that have an abnormal contour and are right next to the stock edge. I still have the file that I sent to Mastercams QC department with the gouging!

[Thee Rickster ™]

I just had that happen to me last week.

 

Rest roughing does it to, along with machining all the side walls over again too.

[Mick]

Had to reset my post in control def again this morning because while my P.C. was

turned off for the week end MC decided to reset back to defaults again.

 

As well as my NC, NCI and MCX Back up file locations defaulted in my config (2x a week) not always after reboot

Its little things like this that drive me nuts, not peeved just nuts.

 

Actually, your post has reminded me of something I experience. I don't have the post reset problem, but sometimes out of the blue, the default geometry color, and the default file locations change, and I have to reset them.

 

Its weird, because I've never received any warnings or errors. It just changes.

 

The other thing I don't like, is the "new" surface high speed toolpaths. With the old toolpaths, you had the options of roll the cutter at none, between surfaces, or all edges. With between surfaces checked, there was no need for containment boundaries. The tool would stay tangent to the surface edge, and it worked a treat.

When I queried why this was left out, it was suggested I create containment or check surfaces. The amount of extra work required to do so to me, isn't worth the benefit of the "new" toolpaths. So I dont use them, which is annoying, because I would like to.

[Guest]

If you go into your config and change anything after your session has started and you've been working for a bit.

 

Chances are your "current" settings are different than your start-up config settings.

 

If you open your config and change ANYTHING, all of your other settings will update as well.

 

This may well be the culprit.

 

As a rule, if I need to set something in my config, I will shut down and restart a new session of Mastercam with NOTHING loaded, make my change and restart.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Then why do they stick for a few days or so, sometimes as long a whole week,

even when opening and closing MC many times? I set them when I originally Installed X5

and they just default constantly.

[K2csq7]

My control def lost its Arc settings over the weekend?

[Aeroguy]

But no matter what we always have the control, even if that means switching jobs or buying our own software package.

 

Really ? Got 20k you can give me so I can go out and buy a decent package?

As for switching jobs, I think I answered that one already.

[Aeroguy]

As far as I’m concerned they do have a great product, otherwise why do so many people buy it?

 

I have an answer to that.

It's called Advertising. As in M/C spends a fortune on it, while the other guys don't.

Plus, just about any smuck can download a cracked copy of M/C, screw around for awhile, and then call themselves programmers to potential employers, therfore the Mastercam pool is pretty deep, so to speak. It's mostly filled with drowning programmers, but they are still there.

It's easier to find a guy that uses mastercam then it is to find anyone with expereince with any other package.

So whats an employer supposed to do? Nothing, thats what. They suck it up, pay the money for M/C and hope for the best. For any company that already uses M/C, it's just too darn expensive and time consuming to switch to something else, because they have probably been using it for years and all their old projects are in M/C, so to re-program them in a new CAM sysytem is, again, expensive and time consuming.

Basically, if you've been using it long enough, then they got you by the short and curlies.

[neurosis]

The company that I work for dropped Cimatron for Mastercam. Not because they felt that Mastercam was a better product but because Mastercam programmers are so easy to find. Try and find someone in the Northwest that knows Cimatron.. I almost cried the day that they let Cimatrons maintenance expire.

 

Im curious whether this was just rumor but ive heard it from more than one person. Did Mastercam go around trading a seat of Mastercam straight across for what ever system you happened to be using at the time back in the early days?

[Newbeeee™]

Can't speak for mcam, but back in '98 featurecam was pusing a 'competetor's upgrade'.

However, it wasn't free but by memory I got a seat of 2.5D for £1500 instead of £2250.

[gcode]

I think Mastercam got where it is by offering seats to community colleges and training a whole generation of programers

My first exposure to Mastercam was V5 at the local community college in 1994 or 95

When I purchased v7 in 1999 I was moving from Tek-Soft and recieved a nice discount

as a competive upgrade but it certainly wasn't a straight across trade

[Cannon]

The other thing I don't like, is the "new" surface high speed toolpaths. With the old toolpaths, you had the options of roll the cutter at none, between surfaces, or all edges. With between surfaces checked, there was no need for containment boundaries. The tool would stay tangent to the surface edge, and it worked a treat.

When I queried why this was left out, it was suggested I create containment or check surfaces. The amount of extra work required to do so to me, isn't worth the benefit of the "new" toolpaths. So I dont use them, which is annoying, because I would like to.

0

 

Extend over the surface edge is also missing in 3d high speed toolpath, this is one reason I still regularly use old style finishing paths. For roughing the high speed toolpaths work quite well.

 

X6 download has now been "temporary unavailable" for three weeks, why isnt there any explanation of the reasons in Mastercam.com, eventhough there is bug in the first release that might scrap your part?

[Guest]

X6 download has now been "temporary unavailable" for three weeks, why isnt there any explanation of the reasons in Mastercam.com,

 

http://www.emastercam.com/board/index.php?showtopic=64903

 

To date that is all that has been discussed publicly, AFAIK

[Mick]

Then why do they stick for a few days or so, sometimes as long a whole week,

even when opening and closing MC many times? I set them when I originally Installed X5

and they just default constantly.

 

Thats what happens to my settings. And for example, if you're default color is green, but you have it currently set to blue, just because you change something else in the configuration and save it, it shouldn't chang everything (or as is the case, some things) to use the current settings as defaults. That is something that is broken in my view.

[Guest]

just because you change something else in the configuration and save it, it shouldn't chang everything (or as is the case, some things) to use the current settings as defaults. That is something that is broken in my view.

 

In mine as well.

 

To date I've gotten no where with it, it's not for the lack of trying though

[Mick]

In mine as well.

 

To date I've gotten no where with it, it's not for the lack of trying though

 

Once the config is dialed, would making it read only stop this? I know I used to do this with Cimco DNC Max Machine conig files, as these had a similar issue.

[Mick]

I have an answer to that.

It's called Advertising. As in M/C spends a fortune on it, while the other guys don't.

Plus, just about any smuck can download a cracked copy of M/C, screw around for awhile, and then call themselves programmers to potential employers, therfore the Mastercam pool is pretty deep, so to speak. It's mostly filled with drowning programmers, but they are still there.

It's easier to find a guy that uses mastercam then it is to find anyone with expereince with any other package.

So whats an employer supposed to do? Nothing, thats what. They suck it up, pay the money for M/C and hope for the best. For any company that already uses M/C, it's just too darn expensive and time consuming to switch to something else, because they have probably been using it for years and all their old projects are in M/C, so to re-program them in a new CAM sysytem is, again, expensive and time consuming.

Basically, if you've been using it long enough, then they got you by the short and curlies.

 

I've known of people to download cracked copies of Gibbs, UG, Esprit etc etc etc, and do the same thing. Its no different.

[NOTW Programmer]

I have an answer to that.

It's called Advertising. As in M/C spends a fortune on it, while the other guys don't.

Plus, just about any smuck can download a cracked copy of M/C, screw around for awhile, and then call themselves programmers to potential employers, therfore the Mastercam pool is pretty deep, so to speak. It's mostly filled with drowning programmers, but they are still there.

It's easier to find a guy that uses mastercam then it is to find anyone with expereince with any other package.

So whats an employer supposed to do? Nothing, thats what. They suck it up, pay the money for M/C and hope for the best. For any company that already uses M/C, it's just too darn expensive and time consuming to switch to something else, because they have probably been using it for years and all their old projects are in M/C, so to re-program them in a new CAM sysytem is, again, expensive and time consuming.

Basically, if you've been using it long enough, then they got you by the short and curlies.

Well more like false advertising. You are right they do advertise but we are not forced to buy it, a good programmer can learn any other package given the opportunity. Once you realize that MCAM is not the right package to have the employers should pull the maintenance and look elsewhere instead of keep paying for it and hope that bugs will get fixed a release or two down the line. MCAM has made improvements but you would think that for as many seats as they sell and how expensive they are CUSTOMER SERVICE would be better. At least X6 is 64bit pretty much last place in that race after almost all packages have gone X64. I like MCAM but they definitely need to have a better approach. Oh and its Schmuck, Therefore, Experience, And System...you misspelled ...

[Aeroguy]

Oh and its Schmuck, Therefore, Experience, And System...you misspelled ...

 

 

Seriously ??

Can't think of anything else? Punctuation perhaps? Improper use of a verb maybe ?

 

Oh, and I totally agree with everything else you said too btw

[Dtm]

Seriously ??

Can't think of anything else? Punctuation perhaps? Improper use of a verb maybe ?

 

I'm with you on this one. I guess the truth hurts.

[MotorCityMinion]

Oh no...... Dam, that get yanked already?

 

 

 

 

[neurosis]

That was fast.