Corrupt or Invalid file. Contact your local Mastercam dealer

[drafting3]

just ran into this issue while drawing surfaces in X2 MR2.

 

i was trying to draw a swept surface using 2 across profiles, and 2 rails to create the intake port, which blends from a circle at the valve to a parallelogram with rounded corners at the intake manifold. (which is weird in itself, because i was under the impression a circle is the ideal shape for air travel)

 

i had both across profiles split in half as mastercam couldn't generate the surface with both profiles closed. randomly I got an error, which i don't remember what it said, and then every action i tried to take was met with a kernel error.

 

i saved, exited (alt-f4), and then tried to reopen the drawing file. that's when i get the corrupt file error.

 

thankfully the server backs up every night, so i only lost a few hours of work.

 

 

any clue how to avoid future problems like this? just save often?

[gcode]

I don't know why you got that error.

Are you sure you are opening a Mastercam file.

 

I've seen Mastercam throw that error if you have the filetype dropdown set to MCX

and try to open an IGES or Step file

 

You need to turn back up on. This utiltly will save you over and over.

 

Go to the Files page of System Config,

 

then the AutoSave/Backup page.

 

make sure "MCX Backup Files" is checked..

 

now it will save a backup copy in the folder of your choosing, every time you Save

 

By default the backups are saved in your user folder..

 

I prefer my own location C:\X6_BAK

 

You can define the backup folder on the Files page

 

Look for "Backup Files" in the Data path window then navigate to your desired backup folder.

 

Make sure you clean that folder out from time to time. It will eat your hard drive if left unattended

 

If possible, you should lobby for an upgrade to X6.. There have been tons of fixes

 

and improvements since then and I believe they are offering a pretty heavy upgrade discounts

 

right now.

[drafting3]

I don't know why you got that error.

Are you sure you are opening a Mastercam file.

 

I've seen Mastercam throw that error if you have the filetype dropdown set to MCX

and try to open an IGES or Step file

 

i'm sure. i was working in X2 MR2 when the error happened, exited, and then tried to open the .mcx file i just saved.

 

You need to turn back up on. This utiltly will save you over and over.

 

Go to the Files page of System Config,

 

then the AutoSave/Backup page.

 

make sure "MCX Backup Files" is checked..

 

now it will save a backup copy in the folder of your choosing, every time you Save

 

By default the backups are saved in your user folder..

 

I prefer my own location C:\X6_BAK

 

You can define the backup folder on the Files page

 

Look for "Backup Files" in the Data path window then navigate to your desired backup folder.

 

Make sure you clean that folder out from time to time. It will eat your hard drive if left unattended

 

If possible, you should lobby for an upgrade to X6.. There have been tons of fixes

 

and improvements since then and I believe they are offering a pretty heavy upgrade discounts

 

right now.

 

i now have this enabled. thanks.

[Thad]

Is your corrupt file 0kb is size?

[drafting3]

If possible, you should lobby for an upgrade to X6.. There have been tons of fixes

 

and improvements since then and I believe they are offering a pretty heavy upgrade discounts

 

right now.

 

i'm working on it. i've already prep'd the owner for upgrading the computer i'm on as it bogs down when verifying machine ops on complex surfaces.

 

i think i have a quote sitting in my inbox from mastercam for an update, which was around $*k, but i also want to hit him up for new design software like solidworks if he's going to have me doing this much 3D design requiring multiple changes. mastercam is amazing for CAM, but using it to design/simulate/revise is like using a hammer on a screw.

 

this will require proper wording and the right timing to get everything i want/need.

[drafting3]

Is your corrupt file 0kb is size?

 

just checked, and yes it is. that makes sense as to why it wouldn't open, but why did it save a 0kb file? everything worked fine until i tried to create that surface.

[gcode]

If you are upgrading Mastercam, make sure you get a Win7 x64 machine.

[Thad]

just checked, and yes it is. that makes sense as to why it wouldn't open, but why did it save a 0kb file? everything worked fine until i tried to create that surface.

 

I don't know why it crashed, but many (most?) of us have experienced the 0kb file crash at one time or another. I finally upgraded to X6 last week after using X2MR2 all this time. I'm not sure if that problem is still around in newer versions. Using the backup file like gcode mentioned is your best bet, though I've had my backup file corrupted too. That was not the norm though.

 

Thad

[gcode]

It has been years since I've seen a zero byte crash..

[Thee Rickster ™]

The last 0bk crash i remember used to happen in X2 when you created

a dimension and hit esc instead of the red X but i am sure that one was fixed for X2MU1

[drafting3]

If you are upgrading Mastercam, make sure you get a Win7 x64 machine.

 

this is what i'm thinking of upgrading to. is 16gb enough ram? i am considering solidworks for my design suite.

 

 

Configuration

• CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [-64] (BLACK COLOR)
  
• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3930K Six-Core 3.20 GHz 12MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
   
  
• CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+9]
  
• FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [-30] (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull) [+9])
  
• HDD: 240 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write [-15] (240GB x 2 (240GB Capacity) Raid 1 High Performance with Data Security [+126])
  
• IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
   
  
• KEYBOARD: (Keyboard & Mouse Combo) Razer Cyclosa Gaming Keyboard & Abyssus Gaming Mouse [+0]
   
  
• MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance [+0])
  
• MOTHERBOARD: * (3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD3 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
  
• NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
   
  
• OS: Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional (64-bit Edition)
   
  
• OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
   
  
• POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
  
• SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
  
• SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
   
  
• SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers [+15]
  
• VIDEO: NVIDIA Quadro 2000 1GB 16X PCIe Workstation Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
  

[RaiderX]

Looks like a capable system to me.

[gcode]

That's a pretty nice machine..

16 gig of memory is OK.. but you can never have too much memory, especially if you're doing

large SW files.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Tha should be a nice rig.

 

I want to say the last time I saw a 0 byte file was back in X or X2. I don't remember what I did to cause it, that was some time ago.

 

Gcode likes Backup, I like Autosave. Backup is way more flexible, Autosave is nothing fancy but does exactly what I need. Creates a file called "BACKUP in the same folder as the part file (or wherever you want). I think if you have very large files, Backup works a little better, most of my files are under 128MB and I don't even notice when it's Autosaving. Back in the day, Autosave was all there was and if you were woorking on large files, it would bring your system to a crawl.

 

JM2CFWIW

[drafting3]

That's a pretty nice machine..

16 gig of memory is OK.. but you can never have too much memory, especially if you're doing

large SW files.

 

I'm pretty much at my maximum budget, but I can swap from a 6-core 3.2ghz to a 4-core 3.6ghz to bump up to 32GB of RAM

 

I'm looking at the choice between the following machines:

 

Power Mega II 2000 CAD (NO MONITOR) $1,952.00 × Qty Total: $1,952.00

Configuration

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified) [-310]
   
  
• HDD: 240 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write [-15] (240GB x 2 (240GB Capacity) Raid 1 High Performance with Data Security [+126])
   
  
• MEMORY: 32GB (4GBx8) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory [-72] (Corsair Vengeance [+0])
   
  
• MOTHERBOARD: (SLI/CrossFireX) ASUS P9X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI [+10]
   
  
• SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
   
  
• VIDEO: NVIDIA Quadro 2000 1GB 16X PCIe Workstation Video Card [-305] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
  

 

 

Power Mega II 2000 (NO MONITOR) $2,091.00 × Qty Total: $2,091.00

Configuration

 

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3930K Six-Core 3.20 GHz 12MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
   
  
• HDD: 240 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write [-15] (240GB x 2 (240GB Capacity) Raid 1 High Performance with Data Security [+126])
   
  
• MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance [+0])
   
  
• MOTHERBOARD: * (3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD3 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
   
  
• SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
   
  
• VIDEO: NVIDIA Quadro 2000 1GB 16X PCIe Workstation Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
  

[drafting3]

We do not run Solidworks yet. This is something i'm pushing for as i've been doing a lot of design in MasterCAM, and the revisions are getting frustrating...

[drafting3]

i may be able to persuade the owner into getting the 6-core with the 32GB Ram, but i may be pushing it. we'll see if i can't, which would be the better choice?

[Hardmill]

 

Gcode likes Backup, I like Autosave.

 

JM2CFWIW

 

I was pro-autosave til i worked with G-code.

He showed me the error of my ways

 

I always did have good luck with autosave though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PEACE

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

You're gonna LOVE that SSD.

 

I've had 'em in my lappys for the last few years. I'll never own another rig without one... even if I gotta pay for it myself.

[Oscar R.]

just ran into this issue while drawing surfaces in X2 MR2.

 

i was trying to draw a swept surface using 2 across profiles, and 2 rails to create the intake port, which blends from a circle at the valve to a parallelogram with rounded corners at the intake manifold. (which is weird in itself, because i was under the impression a circle is the ideal shape for air travel)

 

i had both across profiles split in half as mastercam couldn't generate the surface with both profiles closed. randomly I got an error, which i don't remember what it said, and then every action i tried to take was met with a kernel error.

 

i saved, exited (alt-f4), and then tried to reopen the drawing file. that's when i get the corrupt file error.

 

thankfully the server backs up every night, so i only lost a few hours of work.

 

 

any clue how to avoid future problems like this? just save often?

 

Yup, upgrade your MC for sure.

Oddly enough, I recall constantly running into this years back while working with X2 on some automotive racing cylinder heads.

 

Like everyone else though, I can not recall what if anything in particular caused the problem. Drove me nuts at the time becuase it seemed to happen randomly.

 

The rigs you described above will more than likely be able to handle both MasterCam and SolidWorks with relative ease.

SolidWorks will help with alot of the design you have going on in there. But I have to say every time I've done chamber and port alignment, it's been much easier for me to do in MasterCam than in SolidWorks.

 

P.S.

Want to see your pruductivity go up and the pain in your mouse hand go down?

If you don't already have them, toss dual monitors and a 3D connexion Space Navigator or Space Pilot in with you rig setup.

[drafting3]

P.S.

Want to see your pruductivity go up and the pain in your mouse hand go down?

If you don't already have them, toss dual monitors and a 3D connexion Space Navigator or Space Pilot in with you rig setup.

 

OMG! This is amazing! Does it work flawlessly in Mastercam? I imagine you use it left handed while selecting with the mouse in the right hand?

 

I'm going to cut back on RAM and Processor if I have to just to get this thing!!!

[gcode]

yes it has native Mastercam supoort.

The 3D Connexion drivers support Mastercam and install 2 different profiles

[drafting3]

i'm contacting their technical support staff to verify it works in Mastercam X6. I see that they support X2 - X5. I need to make sure it's going to work before I spend $300 on a peripheral. :/

[drafting3]

yes it has native Mastercam supoort.

The 3D Connexion drivers support Mastercam and install 2 different profiles

 

you beat me to it!

 

sweet action. yes, i'm definitely getting this.

[gcode]

Be warned ... you will quickly become dependent on it and incapable of

working without it.

It works well for SolidWorks too