Tools all disappeared???

[Bob W.]

It appears that all of my tools disappeared from my master tool library. I opened it up this morning to create a new drill and NOTHING. Empty... Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas on how I might get my tools back? This is the crap that drives me crazy with Mastercam. The Optirough is killing it and producing great results but it is taking me 30 seconds to regenerate simple 2D contours and if I need to re-import my X5 tool library and recreate all of the tools I have added to it over the last few days it will offset every gain from the improved features of X7, and then some... There is no value there is the gains from improvements are more than offset by the bugs.

[Bob W.]

Library appears to be corrupted and they are gone..... Nice.

[Watcher]

If the file was deleted perhaps a software like Recuva could bring it back... if they are in the network, then you could use Recuva in the server...

 

But if the library file was just changed, then Recuva is useless... only a backup could bring it back...

 

All my libraries here, I do automated backups everyday using batch scripts and keep them for 2 weeks in order to be able to roll back user's wrongdoings or to protect me against buggy software...

[gcode]

check the file extension you are trying to open

X7 uses 2 different ones

.tools-7 and .tooldb

 

I've seen X7 create a new empty tool file named with the file extension

your existing tool library is not using.

The results is an empty library, but in my case my real library was still there

I just had to open the proper file extension

[Newbeeee™]

.....or to protect me against buggy software...

cynic

 

 

 

[Bob W.]

Sent the file to my dealer and it is empty. Basically had to re-import my X5 library and recreate a few days worth of tools. Another thing that really pisses me off is my dealer rep had to show me the correct way to update a tool library. This involves the following:

 

1. create a new mastercam file

2. add all of the tools from my old master tool library to this new part file

3. create a new X7 tool library

4. Copy all tools from the part file down into the new tool library

 

This method is coming from CNC. If this is the best way why the heck is there an import tool button right there in the tool manager window? If that method is inferior why don't they get rid of that button and send out a memo on the best method? Tribal knowledge is king with CNC I guess... A lot of the bugs probably originate from things being done the wrong way but documentation is lacking on the right way.

[GIZMO 21]

 

 

1. create a new mastercam file

2. add all of the tools from my old master tool library to this new part file

3. create a new X7 tool library

4. Copy all tools from the part file down into the new tool library

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing the info bob.

 

[crazy^millman]

All my libraries here, I do automated backups everyday using batch scripts and keep them for 2 weeks in order to be able to roll back user's wrongdoings or to protect me against buggy software...

 

Yeah I have heard those things about UG with what some people call such a High End CAD/CAM system would not think that is needed, but is also has its share of problems imagine that.

[Bob W.]

I have a redundant drive that I work from that is located in a safe but it does not have the ability to roll back files. It is multiple hard drives and it one fails the others are a mirror image. Time to get a backup system that can be rolled back.

[GoetzInd]

All my libraries here, I do automated backups everyday using batch scripts and keep them for 2 weeks in order to be able to roll back user's wrongdoings or to protect me against buggy software...

 

+1. I do 1day, 1 week, 1month, and 6month rolling backups. Only had to find out the hard way about 5 times before I finally had it.

 

Mike

[within a thou]

Have you tried to open one of your x7 files that you used the custom tools you lost to go into the operations manager and try to open it and save it back to your new tool library?

[Glenn Bouman]

check the file extension you are trying to open

X7 uses 2 different ones

.tools-7 and .tooldb

 

I've seen X7 create a new empty tool file named with the file extension

your existing tool library is not using.

The results is an empty library, but in my case my real library was still there

I just had to open the proper file extension

 

I have seen it too, and it is due to that when you update a tool library from a previous version it changes the name to include tools-5.tooldb

Since your Machine Def is still set to look for the original name that does not exist it creates a new empty file.

 

Just rename the updated library to its proper name and direct the machine def to look for this file.

[Mick]

[/size]

 

Yeah I have heard those things about UG with what some people call such a High End CAD/CAM system would not think that is needed, but is also has its share of problems imagine that.

 

It happens to all software Ron. Even non CAD CAM apps.

[crazy^millman]

Mick that was my sarcasm kicking in today with my friend Daniel.

[Watcher]

It happens to all software Ron. Even non CAD CAM apps.

 

I had problems with libraries in TopSolid, VERICUT, Pro/NC, CGStudio. Most cases is just me or a user I support doing $hit... sometimes I edit these files with bare hands, just me and Notepad++... so of course I did some crap myself...

 

The worst part is when an user complains 4 days later about a tool that is no longer in a library or that is messed up. Then instead of tracking down the $ucker who did the mess, I simply roll back the file...

 

A couple of months ago I created a group in active directory, where just me and a couple of 3D tool designers are members of. Then I set the libraries folder in our server to grant RW access for members of this group. Everyone else is R only.

 

Not dealing with user mistakes for about a couple of months now... - Not saying it is Bob's case as this seems to be another of MC bugs. But it happens that people do mistakes with libraries shared with several people simultaneously.

 

In Brazil we have a saying: "Ugly children doesn't have a father." - Nobody admits doing it but sometimes they know they did the mess.

[JAMMAN]

Have you tried to open one of your x7 files that you used the custom tools you lost to go into the operations manager and try to open it and save it back to your new tool library?

 

I do this all the time in lathe X6. Save it to library, select the library and it is there. Seems like we make some sort of custom groove or custom form tool every month and I have to fish it out of the file and add it to our library.

[Guest]

Nobody admits doing it but sometimes they know they did the mess.

Yep.

 

I LOVE it ( ) when somebody tells me "... we've NEVER crashed this machine..." and there's a bunch of galling on the drive keys on the spindle, imprints of this and that on various parts of the fixture, and my favorite, all the servo alarms in the history, or better yet, a COMPLETELY clean alarm history.

[crazy^millman]

Did I do that? Looking at you with this blank look on their face with a turret sitting in the chip bin. Yes you did that.

 

Came into a shop years ago on Monday Morning with hydraulic oil and parts of a machine all over every where. The owner got the bright idea to stick a 13' brass bar in a machine we were running at max rpm. He came in 3 hours after we did and started to tell his story. I asked him did we wait till he got home to clean his pants or did he do it here. He looked at me with that same blank stare I have seen so many times before. No he said I did not mess myself. I called him a liar.

 

Things happen and hopefully Bob you can get or have got your issue cleared up.

[Rich Taft from CNC Software]

I have seen it too, and it is due to that when you update a tool library from a previous version it changes the name to include tools-5.tooldb

Since your Machine Def is still set to look for the original name that does not exist it creates a new empty file.

 

Just rename the updated library to its proper name and direct the machine def to look for this file.

 

Bob, can you check to see if your file had the naming problem Glenn describes? If that was the case then your original file should still be available as a <filename>.tools-n.tooldb. I understand that you've already created a library file but we'd like to get to the root cause of this. I will test specifying the name of a custom tool library in a machine definition in X6 and run it through the update process. Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any additional info you'd like to share and I'll try to replicate your environment as closely as possible and let you know what I find.