Issue importing solids into Mastercam (everthing on a separate level)

[daryl_y]

 So,  I have a Mastercam file of a Kurt vise that is made up of 20-30 separate solids with everything on a single level.  I export this file as a STEP file and I open it in my CAD program (Keycreator) everything is correct (level is named correctly and  the entities are on the level that a specified in Mastercam) but if I import the same STEP file I just exported with Mastercam it comes in to Mastercam with each solid on its own level.  Is there a setting in Mastercam to fix this? It sure would be nice if everything would import with the same levels and level names as  the CAD file.  I Really do not want to have separate tooling models/ files for Mastercam and CAD.

 

I have tried this with multiple file types (STEP,SAT,IGES) and 2 different CAD programs (Keycreator and CATIA) and have gotten the same result.

[rrichard]

Why not make a new level say call it vise and select all the solids and just put in the vise layer, then delete all the empty levels?

[JayM]

Instead of using File > Open to open the STEP file, use File > Merge to bring it into a new or existing Mastercam file.  Then set the desired level and press the Attributes button in the Ribbon bar to save all the bodies to that level.

[daryl_y]

Thanks, Got it figured out.  Works  exactly as John McCord says:  

[guitar]

Why not make a new level say call it vise and select all the solids and just put in the vise layer, then delete all the empty levels?

 

What I don't like about this is if the levels have been named, you must select every level and delete the name independently to clean up the level manager. 

[gcode]

What I don't like about this is if the levels have been named, you must select every level and delete the name independently to clean up the level manager. 

Try right click / "purge empty levels"

[guitar]

Try right click / "purge empty levels"

 

That deletes all of my default levels that would have no entities.

[mkd]

IIRC a parasolid *.x_b will load all on one level and a x_t will spread solids out on separate levels.

been a while, i could be wrong.

[Thad]

That deletes all of my default levels that would have no entities.

 

Make a .csv file that has levels up to 1000 (or whatever you think you need) that are blank (easily done within seconds, in Excel), then name your default level names. Importing your .csv will overwrite the level names that you don't want and assign your default names in a few clicks.

[crazy^millman]

Make a .csv file that has levels up to 1000 (or whatever you think you need) that are blank (easily done within seconds, in Excel), then name your default level names. Importing your .csv will overwrite the level names that you don't want and assign your default names in a few clicks.

 

Yes sir we have ourselves a winner winner chicken dinner. :unworthy:

[guitar]

Make a .csv file that has levels up to 1000 (or whatever you think you need) that are blank (easily done within seconds, in Excel), then name your default level names. Importing your .csv will overwrite the level names that you don't want and assign your default names in a few clicks.

i WILL HAVE TO TRY THIS

[pip]

when you have all your levels named how you like them. Right click in level manager, and choose save named levels. Then you can allways import these into any mcam file. They are saved as .CSV format.