The New 2017 Interface

[steadyfred]

I believe you can only have one workspace file and it must be named

mastercam.workspace

Well if that's the case, then that's not good.

I find it much easier to load my work space when I'm helping out on someone else's computer, rather than trying to navigate through their customized interface.

Yet more frustration...

[Müřlıń®]

Well if that's the case, then that's not good.

I find it much easier to load my work space when I'm helping out on someone else's computer, rather than trying to navigate through their customized interface.

Yet more frustration...

man this is so easy...put an x in front of his workspace file and then copy yours into the config directory...

 

If there is no workspace file, Mastercam makes a new default one.

 

You could have a million different workspace coinfigs in there just rename the one you want to use to default name.

[steadyfred]

man this is so easy...put an x in front of his workspace file and then copy yours into the config directory...

 

If there is no workspace file, Mastercam makes a new default one.

 

You could have a million different workspace coinfigs in there just rename the one you want to use to default name.

Thanks for your reply. Still not as easy as X9

[MIL-TFP-41]

Well if that's the case, then that's not good.

I find it much easier to load my work space when I'm helping out on someone else's computer, rather than trying to navigate through their customized interface.

Yet more frustration...

This was/is my biggest complaint about the new interface. Depending on if I am driving a lathe or a mill or a mill/turn or even a wire my RMB menu was tied to a workspace. Programming for a lathe....change the workspace, and all of my customization's (mainly toolpaths) are in my RMB menu. New job, mill time? change workspace and now I have all of my most common mill toolpaths right there. I brought this up in the official forum to basically deaf ears.

[Mjölnir]

are there any significant updates to toolpaths from X9 to 2017? 

[Thee Rickster ™]

are there any significant updates to toolpaths from X9 to 2017? 

Yes, they removed opitcore, my most used tool path......

unless they renamed it?

 

so far my testing in 2017 has been all 2-d

[Guest]

Yes, they removed opitcore, my most used tool path......

unless they renamed it?

 

so far my testing in 2017 has been all 2-d

 

Been renamed Rick

[JoshC]

Yes, they remove opitcore, my most used tool path......

unless they renamed it

 

so far my testing in 2017 has been all 2-d

 

It was re-named. Both opti-core and opti-area are now consolidated into just one toolpath called OptiRough. To switch from Core/area now its just an easy check box, Check inside for area type results and check the outside check box for Core type results.

 

They have also done the same thing to the 2D dynamic area and 2d Dynamic core, they are now just "Dynamic" with a checkbox for Inside / outside to switch from area to core/

[Thee Rickster ™]

phew.....good to know!

 

Thanks

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Been renamed Rick

 

Funny name for a toolpath...

[Thee Rickster ™]

One thing i like, that maybe has been in x8 and x9, is that it recognizes the

solid now, you dont have to click something to tell mastercam there is a solid on the screen

 

you just select it

[Thee Rickster ™]

Funny name for a toolpath...

LOL....your right they should have called it OptiRick

[Newbeeee™]

LOL....your right they should have called it OptiRick

I heard they were going to call it RickyRough...

[Mjölnir]

so without any significant updates to toolpaths, apparently, and toolpaths being the true end result of our work, i'm having a hard time being compelled to install 2017 and may skip it entirely. any idea what toolpath improvements might be released in the next version?

[Mjölnir]

coincidence? fate? omen?

 

honest, i did not try to do that.

 

[gcode]

are there any significant updates to toolpaths from X9 to 2017? 

stock model is more robust.

 

minor upgrades to circle mill

 

2d dynamic has new more direct return passes

and a new highlight feature that shows you what is going to get cut before you exit the chain manager

 

Lathe roughing is much better

I used to struggle avoiding light passes and such

they work very well now without too much effort

 

the big change is the 5X tool path  interface

It's been totally overhauled and is a big improvement on X9

 

the planes manager is new as well and I really like the View button

It has been a big help in figuring out how lathe actually works with VTL's

 

I'm sure there's more but it slips my mind at the moment

[gcode]

Here is a DropBox link to the What's New file

Grab it quick as it will die in a couple of hours

[Mjölnir]

thanks gcode, got it.

[gcode]

and a biggy I forgot

 

you can import vendor supplied step files to create tools and tool holders

 

this woks so so with tools ..mostly due to the quality of the vendor models

 

but it works perfectly for tool holders ..

 

I use a lot of Sandvik Capto tool holders and they come it exactly right

[Müřlıń®]

wow setting up your right click menu with all those sub menus is tricky.

 

I can't seem to find any way to reorder stuff in there and dragging and dropping just seems to get everything jumbled up and sub menus become sub-sub.....sub menus...

 

Starting over again....

[Mick]

and a biggy I forgot

 

you can import vendor supplied step files to create tools and tool holders

 

this woks so so with tools ..mostly due to the quality of the vendor models

 

but it works perfectly for tool holders ..

 

I use a lot of Sandvik Capto tool holders and they come it exactly right

 

You can't do it through the standalone tool manager though can you? It is only through the Add Holder function in the toolpath itself?

[gcode]

You can't do it through the standalone tool manager though can you? It is only through the Add Holder function in the toolpath itself?

this is true

the reason being... the tool manager is a stand alone app outside of Mastercam

and a second step license would be required for it to function properly...

 

but once you've created them, you can move to the tool manager and use them like any other holder or tool

[Mick]

this is true

the reason being... the tool manager is a stand alone app outside of Mastercam

and a second step license would be required for it to function properly...

 

but once you've created them, you can move to the tool manager and use them like any other holder or tool

 

Interesting .

 

I was curious as to how Vericut handled it. Vericut doesn't use the STEP license, until the Tool Manager is opened. I'm guessing that (technically), you don't use the STEP license in Mastercam unless you are actually translating a STEP file, which means that in reality, the license *could* be available to the standalone toolmanager if necessary.

 

I'm guessing the function just isn't in the standalone tool manager at the moment.

 

As you point out though, the holder can be imported within the toolpath, and then then opened in the Tool Manager

[mikenaturalice]

and a biggy I forgot

 

you can import vendor supplied step files to create tools and tool holders

 

this woks so so with tools ..mostly due to the quality of the vendor models

 

but it works perfectly for tool holders ..

 

I use a lot of Sandvik Capto tool holders and they come it exactly right

Have you used any of the twin tools? I just asked our reseller yesterday and he said they are not supported, but you can fudge the offset numbers to make them work. Also, what is the advantage of using an actual solid for a tool holder and/or tool? I always kind of thought having the premade libraries and not needing a solid was an advantage?? Have a guy using another software and he has to import solids for toolholders, which I think sucks, but maybe I am missing something...

[gcode]

Have you used any of the twin tools? I just asked our reseller yesterday and he said they are not supported, but you can fudge the offset numbers to make them work. Also, what is the advantage of using an actual solid for a tool holder and/or tool? I always kind of thought having the premade libraries and not needing a solid was an advantage?? Have a guy using another software and he has to import solids for toolholders, which I think sucks, but maybe I am missing something...

MC2017 doesn't use actual solids for the tool holders

it does a solid slice, then revolves the geometry to define the holder.. the same way you'd build

a custom tool or customer holder. 

The only difference is MC2017 is doing the work for you

If the supplied standard holder libraries are adequate, you won't use this feature much.

I use a lot of Capto holders,

Capto is a modular system where you assemble various components to build a holder

In the past I had to build the components in the holder builder manually, which could take some time.

Now I use the Sandvik supplied step files and get an accurate holder in seconds

 

This is a Capto stack I used with X9. It's made of 4 componemts

and I had to build the holder manually in the holder builder

http://www.emastercam.com/board/topic/82486-capto-rules/?hl=capto

 

With MC2017, I can assemble the components in SolidWorks,

export a step file and build a factory accurate Mastercam holder is seconds