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New post docs for 2018


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Hi all, we've released two new docs that people on this forum might be interested in:
 
1) First is a preliminary "What's New for Posts" doc for the TP3 release of Mastercam 2018. This will get you up-to-speed on the new XML post text, but also covers a number of other smaller changes. This is available from our Beta forum on the Mastercam website: http://forum.mastercam.com/Forum25.aspx
 
2) Second is a completely new "Working with machine and control definitions" application guide. This should be of interest to any Mastercam power user, or anyone who needs to support other Mastercam users. This is available from our knowledgebase, so any registered Mastercam user can get it: 
 
 
Some of the things you'll learn so you can show off to your friends:
  • Any Mastercam power user knows that there are two ways to define and program HMCs. But *real* power users know that only one way is supported by probing...
  • Any Mastercam power user knows that if Mastercam doesn't find MD or CD in the proper place, it will look in other common locations for them. But *real* power users know the complete list and the order in which they're searched.
  • Any power user knows that coolant selections in your operation defaults can be hit-or-miss depending on your active machine definition. But *real* power users know how to precisely point their operation defaults files to a specific machine definition so you can confidently save default coolant settings. As a bonus, you can learn how to do the same with tool definitions.
  • Be the first on your block to use new XML post text for custom drill cycle bitmaps! 

Of course, if there is anything you think should be included that isn't, please feel free to suggest. A lot of this content is stuff that's come in from our tech support folks over the years, so no doubt you folks will have lots more ideas.

 

--Robert Bernobich

Posts Technical Writer, CNC Software

 
 
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Hi all, we've released two new docs that people on this forum might be interested in:
 
1) First is a preliminary "What's New for Posts" doc for the TP3 release of Mastercam 2018. This will get you up-to-speed on the new XML post text, but also covers a number of other smaller changes. This is available from our Beta forum on the Mastercam website: http://forum.mastercam.com/Forum25.aspx
 
2) Second is a completely new "Working with machine and control definitions" application guide. This should be of interest to any Mastercam power user, or anyone who needs to support other Mastercam users. This is available from our knowledgebase, so any registered Mastercam user can get it: 
 
 
Some of the things you'll learn so you can show off to your friends:
  • Any Mastercam power user knows that there are two ways to define and program HMCs. But *real* power users know that only one way is supported by probing...
  • Any Mastercam power user knows that if Mastercam doesn't find MD or CD in the proper place, it will look in other common locations for them. But *real* power users know the complete list and the order in which they're searched.
  • Any power user knows that coolant selections in your operation defaults can be hit-or-miss depending on your active machine definition. But *real* power users know how to precisely point their operation defaults files to a specific machine definition so you can confidently save default coolant settings. As a bonus, you can learn how to do the same with tool definitions.
  • Be the first on your block to use new XML post text for custom drill cycle bitmaps! 

Of course, if there is anything you think should be included that isn't, please feel free to suggest. A lot of this content is stuff that's come in from our tech support folks over the years, so no doubt you folks will have lots more ideas.

 

--Robert Bernobich

Posts Technical Writer, CNC Software

 

 

New Custom Bitmaps for the Drill Cycles, embedded inside the Post Text XML Data??? Oh man, that sounds awesome. And I thought Post Block Argument Passing was the hip new thing. The Bitmaps will be sweet for Custom Drill Cycles.

 

Any chance we can get some updated information on MP Global Variables? I've seen some variables that aren't declared in the PST Script, do not appear in the "pre-defined" variable lists, yet if you put a Watch on them, you can see that they are updated by MP during processing. If a super secret decoder ring is needed, and these Globals aren't "for public consumption", then I understand.

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>> Is the plethora of generic posts going to be available?

 

Beginning with 2018 TP3 the only MD/CD/post included in the install will be a single generic default Fanuc-based post for each product. Everything else will be on the standalone post install. Eventually the idea is to move the posts to the Tech Exchange area on our website, but until that happens everything is in the standalone post install. I think the intent here is to streamline and simplify the install -- why install a zillion MD/CD/Posts on your system for machines that you will never use? -- and consolidate stuff in one place so you don't have to wonder if a post is installed with Mastercam, on the post install, or where. 

 

The post install is on our extranet for Resellers, a 2018 version is already up there. 

 

--Robert

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>>  I've seen some variables that aren't declared in the PST Script, do not appear in the "pre-defined" variable lists, yet if you put a Watch on them, you can see that they are updated by MP during processing.

 

Can you give an example?

 

--ROB

 

Yes, I'll send you a private reply once I do some more testing. It was after a looong night of writing code, so I have to verify that I wasn't hallucinating first.

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>> So if our custom drill cycle posts already support Top/Top and Front/Top and all of the Renishaw probe cycles since before probing was an option, do we still need to upgrade to 2018 to show off? 

 

Not that I know anything about probing -- that part came straight from our applications guys -- but I don't think that's anything new for 2018, it's been that way.

 

Except for the section about the new XML post text, nothing in that MD/CD App Guide is really new, it applies to any recent version of Mastercam since X3 or so.  

 

--Robert

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  • 2 weeks later...

>> Is the plethora of generic posts going to be available?

 

Beginning with 2018 TP3 the only MD/CD/post included in the install will be a single generic default Fanuc-based post for each product. Everything else will be on the standalone post install. Eventually the idea is to move the posts to the Tech Exchange area on our website, but until that happens everything is in the standalone post install. I think the intent here is to streamline and simplify the install -- why install a zillion MD/CD/Posts on your system for machines that you will never use? -- and consolidate stuff in one place so you don't have to wonder if a post is installed with Mastercam, on the post install, or where. 

 

The post install is on our extranet for Resellers, a 2018 version is already up there. 

 

--Robert

 

So, can I ask...

 

Is the standalone post install free of charge to end users, or is it up to the individual resellers to decide wether to charge (or not) for this post install (much like the post documentation portfolio)?

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