mastercam 2019 slow at opening files

[dqn]

Hello Tim and everyone,

I had the same problem and the lucky fix for me was deleting ALL the "Transform" toolpaths in the file. Hope this help.

I am just a Mastercam newbie.

[Hydrazine]

Bumping an old thread... but I was wondering if anyone is using MasterCAM 2021 and can comment on the load speeds compared to 2019?

 

Based on Chally72's responses above, this seems to be something of a 'known issue' with how MasterCAM processes models at file-open time, so I very much hope this issue has been resolved over the past 2 versions?  We have a few seats of 2019 right now but just never got around to moving to 2020.. now that 2021 is out, improved load times would be a major driver to make the switch.

We do a lot of multi-pallet and 5-axis work and try to use standardized fixturing as much as possible (importing the fixturing/geometry into our CAM files) so the files are getting bigger and load times are getting unbearable.  I have dozens of files now that take 20-30 minutes to load, and multiplied by 3-4 people programming, that's a TON of lost time per week.  It seems we can use the export/re-import trick but that's an extra step and easy to forget/screw up.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[Colin Gilchrist]

57 minutes ago, Hydrazine said:

Bumping an old thread... but I was wondering if anyone is using MasterCAM 2021 and can comment on the load speeds compared to 2019?

 

Based on Chally72's responses above, this seems to be something of a 'known issue' with how MasterCAM processes models at file-open time, so I very much hope this issue has been resolved over the past 2 versions?  We have a few seats of 2019 right now but just never got around to moving to 2020.. now that 2021 is out, improved load times would be a major driver to make the switch.

We do a lot of multi-pallet and 5-axis work and try to use standardized fixturing as much as possible (importing the fixturing/geometry into our CAM files) so the files are getting bigger and load times are getting unbearable.  I have dozens of files now that take 20-30 minutes to load, and multiplied by 3-4 people programming, that's a TON of lost time per week.  It seems we can use the export/re-import trick but that's an extra step and easy to forget/screw up.

 

Thanks,

Mike

It really sounds like you've got a bunch of "dead weight", hanging out in your geometry files. This is data that is just "overhead".

This happens a lot with Solid Models especially when you do a lot of "File > Merge" operations.

Try this:

• Open some of your 'large assembly' models (one at a time) and use the 'Quick Mask' button on the right side of the screen to access the "Groups Manager". Select each "Group" individually, and delete the groups. (Groups are kind of an old function in the software, that most people don't use anymore. Levels has made it easier to manage different geometry within a file now.)
• Now that the groups are deleted, turn on the visibility of all of the levels. Use the "select all solids" quick mask to get all the solid entities, then press "ALT + E" to hide all geometry, except the Solids. Now, on the Model Prep Ribbon, use the "Remove History" function, to clear out all of the solid histories for each solid. (you can do this all at once, by selecting all solids.)
• For any of the 'large solids' that form parts of your assemblies, use the 'Simplify Solid' and 'Optimize Solid' functions, to reduce the size and complexity of each solid.
• Finally, for complex assemblies, take each individual solid, and use the "Modify Feature" function to remove any 'internal' feature from the model. For tooling components, like a "pallet", make sure you don't have any "thread forms" modeled in the part. Make the holes as simple as you can. Remove as many holes as possible. The goal is to get most of the "tooling solids" down to just the "outside shell" of those components. This serves two purposes: 1) it makes the models as 'lightweight' as possible in terms of data storage, and 2) it 'preps' the models for tessellation, which is when you build STL models for a verification software. (Either internal Machine Simulation, or external Mach Sim through a software like Vericut or CAMplete.)

 

 

[Chally72]

1 hour ago, Hydrazine said:

Bumping an old thread... but I was wondering if anyone is using MasterCAM 2021 and can comment on the load speeds compared to 2019?

 

Based on Chally72's responses above, this seems to be something of a 'known issue' with how MasterCAM processes models at file-open time, so I very much hope this issue has been resolved over the past 2 versions?  We have a few seats of 2019 right now but just never got around to moving to 2020.. now that 2021 is out, improved load times would be a major driver to make the switch.

We do a lot of multi-pallet and 5-axis work and try to use standardized fixturing as much as possible (importing the fixturing/geometry into our CAM files) so the files are getting bigger and load times are getting unbearable.  I have dozens of files now that take 20-30 minutes to load, and multiplied by 3-4 people programming, that's a TON of lost time per week.  It seems we can use the export/re-import trick but that's an extra step and easy to forget/screw up.

 

Thanks,

Mike

Hey Mike,

For the file that sparked this thread, the main culprit was things like massively detailed physically modelled threads dragging performance down, both on file open and manipulation. Colin has posted some good best practice tips above for dealing with large files. Specifically, the Groups he mentions that are created when geometry is imported can be causing a big hit to performance if there are dozens/hundreds/thousands of groups, and it sounds like cleaning them up might apply to your specific use case.

I don't have any numbers handy, but file open and launch times are always a focus of the team and have seen improvements each year.