I'm with ya James! Tom recently stopped by and help me BIG TIME! CAD/CAM Consulting is definitely the best on the planet. I'm lucky to have them so close. Richard

Maybe RandleXX could be more specific about the difficulties with X. Perhaps he's not aware of key mapping? I'd love to read what his idea of X should be like. Richard

I just recieved a cd of the production candidate yesterday. The setup for X is a bit cumbersome due to the machine and control definitions required for my 5 axis fixture so it'll take a week or two for me to get the time to get it up and running. Beta 9 put out very clean 5 axis code for me. Oh yea, it's worth the wait. I was told that roll out will begin very soon for maintenance customers first. Richard

Ron, you're correct as usual. My Fadal post outputs A360 and A-360 moves. I remember being told that there is a difference between Fadals and most other controls. The + and - indicate the direction of the axis movement while angular values indicate position relative to zero. As you stated A-358.5 will move A-1.5 from zero. Richard

Perhaps something in misc integers is causing the post to add the value. I had a similar issue on a 5 axis post a while ago. Richard

Matt, I think I remember something like what your describing. I'll check into it first thing monday. Thanks for the replies all. Richard

I'm working with Mill9.1 (MR0105). I have a 5 axis fixture that swings around to reposition. The Safety Zone functins works fine, it's just that each time I regen an op I have to acknowledge the warning with a mouse click or the enter key. Some of the toolpaths take a while to regen and I let the computer run while I tend to other things in the shop. Having to sit over the computer is a waste of time. I'd like to have an option to turn off the warning. Richard

Is there a way to disable this warning? With the older maintenance release (MR0304) I didn't get these warnings. Now each regen of an operation I get this warning. Thanks for any help. Richard

Ernie gave me a demo of this c hook at Westec and I now have a bit better understanding of the "mechanics" of this program. I was told that there are improvements in the works, specifically with the "multis surf" function. Suffice to say, I'm going to give this a better workout in the next few weeks. I'll post results if anyone else is interested. Richard

Great to meet Steve "Hardmill" and a number of CNC Software members today. Chatted at length with Mike Rosa and then with Paul Decelles. Such a talented bunch of guys and gals. Arlene and Ruth repersented the latter. Sorry no pics as I left my camera at home......... Cheers Richard

See ya all there on tuesday Richard

quote: Can't wait to try it! I just finished a job this week making a topographic model with coons surfaces from a grid 38" x 68" overall and .300" grid spacing...took 12 hours of patching. This'll really help down the road. steve teh carpal tunneled steve f, I recently discovered how to use the surface loft function to get similar results as coons surface on a topographical part. Breaking the splines at the larger curves from one end of the part to the other and then using the "sync by entity" option in the loft command. It eliminated over half the time it was taking me to surface a four inch square part surface. It did take me a bit of time to learn the technique, but it works much faster and easier to make changes in detailed areas. Can't wait to try the new chook Ernie. We've been looking for an alternative to the REV Quick chook. Last I checked, the Geomagic stuff cost around 30 grand a seat. Way too pricey for my tiny budget. Richard

My Fadal 5 axis post was supplied with my purchase of Mastercam. Not only does it post 5 axis code for machining, but it also posts code for 5 axis probing on my fixture Needless to say, I'm very happy with my my post! You'll definitely get the straight info here if you ask the right questions. Good luck with your project. Richard

I've tried searching for information on this c hook, but found nothing. Perhaps I'm not using the right keyword? Anyway, when I run this c hook on an untrimmed surface, I'm asked how many patches in the U direction then how many patches in the V direction. What indicates the U direction and V direction? How much smoothing can the surface handle? Do larger values increase tension on the surface and smaller values relax the surface? Thanks for any insight on this. Richard

Thanks Jay. I'll give it a try. Richard

quote: Have any of you guysw tried using Filezilla being a sep FTP software? -------------------- Jay/ aka CadCam Ok, I'm hooked.........what's Filezilla? Richard

Make sure your "Safety Zones" are disabled in the Job Setup or you'll go crazy trying to figure out the random retracts. Otherwise this toolpath works wonders for me. Richard

Tom, I looked at the Millport Rhino several years ago. I couldn't afford it at the time, then I happened onto the Fadal I'm currently using. I built my own 5 axis fixture and am really happy. I bought a touch probe when I purchased Mastercam and can digitize on the machine as well. It was a big hit for a little shop like mine, but it's proving to be the right choice. Tom Shelar has been instrumental in getting my programming up to speed out here. I understand Mike Rosa is the 5 axis genius at CNC Software and is mostly responsible for the toolpaths we use for porting. He's a very smart guy. Good luck with your programming Tom. Sorry for the off topic chatter everyone. Richard

I think that Jay's ftp update is a great idea at a great time. My guess is that shortly after version X comes out the server will be busy on a regular basis. Richard

quote: We are doing 5 ax cylinder head work and use backplot mostly with a shaded tool and unshaded part for speed (shaded tool shaded part goes too slow) to check tool shank containment...been good so far but we're just learning so lots of time to screw up although I have caught& fixed several shank problems that would have been broken tools Tom Hi Tom. Just curious as to what type of 5 axis machine your using? I think you'll find M/C has some very nice tools for 5 axis head porting. Of course the learning curve is nearly vertical........ Cheers, Richard

I could swear I saw Noah's arc float by my shop....... I actually wore out an umbrella this winter........ All the pot holes that have developed make a great slalom course with a heavy penalty for missing an apex.......... Can't wait to do it again next year. Richard

Heck yea Jay! If you stop by the shop sometime I'll give a cash donation. This forum is definitely worth it. Maybe I'll cath up with you at Westec. Richard

Saw the demo of X and am very impressed. Teh Machine Definition and Control Definition are an excellent idea. Looks like ground work for lots of good stuff down the road.......... I'd like to have a toggle for rotating teh tool changer (T- immediately after teh tool change). I use long tools that can collide with teh 5 axis fixture. I'd also like to toggle on rotary brakes for 3axis operations (M60&M62). Thanks, Richard Thanks,

You could try importing the operation from the job setup screen. Start a new session and then import from the file you need. Good luck, Richard

I think your both on to something.......... I've changed some of the default folders at startup and perhaps that's what's causing the message. Thanks for the input. Richard:)