Soooo....The IT guy just showed me the benefits of this. Im supposed to find out if you guys are splitting between a cheap vidio card for the dual application and the nvidia for mastercam or just using an extremly expensive nvidia card for all applications. Currently using nvidia GEforce 6600 and I dont know if it supports dual monitors or not.

Are you using the autosave? If so you cant do anything till you close out the box.

Ok. What are the benefits of having dual monitors? Are you able to split screens, or have one giant picture encapusling both monitors? I know that you can split applications between them, but thats about it. Could someone explain this to me, currently using a 17" monitor.

Its easy if your on a network. I just copied my entire Mcam folder and at the new box, pulled in what I needed. (Toolbars,machine defs,posts, and my default configurations from my home station box). When your done, dump the file. If you dont have a network, burn the folder to a cd; if you dont have a burner, have fun with floppys.

quote: No, go back to V3.11 I only wish that addons like vericut were up to date with X and using a compatible interface like it did with 9.

Let me say before you drop them together finish out the rest of your ops first. Change the drilling depths as you go and backplot. This is the key to generating a clean program the first time out and avoiding crashes. Thad has said it before but Ill repeat it; backplot from multiple sides to see whats going on. Pay attention as you go and youll be fine. If you get sloppy you can expect a crash.

I use the change at point to adust the "R" plane. Say you have a plate with 200 holes in it. 0,-.25,and .5 deep. Ill mask on arc to grab the locations of what I want, then manually go in and change at point for the holes I have to in that group.(Lets say I had 3/8 holes on each of the previous levels)This way you can still keep a clean nci. and I program for the hole size once. After I get all my groups and depths, I go back and drop all the spotdrill geo together and sort it from one side. Keeps the table from moving all over and makes it easier to follow along for the first piece.

Ok, whats the smartest way to set this up? I want to avoid having six one inch endmills in my library with different feeds and speeds. Can I do this in the tool edit page with the different parameters? Or is there some better way?

To me this seems like a simple question to answer, but I cant seem to figure out how to do it. I would like to be able to grab a cutter, and define the feed and speed not only by the material, but the grade of insert as well. (This would be a milling cutter) I cant simply define the material, because it doesnt hold true to different grades of inserts along with the depths of cut. Whats the best way to do what I want to do?

Thanks guys.

Anything out there that will convert a .pdf file to a 2-d workable drawing? I get these all the time from the sales dept. and am tired of asking for 2d drawings and also to lazy to redraw a part if I dont have to. Thanks

I think also that when the libraries are in place it will be well worth the money spent. The learning curve is getting easier; just about ready to start cutting our first batch of plates with it.

Maybe, but if you have 30 inserts on different layers and are using the same toolpath for each just rechaing geometry you wouldnt. It would be a total waste of time.

I have two files into qc already and chris cant reproduce it. If you go in the toolparameters and select off of the tool your using, select another, and then reselect the tool you want to use it will backplot right. Im glad Im not alone on this issue. There is a bug there somewhere. Ive got an 800lb casting to prove it. I dont trust this path anymore, went to using a surface parralell if possible to avoid it. 2D sweep works the same way for chaining as it always has but doesnt always regen right especially if you copy ops down and change the tool your using.

bump:

Anybody out there that could tell me how to define prodrill default operations. I am trying to tweak the processes in how I would like to see them machined. I go into the form parameters and pull up say a 1/2-13 tap, cd, drill, chamfer, tap. When I get to the tap, I point it to using my default libraries tap, and it will only go into the part .100. I cant get it to change and am unsure of how this is to be setup. I would like to use this program to its full potential intead of just spotting holes. Any help in getting going on this would be great, the pdf docs dont show me much about this area.

2D sweep. You can control the depth and diameter alot easier.

It gives you choices after the info, but I get blocked there.

Yeah. Been there.

Thought I had it, firewall wont give me access to it. Maybe tonight at home...

Ok, I got it, thanks Steve.

I usually dont, is it on the FTP?

Is yours working? None of our seats do.

Copying entities to different levels doesnt always work right either. Sometimes it works, usually it doesnt. You have to translate to get another entity, and then save that one to a new level.

I can get the left side to form a surface but where the plane sticks out it gives me an angular problem. Sorry I cant help more.