quote: I have no posts in my machine types The avaiable Machine Definition(s) should be located under Machine Types, not the post(s). If you found a way to change the default directory, let me know, that would be handy. Rename them (posts) back to what they were if you can, because now every MCX file you created, will need the Machine Definition to be replaced when you go back into them. Only the Machine Def. and Control Def. are "copied" into the MCX, not the Post. The thing that sucks about replacing the posts used with the Control Def. is that, I'm pretty sure the Control Def. Parameters need to be redefined.

Like John said, pdrill_2$ looks like a good place to start. Also, if it's an "e" make it an "e$". HTH

quote: Helix and Circmill parameters behave differently then any other toolpath Yeah, I just tried it on a drill depth and noticed the you're right Mark.

<--- Late again!

Mark, try hitting enter or click in another field before changing "tabs". Think: finalize the change. I just tried it and it worked for me. HTH

Bruce, The drill point selection box and the drill point manager would still be needed to be OK'd or closed. If your concerned about clicking OK on the error box, you should be able to do so without losing your work. Mastercam is just prompting you to complete the tasks you started before regenerating. HTH

Is there a propmt in the upper right of the graphics area?

quote: Also Jay handle the area I am in so he can speak directly to me nad I can take is for what it was humor. DAMN DUDE! Drinking heavily today, or what? j/k... hey I've got no problem with a joke, it's when people start taking my words out of context, that's when I get huffy. The ol' wibblie-wobblie-web leaves too much to interpretation for my liking. Thanks...

Ok Jay, I'm glad your Mastercam skills exceed your interpretation skills. Here we go, again... I merely suggested that those users that are so concerned about installing updates contact their dealer for a heads up on whether or not the dealer has installed the update and has or has not noticed any significant problems. The dealers should have it loaded for trouble shooting anyway, but I'll touch more on this later. Let's pretend I'm uneasy about installing an update, because I've been running MS Windows for the last 10 years, and have a pretty good idea that sometimes updates aren't always as good as they are intended to be. If I called my reseller and asked them if they had installed this update, and they said yes, and then I asked them if they had noticed any problems, and they said no, I might feel confident enough to install the update myself. (Note: I am not comparing CNC Software, or their representatives, to Microsoft, if you think that I am please re-read the previous paragraph before commenting.) Now let's just say the dealer told a little white lie in saying they had installed this latest update, because they were too busy, or DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS COMING, or whatever. And I'm posting code noticing, (AS ELUSIVE AS THEY ARE), every (TOOL COMMENT) is out of sink by one tool change. Who do I get pissy with, the dealer who told me "everything looks hunky dorey"? Or users like CamCam10, who acknowledge that programmers make mistakes, and while this mistake is annoying, it's also fairly harmless (with the exception of Mark's slight heart attack while drilling with his "Face Mill"). Nowhere in my comments did I say users must wait for the resellers to install the updates before they can. I did suggest however those who wanted to, could. Let's take into consideration the folks who were looking forward to the intended fixes in this update. To them it may be worth the hassle of adding/moving comments around. I, on the other hand, didn't spend weeks modifying posts just to now have to edit because of a loop count error. IMO, that blows. As Bullines already pointed out (and with all the beta testers chiming in on this thread, thanks for the list Terry, curious he was first) this patched never went out for beta. In my mind this is the same as a drawing being kicked out to manufacturing for production without being checked and released. It just shouldn't happen. quote: And by the way not all dealers just have a bunch of computers lying around to test with, and the time I'm glad you brought that up, because the word resources, could mean one computer with the current system requirements for Mastercam and, and this is the kicker, patched with the "publicly available" updates. This means not having any betas of the next Update, Service Pack or Maintenance Release. It doesn't really help us when we call for support, and the problems can't be duplicated because the problem was a logged bug and fixed, or someone fixed it by accident, and a user hears "works ok here, but I'm running blah blah blah ". As far as hardware problems go, it's right up there with "ok, I know what they fixed in the update, but what's now/still broken?". You don't know because the information is not published. There is no list of supported hardware, or drivers for that matter, to my knowledge. I do know that system configs are topics more frequently than should be on the board. quote: Let me ask are you saying that if I find a problem that I should email or call every customer using MC-X being over a 1,000 and tell them I found some thing? Why wouldn't you? They're YOUR customers! YOUR bread and butter. These are the people that have no way to "START, CONTROL PANEL, ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS, MASTERCAM X SP1 UPDATE 2, CHANGE/REMOVE, AUTOMATIC, NEXT, NEXT, FINISH, OK", when something like this happens. It sure would make you look good providing YOUR customer's with YOUR knowledge to aid them when making the choice to install it or not, wouldn't it. And, so there is no confusion, when I say YOUR, I mean all the dealers not just YOU. But hey man, I see your point, 1,000 customers, that's a lot of people. You must do pretty well. How could you, being only one man, get in touch with 1,000 of customers. Oh wait, don't you host the FTP here. And you mean to tell me that you don't have access to a mail server? A web site? Here's an idea, post an article on your web site then email, via newsletter, your clients the link. I fail to see how notifying your customer base is something to scoff at. quote: This Forum is a help as I can not all by myself test all issues. Your absolutely right. I couldn't agree more. It's a great place to go where the majority of the time you can get a questioned answered, professionally, by some very talented people. I am about 3 months into to Mastercam and I frequent the board often. But the forum topics are, sometimes, vague and congested with tons of other information. It's not like there is a thread that says "ATTENTION MCX USERS: CAUTION INSTALLING SP1 UPDATE 2". The closest things are: "An email from QC this morning" and "Update uninstall" I'm not asking you to go about it "all by yourself". I am extending my opinion on what all of the dealers should be doing as a service to THEIR customers. Again, it is only my opinion, and you know what they say about those. Yes, it is an excellent year for Mastercam, and I'm proud to use X.

quote: Ok Ron following DWSZ71 you have to wait till I test it before you install Ok, wait, let me go back and read where it says, "WAIT FOR YOUR RESELLERS APPROVAL BEFORE UPDATING, OR ELSE...". Hmmm, I can't find it. Oh, wait, that's because I didn't... did I? Let's clear a couple of things up, before any more people with over active imaginations, start cracking their knuckles with the intention of making themselves appear witty; I have not said and will not say: a. the beta testers dropped the ball on this one b. the beta testers and resellers are ultimately responsible for the software that is released by CNC Software c. Every piece of code released should be perfect I have said and will continue to say: a. In house testing any software patch or update before deploying is good practice for any company large or small b. Thanks to Mark, DavidB and Thad who saved me and probably many other forum members the headache, as minor as it may be, associated with this update c. A Mastercam reseller should be able to give honest insite to blatent problems, such as this one, with a simple telephone call or email. d. I find it unlikely that this particular patch made it out for testing. Thank you.

quote: There are now more people who don't trust what they are getting than there are who do. The beta tester programme is voluntary, the guinea pig programme is becomming compulsory. Hey, here's an idea, I nominate your reseller as a volunteer guinea pig. Hell, I'll even nominate mine. If you're that concerned, just call your resller before updating and ask them if they have installed it. They should have the resources do the testing that their clients may not. And if they give you the green light to go ahead, at least you'll have someone to besides other users if something obvious is wrong. The resellers have to deal with the customers, not CNC Software (for the most part). And the resellers are going to want their sales commissions, TSAs, and training money. Making sales is about trust, burning their client base with bad advice will only dampen their clients trust in them and their product, hurting them in the long run. JMHO

quote: "untested update" doesn't say much for the supposed beta testers Your assuming that this update made it the beta testers. You know, the ones who have already had MR-1 loaded for several weeks. quote: How can one test an update? You either install it or you don't! quote: Put it on a test computer system and then test away Exactly. Ask your IT department, assuming you have one, how they test Service Packs, and security updates for all the client OSes. This is not a bad idea. I'm sorry some of you turned into the guinea pigs on this one, but you probably saved alot of us from going through the same B.S. as you. And I think, for better or worse, that's how this forum is supposed to work. Some of you are really just looking for any reason to slam CAMCAM10 at this point. Yes, it screwed (and will screw) up "alot" of people up with this update. Yes, CNC Software needs to be more throrough writing and testing their software and patches. Because, to me anyway, it kind of seems like they're learning on the fly with X, and that's kind of scary. I suppose this is what we pay for with maintenance. Software development for the benefit of the users. That is, unless you truely believe that CNC Software intentionally released defective piece of code to get more people on maintenance, not to try and help the users that requested the fixes that came along with this update (because the flaws stand out to those of us who didn't). IMO, you've made your point. And if the folks at CNC Software are paying attention, and I'm almost certain they are, if they skipped a beta on this one, I doubt it will happen again. Try and remeber this, quote: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I'm fairly certain this applies to programming applications as well. JMHO [ 11-24-2005, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: dwsz71 ]

Hence the word "might", Thad. Thanks for the heads up.

I guess that's "good" to know Mark, thanks.

Looks like I'll be skipping this one... Doesn't CNC Sofware beta tests these "updates"? Or is this caused by user modified posts? quote: Is it possible to uninstall this last update??? You might be able to do a System Restore, if a check point was created prior to the update. That's assuming your running WinXP. If one wasn't created, we should all get in the habit.

This is a trick question, isn't it? Is "shift" a string variable?

Ron, I haven't encountered the WCS changing with the G-View buttons. I've only changed my WCS via the View Manager and the Planes box within the Operation.

quote: Sorry Dave, but it works fine here Mine does too, Thad. I was trying to answer Matt's "Is True Solid still there" question. Thanks anyway dude!

The SpaceBall is branded by 3Dconnexion . The SpacePilot looks pretty nifty too. Sigh... maybe someday...

Hopefully next month, isn't wire coming out with MR-1? For those with licenses of course.

Yes, it is, Matt. the Use True Solid option under Settings->Configuration->Verify. HTH

Jeremy, You can change the default MCX directory in Settings->Configuration->Files. Forgive me if this isn't the exact path as I'm not currently at my workstation. HTH

Hi Pete, Neither can I appearantly. I constantly use the ISO view. But sometimes, like creating that surface for instance, I needed to see if the offsets are going in the correct direction, so I switch to the Front View, and it changes my c/t planes. If I go back to ISO without changing back to Top first, well you know... BIG Z cuts start getting created. OOPS! I was in your Intermediate Mill class back in September Pete, and I don't remember going over that. I posted this thread after our phone conversation and after applying toolpath to that surface from the front plane rather than the top becuase of that damn setting. Why the hell did they default that one? Anyway alls well now, thanks again guys, have a great Thanksgiving.

Thanks Ron, that worked.

quote: Fixed John, try again Late again, sorry John...