+10000 TO VERISURF

When you want to find out almost anything any application is doing behind the scenes, Microsoft Process Monitor is your best friend. Just open it and search for NCSimul process I/O activity during download.

Complementing the suggestion above, you can just play with the current work offset rotary value via program... Something like (Pseudo code) #54005 - > Internal control variable holding current C axis value of G54 offset G54 #1000=#54005 ;Backup original C value from work offset table on variable #1000 Your toolpath here... #54005=#54005+90 ;Increment G54 C current value by 90 degrees G54 ;Re-read G54 offsets Repeat your toolpath... #54005=#54005+90 ;Increment G54 C value by 90 degrees again G54 ;Re-read G54 offsets Repeat your toolpath... #54005=#1000 ;Restore your original C value on G54 Blablabla... You can use conditional logic to improve my pseudo code written on a cellphone while a take a xxxx...

Someone, I think Orvie, posted recently about a Microsoft solution for ITAR environments. But it's a pain in the xxxx.

Is there any solid in the file or only curves representing text lines? If only text lines in the sldprt I'm not sure if MC can open only curves...

Ok... This is a practical example of usage of 3DCalculator app to calculate driven points of multi-tasking tools in VERICUT. https://mfgtalk.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/a-pratical-aplication-of-3dcalculator-app-to-calculate-driven-points-for-multi-tasking-tools-in-vericut-toolmanager/

This can help with 4x horizontal machining centers or HBMs to determine what a given coordinate or workoffset value will be when rotated around the B axis (Y axis) for example. Not a tool for more sophisticated work like simultaneous 5 axis milling but it can help with simple problems, step-by-step validations. But the main reason I shared was to offer the source to people that want to start to develop apps. I learned programming too late in life and I know how difficult it can be for old dogs like us... If you spot a bug or have a suggestion for enhancement, let me know my friend.

Folks, I wrote this small open source .NET application to help a colleague to rework a problematic VERICUT library where the tool origin was in the insert and not in the gage point. It started as a simple calculator for 2D rotations and I ended up making it support 3D rotations too. The executable and the sources can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B-zWGlBf98V0b0lOcF9RcUpvX28?usp=sharing It´s important to keep both the executable and the 'Readme.txt' in the same folder otherwise you won´t have access to my half baked help file... The sources are in a sub-folder - It was coded in Visual Studio 2017. Maybe it can be of help for those who are starting from zero in a programming language, It´s a very simple application in essence but can help beginners to figure out some things. Hope it helps you freaks, Daniel

What method are you using? Importing via CAD interface (STEP, etc)?

In theory, mathematically speaking, considering only the scope in the 1st post, type 1 is faster to be processed by the control as it does not have to resolve IJK vectors to ABC angles. In modern controls with dedicated processors to do look ahead, the difference is not noticeable though.

It has been slightly discussed here too:

Send me an email Mick...

I thought you were sharing a link to the game manufacturer Activision

Sorry, I tried to use your point to make a general explanation about how filters work, and in 5 axis most of possible filtering is done for collinear moves, as explained above too.

Not weird at all. We assume that a coarse tolerance will generate less points, but filters like small tolerances because they are able to convert a lot of colinear moves to lines, and with linearized arcs, the center points match each other within a small tolerance (See it as a square window centered in the arc center, where the length of the sides is the filtering tolerance and all arcs centers must lie within this window). Mathematically, an arc can be defined by 3 points in a plane, and the filter checks the next two points and see if an arc can be built, and if so, where the arc center lies. If it matches the center of the previous arc within a given tolerance, then it connects the new arc segment with the previous one, and it does that thousands of times if necessary, turning thousands of points into a single, accurate arc. This is the essence of how the filtering algorithm works. That´s the reason when you have linearized toolpaths, small collinear segments tend to be converted to lines, or linearized arcs into real arcs. Large tolerances make the motion to be to erratic and the filter cannot make the connections, so they keep the motion intact.

#1 - I agree that better payment terms facilitate legalization of the usage. Here in Brazil a shop with good credit can enroll in a special credit from the national development bank. The dealer prepare the paperwork, get paid in full by the bank and the shop makes monthly payments to the bank. Biggest Edgecam reseller here sells Edgecam shipped with Romi machines and they use this method. This explains why Edgecam is big here. Definitely not because it's the best tool. Because they cut the best distribution deal ever. #2 - This is where we can see the difference between price and value. People make serious money with CAx software. You need PHDs and serious skills to make these tools. It is not expensive if you use it well, if it leverages your machine resources and keep you competitive and in the market. Now let me if explain why shop owners use bootlegs first place: It's because they don't value intelectual property. It's more prevalent in Asia, yes, but just because their culture is more inclined to steal ideas in general. It's just an intangible concept for many. In China, even the judicial system turn their heads away from it. The whole stuff foments criminal acts in the realm of the intelectual property. Here in Brazil it's the same. Shop owners buy when a good deal is offered and it's not a big burden, like the Edgecam deal. Or when a big customer demands and audit contractors. But many don't give a rat xxxx for the concept that the ideas and knowledge of someone is packed in that CD. They believe that a license code is what the costs is. I meant no offense to Asians here, just pointing that culturally, our countries were not founded on the top of the knowledge based economy and thus we value tangible things like manual work or a machine making chips more than we value the knowledge behind this.

These beasts can be highly productive Leon... The last thing the owner of one wants is to have downtime to remove chips...

Where did you get the message about Mastercam telling the user to recompile? Goodbye jerk...

Well, maybe right now you are unable to differentiate them, so yes, if coolant nozzle is not Ok, the rest doesn't matter much does it?

Edgecam works this way for years and I always loved it... Set your depth and the 2D mode and voila! Most 3D CAD systems based on sketches works that way too... however the depth is the sketch plane...

You should look at Moldplus add-on to automate electrode creation and geometry manipulation. It would increase your productivity significantly. JM2C

Not sure about that... Industrial forum is pretty active compared to any other CAM system... Heard from competitors that they monitor it closely... But I agree O/T is much hotter!

Glad it's working for you and thanks for the heads up. That's why it's important to order a post or service from top notch providers. Many bean counters believe that cheap labour is the way to go. Then their company spend at least 5x more time than what a expert would take to get everything in order, if they can solve it at all. I know several stories of companies being invoiced for things that were never finished properly. That's expensive. This thread is a good example of how things can change in an eye blink when the right people cross our paths.

Jeff, any update from Postability? Did you guys sort this out?

In times like these we miss our friend Tim who would give us the final word...