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Niezingerly

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Everything posted by Niezingerly

  1. Good Morning all... Would there be a way, with whatever method (VB, .NET, chook., etc...) to select all Non-Horizontal and all Non-Vertical surfaces? This would be in relationship to the TOP view... Essentially, I want to select any "drafted" surfaces... I have (4) different models, and there are from 1600 to 3500 surfaces on each, and for CAM programming I need to separate out the differing surfaces... Windowing works to a degree, but the form of the model doesn't always lend it's self to "easy" selection through Windowing, and I end up having to go back and re-pick the surfaces that Windwoing "missed" So, yes, I have heard the argument before that I should just be using Solids, boundaries, etc, to achieve "similar" results, but that is not the way I want to do it, so let's not go there for now... I am in X3, 64 bit. I have access to X5, where in I saw that I can "color" any drafted surfaces (analysis?), but it seems to not actually "select" the drafted surfaces, so that I could manipulate the levels of the differing surfaces... Anyhow, thanks in advance
  2. And yes, it would be a useful nethook... I guess I had better learn how to write nethooks, like I keep telling myself I will... Thanks again...
  3. I should have been a little clearer... I am not selecting them for Toolpath usage (not at this point), I am selecting them for moving specific things to different levels... This is to aid me later on, in Toolpaths, and other things I need... Thanks for the help...
  4. Good Friday to everyone... I am working with a file, using surfaces. I would like to be able to select all the surfaces that are truly vertical, in relationship to the TOP view, but I do not want to have to pick each surface one by one, or even using windowing. There are some 1500 surfaces on this part, some of them vertical, some of them non-vertical, and with the contour of the part, windowing is even a chore. And, I have 4 other similar files that I need to work with, doing the same thing, and I was hoping someone knew of a "mask" or "filter" that would allow me to select all Vertical surfaces... Thanks very much...
  5. In X3, in the Op Mgr, I use the "drag and drop" feature quite often, to drag and drop tools and certain types of geometry from one operation to another... Would there be any way to allow this type of functionality for WCS's and for Stock to Leave Values? I have used "Edit Common Parameters", but I am wondering if the developers would consider what I have mentioned above... This post might need to get moved to the VB / .NET forum... Thanks.
  6. Roger, I am another user, and am wondering if the 2010 Express versions / .NET 4 versions of both VB and or C# will allow me to make NEThooks for Mastercam X3... I have X5, but the other guy here who runs Mastercam with me, his computer will not run X5 very well...That is my limiting factor... Anyhow, I did a search back through the forum here, and was unable to determine if I can use 2010 Express / .NET 4 versions for X3. Please be kind...Newbee to this Thanks very much for your help...
  7. I found an old file I did, if you have multi axis, I did it with Flow 5axis, Created a revolved surface where I wanted to part the peice off... Also have done this right at the control, using Variables. Not certain your control, but I am certain it can be done on most, if it is already setup for the 4th, shoud have the right codes, but not sure though...
  8. I have done this often, works nice. I agree with Jasond0530 in his method. I have also done this using some other methods I will look up and post here for you.
  9. I have been having similar issues. I just had a file open, attempting to copy a line and an arc from one level to another. Could not get it to work. Had this issue the other day, couldn't trace why it would work sometimes and why other times it would not. Just closed the file, re-opened, seems to work now. Buffer size in both insatnces was set to 50% of Physical memory, which was and is 4086 MB X3MU1 Mill Level 3 Solids Multi-Axis Windows 7 64 bit
  10. Oppiz, below is some stuff I pulled together...It's a bit lengthy, sorry. hoep it helps... N1 G53 P01 1 Line N1 above calls up DATUM #1 from the Datum Table On a FANUC based Control, you would Call up G53, G54, G55, etc… On the Heidenhain, using G53, you call up a DATUM # “xxx” by using “G53 P01” It was confusing for me at first, because on a FANUC, G53 “is” the offset… On the Heidenhain in ISO, G53 is a “call” code, to call up Datum #xxx… Once that is active, you go into the Datum Table to adjust your X, Y and Z locations. N4 G54 G90 X+1 Y+2 Z+3 Line N4 above calls up an ABSOLUTE (G90) Datum SHIFT (G54 is the "call code") (Not a DATUM # from the Datum Table)… I have not used this in ABSOLUTE, so I don’t really know right now what it would do… I have used it as shown down below a few lines, in INCRIMENTAL mode (G91) What I believe it would do above is set Program Zero to 1” in X axis, 2” in Y axis and 3” in Z axis away from Machine Zero N7 G54 G91 X+4 Y+5 Z+6 Line N7 above calls up an INCRIMENTAL (G91) Datum SHIFT (G54) (Not a DATUM #xxx)… The INCRIMENTAL (G91) shift is from where ever in X Y Z your current DATUM # is set to… If you have Called up “Datum 0” (NO Datum used from Datum Table, and NO Datum Shift) the incremental shifts will be from where your “readout” is currently zero’d This is where it used to really get me screwed up. You can “zero out” the ACTL Readout, pretty much just like you would on a Manual Mill with a digital readout. The thing is that the Control on my machine will not tell you that there is NO ACTIVE DATUM… I default to executing “G53 P01 0” so that I know there are no active Datums and no active Datum shifts… N10 G98 L1 <------Internal Sub Program “Start” N12 G01 Z+6 F2000 <------| N10 G01 X+1.5 |--Body of your code N10 G01 X-1.5 <------| N10 G98 L0 <------Internal Sub Program “End” Above is an example of defining a Sub Program within a program. G98 is the code that defines the beginning of the sub L1 is the “name” of the sub On my machine you have to name it in numbers, from “1” to “999” The body if the code is just the movements you want to define as a sub program G98 L0 defines the “end” of the sub program Anything between the G98’s is the sub… Line 18 below is the Internal sub call (same sub as above), after having defined the sub program, along with the Code to “repeat” the sub… N10 G98 L1 <------Internal Sub Program “Start” N12 G01 Z+6 F2000 <------| N10 G01 X+1.5 |--Body of your code N10 G01 X-1.5 <------| N10 G98 L0 <------Internal Sub Program “End” N17 G53 P01 1 N18 L1.2 So, what line N18 is saying is “call up program L1, and repeat it 2 times", at the same Datum (Datum #1 is called up at line N17) To run this Internal sub at multiple different Datums / Locations, I believe it would look like this: N1 G53 P01 1 N18 L1.1 ; N1 G53 P01 2 N18 L1.1 ; N1 G53 P01 3 N18 L1.1 ; ; ; etc… So, I said above “I believe” it would look like that because on the machine I run, I have only 1 position I put parts into (3R Chuck), and that is always Datum #1 for me… N21 % SUB.I Line N21 above calls an “external” program as a sub In ISO, the % sign defines an external program call… If you want to run the external sub at multiple Datums, you will NOT want to have a Datum call in the external file, but you want it right before you sub call… I believe that would look like this: N1 G53 P01 1 N2 % SUB.I N1 G53 P01 2 N2 % SUB.I N1 G53 P01 3 N2 % SUB.I I get wordy, so sorry, but I hope this helps. Any Heidenhain Guru's are welcome to correct me...
  11. Did you ever find anything to help you out here? For your Sub Program, do you want the sub to live "inside" your active file, or would you like it to be an external file, somewhere outside of the active file you are running, and the sub gets called up?
  12. MrFish: As the C axis rotates, does the movement of the tool in the Z axis “swing” with the C axis move, as in, at C0, is the Z axis at it’s “lowest” point, and then at the C90, the Z axis has seemed to “return” to where it was? CrazyMillman: R0 is CComp “off”…
  13. So, I am in X3, and am encountering the same problem, of being able to create a straight line tangent to either a spline or arc. In V9.1 (yeah, the old days...sorry) I used the fucntion CREATE-LINE-TANGNET-ANGLE. In my case, I want it to be a truly horizontal line, parallel to the X axis (looking down on the X/Y plane) I would enter the fucntion CREATE-LINE-TANGNET-ANGLE, I would pick on whatever spline or arc there was (I would pick "near" the "highest" point of the entity), it would ask me for an angle, I would input the angle I would want the resultant line to be, and Mastercam would create a line Parallel to the X axis, and it was truly tangent to the entity I picked. I am also at a loss to find this same functionality in X3, without having to jump through alot of hoops... Not certain if I am missing the new functionality, but it did used to work great in V9...Oh well...
  14. Venturing out into the Development world here, so please understand I am a Machinist and CNC Programmer first, and may not totally get everything that is replied to me, but my willingness to learn is high... So, would there be a way to make a Specific Level in Mastercam "READ ONLY" using VB / Chooks / NET Hook By "READ ONLY", I am meaning that I would first want to be able to create geom on a specific level, and after the geom is as I would have it, then I imagine running a script that would make that geom un-alterable. The geom on that Specific Level could be copied from, to another Level, but never deleted, never altered in any way, it would just forever remain as it was created... If this would be possible, any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
  15. Good morning all. I am beginning my baby steps out into the Development world here, and as I have been looking over the Developers' Forum, it appears to be a great resource for learning some in’s and out’s of C-Hook, NET-Hook and VBScript Development in Mastercam. I had seen a link to Microsoft Scripting (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms950396.aspx) and I am going to delve into the info contained there, to start off my new education in something I know nothing about, but truly want to learn. My basis is as a CNC Programmer and operator of CNC milling machines. I have wanted for a very long time to create some “custom” utilities to aid in my CNC Programming, so I am finally sticking my head out, and attempting the process of gaining and applying the knowledge I need to do just that. Would anyone like to share any jewels of info they have, concerning learning and applying C-Hook, NET-Hook and VBScript Development in Mastercam? Online info is great, but any paper based books would be great too. Once I get online, I can get so distracted by all the other things “out there”, that sometimes I get off track. Thank you in advance, and I appreciate any help you can offer.
  16. I just began using X3, and in doing some 5 ax Swarf toolpath, have entites being created, after I Generate the op. Did an experiment, had one surface, alone on a level, created 5 ax Swarf op, before I generated, level mngr shows 1 entity, after I generate, there are multiple entities on this level now, and i am getting prompted that they are the same as the background color, and I need to select a color to "change them to". Have used 5 ax Swarf in V9, didn't have this occurring. I am using gradient background, Horizontal...
  17. Thanks very much for the help on this. I shall look into it, and see. And about the Yorba Linda thing, that was where I was at when I setup this profile. I am now in Walnut, CA. The Yorba Linda profile was at the Agie Charmilles Mikron facility, and now I am back at my old home shop, making Plastic Molds again. I couldn't handle the Apps Engineer thing for Mikron, so came home to where I know it's safe. Oh Mold making, my love and my hate....
  18. I shall find out. Thanks for the welcome. Been out here, just not in a few years. Thanks
  19. Long time V9 user, just moving to X2 / X3. I use Level sets, and finding in X2 / X3, I enter Level Manager, do what I need to, once I exit Level Manager, and re-enter it again, names of Level Sets that were there, on Level I had set to Main, have now disappeared. Boggling and frustrating. Any help appreciated. Thanks Box specs are as follows, just built the other day by internal IT support. HP xw8600 Workstation Intel Xeon CPU E5420 @ 2.50 GHz 2.50 GHz, 8.00 GB of Ram 130 GB HD Not certain of Video card yet...need to find out Windows XP Pro x64 Edition Version 2003 Service Pack 2 Mastercam X2 mr2 / X3 Fresh loads
  20. Hello. I am back out here, under a new alias, and need some help. I have been asked to find the non cutting times for a project I have programmed. I do not have a machine here, but I know the specs of the rapid movements for the specific machine. Is there a way to find the time/length/distance of the rapid and/or non cutting moves in Mastercam, or even in posted NC code? Thanks in adavance for the help.

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