I've got a wierd problem with MPMASTER-based posts at one custoemr site. If I use a customized post based on MPMASTER and post to a network drive, MasterCAM crashes. Posts based on any of the other included posts don't exhibit this behavor. The network drives in quesiton are DFS based, rather than 'normal' Windows shares. Anyone run into a similar kind of problem? 'Cause I'm baffled on this one...

On the Intel Extreme graphics: My wife recently got a Gateway notebook built on Intel's Centrino platform. Being the curious type, nad keeping in mind the extreme difficulties I had with some Omnibooks my company owns (can't use TrueSolid verify being the worst of them), I installed V9.1SP2 to see how (or if) it would work. While the performance was nothign to write home about, I found that the card was fuctional enough to actually be useful for MasterCAM. I'd not reccomend getting one if you are purchasing it for MasterCAM use, but if that's what you got you could do far worse. On RAM requirements for MasterCAM video cards: RAM for video cars works diferently than RAM in the computer. More does not equal faster, more stable, or enhanced features. Once you get enough in there to handle your chosen resolution and color depth with OpenGL, more only uses more power and generates more heat. 32MB is plenty for the way MasterCAM uses the 3D hardware.

That post seems to work correctly on my system. Did you turn comp on in the toolpath? Which toolpath were you using?

Mick - I love your avatar. I got a Triumph just like it, 'sept mine is black.

Exactly my point. Would-be terrorists know that the result of an attemted hijacking won't be passengers sitting in thier seats trying not to draw attention to themselvs. Instead it will be a plane full of people fighting for thier lives + a couple of fighers loking for a good place to shoot it down.

I like to limit my opportunitys to make mistakes. I have my post set up so that a change in program number puts a new header into the file. That way I can post all the setups and x-fer it in one piece. If I'm using more than one vice, I'll have all the ops on all the vices in one program so I can get a finished part every time I open the door.

quote: I have yet to hear about a "test" that was performed on airline security that had positive results. People were still able to get box cutters and the like aboard a plane.9/11 put an end to aircraft hijackings. Period. Three of the four aircraft did what they set out to do becasue the passengers beleved that if they sat still and followed instructions they would be OK. No one will ever beleve that again.

MasterCAM's translator for Inventor works a little differently than the translators for other file types. For Inventor, MasterCAM uses the Design Tracker re-distributable to actually do the translation. If you have Inventor on the same system as MasterCAM or install the appropriate Design Tracker (from the Inventor CD) you'll be fine for whatever release you are using. FWIW, I just opened a fairly complex part (the cylender head from the model airplane engine sample assembly), saved from my beta copy of INV9, in V9.1SP2. It came in as a solid and seems just fine. Not a rigorous check, of course, but I'm pretty confident it will work out.

Thad: Check yer e-mail.

Thad: Not sure this is worth much, but I'm seeing the behavor too. The lowest cut seems to be the actual cut depth above the flat selected. i.e. if I spec a max cut depth of .027 and I end up with an actual cut depth of .02673, the last cut above a flat will be .02673 above the geometry. i.e. I think it's missing the last cut, not adding your material to leave to the flat. Don't know why that is though. I'm gonna submit it to [email protected] and see what they think of it.

My ribs are all healed up now, and the shoulder is too. Doc is waiting until September to remove the last of the hardware because he wants to be certan that the healing is all done and the bone is at full strength before he pulls stuff out. As for the 'coulda been killed' bit - the folks in the ER were pretty surprised that I hadn't broken my back or my neck. Apparently that's what usually happens when you get hit hard enough to break a shoulderblade. I'm pretty happy to be walking around, all things considered.

I think the idea is to start at a low consintration and work up rather than start at a high concintration and work down.

Hi Jim. I'm with Thomas Paton and Associates, and we are your Techno and MasterCAM dealer. I'm going to e-mail this to you as well. You should be using the techno post off of the techno CD-ROM that contained the controller software. It's already set up to work correctly with the techno routers and needs no editing. If you can't locate that post, call my office at (800)826-0570. Ask for Rick or Frank. If I'm not in, June will give you my cell phone number.

Nah, didn't fall asleep. Here's what happened: It had been raining off and on all day that Friday. I was in Corona seeing a client when the rain started coming down *really* hard just as I finished. I had a class to teach at San Bernidino Valley, not too far away, so I headed for there. The rain started to let up as I got off of I-15 and onto I-10, so I kicked it up a bit as I wanted to get in a bit early to get some copies made. About a mile from my exit, I slowed to ~50 or so and started moving towards the right lane. ~1/2 mile later I was in the right lane behind a hunk-o-junk RV, looking for the off-ramp. Right about then I felt the bike get loose and fall towrds the left. I tried to save it, but realized that it wasn't gonna happen, so I let go of the bars and mentally braced myself for the fall. I hit on my left side and slid from the #4 lane into the #3 lane where I was hit by a car on the left side of my helmet and left shoulder. After tumbleing for a bit, I came to a stop on my back in the middle of the #3 lane. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, so I laid there trying to catch my breath. By the time I got myself together and tried to get up, there were people around me telling me to lay down. Moving my arm hurt so much that I figured that was a good idea. After that came the firefighters, the ambulance, the hospital, cat scan, x-rays, surgury, convelesence, and physical therapy. More surgury in September (remove the last of the pins) and then I'm done. Hpefully I'll make a full recovery from this. Right now my arm is good enough to load tools into the machine, and just a couple of weeks ago I took a lathe apart all by myself. OK, so it was a small lathe, and I only R&R'd the X and Z axises (axi?). Still pretty good.

I'll have to snap a photo of the bike tomorrow. No pictures of the crash scene though. I had a camera with me, but I was too busy trying to remember how to breath to use it. Broken ribs suck.

I'm right here. I fell off of my motorcycle on 2/20 and broke a lot of bones (mostly ribs). For the next couple of months my biggest concern was to remember to breath slowly and shallowly.... After I got back to work full-time in late April, I was busy with the two classes I was teaching, physical therapy, and catching up on all the stuff I missed while waiting for my ribs to heal. Then cames all the end-of-year stuff for the schools I work with + finals. Now that things are a little slow(er) I'll have time to drop in once in a while. Well, at least until my next surgury (in September) and the start of the fall semester (in August).

quote: I think my worst complaint is that you have to look away from what you're doing to change axis while jogging..There is a tetherd remote option you can get for them that puts the jog handle, a step size knob and an axis knob on a hand-held box. I've got one on my school's VF4 and HL2.

quote: I see that rotating the T/C plane is suggested. My question is, why choosing system veiw 4[bottom] does not work.Becasue system view 4 is system view 1 rotated 180DEG about the Y axis (try Gview-rotate-+X Up to see this). For generating code to run with an A axis, you need all your rotations to be about the X axis. FWIW, the easyest way to get the angles you are looking for and the rotations the way you want, use Cplane-Rotate to set the Cplane, Tplane = Cplane to set the Tplane, and toggle the axises (axi?) on with F9 so you can see where + and - are. i.e. think of the pre-defined views as ways to look at/draw the part, and generate the rotations by rotating the planes.

quote: The most we get into at school is 2D & 3D plus some solids using MC. I also run AutoCAD and Rhino. I'll start looking around and compare some of my local dealers with the big names. I wish I had more of a budget, but will make sure I can expand the system for video, etc. Thanks for all the good info.If this is for a school program, get your MasterCAM educaiton reseller invovled. My company could put together MasterCAM-ready computers at that price point. Your local educaiton reseller likely can do the same.

quote: Micro$oft became paranoid ! U can not install Windows XP over XP . They are protecting their Grand O$ so much like it really worth it . Like ever existed protection that can not be overpassed One of the things I like about XP is that it does allow you to re-install (including re-detecting hardware) if you wish. I used that feature to move the hard drive from my wife's old computer to her new computer without having to go through all the gyrations such an upgrade required with Windows 2000. To re-install, boot from the CD-ROM and select a Repair install, then follow the prompts.

Silly question, but I'll ask it anyway: When you run the NHASP9.EXE utility, is it set to NetHASP and Local?

Two options: - If the hole is large enough, turn on Perpendicular Entry to force a line at the start and end of the circular milling operation. - If the hole is too small for that, use a contour toolpath with a smallish lead-in arc, a start point at the center of the hole, and enable the 'Plunge after first move' and 'Retract before last move' options so comp can take place outside of the hole.

File|Converters|Autodesk|Read File Select .IPT from the drop-down list Select the .IPT file you want to import The import dialog comes up at this time. Set your settings to whatever you want, then import. If you don't have Inventor R8 installed on your system, make sure you have the latest version of Design Tracking installed on your computer. The V7 version is avalible from Autodesk's web site. I'm not sure where the V8 version is. If you need it, I'll call Autodesk and ask 'em where they put it.

Look on the FTP site in the MC9_Files folder for C-AXIS ENGRAVE.MC9. Is that what you are looking for?

Would it be bad of me to point out that MasterCAM has sucussfully navigated two updates in Inventor (currently at R8) without needing to update MasterCAM's .IPT translator? That Design Center stuff is pretty cool...