Then yes. If your design software is lacking more so than the Mastercam solids and you therefore find yourself going to Mastercam, then it would be benificial to get it. But to get it "no matter what" seems a little foolish. If your existing software beats it and makes it un-needed, then the added expense is money lost to non-profitable items on a continueing basis. (Maintenence on solids is extra money) I'm not saying nobody should get Mastercam solids. I'm just saying that if you already have solids design capabilities, then adding another solid package would be an extra unneeded expense since you can program a solid without the solid package. Therefore saving the money we all so desperatly need. (some more than others......me )

I don't have solids Mastercam but my solid software allows me to trim a solid to a line. Can you do this with Mastercam maybe? Just go to the view (front it would appear) and select trim 1 entity? Just a thought.

Yes Jay I'm sure it was. And as a certified Mastercam instructor I will assume that you probably need to know all the "Stuff" that most of us find by accident. (Please understand there is no sarcasm meant by this) As general everyday users performing basically the same things on different pieces of stock, we don't have the time or budget to go look throught the help files to see if there is something we are missing unless we run into a problem with what is currently happening. Wendy, It's great that they have those little help icons for you to click on. I use them whenever I run into trouble. But if your not actualy having a "problem" are you going to take the time you probably don't have anyway to go read the help file? Yes, I believe we should be constantly seeking to improve what we do and how we do it, but at the end of the day, it's just plain time to go home and leave work behind. Not bring the help file home for homework. It's a tuff balance. As much as I would love to just go "study" Mastercam, it ain't happening. It's too bad someone who has 17 years experience using a software suddenly needs training. Could it be that Mastercam felt their old way was just so bad they needed to completely and entirely transform there software? Even though it was the number one selling software in there class? Or could it be that no one was utilizing there training because there were so many people out there that knew how to run there software so well, they just trained in the new guy on the job?

If Mastercam is the only software you use, then I would suggest getting the solids part of it. As many have mentioned here there are many benefits. If, however, you also use another software for design and Mastercam for CNC programming, then I would say don't get it. Chances are extremely good that you get solids for free in your design software and it is probably a LOT easier to manipulate it in that software than it will be in Mastercam. Once you have it how you want it, you can then output a solid file and still call in and program a solid so the geometry accuracy is not lost but you don't have the initial cost of the solids "Add on" and the extra cost in maintanence for it.

Hi Ron, Thanks for the tips. Do you find you have more problems with crashes and very slow going when using STL files that have any amount of detail in them? I have seen many times on hear that people are having problems with using STL files and i myself have experienced this to some degree. And if so, as a beta tester, have you been able to have any input about this or gotten any feedback on it from Mastercam?

I just learned that hear, and I've been using Mastercam since 1992. But don't beat yourself up about it too bad. In reality, I'm sure there are many things that are not readily noticable especially to someone who has been using something for a long time and only uses it in a certain way. You get in a "standard" way of doing things and when something new comes along that isn't well documented that might actually help you out, you never even notice it. Especially if it isn't documented very well or even at all. Then I don't know how anyone is supposed to find out about it other than by accident. Of course it doesn't matter much how long you've been using Mastercam before version X since it really isn't Mastercam anymore. Sure, being familiar with Mastercam was helpful, but You basically needed to learn a whole new software and wait 6 months to a year before you could be proficient enough to start making money with it again. (maybe an exaggeration but you get my point) Before, "learning something new everyday" meant you tried a new cutter path on an old setup and found out it would run faster, or you tried a new set of speeds and feeds and your tool lasted twice as long. Now it means you keep finding the "hidden" things that Mastercam can do.

Thanks fo the help Jim. I sent a file to Pete to see if he can make anything of it. Take care. - Jason

Pete, You have mail. - Jason

Pete, Yes, I can send you the file. Actually I have many. I will just pick one to send to you. - Jason

I do the screen unblank all the time because there are always surfaces to be unblanked. But this is for those levels when nothing is there. If you have blanked entities the level report will acknowledge them. - Jason

Mine does the same thing..... Shows 71 entities in level manager. Not even listed in the report. I have an Nvidia Quadro FX1600M Graphics card not ATI And I don't think it is graphics card related. I know this is an old post but has there been any solutions to this problem? These files are from another Mastercam user using X3 not an import from another system and I don't use any c-hooks. - Jason

Hardmill, From a previous thread..... "The problem was related to coming out of Verify - that broke the highlight ability. But as The Chipmaker says, the MU1 update fixed it." I don't have the MU1 update installed yet but it looks like I should. It seems it fixes this issue. Take care. - Jason

Gavetta, The letters don't highlight because of a problem with Mastercam. You need to stop what your doing, go up and click on "screen" then "regenerate display list" and click "yes". Sometimes you have to do this a lot and sometimes not at all. Very frustrating.

Harold, Your right. I fixed the lower geometry to be consistantly .0625 as is your original profile. But the top is actualy different from one side to the other in your original profile and mine matches it. Let me know if that looks better. (sent email) - Jason

Hi Harold, I used the existing profiles but did not sweep anything. This geometry does not lend itself to a sweep option. You will get incorrect geometry. I used several extrudings trimmed to the potato chip surfaces at their proper levels of offset and I also used face offsets to obtain the correct geometry. At least what I see as the correct geometry. I understand your frustration with insufficient information and my suggestion would be to send this file in any way you can back to the customer for final approval by them before cutting anything. That way you have something to fall back on if the final product is not what they expected. - Jason

Harold, You have mail. See if this is what you are looking for. - Jason

WOW. Who knew x-form DRAG was actually a secret code word for x-form translate to multiple locations without having to repick EVERY time. Well.... this will save me some time from now on. I swear... Mastercam has it's own language sometimes.

Nope. Grid is not active.

OK What gives? I can't make this work correctly iether. I have autohighlighting turned off, auto curser settings to "disabled all", (power keys are enabled at this point but "K" for sketch doesn't work nor does this function work with power keys disabled.) I have held down the control key and it still goes off to an endpoint.

I have had the Space Navigator for a couple of years now and find it to be more of a paper weight than a help. You get sooooo much better control from the dynamic rotate and mouse than you do with the navigator. (it has a very limited amount of control adjustability) I have been designing and programming for about 15 years now and thought that this would be the ticket but found out otherwise. It is very neat to use for Google Earth though. My kids love it.

Be very carefull in your selection of CAD software and be aware of there capabilities. Solidworks is mentioned much on this site but for my application (A world where designs change faster than a speeding bullet) a parametric software would have put me out of business by now. Parametric software uses a "recipe" to build a model and if you want to change the model you need to go back into the recipe and make the changes. The problem with this is dependent on how far deep the change is and how much it affects the remainder of the model. Sometimes (most of the time) you end up just starting over. If you need to create and modify without limits be sure to get a non-parametric modeler. Also make sure it has the capability to design for what you need (2D, 3D, Solids, Surfaces, etc.) And DONT get Mastercam for CAD designing.(my opinionated side coming out here) It's the best machining software out there. (coming from someone who has used it for 15 years) but it is very frustrating to design in compared to even cheap designing software.(cheap meaning in compared to Mastercam) Also, the cost of maintanence should be considered when making this decision not just the cost of purchase.

Sheffer, That would disable the ability to have the T/Cplane follow me in all other views. Which is something I REALLY want it to do. I move from view to view, creating and modifying geometry in a somewhat swift and smooth fashion and have been doing it this way for quite a number of years. To have to stop and change the T/C plane EVERY time I change views would be detrimental to my work flow. Having it follow me in all views except go back to top in an isometric view is how Mastercam has had it for a long time and is how it is supposed to work. So, am I to assume that this is a bug in Mastercam? Does this need to be logged as such and given a bug number? Can we squash this bug?

Yes. There is an icon to the left of the name "top" in the view manager. Even when I go from top view to iso view, the icon remains next to the word top, but the T/Cplane keeps changing back to iso instead of staying at top. The WCS stays at top but I want the T/Cplane to stay at top.

OK. Understood better now. Glad the "others" could help you out.

Well.... Here is what I notice...... (Keep in mind this is the first time I've even SEEN the view manager. ) Under "set current view and origin" This only sets it for the current view you are in. As soon as you change views, it changes everything. If I go back to my main screen and choose top view- my T/Cplane goes to top..... if I then go to an isometric view, my T/Cplane goes to isometric. NOT supposed to happen if I have those two check boxes in configuration manger checked to stay in top T/Cplane when in isometric view!