Yeah, I've seen that. I don't think there is a way to control the order in which the snaps pop up. It seems annoying, with solids, when all the snaps pop up for features that are hidden to your current view point. With heavily featured models it seems almost impossible to analyze the correct feature sometimes. Is there a separate window to control snaps for just solids? Or snaps for features in your current view orientation? That would be great. Bingo! on the WCS top thing.

I don't have the solids license and like to make my first operation on my VMCs TOP WCS. I can not move a solid to the correct origin position if needed and prefer not to create a new WCS if it's not absolutely necessary. I also don't like some of the snap points that pop up when doing things like analyzing. Wire frame is much easier for me to work with most of the time. Often times I'll also add small edge breaks, parallel to the spindle, to parts to eliminate deburring outside the machine and find it easier to manipulate wire frame. There are probably things that solids offer as an advantage like hole axis and such that I need to get used to using in time... What are advantages you see using solids over surfaces and wire frame?

Thanks for the suggestions. I am using XP so I'll take a look at the macro manager. Jay, the setting changes you suggested will help and take care of vast majority of what i need. Thanks.

I am programming a family of parts and I do the same thing every time I open a new model from my customer. - Create curve on all edges- color blue - Create surfaces from solid- color gray - etc Is there a way to record this series of steps and repeat it when i open a new part file? Mastercam X6.

That would be fantastic. Thanks.

Hey Todd. Any issues getting things up and off the ground with these systems? I saw in a past post about having to install some other software in 8 to get rid of the tiles. Anything else?

Thanks. That's kind of what i figured on the support end of things.

Did a search and didn't come up with any really good info. Looking at a couple new computers for our shop and wondering if I should stick to Windows 7 or if Mastercam runs well on Windows 8.1. It looks like regular support for 7 ends next year with extended support through 2020. After looking at the Windows site it seems like the extended support doesn't really apply to me as an end user. It seems to be more for the software developers like Mastercam. Is my thought process correct? What are you running and do you have experience with Windows 8?

I create an account with mastercam and then try to go to the forum. It tells me that I do not have access to the forum and need to contact my reseller. What gives?

Do you know if Camplete verifies probing cycles?

Cool. That's got to be extremely gratifying!

Did you have help from your reseller or whom? Did you find any reference materials anywhere to implement this?

Are you using custom drill cycles for integrating probing into your part cycle? Are you using it for setup or for in process adjustments as well? Any inspection?

Is this part of verification or machine simulation or is it a separate module?

Can you verify probing cycles with Camplete or Vericut?

Those using custom drill cycles- do you use these for just setup or do you use them for in process adjustments as well?

So the productivity plus outputs all of the macro programs long hand?

Do you have all of your fixturing drawn and know roughly where a part is in machine coordinates? And you output G10 prior to running your probing and part programs?

Can anyone expand on exactly how the custom drill cycles are used and implemented? If you have your geometry on screen and want to probe the mid point of a rectangular piece of material do do you just go to drill, use your probe as your tool and set your drilling cycle to whichever macro you want to call? Where do you input your information for the approximate size of your block and where the block is positioned in machine coordinates? Do you literally just load the program and hit go with no previous touch off or manually inputting approximate work offsets? Do you use G10 to set approximate work offsets prior to probing?

One of the problems I see with a tool setter is you cannot account for thermal changes of the spindle at operating speed. With the class of machine tool you have this shouldn't be much of any movement so you may be okay, I have issues with it having lower class machinery. This is where taper and face contact help as well (HSK). Also, this is where i see having something in the machine to measure the tool such as a laser is helpful. Call the mold and die guys at Makino and ask them which laser they use and see if you can apadt that to your horizontal. I believe you said you have a split rail system. Maybe that's the culprit. Food for thought. In the end I would still go with the presetter for the reasons you mentioned. Vacuum or mechanical retention of the tool as it's being measured!!!! Oh and RFID chips too if you can swing it.

How have you verified your spindle probe gage length and tool laser match?

Yes yes!

Do you see anywhere on the flange area that you could put a hole or chore for a timing pin? So you could potentially run a single fixture on one clamping unit and not be worried about it spinning? Or take a part on a vmc setup for one op and put it on a rotary for another op.

What series of the Vero S did you buy? The NSE mini looks interesting for it's slim profile. http://www.gb.schunk.com/schunk/schunk_websites/products/VERO-S_EN/NSE-mini-for-small-applications.html?country=GBR&lngCode=EN&lngCode2=EN&r=1

What did you see as major differences between others and the schunk? I have two Jergen's units. I liked these particular ones because they had an indexing feature on them where you could put a pull stud in a single part and an offset dowel and not have the part spin on you.