When running hole axis I get a unknown file type, but all the other c-hooks work good? For some reason after downloading the verisurf add ons i get a " Point Entry error "? When starting Mastercam. Anyone seen this? X4 Mill level 3 Thanks in advance....

Tedly- If you are not recreating geometry to drive your parts, I must be using the operations wrong. Jim- I am aware of the trim extend on the Multi surface, but is there something simular in Advanced swarf? Thank you for your suggestions.

It would be nice of there was a 5-axis routine that looked past the edge curves of the surface and extended the U and V of the surface out with out having to create geometry to do so. Also a way to use a thick past a surfaces to drive past of near a surface. A way to control wear your tool is tangent( ring value ) would be nice as well rather then using the top of the radius and the top of the tool to be tangent. Most Aerospace parts are 80 percent 3-axis and 20 percent 5-axis. It take me 20 percent to do the 3-axis work ( contouring surfacing pocketing ).However, it takes 80 percent of the time to do the 5-axis work. This is because I am constantly untrimming trimming and extending the drive part and check surfaces and creating drive curves. Does anyone think this would be a Value added routine to add to the 5-axis operations. If so, I am going to put a suggestion in with qc. Using X4

Neurosis - Very well said....I am guessing those that have used the software consistanly find work arounds for the bugs. All of us us the software differently levels and experience bugs more then others. Tony- The patches would be a great Idea....Getting tired of changing my comment blocks. It would also be nice if there was a 5-axis routine that looked past the edge curves of a surface and extended the U and V's. And have a thick ( offset) value to control how far near or part a surface to drive. Also a way to control the ring value of the tool where the tool is tangent to the surface rather then using the top of the radius and to top of the tool to be tangent to. Most aerospace parts are about 80 percent 3-axis and 20 percent on 5-axis features. I am spending about 20 percent on the 3-axis features and 80 percent on the 5-axis features. After untrimming trimming creating drive curve geometry it takes time. Guess this is a little off the topic..... Maybe in X5? Using X4

This sounds like a fimilar issue to me... Bullet Bob- How do I get my External hard drives to automatically back up for me. I want to set a time and a specific directory to back up. Currenly using windows XP Has anyone got a error that says resource required and does not let you do anything to your operation. This seems to only happen when importing from another file. A Mastercam restart seems to fix it.

I just installed a 2nd hard drive in my laptop and had my back-up files point to it. I guess everything happens in 3's ....Hard drive crashes lose work, corrupt file lose 4 days, so this is the 3rd time i get to program this parts. Isn't it funny that these things only happen when you are pressed for time and you let your guard down? Thanks for the advise I will be backing up on a regular basis.

Just opened my file this morning to back it up on my server and got a corrupt file error. No, I am not trying to go back a version. Currently using X4 13.0.3.31. The message is " Corrupt or invalid file. Contact you local Mastercam Dealer " Then..... "Parasolid® Kernel Inerface Error: 922- invalid file contents" Anyone have any insight on this one other then save a back up? I am going to turn on Autosave.

Crashed again when changing comment blocks. I think I am on to something! The odd thing is that the operations that I generated after saving did not get dirty....Huh.... There is something up this the comment blocks other then the repaired nci issue.

Hope about a more positive post.......... This beer sure is good!

Ok, I was wrong about the operaions going dirty on just 5-axis ops. A contour operation that was generated and just fine......... All I did was go in and change the comment block? Kapoow! Dirty ops

This is a new program programmed in X4. It never happens when my starting a new job but seems to happen more when the file size gets large and always on a 5-axis operation and not any specific 5-axis operaion. Never happens on contouring or sufacing. I always use the same generic machine def since I use a 3rd party post. If I can get this to repeat I am going to use the [email protected] should also bill them

I had the same issue on my desk top and on my laptop before and after I installed a new hard drive. This happened on three different programs. Unfortunately it is intermittent problem and I cant pin point it down. I am convinced it is an issue that needs to be fixed. This always happens when generating an operation. It turns all the operations dirty. This has happened 3 times in the last 4 hours. Please fix

Ron- "Oh I don't know maybe handle assebmlies and allow window renaming of solids in the tree. (Example to rename a solid now you have to right click then rename and then you can rename. This works totally different than anything else in Mastercam or windows for that matter.) Come up with a hole wizard like every other Cad software out there. Parametric would be nice, but so use to the method we have now not that big of a deal. Allow axis for rotation of solid in addition to lines." That's right on the money!!!! - A sketcher would be nice - Full parametric drafting - Assemblies to keep file sizes down - A tree that is intuitive - Maching axis system that is associative a solid - Associative faces to use as maching planes rather then incremental distances - Design table for creating families of parts There have been many times when I have a family of parts that come to me as a dumb solid. I have remodel a single part in Catia or Unigraphics then updated the sketch or solid and all my manufacturing updates for a different part of the family....as long as it was remodeled and programmed right. Drafting a fixture can take time with many simular conponents. If MC had associative drafting you could update a sketch and all the drafting would update saving you alot of time going back to a system like Solid works. All this would be nice especially if you are a company that has a product that constantly changes. I am guessing those guys just re-drive the new geometry every time....which is good for overtime and job security ......Mastercam could capitalize on more of the market if it had a better modeling kernal and I would spend SOME time modeling in Mastercam then Catia or Solidworks.

Ok, I have comments on all my operations. I get the "restored NCI" to the comment. I know this is a know issue. About 25 percent of my operations lost the comment all together. I go back into my operation to update with the correct comment and 1/2 dozen operations below it go dirty. This does not happen all the time, but what a pain in the back side for us end users. Using X4

No, one of my customers are going to do some test in 5553 sometime next week. They will also be doing some test in some other material that has similar properties but harder. I have cut alot of hard metals, but from what I understand 5553 is not fun. I am working all weekend, but took time off from one of my cutomers and got rid of another....so I should have some time soon....down to 60-70 hr weeks Ya!

6-2-4-2 Gravy....cuts like butter on a warm day. I used a Sanvick 2.0" plung mill in this material for 10" deep pockets and it worked sweet. I also plunged about about 30% of the part. Just a suggestion if you run into some deep pockets with small corners.

I was bored so cut the code and inserted it into one of my vericut files. With the controls settings that was already in place in Vericut. It drove the circle just fine. I'm guessing the control is set up to read quadants instead of 180 circles. It looks like your cutting heat treated stainless, so I guess you are not going that fast where the buffer can't keep up. If you look at the code it's swinging about a .100 circle from I.0 TO I-.1119 which would be a 180 degree swing.

Thanks Greg! I recreated a crash twice with advanced mulitsurface 5-axis then used the trim fuction and it work W/ Multisurface. That is what I was thinking of ..... Thanks again... Jamey

I got it to work with advance mutisurface 5-axis then it crashed oh well...

I am stitching out a corner using Multisurface 5-axis. There were 16 sucessful corners and one that jumps across my part surface and cuts space. Is there a way to edit the toolpath after it has been generated. I thought there was something like this or I might just be thinking V5 I played with gap settings all my normals are correct. This was however the only fillet surface that was not ruled and I created a swept surface to drive it. . Using X4 Thanks, Jamey

Gcode- I will do some research and see how that works. Maybe Ver. 7 will not give you that out of memory err when working on large files even after changing you cut tol. Thanks! Jamey

Hey G-code quote: "Vericut has a chook that will launch VC from inside MC.. you can set it to run NCI or gcode.." I know mastercam can directly run the NCI file though Mastercam but didn't know there was a C-hook to directly run G-code with out defining your tools or your translation matrix. Where can I find this C-hook? I really don't want to run the NCI because it doesn't show all the rapid moves correctly, rotation moves, etc. This would be helpfull thanks in advance. Jamey

LOL!.... when throwing my hands in the air it's like casting a a Mastercam curse... verbally I do the same thing and it makes me feel better ...so I guess it does work LOL!

AWW someone else has the same issue as me regarding operations going dirty. I all my operations get dirty when occasionally changing planes. Now I had some type of bug. When in the a tool parameter page all the fields were grayed out untill i cursed over them. I shut down and restarted and all operations are dirty. I can regen just fine but generating 300 operations takes a bit hmmmm

Colin- Hey that would be very helpfull to go over some of the new features in MC. haven't used it in the last couple of years. I am sure there are tools that I am not using or could use more efficiently. Currently i am working 7 days a week using MC UG V5 and NCL off and on for 3 companies and 80-100 hr weeks contracting. So, anyway to save time I am all ears. P.S. I think I know what you are talking about and you don't owe me....well how about a beer ? Thank You, Jamey