MillingMan, Right-click on the tool in the operation and select "Edit tool". Then choose the Setup tool button on the right side of the dialog that appears. Once the Setup Tool button shows up, switch the tool from Vertical to Horizontal. See pic below. HTH

Matt, To answer your first question, no. Mask on Arcs will not work with Solids. There are no actual arcs on a solid part. Try using the Solid Drill toolpath. If this doesn't work as well as intended, select the center points of the hole edges using Autocursor. HTH Zoober answered your second question.

I think I'll add this phrase to my signature: "Can't we all just get along?" johnT, Welcome to the ONLY forum worth being a member of. You'll come to appreciate the varied perspectives and viewpoints of many a Mastercam user here. Regardless of what they believe in. Many of us "good ol' boys" have a deep respect and healthy belief system in a higher power. It just seems to make sense. But we still listen and help others who have differing opinions and beliefs. Mastercam is the connecting interest. That's all that matters. You want religious or political or any other form of discussion (i.e. football ), go to the Off Topic page. We all try to keep it professional in this general Mastercam forum.

Adam, If you have the logo as lines and arcs you can try this. From the Top plane select the Xform-Roll feature in Mcam X. Window select the logo geometry and choose the OK check mark to end the geometry selection. Then select the Planes button and choose the Back plane (see 1st pic below). Fill out the Roll parameters to "wrap" the geometry around the Y-axis just like the 2nd pic below. This should work if the logo starts out as lines and arcs. Change the roll diameter and position angles until you get the desired result before selecting the green check "OK" button at the bottom of the Roll dialog. HTH

John, Send me the file and I'll see if it happens on my machine. Or if it happens again while you're there and want to do a "remote support" session with me or anyone else here, it may help to narrow down the issue. That's what we're here for, to help you out.

Adam, Welcome to the forum. If you have a Mill Level 2 or 3, you could use a Surface Rough or Surface Finish Project toolpath and select the logo as the "curves" you wish to project onto the surface. Make sure the surface is either directly above or below the logo you want to project onto it. HTH

J Coulston, quote: Can the drafting note be exploded so that they are comprised of arcs and lines? Yes. Drafting in Mcam can be "exploded" using Modify-Break-Draft/line if in V9. In Mcam X the same function is Edit-Trim/Break-Break Drafting into Lines. This function does the same thing however the resulting geometry is always lines, no arcs. An "S" will be a string of tiny lines to approximate the curve of the letter. Once the Drafting has been broken, it can be selected for toolpaths by using the normal chaining techniques. Typically it's faster to select the broken drafting geometry with a window. When the prompt asks for a "search point", simply left click the mouse close to the geometry where you would like the toolpath to start. The cursor doesn't have to be "snapped" on any particular point, just close enough to the desired start point where it will have a general direction. HTH

John 13, quote: Haas 1=54, 2=56, 3=57 etc... I thought 1=G55, 0=G54, just like Fanuc. Are you using different values for Work Offsets than the generic post? I would change the Fadal posts to do that. Having 0=E1 and 1=E2 just seems like someone wasn't thinking.

aj belan, There are 3 posts for a Charmilles machine in Mcam X that should be installed from the software disk. If those posts aren't available on the disk, they are available from a separate post installation file that your reseller should have. If you already have a working post in V9 for that machine, it can be updated using the "UpdatePost.dll" C-hook in Mcam X. If none of these suggestions help, ask us what you need the output to look like from the code that is generated from a post that provides you something close to your desired output. The Charmilles posts that come with the software should give you something that can be used in your machine, if not the exact output you're looking for. Simply asking for something that someone else may have spent the time and effort to tweak for their desired output is not the recommended course of action. It assumes you aren't willing to put forth the effort yourself in tweaking the post you have. Asking for help to tweak your existing post will net you much more favorable responses on this forum. HTH BTW, Welcome to the forum. I know you've been registered here for longer than I have, but your post count still shows you're a new member.

Midwest, What about using the Misc Values? The first one should have a "2" in the Misc Integer field. Then just use the Work Offset value of "0" for all the operations. What version are you using? In Mcam X, select all operations and right-click to select the "Edit Selected Ops./Edit Common Parameters". The following dialog shown will allow you to change the Misc Values and Work Offset value in the Planes button for all the ops selected. HTH

Threept82, There's always your friendly neighborhood reseller. Even though we prefer you use Mcam X, we can still show you what you need to know in V9. Also, we offer a web support session where we can show you directly on our computer screen, or on yours, via internet connection. It's available for all of our customers on the support program. Call us if you want to conduct a remote support session with you. HTH

desmotom, Training from each reseller may be slightly different. Contact yours and see what they can offer you. There are also plenty of online resources such as Streaming Teacher, a subscription service where you can download and work with as many tutorials as you want within the allotted timeframe. In House Solutions, the host of this website and forum, offers a number of excellent tutorial manuals which you can view and order from the "Books" link above. None of the online resources however can replace a good class with a knowledgable instructor. You can always ask the instructor a question directly. Books often have the information you're looking for but it takes longer. HTH

Bruce, quote: I need to keep hitting enter on all the BS warnings that pop up during regen. What is the exact wording of these BS warning messages? Does it have anything to do with the Check surface and Drive surface stock to leave values? I know it'd be great to not have to regen everything but if it has to be regened, at least not having to hit Enter all the time may help somewhat. HTH

Marlowe, I agree with everyone who promotes formal training for Mastercam. However the formal training won't do much good if you have no practical machining experience. JNO is "dead nuts" when asking this question. quote: Do you have any machine background? I believe it is a necessity for understanding Mastercam. Solidworks is a great CAD software package. Mastercam is an OK design software but it flat out performs better than anything else as a CAM package. That's why it's called MasterCAM and not MasterCAD. The one thing that separates MasterCAM from any of its competition is the flexibility to allow the user to work their programs any way they choose. This is possible because the user controls the toolpath. The only way you will get great results is by applying your work experience to properly assign the parameters. There are several ways to machine the stock. Every machinist has different techniques and methods. Mastercam was originally, and still is, developed as a tool by machinists for machinists. As an instructor, I have seen and taught all skill levels in the proper use of Mastercam. I have prior machining experience to back up my instruction. If someone asks me a question on the best way to machine materials with a given tool, I can answer them with confidence due to my experience. This is something you won't learn from using the software. Only real-world machining experience can give you what you truly need to become an expert with Mastercam. You can know the software inside and out but without the machining experience, how will you know what feed and speed or direction of cut to apply to the geometry? How will you know how deep the cutter can go without failing? How will you know when or where to plunge and how to hold the stock material you need to machine? If you already know this, Mastercam is a breeze. If you don't already know the basics of machining, Mastercam will make no sense to you at all. Get some experience. Take a basic machining class at a Community College or someplace that actually has and uses equipment. Even manual equipment is better than nothing. And try to avoid the "desktop" variety of equipment. That's almost as bad as looking at a computer simulation. Cutter tool technology has changed over the years but most techniques that have been in use since the beginning will still apply today. Speeds and feeds have to be modified depending on the material, equipment, work holding and cutter tools available. Welcome to the Forum. We can help you with many things inside and outside of the Mastercam software. This forum however will not be a substitute for machining experience and formal training with the software. Good luck.

JDowe, You must mean MR2 because "X2" is still in Beta development stage. The Point toolpath will allow you to select the coolant and feed options from the general parameters of the operation or geometry. If you want to do other things, right-click on the Point operation after you have one and select the Toolpath Editor at the bottom of the right-click menu. This will give you some of the other options you were asking about for the Point toolpath. HTH

terry5357, quote: its ok to ask "how" to modify my post, but don't be asking for a copy of a post. 100% on the money. There are loads of posts that are available for Mastercam. Those that don't put in the effort to work on their posts and feel they "deserve" one, usually don't appreciate anything. They're the ones who are always hard to please and most likely wouldn't even say "thank you" if someone did volunteer their own "sweat equity" tweaked post. Maybe I shouldn't make generalizations but that's the way it is most times. Don't worry. You'll do fine as long as you keep doing what you're doing. Someday I'm sure you will help some other newbie when the time comes. It's the "Circle of CAM".

John, Let me know after you've tried our suggestions tonight. The only thing that seems to not work is by grouping NCI output by operation order, not type. That would definitely merit a forward of the file to [email protected]. Most users who transform the toolpaths don't want to machine complete parts with all the toolchanges before machining the transformed part. That's probably why no one found this until now. HTH

John, quote: Leave me you home number and I can call you on Sundays Absolutely! It's (978) 422-XXXX. Oh, wait. That's a Sterling prefix. So, let's see. My home number is (603) 555-1234-5678-9876-5432-1... Seriously though John, I did notice your directory tree was lising a main install folder location of McamX-MR2. You didn't by any chance do a "side-by-side" installation of MR2? Just asking. HTH

McamNut, Great avatar BTW. The .zip file John provided doesn't have a post so I was just using a generic 3-axis Fanuc post. For future reference, a .Z2G file includes all the relevant info, including posts, to provide the best support. I think John probably didn't want to put his post out on the FTP site where anyone could download it. The post I used was giving me errors but that's because the Misc Values were set to only output one offset (G92) in John's program. Changing the work offset Misc Integer value to a "2" (G54) for all the source ops would probably have produced a good result. I had a couple of tech calls in the middle of attempting this so I couldn't test it out at that time. I'll do it now though. BTW, John. This forum is not your only resource for tech support.

John, Couple of things that I see is the file in the .zip doesn't have the Subprogram switch activated. If you want the work offset to change but not to worry about the coordinate values changing for each instance of your translated parts, use the "Tool plane origin only" switch just below the Translate type switch. Also, I believe Transform ops work best when you have at least a (1) for the number of parts, or "steps" for a direction that you don't want multiples of. The "Y steps" in your case should have at least a (1) in it. This includes the original part. HTH Sorry the first pic didn't show. I don't know why. If you'd like John, I can show you exactly what I'm referring to using our remote tech support software. [ 08-14-2006, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Peter Scott ]

Threept82, Usually saving to the local drive and copying or transfering the file to the server when it's complete helps to eliminate many "crashes" when saving the file. Also using the Autosave feature in V9 would help because you can set the Autosave to only save a file in a local directory and not overwrite whatever you're working on at the time. Call me if you have any questions. Are you coming in for the Transition to X class on the 17th? There are some really cool features to help protect your files in Mcam X MR2. Project directories, Backup files and Autosave can all be used to help minimize any data loss and run in the background so you would never be interrupted in your work. HTH

John Paris, quote: 285 posts in 2 days??? Maybe in a month and 2 days. He registered in July. This is August. Looks like vacation's really taken a toll on your sense of time.

jason martin, I agree with both LasloK and John Paris on this one. Surfaces are still good to work with if you don't have to modify the model at all. Solids is better if there are minor changes, such as fillet sizes, and quickly regenerate the program. Having both gives you the most flexibility. Most CAD software today uses some form of solid modeling. Being able to quickly read in the "native" file format as a solid and manipulating the model to position it for machining is much easier when you have Solids in Mcam. I was trying to explain this to a customer just yesterday and what should've taken a few seconds, was taking many minutes because they didn't have the license for Solids in Mcam. HTH

Jimic, Could it be the Level of software you're using? Mill Level 2 doesn't allow you to machine more than one surface at a time with the same tool. There is one or two exceptions but none of the Finish toolpaths are included. Having a Mill Level 3 would allow you to program a toolpath for all surfaces with one tool. This helps to eliminate what you're experiencing with a mismatch in the corner blend. With the same tool finishing all the surfaces involved, the blend will not be mismatched. This doesn't help your current situation. Maybe get in touch with your reseller to see if they can help you program the current job and supply you with the MCX so you can post it out for your machine. Then consider what the advantages would be if you had a higher level of the software. HTH

Jimic, Click on the Gap Settings button frequently on the last page of the surface toolpath parameters. See pic below. On the Gap settings, the Tangent line length is at the bottom. It will be active unless you use the Follow Surfaces motion for machining over a gap. See next pic. HTH For Mcam X Mill Level 2 this is still available because you can machine one surface at a time with one operation. The Gap settings don't change due to your Mill level. You could have a hole or "gap" on one single surface as well as the edges that you need to machine past. The pictures above are taken from a Surface Finish Parallel operation.