ive got all day to play with mc.thanks drew. if i have an arc that ive drawn and i want to change its rad is this the proper rout to get it done?ANALIZE,ATTRIBUTES,then change the rad in the proper box? without redrawing of course [ 03-17-2003, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: cherokeechief79 ]

ive got a hard shell and no feelings were hurt here!

enough on to the REAL stuff. ill get this one way or another!

im just quorius ive always prefered to use local subs to keep everything contained in one prog instead of looking outside the main for another prog.it also seems easier to send just one prog to the machine insted of several.

thanks thats how im going about it.ive figured how to get my geometry from one system to the other now without all of the toolpaths. i am trying to forget my old ways and do things this way. if some of my Qs seem out of line just lemme know.im a newbee here but ive been programming and machining for 25 yrs. replies like this are just discouraging. quote: Ok, now Hold your Win95 key down and press "R" Now type "COMMAND" and press ENTER Now type FORMAT C: /y and press ENTER When if finishes processing all the files, turn off your computer, go to Mac Donalds, and ask for a resume, cuz you got NO business using MasterCAM. HTH, Stupid 'Rekd thanks,and lets get on with it!

thanks for all of the quality replies.like i said im still learning here and need your help.if i seem out of line let me know.im just trying to figure things out.

quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I notice that Kathy was saved the blood bath on her negative comments! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But she is a contributing member. She doesn't come in here specifically with the intent of bitching and moaning like this pansy @$$. tell me just how you think i can be a contributing member with only 4 posts so far?do you really think i could give you usefull info on mc yet? as far as 'pansy @$$' goes.(thats just childish crap that i really didnt expect here) i guess ill just have to learn who is helpfull and who isnt here.

What does " prooven out and posted " mean ??? what i ment here was that i would like to take advantage of mcs faster pocketing routines.im sure i could shave a lot of time off of my progs.the only way i see to do this is to import the geometry into mc and rewrite the toolpaths.i didnt have the ability to do that b4. also we dont work from prints at all.all of our products are designed by us so getting the parts off of the machine as fast as we can is not always best for us. i prefer to take the time to make progs that are very easy for the operator to understand and follow.this works out the best for us even if it takes initially longer for the first run to get off of the machine because our progs are run several times on a monthly basis. we dont usually do outside work and the progs we have and run are with us for a long time. i also work partime in a jobshop and in that instance i can see what you mean by getting it off the machine quickly as possible.many times there we will only see the job once. [ 03-14-2003, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: cherokeechief79 ]

thanks allen THAT was usefull!

im from nj ,im not leaving,and childish comments like james likes throwin at me dont bother me either. ive never paid for getting a post to work to my liking(but maybe now thats the norm) the post that rekd posted was very good and similar to my style(i still dont know why the output i want is so out of the ordinary)but it seems it would have to be posted and then run again somehow to convert it.much like we do now on our seimens 840 c controller with a fanuc converter. i WAS told that mc had a post that was very similar to what i wanted,but when i went to training was told that this style was very unusual and would require a lot to get it the way i want it. ive contributed a lot of useful info on my other forums and in time will do here also. if i didnt feel i had to move on to newer and better things i would have just stuck with sc. one way or another i will learn this new system (with or without YOUR help) these 2 systems are very different and im not bashing either but if i cant even say how something was easier (like tweakin a post)without someone getting offended then i guess ill just have to call my var for info without using this forum. either way im not leaving. im just not used to the way you guys handle things here.

ive got prolly a thousand progs already designed,prooven out and posted in smartcam.im trying to import these files(construction geo only)into mc.the prob is that everything is coming into mc including all toolpaths and points on one layer(level)all white.is there an easy way to get just the geo i need ?im exporting the sc file as a dxf and importing into mc as dxf. thanks

$????????????????? ISNT THAT SOMETHING MY VAR SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE FOR ME? does support for the product also fall short of smartcam?

heres a typical prog we run,all are structured the same. O0176 (FIXED K CLAMP OP#1) (MAT=3. WIDE X 5. LG X .500THK) (XY 0=TOP LEFT CORNER) (PCS TO FIT FIXTURE FOR NEXT OP) (TOOL=1,.687 dia. Twist Drill ) (TOOL=2,.500 dia. End Mill RGH RAD=0) (TOOL=3,.500 dia. End Mill FIN RAD=0) (TOOL=4,.250 dia. SPOTDRILL RAD=0) G00 G90 G80 G40 G17 G49 T1 M06 (--- 0.688 DIA. TWIST DRILL ---) (DRILL BORE HOLES) M01 S3000 M03 G54 M97 P1000 / G55 M97 P1000 / G56 M97 P1000 / G57 M97 P1000 M09 G49 T2 M06 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL RGH ---) (RGH 2.000 HOLE) M01 S6000 M03 G54 M97 P2000 / G55 M97 P2000 / G56 M97 P2000 / G57 M97 P2000 M09 G49 T3 M06 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL FIN---) (FIN BORES) M01 S6500 M03 G54 M97 P3000 / G55 M97 P3000 / G56 M97 P3000 / G57 M97 P3000 M09 G49 T4 M06 (---0.250 DIA. SPOTDRILL ---) (CHAMFERALL) M01 S6500 M03 G54 M97 P4000 / G55 M97 P4000 / G56 M97 P4000 / G57 M97 P4000 M09 G00 Z6. G54 X7.5 G00 G91 G28 Z0 Y0 M05 G49 T1 M06 M30 N1000 (--- 0.688 DIA. TWIST DRILL ---) (DRILL BORE HOLES) G00 X1.4375 Y-0.95 M08 G43 H01 Z0.1 G98 G73 X1.4375 Y-0.95 Z-0.75 R0.05 Q0.1 F35. X4.1245 Y-1.5 G80 G00 Z1. M99 N2000 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL RGH ---) (RGH 2.000 HOLE) G90 G00 X1.4375 Y-0.957 M08 G43 H02 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.6 F80. G41 D02 Y-0.757 F45. (F55.) G03 X1.4375 Y-0.757 I0. J-0.743 G01 Y-0.957 G00 Z1. G40 X1.4375 Y-0.957 M99 N3000 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL FIN---) (FIN BORES) G90 G00 X1.4375 Y-0.847 M08 G43 H03 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.7 F150. G41 D03 Y-0.747 F40. G03 X1.4375 Y-0.747 I0. J-0.753 G01 Y-0.847 G00 Z1. G40 X1.4375 Y-0.847 X4.0745 Y-1.525 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.7 F150. G41 D03 Y-1.575 F16. G03 X4.1245 Y-1.625 I0.05 J0. X4.1245 Y-1.625 I0. J0.125 X4.1745 Y-1.575 I0. J0.05 G01 Y-1.525 G00 Z1. G40 X4.1745 Y-1.525 X-0.2042 Y0.3005 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.15 F150. G41 D03 X0.2939 Y0.2569 F60. G03 X0.3375 Y0.255 I0.0436 J0.4981 G01 X2.4557 X4.7759 Y-0.0711 G02 X5.3225 Y-0.6999 I-0.0884 J-0.6288 G01 Y-2.3001 G02 X4.7759 Y-2.9289 I-0.635 J0. G01 X2.4557 Y-3.255 X0.4375 G02 X-0.1975 Y-2.62 I0. J0.635 G01 Y-0.38 G02 X0.4375 Y0.255 I0.635 J0. G03 X0.4811 Y0.2569 I0. J0.5 G01 X0.9792 Y0.3005 G00 Z1. G40 X0.9792 Y0.3005 M99 N4000 (---0.250 DIA. SPOTDRILL ---) (CHAMFERALL) G90 G00 X1.4875 Y-0.647 M08 G43 H04 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.05 F65. G41 D04 Y-0.597 G03 X1.4375 Y-0.547 I-0.05 J0. X1.4375 Y-0.547 I0. J-0.953 X1.3875 Y-0.597 I0. J-0.05 G01 Y-0.647 G00 Z1. G40 X1.3875 Y-0.647 X3.8745 Y-1.55 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.05 G41 D04 Y-1.575 G03 X4.1245 Y-1.825 I0.25 J0. X4.1245 Y-1.825 I0. J0.325 X4.3745 Y-1.575 I0. J0.25 G01 Y-1.55 G00 Z1. G40 X4.3745 Y-1.55 X0.2292 Y0.0541 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.055 G41 D04 X0.3288 Y0.0454 G03 X0.3375 Y0.045 I0.0087 J0.0996 G01 X2.441 X4.7466 Y-0.279 G02 X5.1125 Y-0.6999 I-0.0591 J-0.4209 G01 Y-2.3001 G02 X4.7466 Y-2.721 I-0.425 J0. G01 X2.441 Y-3.045 X0.4375 G02 X0.0125 Y-2.62 I0. J0.425 G01 Y-0.38 G02 X0.4375 Y0.045 I0.425 J0. G01 X0.5375 G03 X0.5462 Y0.0454 I0. J0.1 G01 X0.6458 Y0.0541 G00 Z1. G40 X0.6458 Y0.0541 M99

what is exactly ment by this term?

is there a way i can get it to snap to the center of an arc as i pass over it?

thakks guys.ill get it over time im sure. at this rate (200 posts)ill have an avatar by the end of the day! i can assure you it wont look like James Meyette!!!!!

am i correct that 2-d geometry in mc will always be drawn on one level? a z level of zero? if i draw features that are from the other side of the part that i want to design around from the side im working on now,wouldnt i at least have them another color so i could hide them ?everything we do i have to design myself ,we get no prints or any kind of graphic file at all.everything is drawn directly in the cam system. sorry if some of these questions seem like im just a beginner but these 2 cam systems are very different. is it common to create geometry in different colors so its easier to keep track of whats what? thanks mark btw how do i get an avatar to work?

thanks james. maybe we all CAN get along!

thanks for all the replies.i know it was the right move to make im just finding it very different.in sc i drew all of my geometry on 'layers' i would freely assign a level and a profile top to each one.i would immediately see graphicly how the thickness of the geometry looked.i would also make each layer a different color to easily hide it.in class we seemed to do everything in the green default 'level' can i assume that 'level'is mcs equivalent to sc layers? these are just a few of the things im really having trouble understanding...... 1 the level layers thing 2 the lead in lead out does not seem to be freely assignable to each profile.it seems if i change it once all toolpaths by that tool are affected. 3 why cant i graphicly see my peckdrills peck? 4 why cant i draw an arc with a start and end at different z levels without going through the hassle of making it a helix?(actually sc wouldnt allow me to do this either) 5 when i open a new file why cant i see the last few files that were opened?it always seems to go right to the last directory. 6 drawing clamps ,fixtures and vices was easy on layers and they would show as solids in the graphical cut section in sc.you were even prompted as to which layer the stock and fixtures were on.it seems in mc they have to be 'built'as solids and saved as a special type of file to be displayed in the graphic cut display. this is all i can think of right now(its 1 am and im still at work foolin around with this) i have always had my programs post in a very orderly fashon (always subs with g97 local subprogramming)this made it very easy to add more parts or to easily only run g54 for 1st pc.i simply would put a / before the others and run blk del.all of our progs are structured this way but in class im being told that this is a very different and unique way of programming that will require lots of tweeking to the post.i put a sample prog at the end of this lonnnnnnng reply.is anyone else programming like this? im sure this system is going to perform miracles for me in time but right now ive just got to get used to it.i really wish i had come onboard with ver 10 which im told will be much different. some things ive really been impressed with are the pocketing routines and the ability to keep the tool down. ive also noticed you can do flowline surface machining across multiple surfaces(not possible in sc only one surface) right now the urge to just open sc and finish what im doing is great but i will resist the temptation and learn this new system. thanks for letting me rant. (btw someone said that sc was more of a dos based system,not true in the later versions and i see more dos based things in mc) heres a typical prog we run,all are structured the same. O0176 (FIXED K CLAMP OP#1) (MAT=3. WIDE X 5. LG X .500THK) (XY 0=TOP LEFT CORNER) (PCS TO FIT FIXTURE FOR NEXT OP) (TOOL=1,.687 dia. Twist Drill ) (TOOL=2,.500 dia. End Mill RGH RAD=0) (TOOL=3,.500 dia. End Mill FIN RAD=0) (TOOL=4,.250 dia. SPOTDRILL RAD=0) G00 G90 G80 G40 G17 G49 T1 M06 (--- 0.688 DIA. TWIST DRILL ---) (DRILL BORE HOLES) M01 S3000 M03 G54 M97 P1000 / G55 M97 P1000 / G56 M97 P1000 / G57 M97 P1000 M09 G49 T2 M06 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL RGH ---) (RGH 2.000 HOLE) M01 S6000 M03 G54 M97 P2000 / G55 M97 P2000 / G56 M97 P2000 / G57 M97 P2000 M09 G49 T3 M06 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL FIN---) (FIN BORES) M01 S6500 M03 G54 M97 P3000 / G55 M97 P3000 / G56 M97 P3000 / G57 M97 P3000 M09 G49 T4 M06 (---0.250 DIA. SPOTDRILL ---) (CHAMFERALL) M01 S6500 M03 G54 M97 P4000 / G55 M97 P4000 / G56 M97 P4000 / G57 M97 P4000 M09 G00 Z6. G54 X7.5 G00 G91 G28 Z0 Y0 M05 G49 T1 M06 M30 N1000 (--- 0.688 DIA. TWIST DRILL ---) (DRILL BORE HOLES) G00 X1.4375 Y-0.95 M08 G43 H01 Z0.1 G98 G73 X1.4375 Y-0.95 Z-0.75 R0.05 Q0.1 F35. X4.1245 Y-1.5 G80 G00 Z1. M99 N2000 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL RGH ---) (RGH 2.000 HOLE) G90 G00 X1.4375 Y-0.957 M08 G43 H02 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.6 F80. G41 D02 Y-0.757 F45. (F55.) G03 X1.4375 Y-0.757 I0. J-0.743 G01 Y-0.957 G00 Z1. G40 X1.4375 Y-0.957 M99 N3000 (---0.500 DIA. END MILL FIN---) (FIN BORES) G90 G00 X1.4375 Y-0.847 M08 G43 H03 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.7 F150. G41 D03 Y-0.747 F40. G03 X1.4375 Y-0.747 I0. J-0.753 G01 Y-0.847 G00 Z1. G40 X1.4375 Y-0.847 X4.0745 Y-1.525 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.7 F150. G41 D03 Y-1.575 F16. G03 X4.1245 Y-1.625 I0.05 J0. X4.1245 Y-1.625 I0. J0.125 X4.1745 Y-1.575 I0. J0.05 G01 Y-1.525 G00 Z1. G40 X4.1745 Y-1.525 X-0.2042 Y0.3005 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.15 F150. G41 D03 X0.2939 Y0.2569 F60. G03 X0.3375 Y0.255 I0.0436 J0.4981 G01 X2.4557 X4.7759 Y-0.0711 G02 X5.3225 Y-0.6999 I-0.0884 J-0.6288 G01 Y-2.3001 G02 X4.7759 Y-2.9289 I-0.635 J0. G01 X2.4557 Y-3.255 X0.4375 G02 X-0.1975 Y-2.62 I0. J0.635 G01 Y-0.38 G02 X0.4375 Y0.255 I0.635 J0. G03 X0.4811 Y0.2569 I0. J0.5 G01 X0.9792 Y0.3005 G00 Z1. G40 X0.9792 Y0.3005 M99 N4000 (---0.250 DIA. SPOTDRILL ---) (CHAMFERALL) G90 G00 X1.4875 Y-0.647 M08 G43 H04 Z1. Z0.05 G01 Z-0.05 F65. G41 D04 Y-0.597 G03 X1.4375 Y-0.547 I-0.05 J0. X1.4375 Y-0.547 I0. J-0.953 X1.3875 Y-0.597 I0. J-0.05 G01 Y-0.647 G00 Z1. G40 X1.3875 Y-0.647 X3.8745 Y-1.55 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.05 G41 D04 Y-1.575 G03 X4.1245 Y-1.825 I0.25 J0. X4.1245 Y-1.825 I0. J0.325 X4.3745 Y-1.575 I0. J0.25 G01 Y-1.55 G00 Z1. G40 X4.3745 Y-1.55 X0.2292 Y0.0541 Z0.05 G01 Z-0.055 G41 D04 X0.3288 Y0.0454 G03 X0.3375 Y0.045 I0.0087 J0.0996 G01 X2.441 X4.7466 Y-0.279 G02 X5.1125 Y-0.6999 I-0.0591 J-0.4209 G01 Y-2.3001 G02 X4.7466 Y-2.721 I-0.425 J0. G01 X2.441 Y-3.045 X0.4375 G02 X0.0125 Y-2.62 I0. J0.425 G01 Y-0.38 G02 X0.4375 Y0.045 I0.425 J0. G01 X0.5375 G03 X0.5462 Y0.0454 I0. J0.1 G01 X0.6458 Y0.0541 G00 Z1. G40 X0.6458 Y0.0541 M99 [ 03-08-2003, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: cherokeechief79 ]

wher can i find some COOL vectorized files?anything cool including scanned vector files.

can i set up all of the features that i am used to in smartcam the same way now in mc?i already figgered how to set f9-f12 as my veiws but i also had some quick selecting features that were set up for chaining with mouseclicks (smartcam users will know what i mean) also it appears that i couls run mc directly through a smartcam tmp. file to output code the way i was used to.am i correct on this?

how many of you are previous smartcam freeform users?we are converting over to mc now and i would like to know your honest thoughts on the 2 systems.ive just been to my 1st 3 training lessons for level one.i thought that it would be a breeze for me(ive been using freeform for 7 yrs)but ive found that there are a ton more keystrokes to get the same thing done that i could previously do very quickly.are these all things that will become just as easy in time?our move to mc was based mainly on the pocketing routines(very poor in smartcam)and the lack of support on the product. please your HONEST thoughts. thanks