plasttav, If you don't care about being a guinea pig here's a chook I just put together. It should do what you asked for. I don't have solids, so I don't know how it will handle them, but try anyways. Link to Color Entities Chook Bryan

I feel your pain Oh how I feel your pain. I'm constantly amazed, here's a guy who spent years working his way up through the ranks. Spent decades learning his craft. Spent thousands of dollars on quality tools. BUT won't spend one hour to learn to use a computer. A computer is a tool just like any other it takes time and effort to learn. I just wish more people would realize this. quote: Quality is #1, unless the parts a late. Stole this from somewhere, can't remember where but I get this attitude alot: There's never enough time to do it right the first time but there's always enough time to fix it later. James Meyette wrote: quote: This is not limited to Managers. Engineers have this idea too, especially ours. Exaggerated for effect but all to true: Whatdamean you can't create a program to cut a flat bottom pocket with a 1/16 radius ten inches deep in five minutes? They haven't tried this one in awhile since I raised holly hell the last time. After being there longer than God and labor laws should allow: Them: Oh, your still here. Good. They need to cut this tonight. Very important, has to be done. me: well.. uh.. ok. Has to be done? Them: yep. Well gotta go. My kid/dog/goldfish/lawn has to be cut/neutered/mowed/fed and I can't stay late tonight. Bye. next morning: Me to one of the mill operators: So how did [super rush job #4342] turn out? Operator: Oh, They decided not to run it 'till later this afternoon/weekend/etc. It wasn't that important. I can count the number of time that it was *that important* on one hand. And that's after cutting off three fingers and a thumb. Boy it feels good to vent. On the other hand to counter all this negativity. I do work with a lot of neat people. A couple of these quys must be part saint. Officially one is like head of machining or something but his real job seems to be more of a referee between machining, programming, and engineering. He's always nice. He asks the right questions and when he says something is wrong he's usually right. You don't have to play 20 questions with him only to find out that particular toolpath need a lower depth cut or something. Our maintenace/electriction/jack-of-all-trades guy is always helping someone out. I don't just mean in the shop. He's always there to help if there's a family emergency or if someone is sick. He's helped quite a few people (myself included) with things like furnace troubles in the middle of winter. Many are just young kids or couples just starting out and have no money. Bryan

You forgot my favorite. Hide the toolbar, make a print screen and save it as a bitmap. set the bitmap as the background, remove icons, and unhide the toolbar. They'll click away for quite awhile. Bryan

v9 will load a config file as command line. create a link with you cfg file and stick the shortcut in a submenu somewhere. Let the desktop shortcut be blank and load the default config file. Or better yet have the desktop icon/link load a config file with horrible colors, fonts, and settings. For version 8 same concept except no command line loading of config files. Manually copy your config file at night and restore it in the morning. Or create a batch file to do this. Bryan

I only got a brief chance to play with the vscripting in beta so I'm not totally sure if/how I'll use it but... There are supposed to be quite a few example files included in v9.1. I'm hoping they contain something interesting. Also their are a lot of smart people here on the forum so I'm sure in time we'll see a few interesting applications. (Lets just hope they share ) Myself I hoping to use them for some rapid prototyping of chooks. Get the basic function tested in vbscript then convert over to a chook for speed. Another idea I had is our engineers have a lot of standardized parts. Many are just variations on a theme, longer, bigger, wider, etc... I was hoping to encode a few of these in some vbscripts. Then all they would have to do is answer a few questions and pick a point to create it. This would give greater control than 'insert pattern'. Think inserting or creating on two different levels or colors. If in the future if the pattern need fixing or changed, it can be easily changed right in the file. And finally get rid of all those extra pattern files. Bryan [ 03-23-2003, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: bryan314 ]

Here is a tip I got from our dealer when we were having a different job setup problem. Create a series of dummy mastercam files each with their own settings. Now when you create a new part just use the dummy file with the appropriate settings. Be sure to save the part file under a different name. Having the read only property set under the dummy file helps also. If you already have a part file and need the settings you can use the import button in the job setup page to import a job setup from another file. If you use, v9 when 9.1 comes out write a vbscript to set them. I'm making some big assumptions here. I know chooks can set job setup values since some of my setup chooks do so. I'm assuming vbscript can or will in the future be able to set them also. Bryan

Don't move your geometry. Just create a new named plane with a new origin. Then use that as your t/c plane for operations. Bryan

In mastercam, not as of yet. There are some 3rd party programs that when they see a dialog box pop up, it will press buttons or check boxes for you. Search google and you should find a few free ones. My preference is one called RTVRECO and can be downloaded here: http://www.clearlight.com/~rtvsoft/RtvReco.htm It's not free but shareware. BUT you can set up five actions with the unregistered version. I've found this to be enough for me. The two biggest annoyances I use it for are the t/c plane checkbox and when you add/replace drillpoints from one op to another the 'do you want to retain depths' box. I always answer no to this. Bryan

ksoufi quote: finishing my C-hook way to go man! pdg quote: I built one last set of Executables and then later watched as our QC Manager handed a V9.1 Release CD to the front office for distribution. VBS quote: Wrote a Mastercam VBScript to batch import a folder full of layered DXF files, analyize, toolpath and then nest them all in a just few seconds You gonna share? For me: Finished a module for our PO database. (I hate DB programming ) Wrote a new chook that allows me to post my setup sheet at the same time i post my nc code. Toolpathed a handfull of steels for whatever the hot job of the day was. Don't think I scrapped any. Today, Moving holes for the hot part of the day. Bryan

I need some help from a post processor guru. My reference book is a little out of date and therefor somewhat limited. Is their a setting to turn the edit nc and edit nci off or on in the operations manager? I know the 161-167 questions allow you to do this with home buttons, t/c plane button etc. in an operation. I was wondering if their was a setting for nc/nci edit? Bryan

ksoufi, I don't know if this will help or not. Below is some code I plan on later expanding out to a 'dual post' chook. It works by first resetting question 91 in a pst file from the mastercam default post processor exe "MP" to the name of the chook. Say in this case "MYMP". 91. Name of executable post processor? MP to 91. Name of executable post processor? MYMP Now when 'posting' is called mymp.dll is called instead. The code passes the arguments to the regular mp.dll and my customized arguments to my setup sheet pst(set) file by calling run_post_exe_dll. The chook acts differently when called from nci_manager and using the post button in the operations manager. With nci_manager each run of run_post_exe_dll is sent to the default editor. With the operation post button, if edit is set, only the first instance is sent to the editor. I haven't had a chance to play around to see it this is a cfg file setting, pst file setting , or something else. The nice thing about this chook is that it runs after the nci file is generated. Giving you time to do other things. Also Make sure 'save nci file' is set or mastercam deletes the nci file after the first run_post_exe_dll and before the second run_post_exe_dll if called. Bryan quote: char temp_nci[FILENAME_MAX]; char temp_pst[FILENAME_MAX]; char temp_nc[FILENAME_MAX]; char setup_sheet[FILENAME_MAX]; //make copy of nci, pst, and nc file names //post_args are only set when 'posting' and are cleared after //the first of run_post_exe_dll below runs strcpy( temp_nci, post_args[0]); strcpy( temp_pst, post_args[1]); strcpy( temp_nc, post_args[2]); //change name and directory for setup sheet strcpy( setup_sheet, post_args[0]); // nci name with path reduce_filename(setup_sheet, "", setup_sheet, ""); //nci name only build_filename(setup_sheet, geo_prefix, "XXX"); //nci name with mc8 file path //XXX will get striped off by //the post and replaced by sextnc //strcat( temp_nc, ".nc.XXX"); //if sextnc is "" will remove XXX and leave .nc //when run from post button and edit nc is set, this one is sent to editor //the next instance is not. run_post_exe_dll( "mp.dll", temp_nci, temp_pst, temp_nc); //post as normal //setup sheet run_post_exe_dll( "mp.dll", temp_nci, "U:PostSetupSheet.PST", setup_sheet); //when run from post button send setup sheet file to editor

quote: This release is going to make available VBA also, correct? And what will be the uses/limitations of using VB to create c-hooks, (v-hooks?) In 9.1 you wont be able to directly turn vbscript into chooks. The vbscript engine itself is a chook. It in turn interprets a script you write. benifits: [*]Don't have to buy an expensive compiler. [*]Don't have to learn c or its super/sub-sets C++, MFC, etc [*]Don't have to learn the Mastercam C api. [*]To make a change you just edit the script with your favorite text editor and rerun. [*]vbscript probably has a userbase since it's a Mircosoft product. [*]Should make it easy to prototype a program for later translation into a chook. Limitations: [*]Runs slower since the file has to be reinterpreted every time. This shouldn't be noticable for small scripts. [*]I lied - you probably still have to learn the MC Api just in vbscript form. [*]C has a wealth of libraries and code repositories out there. If someone hasn't written it, they've written something similiar. If nothing similiar, someones written a paper describing how to write it. If no ones written....And so on. [*]You have to learn vbscript. If you know visual basic this shouldn't be too bad. I sure if you search Google or something you can find a wealth of information on benifits/limitations of scripting languages vs programming languages. Bryan

...and knowing my luck Mastercam 9.1 will probably come out next week. Anyways the current version of my chooks can be downloaded at: Link to Bryan's chook downloads (1560K/1.52MB) The main website page is: Bryan's chook web page. The short list: Converted chooks over to 9.0 A few minor bugfixes A few new chooks: scanarcs: Scan selected arc sizes then change color or set to 'result.' Search options are =, >, <, <> between, and >< outside. multirun: Run multiple chooks and functions from a list. trnslcnt: Toggle the translucency for a shaded surface. Plus a few other odds and ends. Bryan [ 02-27-2003, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: bryan314 ]

Cool. Thank You. Bryan

PDG, Can you tell me if this is a bug or if I'm missusing the variable. In v8 when the cplane is in 3D the constr_view_n == 0. In v9 when WCS is TOP and cplane is 3D the constr_view_n == 0. When the WCS is set to another plane and cplane is 3D the constr_view_n is not 0. The button says 3D but constr_view_n stays at the previous cplane #. I wanted to know if this is normal behavior before I send it in as a bug to QC. If it's not a bug, is there a boolean for when cplane is in 3D? Bryan

PDG, Is there another way to output text nci? For example if I use list_manager to get the list of ops. Then I pick the ops I want and write to a file? pseudocode: list_manager get ops open file foo.nci write the binary nci from op 1 to foo.nci write the binary nci from op 3 to foo.nci write the binary nci from op 5 to foo.nci close file / pseudocode Bryan

James, You're welcome. The original idea came from our dealer a few years ago when our JobSetup values where going all wonky. Having autonumber tools turned on when you don't want it is a big pain in the xxxx. I eventually traced it back to when Design creates a new file. Even though you can't specify default jobsetup values in Design it sets them for you anyways. The solution was to set the defaults the way you want them in Mill and then copy the defaults file to Design. That and I spiked one of our engineer’s main chooks I created with a routine that resets the values if they are set wrong. Bryan

ksoufi, I don't have any ideas for the nci_manager post all problem. Hopefully PDG can answer. I'd like to know how to do this too. As for the file new. Try creating a 'dummy' blank file. When you need a new file just read/load this file. Then when finished save the file under a different name. The dummy file could be set as 'read only' so no one accidently overwrites it. An added benifit of doing this is you can pre-stock and preset varius 'stuff' in the file. For example: To make sure all the JobSetup Values are correct. Or maybe have a preloaded tool list, thus avoiding having to import them. Or a common set of toolpaths. Create notes to use as templates with prefilled text that can be edited through code. Bryan

PDG, Thank you. Thank you. My program compiles and runs fine. Bryan

PDG, Sorry to be a pest but could post an example. I'm afraid I still going to be a little confused until I see it. I do better with being able to see examples. Bryan

PDG, Does this look right? code: void your_function() { //code for first run here } void CH_ENTRY m_enter( long *ptrs ) { if (open_app (ptrs)) //code run when run for second time or more time close_app (ptrs); } void CH_ENTRY m_close( ) { //clean up code for when mc closes } void CH_ENTRY m_open (long *ptrs) { if (open_app (ptrs)) if (product_level_1_or_design_enabled()) { /* put your function here */ your_function(); } close_app (ptrs); } Also, is m_close( ) just m_close( ) or does it need to be m_close( long *ptrs ) ? Maybe the next release of the developement kit could attach a skeleton code example in the documentation after the paragraph on this. I'm sure I'm not the only who's been confused over this. (Then again, Maybe I am the only one ) Bryan

First PDG (and everyone else) thanks for taking the time to help me out. Second what about open_app() and close_app(). When/Where are they called. Just in m_open? Third. What the heck is m_init(). Did you mean m_main( )? So would the code look similar to this? code: void your_function() { //code for first run here } void CH_ENTRY m_enter( ) { //code run when run for second time or more time } void CH_ENTRY m_close( ) { //clean up code for when mc closes } /************************************************/ /* do not delete m_main() */ /* M_MAIN FUNCTION */ /************************************************/ void CH_ENTRY m_open (long *ptrs) { if (open_app (ptrs)) if (product_level_1_or_design_enabled()) { /* put your function here */ your_function(); } close_app (ptrs); } /************************************************/ /* do not delete m_main() */ /* END M_MAIN FUNCTION */ /************************************************/ Bryan [ 02-19-2003, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: bryan314 ]

Dan, We're talking about chook programming. The documentation has one paragraph on changing the program entry point so as to retain static variables across runs of a chook. But other than somd function names it goes into very little detail as to the new program structure. Bryan [ 02-19-2003, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: bryan314 ]

Does anybody know the proper layout for when you go from using m_main as the entery point to m_open? Do you call open_app() and close_app() --in just m_open? --or in all three: m_open, m_enter, m_close? --or call open_app in m_open and close_app in m_close? Any help would be appreciated. Bryan

ksoufi, Try looking at geo_filename, geo_prefix, and geo_suffix in M_avars.h. I've used geo_filename for reading the current mc8 filename. I've never tried changing the name myself but that might be the way to go. Bryan