quote: You don't own it. You've leased the rights to use it.... and you can loose those rights for violating the agreement. While we're at it, that also answers the question about hasp emulators and such. These are also a violation of the license agreement which clearly states that one seat of the software may only be run on one computer at a time utilizing the hardware lock provided by CNC Software or your reseller. I know this subject has come up before and no doubt will again so I thought this thread would be a good place to mention it.

quote: I never said you or anyone else was a criminal. Toad, You didn't say it, but you implied it, i.e, quote: ...VERY interesting some of you...have already "seen" the cracked version of X.Trust me, this forum is the wrong place for word games! Cracked software is illegal and those who produce, sell, buy, or use it are breaking the law. Cracked software is also unfortunately a fact of life in this business that we all need to be aware of. Just because someone has knowledge of an illegal activity doesn't necessarily mean they are a participant in it, and I also resent the implication in your statement. I too have "seen" the illegal web and P2P sites that peddle cracked software. I also know where the heroin dealers in my town hang out. Does either of those bits of information implicate me in any way? Nothing personal here, it's just that the tone of your statement rubbed me the wrong way and as you can see this is a touchy subject around here. My advice is if you have something to say in the forum, just say it. If I misunderstood the intent of your statement I apologize...but I don't think I misunderstood the implication. BTW...thanks alot pip!! I spewed coffee out meh nose and all over meh keyboard! Gawd...that's nasty!!

quote: Mark you need to hit the cutting edge ever-so slightly with a stone, but only on one flute. Will cut a little over but works great. Hardmill teh old school! Straight flute may work OK if it's a thru hole, but I think deep blind holes will give you chip compacting problems. I'd stick with what you have and try Hardmill's tip. Also, try manipulating your speed & feed till you find that 'sweet spot' John is talking about . HTH

Just got mine today too!! Prolly won't get it installed for a couple days knowing the IT folks here...but ya never know! In the meantime, I'll be reading the guides and bugging the IT guys until they install it. Jim teh "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?"...

Lucky ducks!! I don't have mine yet but can't wait! In the meantime I'll keep reading the posts and picking up tips here and there until I get my copy and can try it out. BTW...Just as a matter of trivia, does anyone know how many beta versions there were before the finished product was finalized? If that's confidential information, I'll understand. If it's not a secret, I'd like to know just out of curiosity... Beta testers? John, I put in a request at work for the rollout seminar on the 16th at Prism, but my boss just kind of chuckled, then promptly ignored it. I think we're getting really busy this month so I doubt he'll be letting me go anywhere. If he does let me go, I'll see you there.

Welcome to the forum Longaph! I always use Google Images Enjoy!

quote: You dont need a shirt. X is so good you'll want to program naked. ROFL @ Mike!! Important safety tip: Programming naked is one thing, but for heaven's sake keep away from those machining centers and the hot chips!!

Thanks Ken, this was a real help. I haven't gotten my X yet, but this guide looks like it will be very helpful when I'm ready to make the switch. I've been running some long cycle time parts lately, so I've had time to browse through the guide. I'm sure I'll still have questions when the time comes, but at least I'll have the basics covered.

2 Fadal 4020 vertical mills here; One has the AB table attachment for 4th & 5th axis, the other is plain 3 axis. We also have a new Deckel Maho VMC on order but I have no idea when it's due here.

quote: just X-files teh truth is out there...

quote: yall is singular and all yall is plural. I spent some time in Georgia and heard it this way: 1 to 5 people = 'yall' more than 5 = 'all yall' or 'youens' Welcome to the forum, Anna.

All good answers as usual. Tom, Another possibility that just dawned on me is that you could investigate the possibility of securing some 'freebies' from some manufacturers or vendors since you are affiliated with a university and are not in a strictly for-profit business. I know some of our local manufacturers and tool vendors often donate to our vo-tech programs around here, so it's not unheard of. I think the vendors get a tax break or something for donating to educational institutions, so everybody wins. As an engineering student, you could easily conduct some controlled tests using different tools and materials, all in the name of education, of course, and possibly have some vendors pick up the tab. You'd be surprised at what may be out there for free if you scrounge around!

+1 Storkman! I would put a pin in the hole and rotate the part until you get approximatemy .017 deflection on your dial indicator over approximately 1" of Z travel and there you have it!

jimp, I use this site as a good resource for technical info. I believe there's a mechanical drawing symbols table there somewhere but you'd have to search the site. I believe the ~ symbol does mean 'approximately' in mechanical drawing terms, but I'm not 100% sure. HTH Welcome to the forum chopper52! Where u at in Pa.? I'm in the northeast near Scranton.

Welcome to the forum Shan! Also, check to see if your operating system was upgraded or updated recently. There are file permission issues with Windows XP that may not be allowing you to save your Mastercam config files. If you are using XP, it may be a simple matter of getting the file permission settings set properly so that when you change your config files they stay changed.

quote: create edge curves and make a little surface to fill the pockets to Italian' stylin' (or the artist formerly known as cmr. ) I use this one alot!! Quick and simple!

quote: I would of put it on the FTP site but for some reason I havn't been able to access it for about a month.I had the same problem accessing the ftp site. I think the Windows and /or IE Updates change some of the Internet Explorer settings back to their default values. If you use Internet Explorer: -Tools> Internet Options> Advanced -Scroll down to the Browsing section -Look for 'Enable folder view for ftp sites' and check the box if it is not already checked. -Scroll down further and look for 'Use passive ftp' and uncheck this box if it is checked. This should fix your ftp site access problem.

quote: Flame me ,but ....This is illegal I didn't know that, Iskander. How is it illegal? Aren't software manufacturers allowed to put whatever they like to be able to identify and trace their products? I mean like a hidden serial number or some such other means? Please enlighten me.

Click on Gview> Named> In the named list pick #8 Axonometric which is a 'left front' view. Oops...didn't see rob's or storkman's post.

quote: Those guys are mostly pretty good hackers themself too. That may be true...but anyone trolling around trying to leech free copies of software from a site full of registered users is strictly a lamer in my book. I think Bullines could handily flame these lamers without even breaking a sweat. Like Iskander said, a real pro would compromise somebody's network, take what they want, then leave without a trace. They would also not become involved in the direct distribution side of pirated software so they can keep their anonymity and not be placed in a position where they could be caught. And lastly, for the sake of bragging rights, a real pro certainly would never ASK for a copy of something he could just as easily TAKE. Mark, Excellent suggestion about embedding some innocuous little snippets of code in the distributed cd's. At least then the creators of the software could find the sources of the leaks.

quote: There is not a whole lot we can do with just an e-mail address True, but give Bullines a shot at them anyway! I'm certain he has a few tricks up his sleeve that will at least cause these hackers & crackers to experience a few headaches of their own! Go get 'em Bullines!! You da man!

quote: Make it to the print and there's no way they can nail us for the part not working of it meets spec. Yes, That's the norm. But in R&D there often is no spec...at least not yet. It's a catch-22 situation all the way around. (i.e. damned if you and damned if you don't) We often make one-off prototypes for engineers to use for mockup purposes where they are simply looking at the conceptual stage of a part and usually aren't worried too much about detail at that moment in time. The engineers will not spend the time to develop a full blown, fully detailed drawing of something they are just conceptualizing. These are usually just a model with some verbal instruction from the engineer. He or she will always specify verbally if there is any critical or close tolerance dimension we will need to hold. Otherwise, it's pretty much +/- .005 on all measurable linear dimensions as taken from the model. The problem is that when we shift from 'mockup prototype' to 'fully functional prototype' to 'customer deliverable prototype' we are still using the same system of cad model with verbal instructions. Only when we move out of the prototype realm into the actual production article will we usually ever see a full blown detailed drawing. Then we will be held responsible to meet drawing specs and to provide things like manufacturing history sheets, and material certification records. I've been here for 14 years and have been dealing with this same system from day one! quote: What CAD system do your engineers use ? That's another issue here. A better question may be which system DON'T they use! As of now, I believe we have Catia, Solid Works, Pro-E, Autodesk, and of course Mastercam. One of the recent engineering management goals here is to finally consolidate into ONE cad system for ALL. This is why I have been asking questions here in the forum about Catia Mill...because that's the way they seem to be leaning. quote: Thats how the hole wizard in solidworks does it too. Thanks, Paul. Yes, I like that style too...It's getting them to USE it that seems to be the problem. quote: I'll bet YOU took the heat for the mistake right? Yes, I am quite familiar with the role of 'whipping boy'.

Yes, Tom, you're absolutely right. But the company I work for does 99.9% of all in-house work via electronic means. As a result, I seldom get anything more than a work request from engineering, and the name and location of the appropriate model on the network. I seldom if ever see a proper drawing, so I need to rely on the model itself and input from the requestor for all my data. Also, much of the R&D stuff I do doesn't even have a formalized drawing until they are ready, for example, to contract it out to a vendor for production. This usually only happens after the development stage when the design is finalized. Up to that point, cad models are all we have.

Thanks for the replies. Welcome to the forum, Charles, and thanks for your input. I like the idea of modeling the tapped hole with a chamfer. I am going to pass that up the chain here and see what happens. I also think it wouldn't kill the designer / engineer to pop in a drafting note with a leader to point to the tapped holes or just to give any out-of-the-ordinary information.

I was wondering if there is an industry standard for showing tapped holes on a cad model. Every model I've ever seen just shows the tap drill sized hole w/o the threads. We've always relied upon secondary instruction from our designers and / or engineers to be sure we know which holes are to be tapped and which aren't, but that system isn't foolproof by any means! I sent two small parts out this week that each had a .213 diameter hole that should have been tapped 1/4"-28, but nobody told me until after the parts were shipped! Luckily, the customer was cool about it, but things like this shouldn't happen in the first place! Is there a formal way to designate this on a model? If not, I would like it if the designer would simply put a drafting note on the model to designate tapped holes. This would avoid situations like the one we had this week! Any input on this would be appreciated.