Mastercam X Mr2

What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 The following links list the new functionality in this Maintenance release of Mastercam X.

• AutoCursor • FastPoint Mode • Power Keys • AutoCursor Locking • Limitations

• Zoom Previous • Masking • Undo/Redo • MCX Backup Files • Setdirs Functionality for X • Display Level Descriptor • Screen Endpoints • Modify Spline • STL Export • 3 Surface Blend • Improved Selection of Multiple Solids for 3D

Machining • Improvements to the Solid to 2D Profile function • 2D Offset Improvements • System Configuration

• Chaining • Screen • Backplot • Wire Backplot

• Toolpath Manager Display Options • Only display selected toolpaths • Only display associative geometry • Both options together

• User Defined Feeds and Speeds • Verify

• Scan toolpath file for stock • STL Compare Reset Tolerance and Stock to

Leave • Browse for External Communications • NC File Naming Change

• 2D Mill • Compensation in Control • Compensation Activated Above the

Part • 3D Mill

• High Speed Toolpaths – Rest Roughing

• Stock to Leave on Floors and Walls • HST Scallop – Inside to Outside • Changes to Transitions Page • Axis Combinations

• 4 and 5 Axis Mill • CAD File for Compensation Surfaces • Advanced Multiaxis Toolpaths

• Router • Speed improvements in Nesting • Nesting Reports • Block Drill • Drilling Depth Sorting and Tool

Selection • Multi-head Validation

• Wire • Changes to Wire Parameters • Lead in/out dialog • Wirepath Editor

• Mastercam X Art • Art Toolbar • Art Manager • Help and Documentation • New Dialogs and Functions • Toolpaths • Core Improvements • New Platforms for Art

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2

AutoCursor In an effort to improve efficiency, we have made some AutoCursor modifications that emulate more of what users were used to in previous versions of Mastercam.

FastPoint Mode Some users have requested that FastPoint Mode be the default. This change will allow you to set it and use it exactly the way you want. Since both modes have their advantages, you must have easy access to both. One of the common complaints with releases before Mastercam X was that you had to hit the space bar to put the system into FastPoint mode.

• AutoCursor now has two distinct modes for input – XYZ mode and FastPoint mode. Rather than forcing you to manually switch from the XYZ mode with the spacebar or FastPoint button, you can now force the system into FastPoint mode as the default. The Default to FastPoint mode option in the AutoCursor Settings dialog box controls this state.

• Each mode will have a different effect on the interface in the AutoCursor and in ribbon bars that use hot keys 1, 2, or 3 to manipulate AutoCursor positions of some entities.

XYZ mode This is how the current X interface works. This includes the AutoCursor and ribbon bar actions. This is the active mode when the Default to FastPoint mode option is unselected. FastPoint mode

• FastPoint mode will be activated any time you type X, Y, Z, D, or any number on the keyboard. • When set as the default mode, the XYZ keys normally reserved to put focus in the X, Y, Z, or D fields of the

AutoCursor ribbon bar or activate the 1, 2, 3 options on the ribbon bar will open the FastPoint mode, just like in Version 9.

• While FastPoint mode is the default, you will still be able to use the mouse to access the X, Y, Z, or D fields of the AutoCursor ribbon bar and type anything in those fields without activating the FastPoint mode.

• While in FastPoint mode, you will only be able to access the 1, 2, 3, buttons in the ribbon bar by using the mouse. These buttons are used in some functions to redefine the geometry by prompting to select a new position.

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 Power Keys This adjustment changes the way AutoCursor positions are accessed, making them available via single keystrokes. You will be able to turn this on or off. Basically, this option allows you to use E for endpoints, O for origin, C for Center, and so on, just like the override modes in prior versions of Mastercam, without forcing you to use an [Alt] or [Ctrl] key combination.

• The AutoCursor Settings dialog box now has a switch to use this option. • The AutoCursor dialog box and the drop-down list will show the hot keys with an underlined character.

Windows 2000 or XP will not show the underlined character in a dialog box unless you first hit the [Alt] key, or turn off your computer’s Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key option (can be accessed by going to the Windows Control Panel and selecting Display, Appearance tab, Effects button).

• The hot keys will not be user customizable but they are translatable.

• When the AutoCursor Power Keys are active, Mastercam X will interpret user input differently when the system is prompting for an AutoCursor position.

• The keystroke will be first run through the AutoCursor power keys to see if it matches one of those settings.

• If a power key match is found, the AutoCursor will then be in Override mode, just as if you clicked it with the mouse.

• If no match is found, the keystroke will be passed down to the ribbon bar to see if it activates any of the controls.

• If no match is found in either place, the keystroke will be treated as it is now. • There may be cases where ribbon bar controls will not work when Power Keys are enabled. In those cases, you

will be forced to use the mouse to access those options. • The options on the right side of the Settings dialog box will not have hot keys. Angular, Tangent, Perpendicular,

Nearest, and Horizontal/Vertical are all new to X and are all “relative” positions, not discrete snap positions. • The Relative option, which is not in the Settings dialog box but is in the drop-down override list, will not have a

hot key even though it had one in Version 9. • When in an override mode, the rubber band cursor does not appear on the screen or is removed from the screen.

This is consistent with Version 9 override behavior. To address this will require more design work for the AutoCursor in a future version.

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AutoCursor Locking Users have been requesting the ability to lock an AutoCursor mode without having to open the Settings dialog box. This change will allow you to choose between setting a single event override or setting a locked mode for multiple events without having to open the AutoCursor Settings dialog. This change will be subtle, utilizing the same right-click cursor indication we are currently using for the Status Bar.

• As you bring the mouse to the override drop-down box, you will see a visual cue that there is an alternate option when the cursor changes.

• When you activate the drop-down to select an override, you will see the new cursor that indicates there is an alternate right-click behavior.

• Left-click on an option and the system will work in the single-event override mode.

• Right-click on an option and the system will lock that mode so it can be used continually without having to be reset.

• The override button will be depressed as an indicator that a specific mode is active.

• Locking the AutoCursor mode will not have any effect on the AutoCursor Settings dialog box. • You are also able to assign and lock the AutoCursor overrides in the right-mouse menu with the same

interaction that is found with the AutoCursor ribbon bar.

• Locking the AutoCursor options from a toolbar is also supported. But it will not be indicated to you with the

special mouse cursor that it is available like in the AutoCursor ribbon bar or in the right-mouse menu.

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• Locking the AutoCursor mode will stay active for the session or until you do one of the following which will reset the mode back to it’s default behavior:

• Exiting Mastercam • File, New • Opening the AutoCursor Settings dialog box. • Clicking on the selected button in the AutoCursor ribbon bar with either the right or the left mouse

button. • Using a Keymap combination that interacts with the AutoCursor modes

• For MR2, there will not be a way to lock an AutoCursor mode using a keystroke sequence.

Limitations The following AutoCursor options cannot be locked and will only work in the current override mode even if selected with the right mouse button.

• Origin • Nearest • Relative • Perpendicular • Tangent

While in a locked mode, none of the button options on the ribbon bar will be active. Live entities cannot be edited or even accepted with the [Enter] key. You must hit [Esc] to exit the locked override mode first before trying to edit the entity.

Zoom Previous During the design process of Mastercam X, we neglected to port this functionality. Many users have noticed this and complained that it adds more work by not having it. Therefore it is back and will be assigned to [F2] as it was in previous versions of Mastercam. We have improved it to remember as many zooms as you make. Here are the function parameters:

1. The following actions clear the Un-Zoom Previous/.5 stack (these same things happened in Version 9): • Changing the view (including rotation) • Fit • Zoom In/Out • Zoom Selected

2. The following actions will add the current zoom/pan position to the Un-Zoom Previous/.5 stack prior to the action:

• Zoom Target • Zoom Window • Mouse wheel zoom in • Page Up key zoom in

3. For multiple mouse wheel/Page Up key zoom in actions, only the first action is processed as described in 2. Multiple actions are considered terminated when either a function is run or the left mouse button is clicked in the graphics viewport.

Masking We have changed the saving and loading of pre-defined masks to remember the state of the Maintain option.

Undo/Redo Undo has been modified to purge the Redo stack when a new transaction is added to the Undo stack. This is standard operation for Windows products. This means if you create 5 lines, then undo 2 and create a new circle, the last two

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lines created can not be restored with a Redo command because the arc creation started a new “branch” in the Undo/Redo thread.

MCX Backup Files

• The Active option controls whether it is on or off, active or inactive. • When the Active option is selected, the Start, Increment, Delimiter, and Max Limit fields are enabled. • The Delimiter field uses standard Microsoft® controls to disallow the following characters as delimiters:

\/:*?”<>|. • The delimiter is placed between the end of the file name and just before the MCX suffix followed by a number.

This field will only accept 1 character. • The default values for these fields are Start 100, Increment 1, Delimiter @, and Max Limit 10. • The Start field allows you to set what the first number will be in the backup sequence. • The Increment field determines the increment between numbers. • The Start and Increment fields accept multiple characters. • Every time you save a file while this is active, a backup copy of the part will be made based on the settings.

Using the example of Test.MCX with the values set to 100, 1, -, and a max limit of 3, the following will occur: a. Test.MCX is saved and Test-100.MCX is created at the same time. b. At the next user save, the original Test-100.MCX is renamed to Test-101.MCX and Test-100.MCX

created based on the current state of Test.MCX. c. The next save of Test.MCX triggers Test-101 to be renamed to Test-102, Test-100 gets renamed to Test-

101, and a new Test-100 is created. d. The next save will rename Test-101 to Test-102, Test-100 to Test-101, and Test-100 is created based on

the current information. The Test-102 that existed before the save is gone because the Max Limit was set to 3.

• Based on user input, we added options to save the backup files in a user-specified backup directory. Select the Use backup directory option and setting a specific path for the backup files. If the backup directory is not specified, the backup files will be saved in the same location as the MCX files. By default, they will reside in the MCX directory.

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 Setdirs Functionality for X This version of Mastercam X contains a new option under the File menu called Project Manager. Selecting this option opens a dialog that will allow you to easily assign the data paths of various files related to the current MCX project into the same folder as the active MCX file.

We have provided the flexibility to specify which machine groups use these settings. You can select one or more groups in the Group settings list box and/or select the check box called Apply these settings when adding new machine groups to this part file. By selecting this option, you can run the Project Manager once and retain all settings for future operations and machine groups. The Project Manager works on the group properties of the current MCX file and overrides the data paths stored within it. This allows you to override data paths for the selected groups without overwriting any Machine or Control Definition files.

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Note: The data paths for translators are still controlled via the Options dialog in the File Open function as shown below.

There are some additional features in MR2 that will make life easier for people who work on Machine Definitions and related files for others (i.e., Mastercam Resellers, support personnel, etc.). The new search algorithms will also make it easier to move MD/CD/Post files around on a network. Here's how it works when you load an MCX file:

1. Machine group properties - machine definition file If the MD file contains a token for the path, it is replaced with the default path to MD files for the product type. A check for the MD file stored with the machine group is carried out. If the file cannot be found, the following folders are checked in order, and the first one to contain the file “wins”.

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• Current MCX folder • Default MD file folder • Current MD file folder

2. Machine group properties MD - Control definition file

The following paths are searched for the control definition irregardless of the path in the local copy of the MD, and the first one to contain the file “wins”.

• Current MCX folder • CD path that was actually stored in the local copy of the MD • Current MD file folder • Default CD file folder • Mastercam install folder

3. Machine group properties MD – post processor file

The following paths are searched for the post processor file irregardless of the path in the local copy of the MD, and the first one to contain the file “wins”.

• Current MCX folder • Post processor path that was actually stored in the local copy of the MD • Current MD file folder • Default post processor file folder • Mastercam install folder

4. Tool/Material libraries

The following paths are searched for library files, and the 1st one to contain the file 'wins'. • Library path that was actually stored in the local copy of the MD • Default library file folder • Current MCX folder • Mastercam install folder

Operation defaults files and operation libraries are not part of this new logic at this time. The only main difference with tool and material libraries is the inclusion of the current MCX file folder. Note: When you load the disk copy of a machine definition, the search path rules in #2 and #3 also apply. Support personnel will now be able to unzip all of the files into a single project folder and work with them directly, without editing paths in the Machine/Control Definitions.

Display Level Descriptor We have received many requests to display the Level Descriptor on the screen. In MR2, there is an option on the Screen page of the Settings, Configuration dialog that allows you to display the level descriptor.

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Screen Endpoints Even though this functionality exists in the Create, Point, Endpoints function, enough users struggled with it so that we re-created this as Screen, Display Entity Endpoints. This function differs from previous versions of Mastercam in that it does not have options to save the endpoints. It displays them until the screen is refreshed. It does require you to be able to run with Hardware acceleration enabled.

Modify Spline In the process of creating Mastercam X, we lost the ability to move the nodes of parametric splines. In Version 9, this was done with Analyze. MR2 adds this functionality back into the software as a part of the renamed Modify NURBS function.

• The ribbon bar appears only when a parametric spline is selected. • To maintain tangency conditions, select the Tangency buttons.

STL Export Writing out STL models with regard to the active WCS is now done automatically when the file is written. This will help when using STL models for stock in Verify.

3 Surface Blend We reworked the interaction of this function to make it easier to modify the results.

Improved Selection of Multiple Solids for 3D Machining There is a problem in the way Mastercam X works when trying to select solids for machining. Only one solid at a time can be selected - all other options like Window or even All, Solids do not work. This creates extra work for the user and makes it too easy for the user to gouge their part if a solid is missed. With this change, you will be able to use:

• All, Surfaces and Solids • Window or Polygon selection • Select only Surface or Solids • Select specific solid faces using the Solids selection activation option

Improvements to the Solid to 2D Profile function Several improvements have been made to this function. These improvements have addressed multiple defects that had been logged in our database. Most importantly, improvements have been made to recognizing ID features. Please try this function out and let us know what you think.

2D Offset Improvements We have incorporated a new 2D offset algorithm to improve reliability in several areas of the software. The new algorithm is used in virtually all 2D toolpaths (Mill, Lathe, Router and Wire). Other areas that will be affected by this change include:

• Stock boundaries in Lathe • Analyze Contour • Cross Hatching • Offset Contour • Solids • Nesting

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 System Configuration

Chaining New settings include:

• Default chaining mode options have been added. • The Color and Level mask options are to allow for “quick” masking on those items. If Color is selected when

you chain geometry, the Color mask setting on the Chaining Options dialog will be enabled. This means that the system will read the color of the first entity selected and will only see items of the same color.

• Prompt for window search point.

Screen The BackPlot Config C-Hook had a No Front Buffer option that informed Backplot to expect the setting of the Unified back/depth buffer option that some nVIDIA graphics cards need to be active. This setting can sometimes adversely affect the graphics display during Backplot. The switch has been added to the System Configuration dialog on the Screen page so you can have Backplot deal with this setting instead of altering your graphics card setup.

Backplot Some settings that where previously only available via the BackPlot Config C-Hook have been integrated into the system. The Opacity settings affect both the tool and holder (if displayed). The Inactive setting is for inactive tools, such as Block Drill tools in the “up” position. Settings range from .01 (tool will be invisible) to 1.0 (tool completely solid).

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Opacity settings have been added to the Backplot settings dialog boxes as well.

Wire Backplot In addition to the new Opacity settings, there are new settings for Wire Backplot:

• To allow for controlling the Wire Guides display. • Control of the display of the UV axis motion.

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 These same settings are available for adjustment at any time while in Wire Backplot.

Toolpath Manager Display Options Users with many operations find it takes too many keystrokes to match which operation goes to what toolpath. They have to turn off the display of all operations, highlight one, press [T] to see it, and then press [T] again to turn it off. They often have to repeat this process dozens of times before they find the operation they want. They also have been asking for a similar mechanism to identify what geometry belongs to each operation. There are two new buttons on the Toolpath Manager for these functions:

• Only display selected toolpaths • Only display associated geometry

• Each button has an up and down state. • When they are in the default up state, the functions are not active. • The state will remain modal for the current session of Mastercam.

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• The states can interact with each other and both be down at the same time. • We changed the way the arrow keys work because of these new options. Currently they control the position of

the insert arrow. The up and down arrow keys now move from operation to operation. • The control of the insert arrow is now tied to a [Shift-Arrow] key sequence.

Only display selected toolpaths • This function operates on selected operations rather than just the one with focus. • This will allow more than one operation to be displayed at a time. • By default, selecting with the mouse automatically selects and puts the focus on the operation. • When this button is down, the function is active and only the operations that are selected will display the

toolpath. • This option will turn off the display of all toolpaths and force the selected toolpaths to be displayed, even if the

display property is turned off. • Because of changes to the arrow key functionality, you will be able to move from operation to operation with

the keys.

Only display associative geometry • This function will operate on selected operations rather than just the one with focus. • This will allow more than one operation’s geometry to be displayed at a time. • By default, selecting with the mouse automatically selects and puts the focus on the operation. • When this button is active, only the operations that are selected will display the geometry. • Because of changes to the arrow key functionality, you will be able to move from operation to operation with

the keys. • This option will turn off the display of all other toolpath geometry and force the selected toolpaths’ geometry to

be displayed, even if the geometry is: • Blanked • Not visible because of the Hide function • On a level that is turned off

Both options together • If both options are active, then you will see only the toolpath and its associated geometry on the screen. • You will be able to work in Mastercam using all of the functions while you are in this mode.

User Defined Feeds and Speeds Users have been asking for an option that will allow them to manually set feeds and speeds and never have them automatically reset because they changed tools, material, or default files. The dialog box below shows a new option added to the Machine Group Properties, Tool Settings page.

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• This option includes entry fields for Feed rate, Spindle speed, Plunge rate, and Retract rate. • The value in the entry fields will be the default Feeds and Speeds used for every operation created when this

option is selected. • Once the operation has been created, there is no longer any associativity between this setting and the operation.

You could change these values and they would not affect existing operations. • If you start with one option and switch to User Defined, the feeds and speeds of existing operations will not be

changed and it will allow for you to make future manual changes in each operation. • If you change tools, materials, or defaults, the feeds and speeds values will not change.

Verify

Scan toolpath file for stock In previous versions when stock was generated from the toolpath data, we set the top of the stock at the feed height. Then when Verify runs, it often shows it as a gouge because the tool is making contact with the stock at a rapid feed rate. Instead of using the feed height value, we are now using the top of stock.

STL Compare Reset Tolerance and Stock to Leave We have added a simple way to reset the interface to adjust the values based on the machining tolerance and the stock to leave from the selected operations.

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Browse for External Communications Starting with MR2, Mastercam will allow you to browse for an external communications package the same way you can browse for a third-party editor in previous versions. This allows you to seamlessly integrate virtually any third-party communications package with Mastercam. The new Mastercam External communications product is still available without browsing. If you want to select a different package, you can select Other in the drop-down list and this will launch the standard file open dialog so you can make your selection.

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 NC File Naming Change In Mastercam Version 9.1, the user could name the individual .NC files using several different methods. With Mastercam X, the current MD group name is applied to all operations and the user can not rename individual .NC files. We added a page to the System Configuration dialog box called Toolpath Manager. This page will provide you with the ability to name the Machine Group, Toolpath Group and the .NC file.

• The Machine Group section will control the name output as the Machine Group name in the Toolpath Manager.

o If the Prompt check box is selected, you will be prompted to name the Machine Group when each Machine Group is created.

o If the User defined option is selected, the edit field below will be enabled and at least one character must be specified in that field.

o If Machine name is selected, the Machine Definition file name will be used. o The default values for these fields will be as shown so that the result will be similar to X. o The Append Values fields will always be active and the three settings shown above are the default

settings, so the result in a default state would be “Machine Group – 1” and increment by one for each subsequent group.

o If you specify an illegal value as a delimiter, an error message (like what is used in Windows Explorer, as shown) will be displayed and the entry will not be accepted.

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o The last values entered will be maintained even when the Apply button is selected, but they will not be maintained between Mastercam sessions. This will be the same interaction for all three group boxes.

• The Toolpath Group section will control the name output as the Toolpath Group name in the Toolpath Manager.

o If the Prompt check box is selected, you will be prompted to name the Toolpath Group when each group is created.

o If the User defined option is selected, the edit field below will be enabled and at least one character must be specified in that field.

o If Machine name is selected, the Machine Definition file name will be used. o The default values for these fields will be as shown so that the result will be similar to X. o The Append Values fields will always be active and the three settings shown above are the default

settings, so the result in a default state would be “Machine Group – 1” and increment by one for each subsequent group. (note that subgroups are not supported).

• The NC File section will control the name output as the NC file name. o If the Prompt check box is selected, you have to choose between the 2 radio buttons.

o If 1st operation only is selected, you will only be prompted for the first toolpath and the remaining

toolpaths will use the same name. o If Always is selected, you will be prompted to name the NC file for each existing toolpath when it is

created (same as Version 9.1, prompt the user before entering the toolpath dialog). o If Machine name is selected, the Machine Definition file name will be used. o The Append Values group in the NC File section are user controlled (different than the Machine

Group and Toolpath Group sections).

o When Append is selected, the default values shown are used or the user can specify values. When

deselected, the fields will be disabled.

2D Mill

Compensation in Control • Compensation in Control has been modified to remove the error message that used to warn you that this is

just a simulation. • Optimize will automatically default to On for all toolpaths. • Problems displaying the compensated toolpath have been resolved so that after a toolpath is generated, the

simulated toolpath along with the un-compensated toolpath will be displayed.

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Compensation Activated Above the Part An option has been added to the Control Definition section of the Machine Group properties to allow the post to activate compensation above the part when the toolpath is set to Compensation in Control. Please note that this setting is only read by the post processor.

3D Mill (High Speed Toolpaths) Changes have been made that should increase the performance of the High Speed toolpaths running in a NetHASP environment.

Rest Roughing

A new Rest Roughing toolpath has been added to the HST toolpaths. With Rest Roughing, you can select a previous operation, all previous operations, a CAD file (including STL), or a roughing tool. This toolpath provides the tools Mastercam users were familiar with in Version 9 but applied to the highly desirable HST model.

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The Rest Passes option has been removed from the Core Roughing and Area Clearance passes because of the inclusion of Rest Roughing.

Stock to Leave on Floors and Walls

Based on user feedback, we have expanded the use of separate stock to leave controls for floors and walls to all the HST toolpaths. Now you can set different values for stock to leave on vertical and horizontal areas. When does a floor become a wall with separate values for stock to leave? If you machine a part with an HST/Raster path with a small tool and zero stock to leave, there will be no stock on the part (save for small cusps between passes). If you change the path to have 1mm stock to leave on the floors and 2mm stock to leave on the walls, then the result will have 1mm to leave on the flat floors, 2mm stock to leave on the vertical wall, and interpolated amounts of stock to leave on the large fillet surfaces.

HST Scallop – Inside to Outside When using the HST Scallop toolpath with a cutting method set to One Way or Other Way, an option is provided to control whether the scallop is calculated from inside out or from outside in.

Changes to Transitions Page These changes address the lack of control over when a toolpath gets trimmed out during the linking phase of processing. There are times when a user knows that the tool will fit into the area, but because of the default settings for linking, the area is skipped. A user should have control over this and the methodology to do this is to add an additional control. While we were in this area of the product, the page was also re-worked to make things more logical.

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• Affects the Transitions page of Core Roughing, Area Clearance, Rest Roughing, and Horizontal Area toolpaths. • Moved the entire Entry helix group box from the right side of the dialog and switched it with the Profile ramp group

box on the left. The group boxes are switching position because Entry helix is the default and the items being added relate more to the profile ramp. So having them outside the profile ramp group box but below loosely ties them together.

• Moved the Minimum profile edit control below the Plunge angle edit control because it is used when helix entry fails, so the value for the length is necessary even if helix is selected.

• Renamed the Minimum profile control to Preferred profile length to allow the user to know that the value entered doesn’t ensure that the entered value and that value only will be used. It is a preference, but the software will do what is necessary to make it fit.

• Added an edit control under the Plunge angle option and the new Preferred profile length called Skip pockets smaller than (default value will be 2.2 x Radius for all cutter shapes). This field gives users the ability to include and exclude regions that they wish to cut.

• Added a text note “Note: If helix fails, profile ramp will be used” to the Entry helix group box above the graphic to let users know that profile ramp is the backup default mode.

Axis Combinations A new branch to the tree control has been added for Axis combinations.

4 and 5 Axis Mill

CAD File for Compensation Surfaces When programming a 5 axis toolpath and selecting Compensate to Surfaces, you now have the option of selecting a surface or set of surfaces in the file or selecting an external CAD file (including STL).

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Advanced Multiaxis Toolpaths A whole new suite of Advanced Multiaxis toolpaths are being introduced in Mastercam X MR2.

• Sample files can be found in MCX\Mill\Samples\Metric\Advanced Multiaxis directory. • Help can be accessed from any of the pages other than Toolpath Parameters.

Router

Speed improvements in Nesting During development of MR2, we noticed that a significant speed increase can be obtained in certain cases by breaking out the Automatically attach geometry option into two separate options. The first option (Automatically attach geometry chains for each part) will automatically attach the chains used in the toolpath cluster and the second option will search for any additional geometry contained within the outer boundary of the nested part. We have also improved the way we handle attaching surfaces and solid geometry.

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Nesting Reports We have improved our nesting report to move from a text based file to a PDF report with graphics. The new report tool will provide a nested sheet report and individual part information. Use the Details button from the Nesting Results dialog to access the new reports.

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Block Drill We now have the ability to filter out entities that would create duplicate drilling operations for the same physical hole location in block drilling. We have also adjusted our sorting algorithm to properly handle geometry at different Z depths. The general selection (filtering) portion applies to all drilling toolpaths. The software will essentially filter out ‘duplicate’ drill hits for the same point. Even though the actual entities are not technically duplicate entities, the resulting drill operations might be. One arc that lies directly on top of another in a given plane may have a different Z depth, but if the XY locations are the same, we typically only intend to hit one or the other. Using the new drop-down list in the Sorting dialog, we can determine which entities to keep and which ones to discard.

There will be three options available as shown below:

The extra sorting of varying Z depths only applies to block drilling toolpaths. Block drilling presents a different problem than regular drilling because we are attacking multiple holes at the same time. It is physically impossible for the machine to block drill two different depth holes at the same time with drill bits of equal length; therefore, in block drilling toolpaths, we would need to insure that we don’t attempt to process multiple depths in the same ‘hit’.

Drilling Depth Sorting and Tool Selection In block drilling operations, we also need to treat through holes differently than blind holes. The preferred method for drilling blind holes is to use a brad point drill. Brad point drills are not designed to go all the way through material. They are mainly used for dowels and shelf pins. A 60 degree V-style drill or similar is typically used to bore holes that

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 go all the way through the material. The brad point drills create a high degree of tear-out in the back side of the panel when used to bore thru holes where as V-style drills are much better suited for through holes.

• In order to determine whether a hole is considered to be a through hole, we require you to define stock in Mastercam. The selected geometry must lie in 3D space. Flat 2D geometry files will not be considered for this optimization. If the software detects arcs on Z depths other than 0 (zero), then depth sorting will be activated. Arcs higher than bottom of stock and lower than top are considered blind holes and arcs at bottom of stock or lower would be considered through holes.

• All holes regardless of depth will be considered at the same time in order to satisfy the sort method and avoid making “multiple passes” to get all holes.

• We cannot add a new tool type to Mastercam until a major release, so we have decided to use a surrogate tool type in place of the brad point bit. A “Ctr Drill” tool type is the closest thing to a brad point bit in our database so we will be using that until a dedicated tool type can be added to our library.

• If a block drill component contains one or more “brad point” drills (or its surrogate “Ctr Drill” tool type), these tools will be given preference for drilling the blind holes even if another tool type is of the same diameter. However, if no “brad point” drills are available that match the diameter of a blind hole, a standard drill may be used. Keep in mind that in MR2, brad point drills with the same diameter as a through hole will not be used to drill through holes even if no matching standard drill is found.

Multi-head Validation We will now issue a warning if the selected heads don’t lie in a collinear array along either along the X or Y axis. If this condition exists, we will present the following dialog and give the option to continue OR take you back into the head selection dialog. An example that might present this message would be if a machine definition contains multiple heads with “piggy-backs”. If you select one or more of the main heads with a “piggy-back”, the software will warn you that the selected heads don’t line up.

Wire

Changes to Wire Parameters We added new dialogs for WCS/Tool plane and Start Position. The Origins/WCS button has been replaced with two new buttons. This brings Wire in line with the other products for a more consistent interface. MR1

MR2

Start Pos… =

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Planes… =

Lead in/out dialog New options were added for controlling the type of motion on the lead-in/out moves.

• Rapid from Thread point - if selected, the initial motion of the lead-in will be done in a Rapid (“G0”) mode. • Rapid to Cut point - if selected, the final motion of the lead-out will be done in a Rapid (G0) mode. • Rapid to Start position at end of program - if selected, a “park the machine here” Rapid (G0) mode move

will occur at the very end of the program back to the initial starting point position in the program. (Note: This move is does not appear in the backplot of the wirepath yet).

Also note the wording of Auto start position has been changed to Start position is automatically set to thread position to make the function of this option clearer.

Wirepath Editor The Wirepath Editor is now available as a right-click option in the Toolpath Manager.

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• Manual entry options for As Code and As Comment are not working correctly for this release.

• We have had some random crashes with this function that we have not yet tracked down. Be careful to save your part before using this function.

• Changing the Taper Angle is not working consistently.

Mastercam X Art Just about everything in Art Version 9 has been upgraded to have a full Mastercam X interface, including text menus, with hot keys, toolbars, Help and a live Art Manager. The following information includes major highlights.

Art Toolbar

Art Manager The Art Manager is a new tab in the Operations Manager to the right of the Solids Manager. It will also have two rows of icons. These quick controls will make Art even easier to use. An important improvement for all Art users is the graphic display controls. You now have the ability to toggle geometry and the Art Surface off and on. Previously, the art surface and geometry would often overlap. Now, just click a button to hide/show geometry or the art surface. You may also instantly change your resolution here with the click of a button.

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First row of buttons: • Regenerate - Regenerates the Art tree. • Hide Geometry - Hides all geometry. • Hide Art Model - Hides the Art model. • Art Model Single Viewport - Activates when multiple viewports

are chosen and allows geometry and art model to be in different viewports.

• Change Art Model Viewport - Moves the art model to the next viewport.

• Analyze - Displays a dynamic coordinate readout as the cursor moves over the surface.

• Statistics - Art Base Surface extents. • Help - Art Help

Second row of buttons:

• Undo/Redo - for Art operations; this includes lists. • Change Resolution - Change the Art Model resolution with readout.

This also can take floating point values, such as 100.5 and or .5. The ability to go less than 1 allows faster processing when working with vary large Art Base Surfaces.

• Art Surface Grid Density - Add or subtract display lines in the surface display grid.

• Unload Art Model - Unload the Art Model from RAM, can reload as well.

At the bottom of the Art Manager is a display that tells you how high your model is currently. If you set a Z limit for your model, it will tell you how much space is remaining.

Help and Documentation Mastercam X Art includes the following documentation materials:

• Full context-sensitive online help • Extensive Art Tutorial in PDF format • Art introductory video

New Dialogs and Functions Create Art Base Surface from Image (previously Import BMP) - works like all other Art surfaces in that it will show up in the Art Manager with adjustable parameters and dynamic resolution. It will now also take graphic files other than BMP. Import STL will have the same live functionality as Create Art Base Surface from Image.

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Flattening - you now can pick a chain and flatten all elements inside or outside the chain down to the base surface floor.

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Smoothing - this dialog has adjusted defaults to make your first try successful, as well as new icons to help clearly explain the options.

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What’s New in Mastercam X MR2 Translate - This dialog translates the Art base surface.

New Art Base Surface (previously New Relief) - This has much the same functionality as the previous version and reorganized for ease of use. New capabilities include automatic creation of geometry boundaries and creation of Art Base Surface with origin at lower left or center.

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New Art Base Surface Unwrapped Cylinder - This function allows you to specify a cylinder or ring size. Art will automatically calculate and display the unwrapped flat surface geometry as well as creating the surface. You may then create a surface and know that when you wrap it up for 4th axis machining, it will fit exactly on the specified cylinder. This function also supplies the radius to the graphic wrap functions so the surface wraps perfectly. The Ring Size option allows you to select a standard ring size for your cylinder. Coordinates will default to metric values since this is a standard in the jewelry industry - deselect the Metric option to see coordinates in inches.

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Blend Edge (previously Add-Cut-Trim-Blend) - This Application Style has been renamed, and now will blend a sharp outer edge back towards the center of the chained element.

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In the first example graphic below, a pattern weave was created in a chained circle with the height set to .0625. Notice the sharp vertical wall on the edge. We would like to smoothly blend the edge down to the Art Base surface, as in the second graphic below. To accomplish this, we would select Organic, and re-chain the same circle, select Parabola Convex, and set the width to .25 and the height to .0625. This will cause the blending to start .25 inches from the edge of the circle at a height of .0625 and end with the surface being blended down to the surface floor. This function works in any Art Surface Operation type where it shows up in the Application Style list.

Toolpaths Cylinder Milling Spiral - Creates a rotary toolpath at an angle so there is no seam where the toolpath meets. There is also an option to overlap the seam. For this toolpath to function correctly, the Rotary Axis option must be selected. Roughing and Finishing - Includes a roughing and finishing option for appropriate toolpaths. The roughing option allows stock to leave and finishing does not. Some toolpath are just for roughing or just for finishing. In these cases, the roughing and finishing options are disabled.

Core Improvements

• Art surface generation speed improvement - the creation and regeneration of Art surfaces is faster. • Art Surface quality improvement - on some complex organic surfaces, small lines would develop that were

correctable by smoothing. This has now been fixed so they are not generated at all. • Large file processing - Art would sometimes have problems with large file processing. Art can now manage

much larger files. There are still limits. • Art surface display improvement just by being in the X environment. • Moved Art Base Surface off Origin - For an Art Base Surface created from a BMP file. Previously, when you

moved the lower left corner off of the origin, it would not be saved to the file. When you reopened the file in a new session, the surface lower left corner would be back at the origin.

• Art Chaining – can accept more chains in a single operation. • Using WCS - surfaces can now be generated in a rotated WCS. • Art Resource DLL – has been developed for easier translation into other languages.

New Platforms for Art Art LT Art design functionality can be added on top of Mastercam Design, no toolpaths are included. Art + Entry Full Art added to Entry level products. This includes Art design and toolpath functionality.

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Documents

Mastercam X Mr2