Whats New in Mastercam

8/10/2019 Whats New in Mastercam

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Be sure you have the latest information!

Information might have been changed or added since this document

was published. The latest version of this document is installed with

Mastercam or can be obtained from your local Reseller. The ReadMe

file (ReadMe.htm) includes the latest information about new

features and enhancements.

Whats New inMastercam X4

MU3January 2010


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II WHATS NEW IN MASTERCAM X4 MU3

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 3 WHATS NEW IN MASTERCAM X4MU3

Date: January 2010

Copyright 2010 CNC Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

First Printing: January 2010

Software: Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 3

Part Number: X4MU3-Whats New

TERMS OF USE Use of this document is subject to the Mastercam End User LicenseAgreement. A copy of the Mastercam End User License Agreementis included with the Mastercam product package of which thisdocument is part. The Mastercam End User License Agreement canalso be found at:

www.mastercam.com/legal/licenseagreement/
http://www.mastercam.com/legal/licenseagreement/http://www.mastercam.com/legal/licenseagreement/


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III

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Before You Begin .....................................................................................1

If You Need More Help ............................................................................2

Additional Documentation ......................................................................2

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Updates ........................................... 3 Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 3 .................................................3

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 2 .................................................3

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 1 .................................................5

General System Enhancements....................................................... 21 Dynamic Planes .....................................................................................21

Tutorial: Using the dynamic gnomon to set a plane ........................22 Dynamic Xform ......................................................................................29

Tutorial: Moving geometry using Dynamic Xform............................ 29

Wireframe Feature Recognition in Chaining .......................................35

Tutorial: Chaining geometry using wireframe feature recognition ...35

User-Defined Setup Sheet ....................................................................40

Level Manager Improvements..............................................................41

Managing Levels on the Status Bar.....................................................43 Viewsheet Enhancements ....................................................................43

File Translator Updates .........................................................................44

Design Enhancements.......................................................................... 45 Translate 3D Improvements .................................................................45

Trim Divide/Delete .................................................................................46

New Visual Cues for Trimming.............................................................46


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IV WHATS NEW IN MASTERCAM X4 MU3

Mill Level 1 Enhancements ................................................................ 47 New Tree-Style Dialogs for 2D Toolpaths ...........................................47

Dynamic Mill...........................................................................................48

Holder Definition in 2D Toolpaths .........................................................49 FBM Drill .................................................................................................50

Tutorial: Machining a large hole with FBM Drill..............................50

Tutorial: Mapping hole sizes to drill cycles .....................................54

FBM Mill .................................................................................................59

Mill Level 3 Enhancements ................................................................ 63

Multi-Threading Support .......................................................................63 Toolpath Refinement..............................................................................65

Tutorial: Adjusting toolpath results using Toolpath Refinement.......65

Minimum Tilt in Multiaxis Toolpaths ...................................................72

New Tree-Style Dialogs for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axis..................72

Circle Mill 5-axis Toolpath ....................................................................73

Router Enhancements .......................................................................... 75 Bump Nesting.........................................................................................75

Tutorial: Adjusting nesting results using Bump Nesting...................75

Vertical and Horizontal Cutoff in Nesting.............................................81

Lathe Enhancements ............................................................................. 83 Grooving Enhancements .......................................................................83

Create Turn Profile .................................................................................87

New Tree-Style Dialogs for C-axis Toolpaths .....................................88

Round Boring Bar Display in Verify ......................................................89

Wire Enhancements .............................................................................. 91 Agievision Workflow .............................................................................91

Post Enhancements ............................................................................... 93

Updating Posts for Mastercam X4 .......................................................93


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V

Support for Lathe Tool Inspection ........................................................94

Agievision Support ................................................................................95

New Operation Parameters ..................................................................96

Post Debugger Improvements..............................................................96


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IntroductionWelcome to Mastercam X4! Mastercam X4 features a new suite of CAD/CAM toolsfocused on delivering speed and efficiency for your machining jobs. We are sure thatyou will benefit from what Mastercam X4 has to offer you and your shop.

You can quickly access some of Mastercam X4s new and exciting features through theWhats New toolbar and menu. Go to Help, Whats Newin the Mastercam menu toview some of the new functions that Mastercam X4 offers.

Notes:

If you migrate your toolbar settings from a previous version of Mastercam, theWhats New in X4 toolbar will not be available.

Some of the options on the Whats New toolbar are only available if you havecertain products enabled on your Mastercam SIM.

Before You BeginWhats New in Mastercam X4 MU3outlines the new features in each Mastercam

product level. Each chapters title corresponds to the Mastercam product that containsthe features. For example, the Mill Level 1 Enhancements chapter discusses newfunctionality that you can access in Mastercam X4 Mill Level 1 or higher.

Tutorial RequirementsMany chapters in this book contain short tutorials on new features in Mastercam X4.To complete these tutorials, you should meet the following requirements:

You must be comfortable using the Windowsoperating system.

You must have installed your Mastercam X4 products. All tutorial files arelocated in the..\Documentation\ExamplePartsfolder of yourMastercam installation.

Start Mastercam using your preferred method:

Double-click Mastercams desktop icon.

Or

Launch Mastercam from the Windows Start menu.


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2 WHATS NEW IN MASTERCAM X4 MU3

If You Need More HelpThere are many ways to get help with Mastercam, including the following:

Mastercam HelpAccess Mastercam Help by selecting Help, Contentsfrom

Mastercams menu bar or by pressing [Alt+H] on your keyboard. Also, mostdialog boxes and ribbon bars feature a Help button that opens Mastercam

Help directly to related information.

Online helpYou can search for information or ask questions on the

Mastercam Web forum, located atwww.emastercam.com. You can also find awealth of information, including many videos, at www.mastercam.com andwww.mastercamedu.com.

Mastercam ResellerYour local Mastercam Reseller can help with most

questions about Mastercam.

Technical SupportCNC Softwares Technical Support department (860-875-

5006 or [email protected]) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00a.m. to 5:30 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time.

Documentation feedbackFor questions about this or other Mastercam

documentation, contact the Technical Documentation department by e-mailat [email protected].

Mastercam UniversityCNC Software sponsors Mastercam University, an

affordable, online learning tool with more than 180 videos to let you masteryour skills at your own pace. For more information on Mastercam University,

please contact your Authorized Mastercam Reseller, visitwww.mastercamu.com, or email [email protected].

Additional DocumentationYou can find more information on using Mastercam in the following materials, locatedin the \Documentationfolder of your Mastercam installation:

Mastercam X4 Installation Guide

Mastercam X4 Administrator Guide

Mastercam X4 Quick Start

Mastercam X4 Reference Guide

Mastercam X4 Transition Guide

Mastercam X4 Quick Reference Card

Mastercam X4 Wire Getting Started Guide
http://www.emastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercamedu.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mastercamedu.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.emastercam.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/http://www.mastercamu.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Mastercam X4 Maintenance UpdatesMastercam X4 Maintenance Update 3Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 3 (MU3) includes the latest quality improvementsto Mastercam X4 and is available to all current Mastercam Maintenance customers.Improvements have been made across Mastercam, including toolpaths, machine andcontrol definition, posts, Art, Design, Mill, Lathe, Router, and Wire. Contact yourMastercam Reseller for information on specific quality improvements. You candownload Mastercam X4 MU3 from the Mastercam Web site (www.mastercam.com). Itis a cumulative release, which means that it includes all the enhancements andimprovements from Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 1(MU1) and MaintenanceUpdate 2 (MU2), and is the only release you must install.

Note: The Mastercam Update Manager available in previous releases is no longer

supported, although it remains a Help menu option.

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 2Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 2 (MU2) includes the latest enhancements andfixes and is available to all current Mastercam Maintenance customers. You candownload Mastercam X4 MU2 from the Mastercam Web site (www.mastercam.com). Itis a cumulative release, which means that it includes all the enhancements fromMastercam X4 Maintenance Update 1(MU1) and is the only release you must install.

Note: The Mastercam Update Manager available in previous releases is no longersupported, although it remains a Help menu option.

General System Enhancements

Updated Data Translators

For a list of additional data translators, see File Translator Updateson page 44. ACIS: R20

Alibre Design: V12

AutoCAD: 2010

Pro/Engineer: Wildfire5

Solid Edge: ST2
http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/


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Configuration Option for Trimming Preview

The Enable trim previewoption has been added to the CAD Settings page in theSystem Configuration dialog box. When selected, Mastercam displays the effect of your

trim in the graphics window. For more information on the new Trim Preview option,see New Visual Cues for Trimmingon page 46.

Wire Enhancements

New Agie No Core Wirepath Methods Property Page

A new Methodsproperty page was added to the Agie No core wirepath dialog box. Thispage allows you to fine-tune the following parameters for rough passes on Agie No corewirepaths:

Define the type of no core cutting method (Zigzag, Constant Overlap Spiral,

Parallel Spiral, Parallel Spiral with Clean Corners, Morph Spiral, or True Spiral).

Set the stepover percentage and distance.

Set the roughing angle for Zigzag cutting methods.

Set the clockwise/counterclockwise direction for all cutting methods other

than Zigzag.

Set the finish spacing. Finish spacing for Agie wirepaths is the amount of stock

left after the rough pass to provide the finish pass(es) with enough material to

create a smooth finish.


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MASTERCAM X4 MAINTENANCE UPDATES 5

Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 1Mastercam X4 Maintenance Update 1 (MU1) includes the following enhancementsand improvements.

General System Enhancements

Mastercam Customer Feedback Program

Mastercam X4 MU1 includes an optional data feedback tool called the Mastercam

Customer Feedback Program. Participation is completely voluntary. If you choose toturn this functionality on, it runs during every Mastercam session, automaticallycollecting and sending usage information to CNC Software, Inc. (CNC). This data isused only for quality and product improvement purposes and helps give CNC an ideaof the relative value of various functionality within its products. The data does notinclude any user model data or any information that could be used to re-create models.This program cannot/will not collect any data for the purpose of reverse engineering.


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IMPORTANT: The Mastercam Customer Feedback Program will at no timecollect any data that is not relative to Mastercam. No sensitive, personal, orotherwise private data will be gathered.

The feedback tool is turned off by default, and you must choose to participate in theprogram by clicking the option shown below in the Mastercam Customer FeedbackProgram dialog box, which appears when you first open Mastercam after an install. Youcan also open this dialog box at any time by choosing Help, Customer FeedbackProgramfrom the Mastercam menu bar.

After choosing the Yesoption, click the OKbutton to begin participating.

If you choose to participate, some of the types of data that this tool collects include:

The Mastercam build number

Your SIM number

The name of the function you called and how you accessed it (toolbar button,

hot keys, menu)

The combined data gathered from Mastercam Customer Feedback Programparticipants is used by CNC Software to answer the following types of questions:

What Mastercam functions are used the most, and which are used the least?

How often and when is Mastercam Help used?

Which file translators are used, and how often?

Which C-Hooks are used and how often?

What commands are used sequentially or in conjunction with each other?


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Note: The lists above are not comprehensive. These are examples of the types of dataCNC Software will collect.

If you are running the Mastercam Customer Feedback Program, an icon displays

in your Windows program tray in the bottom right corner of your computer screen.

Notes:

Participating in this program will not impact your processing time or computerperformance.

If you are running the Mastercam Customer Feedback Program, the tool willautomatically close when you close Mastercam.

The data gathered by this program is sent to CNC when you shut downMastercam, or after a specific number of transactions.

If you do not have an Internet connection, the data will be saved to your localdrive. The next time you open Mastercam, the program will attempt to send thedata. If the data cannot be sent over a period of five days, it is automaticallypurged from your system.

You can change your participation at any time, and any number of times duringa Mastercam session. For example, you can let the program collect data up untila certain point in your work, turn it off for a period of time, and then turn itback on.

Stock Shading and Stock Boundary Toolbar Buttons

Mastercam X4 MU1 allows for quicker toggling of stock shading and stock display withtwo new features. These buttons are located in the Shadingtoolbar.

Stock Display - This button switches stock display on and off. It

maintains the stock shading's last state when it is switched back on.

Stock Shading - This button switches stock shading on and off.

Notes:

Stock shading will not shade the stock unless the stock is on. (If shading is onand the stock display switch is used, shading will be turned off.)

In Lathe, these icons control both spindles at the same time and affect thedisplay of the chuck jaws, steady rest, and tailstock.


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Unselect All in Chaining

A new Unselect All button on the Chainingdialog box lets you unselect all chains with a

single click. This makes unselecting chainsmuch easier when you have a large number ofchains.


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Wireframe Feature Recognition for Mirrored Shapes

A new option in the Chain Feature dialog box controls whether Feature Recognitionselects or ignores mirrored chains. You can access this dialog box by clicking the Chain

FeatureOptionsbutton on the Chaining dialog box.


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Wireframe Feature Parameters in System Configuration

These additional options on the Chain Featurepage add the ability to set up defaultsfor wireframe feature recognition in chaining. You can access the System Configuration

dialog box by choosing Settings, Configurationfrom the Mastercam menu bar.

Immediate Mode Commands in the MRU Toolbar

A new option on the Screenpage of the System Configuration dialog box determineswhether immediate mode commands display in the MRU toolbar.

An immediate modefunction is a command that executes without first canceling thecurrent function. Immediate mode functions interrupt a function, and when they havefinished, they return to the function. The opposite is a rootfunction, which cancels any

existing active function before starting up.


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Mill Enhancements

Locking Feed Rates and Speeds

You can now set Mastercam to not update feeds and speeds once a toolpath has beencreated. To turn on this option, choose Settings, Configurationfrom the Mastercammenu bar and go to the Toolpathspage to select the Lock Feedratesoption.

When you initially create a toolpath, the feedsand speeds are populated based on the FeedCalculationsettingson theTool Settings tabof theMachine Group Properties dialog box.


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All the fields shown in the following picture remain set from that point forward(manually editing is allowed). Selecting another tool or reselecting the same tool willnot cause the fields to change.

If you want to reinitialize the settings, you can right-click in the tool list and select

Re-initialize feeds & speeds.


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3D Rest Machining - Targeted Previous Operations

Mastercam X4 MU1 adds the option to select the set of previous operations uponwhich a rest machining operation is based. You can choose from previous operations in

the current toolpath group, previous operations in the current machine group, or allprevious operations in all machine groups. This change affects the following toolpathtypes:

3D HST Rest Roughing

3D HST toolpaths that have a Rest Material page (Waterline, Scallop, Raster,

Pencil, Radial)

Surface, Rough, Rest Mill

HST Rest Roughing - Outside In Option

This new option on the 3D HST Rest Roughing Cut Parameters page creates offsetpasses from the outside towards the inside (in a core roughing manner) rather thanalways using an inside towards the outside (area clearance) cutting method.


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Lathe Enhancements

Cutoff/Pickoff/Bar Pull Setup C-Hook

You can use this new function to translate geometry and create reference points for theprogramming of a part transfer operation from the main spindle to the sub spindleand/or a bar pull operation prior to a cutoff toolpath. This new add-on is specificallyused for parts cut from bar stock, not parts cut from slugs, castings, or forgings. You canaccess this function by two methods:

From the Mastercam menu, choose Settings, Run User Application, and

open the file PickoffSetup.dll.

From the Mastercam menu, choose Settings, Customizeand set up a custom

toolbar with the Define geometry for stock cutoff, pickoff and pull

operationsbutton from the MultiTasking category.

This function makes it possible to:

Make a copy of the part geometry that is positioned correctly in the sub-

spindle for toolpaths on the backside of the part.

Make a copy of the part geometry that is positioned as would be after a bar

pull operation just prior to a cutoff/pickoff operation sequence Create reference points for the bar pull and cutoff toolpaths.

Create a reference point for the Tplane origin for backside operations in the

sub-spindle.


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IMPORTANT: The left and right stock margins defined in the Component

Geometry tab (Cylinder) dialog box are also used by this function.

Cutter Compensation ImprovementsA variety of cutter compensation issues have been addressed in X4 MU1. Thesechanges should improve the overall performance of cutter compensation. Because it isimpossible to imitate all the different ways cutter compensation is used and predict theoutcome of each scenario, the new changes are not turned on by default in X4 MU1.Recognizing the need for proceeding with caution, these new fixes can be turned on inthe Mastercam Applet. Once we have verified that no unanticipated problems arisefrom these new changes, they will be on by default in X5. To turn on the updated cuttercompensation:

1 Go to the Windows Start Menu and choose All Programs, Mastercam X4,MCAMX Control Panel Applet.

2 Click on the [+] before the Mastercam propertiesoption to expand the list.

3 Select Toolpath supportfrom the Mastercam properties list.


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4 Click the drop-down list next to Lathe toolpath cutter compensationandselect Use improved lathe toolpath cutter comp.

Router Enhancements

Onion Skin Operation Updated to Tree-Style Dialog

In keeping with the ongoing conversion of toolpath dialogs to promote consistency,the Onion Skin operation type has been converted to the new tree-style dialog format.


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You can access this dialog box from the Advancedbutton on the Additionstab in theToolpath Nesting dialog box.

Wire Enhancements

Additional Tab Stop Option

An additional option to stop on a tab at a defined position from the end of the tab hasbeen added for X4 MU1.


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Reset Pass Number Option

This new option becomes available when you select either Cancel taper after pass orApply taper after passas the Pass settingsoption on the Taper page.

This switch works similarly to the Reset pass number on tab cutsoption on the CutParameters page.

Where Reset pass number on tab cutsallows for the selection of the rough cuttingconditions on the first pass across the tab, this new option on the Taper parameterspage allows for the selection of roughing parameters when changing to/from the taper/land cut.


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New Reset Taper Option for Lead - Entry/Exit

This option controls how the Lead Out set on the Leads page is trimmed. In theexample below, the Lead Out is set to be trimmed to 2mm.

If Reset Taper is not selected, the path would end at the Max lead outposition, leavingthe machine in a tapered position. On some machines, this is an undesirable condition;taper must be at 0 (zero) to change the G41/G42 compensation and other settings.

With Reset Taperselected, the path continues as needed (in XY or UV) to bring themachine to a vertical position, while still respecting the requested trimmed length ofthe Lead Out.

Post EnhancementsA new pre-defined variable move_ang_pln$ indicates the plane in which themove_ang$value applies. By default, this is set to 0 (zero) for compatibility with olderposts. Initialize it to a negative value to have MP dynamically update the value. MPupdates it based on the toolpath type:

Lathe toolpaths switch it to -3.

Non-lathe toolpaths switch to -1.

Nothing currently automatically switches to -2, but this can still be used to

initialize automatic processing.

Set it to a positive number to manually lock the value to a specific plane.


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move_ang_pln$ Values

-3 XZ plane; automatic processing

-2 YZ plane; automatic processing

-1 XY plane; automatic processing 0 (Default) XY plane; static value. This value is processed

the same as 1. It is provided to maintain compatibilitywith existing posts.

1 XY plane; static value

2 YZ plane; static value

3 XZ plane; static value

4 or greater Disable all move angle calculations.


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General System EnhancementsMastercam X4 introduces several features to improve your productivity, no matter

what level of Mastercam you own.

Dynamic PlanesDynamic Planes is a new method for defining construction planes (Cplanes), toolplanes (Tplanes), planes, and work coordinate systems (WCS) in Mastercam X4. Youcan now define the desired plane using an interactive graphical gnomon to establishthe plane's origin and orientation.

Everything centers on using the gnomon and its position-sensitive functionality. Thegnomon is made of an Axis Origin and three axes, each consisting of a First Leg, AxisLabel, Second Leg, and Axis Arrowhead. Each piece has its own functionality.

1 Axis Origin- Select to place the origin of the gnomon in 3D space. You can useAutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point. Generally, this isthe first manipulation of the dynamic gnomon.

2 First Leg- Select to move the gnomon along the selected axis. Move thegnomon along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also useAutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point.

3 Axis Label- Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomonalong the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursorpositions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point.

Selecting the axis label for rotation follows these rules:

X axis label = rotate around Y

Y axis label = rotate around X

Z axis label = rotate around X


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4 Second Leg- Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomonalong the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursorpositions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point.

Selecting the axis second leg for rotation follows these rules:

X second leg = rotate around Z

Y second leg = rotate around Z

Z second leg = rotate around Y

5 Axis Arrowhead- Select to align the gnomon to existing geometry. You can alsouse AutoCursor positions to place the gnomon on an entity. You may align thegnomon to:

a line or solid edge

tangent to a spline or arc

normal to a surface or solid face

TIP: You can modify the behavior of the gnomon with the Gnomon Settingsdialog box. Access this dialog box by clicking the Settingsbutton on the ribbon baror dialog box or by holding the [Ctrl]key and right-clicking anywhere in thegraphics window.

Using the dynamic gnomon to set a plane1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.

2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and selectDYNAMIC_PLANES.MCX.

3 Press [Alt + S]to shade the surface in the file.


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GENERAL SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS 23

4 Choose Planes, Dynamic planesfromthe status bar.

The Dynamic Plane dialog box displaysand the dynamic gnomon appears in the

graphics window. The first step is toposition the planes origin.

5 Move the gnomon around the graphics window. The gnomon picks up onvarious AutoCursor positions on the wireframe geometry.

6 Move the gnomon to the left end of the

spline, and click once to set the origin.


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Sliding the Gnomon

1 Click on the first leg of the Y axis. A sliding scale displays along the Y axis.

2 Move the gnomon back and forth along the scale. Notice that the value in theY field of the Dynamic Plane dialog box updates as you move the gnomon.

TIP: You may also use AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or simplysketch a point to set an axis position.

3 Click the Settingsbutton on the Dynamic Plane dialog box to display theGnomon Settings dialog box. You can adjust the gnomon behavior here,including snap increments and gnomon size.

4 Set the Linear incrementto 10and choose OK.


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TIP: If you deselect theActivate Linear Snap check box, you can position the axisanywhere along the scale, not just at the snap positions.

5Move the Y axis along the scale again. Notice that the scale increments are nowdifferent.

6 Move your cursor to the center point of the circle. The gnomon references the

AutoCursor position and uses it as the value for the Y position.

7 Click the right-hand end of the spline to set the gnomon.


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Rotating the Gnomon

1 Click on the Y axis label. A dial displaysand you can now rotate around the X

axis.2 Click to select a position.

Note: The red increments on the dialindicate the rotation angle.

3 Click on the second leg of the Y axis. You can now rotate around the Z axis.


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4 Enter 45in the Rotationfield on the Dynamic Plane dialog box, and press[Tab]. This quickly rotates the Y axis by 45 degrees.

5 Click once anywhere in the graphics window to set the Y axis position.

6 Click on the second leg of the Y axis again, and move your cursor to the corner

of the shaded surface. The gnomon tilts to align with this point.

7 Click the 2D/3Dswitch on the status barat the bottom of the screen to change to2D mode.


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8 Move your cursor again to the corner of the shaded surface. The point projectsdown to the flat plane you are rotating within.

9 Click again on the 2D/3D switch to return to 3D mode.

10 Click once anywhere in the graphics window to set the Y axis position.

Aligning an Axis

1 Click on the Z axis arrowhead, and move around the graphics window. The Zaxis snaps to align with each piece of geometry. Notice how the axis adjusts tochanges in the surface normal of the shaded surface.

2 Slide the Z axis along the spline and press [F]to flip the Z axis at various pointsalong the spline.

3 Press and hold the [Ctrl]key, and click the right button on your mouse to

display the Gnomon Settings dialog box.


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4 In the Axis Alignment group box,deselect the Lineoption. This sectionsets what types of geometry Mastercamconsiders when aligning an axis.

5 Click OKto close the Gnomon settings dialog box.

6 Move the gnomon around the graphics window. Notice that the gnomon nolonger snaps to align the Z axis with the line.

7 Select any position for the gnomon, and click once to set the axes.

8 Click OKon the Dynamic Planes dialog box to complete the function. TheNew View dialog box displays.

9 Type a name in the Namefield, and select the Set as WCSoption.

10 Choose OK. The WCS, tool, and construction planes are now set to your newplane.

Dynamic XformImagine being able to translate and rotate geometry in a single, on-screen control.That's what the new Dynamic Xform function offers you. It combines the ease of the

new graphical gnomon from Dynamic Planes with the power of Mastercams Xformfeatures.

Moving geometry using Dynamic Xform1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.


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2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and selectDYNAMIC_XFORM.MCX.

3 Press [F9]to display the world origin and axes. Notice that the part is not in astandard Mastercam orientation.

4 Press [F9]again to clear the world axes from the graphics window.


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TIP: The icon next to the cursor indicateswhether you are in Manipulate axesmodeor Manipulate geometrymode. You canpress the [Ctrl]key to switch between modes.

4 Move the cursor to the top left corner ofthe part. A Visual Cue displays whenMastercam snaps to the endpoint.

5 Click on the endpoint to set the Y axisposition.

6 Click on the X axis label to startpositioning the X axis.

7 Move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the part. A Visual Cue displayswhen Mastercam snaps to the endpoint.

8 Click on the endpoint to set the X axis position.


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Moving the Geometry

1 Click the Manipulate geometrybuttonon the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar. This

allows you to move the selectedgeometry.

2 Click on the first leg of the X axis and slide from side to side to translate thepart along the X axis.

TIP: You can also enter a translation position on the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar.

3 Click anywhere along the scale to position the X axis.

4 Click on the axes origin, and move the cursor around the graphics window tostart translating the part to a new origin.

5 Click anywhere in the graphics window to select a new origin position.


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13 Press [F9]again to see that the part is now moved to the world origin andoriented to match the standard Mastercam views.

Wireframe Feature Recognition in ChainingOn wireframe parts with many similar chains mixed with other geometry, chaining canbecome a tedious, error-prone, manual process. With Wireframe Feature Recognition,you only chain an example of the geometry you want to use and then click a button.Mastercam automatically finds all other occurrences of the geometry and chains themas well. You can use this function to select specific holes for Circle Mill toolpaths or for

slots to cut with Pocket or Contour toolpaths.

Chaining geometry using wireframe feature recognition1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.

2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and selectWIREFRAME.MCX.This example contains over 850 individual shapes.


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3 Press [F1]and draw a zoom window around the left side of the part.

4 Choose Analyze, Contourfrom the Mastercam menu. The Chaining dialogbox displays.

5 Click the Chain Feature Optionsbuttonto display the Chain Feature dialog box.This dialog lets you set criteria fordetermining which geometry is similar.

6 Select Identicalin the Feature Precisiongroup box. This option looks for chainsthat are exact geometric matches. Thechains must contain the same number ofentities with the same measurements.

7 Click OKto close the Chain Feature dialog box.


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8 Chain the small horizontal slot on theleft side of the part.

9 Click the Chain Featurebutton on theChaining dialog box.

Notice that Mastercam selects all of the identical geometry in the graphicswindow. The prompt indicates that 72 chains are selected.

10 Click the Chain Feature Optionsbutton again.


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11 Select the Shape Matchoption in theFeature Precision group box. This optionlooks for chains that are similar in shape.The selected chains can have the samefeatures and arrangement of features butdiffer by size.

12 Click OKto close the Chain Featuredialog box.

13 Chain one of the kidney shapes on thepart.

14 Click the Chain Featurebutton again onthe Chaining dialog box.

Notice that Mastercam found the identical shapes, along with similar shapesthat are smaller and larger.

15 Click the Chain Feature Optionsbutton again.


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16 Select the Shape Perimeterfilteroptionin the Feature Precision group box, andselect


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User-Defined Setup SheetThere is a new setup sheet available in Mastercam X4. The new ActiveReports setupsheet can be enabled in the Toolpathspage of the System Configuration dialog box.The GUI and .SET options are also still available.

The new setup sheet lets you add project and customer information, including customscreen captures. You can even add drafting and notes while you're capturing images.


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Level Manager ImprovementsIn Mastercam X4, the Level Manager is easier to use and more powerful than ever. Thedialog box has been reorganized so it requires less screen space. In addition, you canpress [Alt + Z]to quickly open and close the Level Manager.


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The Level Manager also allows you to perform more level manipulation inside thedialog box by using new options on the right-click menu.

Purge empty levels- Removes levels and level names that contain no

geometry.

Renumber level- Moves entities to an unused level while maintaining the

level name, level set, and display status.

Cut- Removes geometry from a level and keeps it available for pasting.

Copy- Copies geometry from a level.

Paste- Places the cut or copied geometry into a level.

Delete- Removes geometry from a level. You can also press the [Delete]key.

Since this is a delete function, Undo and Redo are available.


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Managing Levels on the Status BarThe level name is now displayed along with the level number on the status bar. If youopen the drop-down list, all of the levels and descriptors are displayed using the sameList Level settings from the Level Manager.

You can enter a level name in the status bar when you define a new level by typing thelevel number followed by a colon and the name. For example, to define level 10 as anew level with the name cavity, type 10:cavity(no spaces) in the Level box on thestatus bar.

Viewsheet EnhancementsIn Mastercam X4, you can recall every option on the status bar (except Groups) as partof a viewsheet. Right-click on any viewsheet tab and choose Settingsto specify whichstatus bar functions to recall in the viewsheet and which ones to ignore. TheAutomatically restore bookmark settingsoption resets the viewsheet to thebookmark automatically when you switch from one viewsheet to another. All of theseoptions are also available on the Screen, Viewsheetspage of the System Configurationdialog box.


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File Translator UpdatesThe following list shows which file formats are supported by Mastercam X4s filetranslators.

ACIS - R19

Alibre Design - V11

AutoCAD DWG, DXF, DWF - 2009

Autodesk Inventor IPT, IAM, IDW - 2010

CATIA V5 - R19

KeyCreator - V8.5

Parasolids - 20

Pro/E - Wildfire4

Rhino - 4

Solid Edge - ST

SolidWorks - 2009


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Design EnhancementsMastercam X4 Design makes drawing and editing your geometry more efficient thanever before.

Translate 3D ImprovementsThe Xform, Translate 3D function has been revamped in Mastercam X4 to make itfaster and more efficient. If you are moving or copying geometry to a pre-defined plane,you can just select the name from the drop-down list.


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Trim Divide/DeleteThis useful function now can delete any isolated entities with no intersections. Entities

with a single point of intersection at an endpoint are also automatically deleted.

New Visual Cues for Trimming

When trimming entities, Mastercam X4's auto-preview feature displays the results ofthe selected function as you move the mouse over the final entity selection. A solid linerepresents what geometry will be created. A dashed line represents what geometry willbe removed.


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The following toolpaths now use the tree-style dialogs:

One of the benefits of this interface, beyond a unified look with other toolpaths, is theability to change toolpath types. If you begin a drill toolpath from the menu, selectseveral points or arcs, get into the interface and realize that Drill was not the correctoption but Circle Mill is better, you can simply switch styles and continue on. There isno need to exit the toolpath and begin again all geometry remains selected. Youenter the appropriate parameters, and process the toolpath.

Dynamic MillDynamic Mill is a new pocketing routine for Mastercam X4. It has been added to the 2DHST tree-style dialog as an additional toolpath type.

Contour Slot Mill Point

Pocket Drill Helix Bore

Facing Circle Mill Thread Mill


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MILL LEVEL 1 ENHANCEMENTS 49

Dynamic Mill gives you the ability to utilize the entire flute length of the cutting tool,saving both time and money. It also offers flexible retract options to keep the tool downin smaller parts and rapid retract on larger parts.

In addition, Dynamic Mill supports many powerful entry methods, including a custom

entry method that makes it easier to program complex pocket shapes. Micro lifts havebeen incorporated from the Peel Mill toolpath to further refine the dynamic pocketmotion and avoid excessive heat build-up. Both the powerful entry methods and themicro lifts support custom feeds and speeds to further productivity and generate safemotion.

Holder Definition in 2D ToolpathsAll 2D toolpaths that use the new tree-style dialogs (point-based, chain-based, and 2Dhigh speed) include a Holderpage in the tree control. This page is similar to 3D high


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speed toolpaths, but the information is only used for Backplot and not for gouge-checking the toolpath.

FBM Drill

Large Hole MillingCustomers asked for a better solution to the problem of machining holes larger thantheir drills and for creating flat-bottom holes without using a mill for drilling. FBMLarge Hole Milling is designed to answer this need. With it, you can set thresholds for

through holes, counterbores, and flat-bottomed blind holes when FBM Drill will switchfrom using a drill cycle to using Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths.

Machining a large hole with FBM Drill1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.


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2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select LARGE_HOLE.MCX.

This part features a one inch hole in the center that is too large to drilleffectively.

3 From the Mastercam menu, choose Toolpaths, FBM Drill.

4 Click the Detectbutton at the top of theFBM Drill dialog box to find the holes inthe part.

The one inch hole appears at the bottom of the feature list and is set to bedrilled by default.

5 Select the Hole milling page from the tree control and select the Through

holescheck box.


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This page includes options to determine what holes are machined with eithera circle mill or helix bore toolpath instead of drilling. In this case, any throughholes one inch or larger will be machined with a circle mill toolpath.

6 In the Automatic tool selection groupbox, enter 35%for the maximum tooldiameter and 20%for the minimum tooldiameter.


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7 Select the Circle Mill page from the tree control. This page allows you to setparameters for the circle mill toolpath or use the default toolpath parameters.

8 Click the Detectbutton again to re-detect the holes. Notice that the one inchhole is now re-assigned as a circle mill operation.


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2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and selectHOLE_MAPPING.MCX.

The circular set of holes are all -20 tapped holes drawn with a 0.201

diameter.3 From the Mastercam menu, choose Toolpaths, FBM Drill.

4 Click the Detectbutton at the top of theFBM Drill dialog box to find the holes inthe part.

5 Select the Hole Mappingpage from the tree control and select the Holemappingcheck box to enable this feature.

6 Right-click anywhere in the hole mapping table and select Add to start a newhole map entry.

7 Enter 0.201for the diameter and press [Tab]to move to the next column.


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8 Select Tap RHfrom the Hole type drop-down list and press [Tab]to move tothe next column.

9 Select theMCX: Tap RH tool from the Finish tool drop-down list to completethe hole map entry.

10 Click the Detectbutton again to re-detect all of the features. All of the 0.201holes are now set as Tap RH holes instead of Drill holes.

Notice that the counterbore features were not automatically assigned to a tool.You can quickly make this adjustment.


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11 Click the Select common featurescheck box at the bottom of the feature listand select one of the counterbore holes. All the counterbores are highlighted.

12 Right-click in the Hole typecolumn and select Hole type > Drillfrom theflyout menu. All the counterbore holes are converted to drill holes.


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13 Click OKto generate the toolpaths.

Pre-Drilling

FBM Drill now includes a simpler way for pre-drilling to only drill the pilot holediameter and not perform any pre-drilling up to that hole size. The Pre-drill pilot holesonlycheck box on the Pre-drilling page generates only pilot hole pre-drill cyclesfollowed by finish hole drill cycles, such as tapping or reaming.

Create Additional GeometryThis new option on the Setup page allows FBM Drill to create additional geometry

while creating the drill toolpaths. This geometry can be used to select holes for

multiaxis drilling. The Vector of drill engagementoption creates a vector from the top


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of the hole to the deepest depth of the hole, taking tip compensation and tool selectioninto account.

FBM Mill

Slug CuttingUsers who work with wood and composite materials on large vacuum table machines

will definitely appreciate this enhancement in how FBM Mill handles through pockets.FBM Mill now detects when a through pocket area is large enough for a vacuum table

to hold down the resulting slug. Instead of pocketing the entire area, Mastercam uses acontour operation to cut the outermost passes of the profile, leaving behind a slug thatis held in place by the vacuum table.

Note: The Slug cutting page is available only when the Through featurescheck boxis selected on the Feature detection page.


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Large Hole MillingIn Mastercam X4 Mill, FBM Mill provides a method other than pocketing to machineround features. The Hole Milling option lets you mill round features using pocket,


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Circle Mill, or Helix Bore toolpaths. You can activate Hole Milling on the Featuredetectionpage.

If you select Hole milling, the Hole milling page becomes available in the tree control.Use this page to select either Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths for machining and toset tool selection ranges. Like Large Hole Milling in FBM Drill, you can set parametersfor the Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths, or use the operation defaults.


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Mill Level 3 EnhancementsMastercam X4 offers several enhancements for Mill Level 3 and Router Pro users,including support for multi-threaded processing, new filters for improved finishresults, and an updated interface for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axis toolpaths.

Multi-Threading SupportMulti-threadingis a special form of program multitasking that allows a single programto execute portions of itself concurrently (as opposed to a single-threaded program,which executes in a linear mode). This processing mode allows Mastercam to split theprograms that regenerate its largest, most complex toolpaths into smaller, separateprogram threads that execute simultaneously. Programs that are multi-threaded canprocess more quickly and efficiently.

In Mastercam X4, multi-threaded toolpath processing is available for all of

Mastercam's 3D surface high speed toolpaths (HST), and for the following multiaxistoolpaths:

Multisurface 5-axis

Flowline 5-axis

Port 5-axis

You can enable/disable multi-threaded toolpath processing as part of your Mastercamconfiguration for all Mastercam sessions (Settings, Configuration, Toolpathspage).


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Or you can use the Toggle Multi-Threadingbutton to turn it on or off for thecurrent Mastercam session.This button is located on the Whats New in X4toolbar, and in the Settings, Customizedialog box in the Multi-ThreadToolpath Manager category.

Once you activate multi-threaded processing, whenever you generate/regenerate 3DHST and multiaxis toolpaths, you can continue working in Mastercam once thetoolpaths have been sent to the Multi-Threading Manager (MTM). This dialog boxshows you all existing threads, along with their current states, progress bar indicators,and processing status.

You do not have to wait for the toolpath regeneration to complete before starting

another Mastercam function. Mastercam continues to process these toolpath files inthe background.

You can use the Toggle Multi-ThreadingManagerbutton to control thedisplay of this dialog box for the current Mastercam session. This button isalso located on the Whats New in X4 toolbar, and in the Settings, Customizedialog box in the Multi-Thread Toolpath Manager category.

When processing toolpaths in multi-threaded mode, the Toolpath Manager displaystwo icons to indicate that toolpaths are being processed as threads in the Multi-Threading Manager. The icons are green or yellow spools of thread.

Green icons indicate threads that are being processed in the MTM.

Yellow icons are assigned to dependent toolpath threads (for example,

rest toolpaths). Dependent threads require data from prior parent toolpaththreads. Dependent threads cannot begin processing until the MTMcompletely finishes processing the parent thread (including translation of thebinary NCI data).


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Toolpath RefinementMastercam X4 adds a new toolpath refinement feature 3D Advanced ToolpathRefinement to 3D surface toolpaths. The 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement helpsyou optimize cycle times and produce better finishes with your 3D surface toolpaths.This new feature combines the existing arc/line filter with new functionality thatsupports smoothing, randomizing points, creating minimal points, maintaining aconsistent distance between points, and even converting arc motion to all G1 motion.

Adjusting toolpath results using Toolpath Refinement1 From the Mastercam menu, choose File, Open.

2 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select REFINE.MCX. Thispart includes four surface high speed toolpaths.

3 In the Toolpath Manager, expand the first toolpath in the list.

4 Click the Parametersicon to display the Surface High Speed Toolpaths dialogbox.


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5 Select the Arc Filter/Tolerancepage from the tree control. Notice that theTotaltolerancevalue is set to 0.001.

6 Click the Refine toolpathbutton to open the Refine Toolpath dialog box.


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In the Tolerances Distribution section, Mastercam displays the formula it usesto apply the 0.001 Total Tolerance value. For this toolpath, the percentages ofLine/Arc filter toleranceand Smoothing toleranceare set to 0%, making theCut tolerance100% of the Total tolerance value. This indicates that the 3DAdvanced Toolpath Refinement feature is notin effect.

7 Select the Smoothing Settingscheck box to activate smoothing for thetoolpath. This automatically adjusts the Smoothing tolerance in theTolerances Distribution to 5% of the Total tolerance and reduces Cut toleranceto 95%.

8 Select the Line/Arc Filtering Settingscheck box to activate line/arc filteringfor the toolpath. Line/arc filtering and smoothing tolerance are appliedapproximately equally.


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9 Slowly move the +slider, located immediately after the Cut tolerance field, tothe right. This adjusts the ratio between the two sections in 5% increments,but respects the final number for the total tolerance.

10 Move the slider in between the line/arc filter and the smoothing tolerance tothe left. This adjusts the ratio between the two fields.

Notes: There are other ways to change the distribution between the fields:

Type values directly into the fields

Use the sliders in the My preferences section.

11 Click Cancelto close the Refine Toolpath dialog box.

12 Click Cancelto close the Surface High Speed Toolpath dialog box.

Examining the Toolpath Results

1Select all four toolpaths in the Toolpath Manager and click the Backplotbutton.

2 Expand the Backplot dialog box usingthe arrow button in the upper left cornerso you can see all four toolpaths.


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3 Select the first toolpath.

4 Select the Display Endpoints button tosee the entity endpoints within the toolmotion.

5 Zoom in on a section of the part. The first toolpath has no filter applied, so youcan see how the points line up with neighboring points. This introduces the

potential for a low-quality surface finish.


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6 Select the second toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. The Refine Toolpathfilter is turned on for this toolpath, which randomizes the point placement toavoid patterns.

7 Select the third toolpath in the Backplot dialog box and notice the reduction inthe number of points. For this toolpath, the Minimize number of pointsoption in the Smoothing section is selected, which further filters the toolpathand creates smaller NC files.

8 Select the last toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. This toolpath uses the UseFixed Segment Lengthoption in the Smoothing section. No two points aremore than 0.04 inches apart, which is ideal for high speed machining.

9Click OKto close the Backplot dialog box.


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Toolpath Refinement Frequently Asked QuestionsMastercam X4s Toolpath Refinement gives you a single control panel for two powerfulmethods of toolpath improvement. The first method Line/Arc Filtering you mayalready be familiar with. The second method of toolpath refinement Smoothing is

new to Mastercam.

Note: The Cut Parameters Smoothing option used to round corners in high speedtoolpaths is unrelated to 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement.

Here are a few commonly asked questions that should help you decide if the newSmoothing feature is for you:

Which toolpaths use Toolpath Refinement?

All 3D surface toolpaths and surface high speed toolpaths have the option of usingToolpath Refinement. This includes both roughing and finishing toolpaths.

What does Toolpath Refinement Smoothing do?

Smoothing distributes a toolpaths node points, avoiding the clustering and groupingof points that can cause marks and other imperfections. It does this through shifting,removing, and/or adding node points along an already generated toolpath.

What are the benefits?

Smoothing delivers three clear benefits on certain parts:

Superior finish quality. Tests show a much smoother, consistent finish with

fewer visible tool marks on many parts.

Reduced machining time. Smoothed toolpaths eliminate many of the small

moves common to 3D toolpaths, letting you run the program at much higherfeed rates.

Reduced tool wear.

How do I access the Refine Toolpath options?

Choose a 3D surface toolpath or a surface high speed toolpath from the MastercamToolpath menu or toolbar.

Then choose one of the following actions based on your toolpath selection:

For tree-style toolpaths:

1 Choose the Arc Filter/Tolerancepage.


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2 Enter a Total Tolerancevalue.

3 Click the Refine Toolpathbutton.

For tab-style toolpaths:

1 Choose the toolpath's parameters tab (for example, Rough radial parametersor Finish project parameters).

2 Enter a Total Tolerancevalue.

3 Click the Total Tolerancebutton.

Try out this powerful new technique and see for yourself the smoother, faster results itcan deliver. You can also use it together with Mastercams standard Line/Arc filtering, asthe two techniques work well together.

Minimum Tilt in Multiaxis ToolpathsThis new feature automates tool axis motion when the tool or holder encounters apotential collision with a selected surface. These options are available in Port 5-axis,Flow 5-axis, and Multisurface 5-axis toolpaths. You can enter a clearance distance tomaintain between the tool shank/holder and the part. For Mastercam X4, this functioncan only be used with a lollipop cutter.

New Tree-Style Dialogs for Curve 5-axis and Drill 5-axisMastercam continues to convert toolpaths to the new tree-style dialog boxes. The newdialogs for Drill 5-axis and Curve 5-axis streamline the programming process.


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Circle Mill 5-axis ToolpathThe new Circle Mill 5-axis toolpath is useful for creating circular pockets normal to asurface, parallel to a line, or referencing a plane in order to insert an object such as afastener. It can also generate round holes at any orientation where drilling is not


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desirable. You can access this toolpath by choosing Toolpaths, Multiaxis, Circle 5 axisfrom the Mastercam menu.


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Router EnhancementsMastercam X4 Router provides new functions that give you additional control over

your router machining jobs.

Bump NestingMastercam X4 allows you to perform automatic nesting with just enough manualintervention to achieve the best possible result in the least amount of time.

Adjusting nesting results using Bump Nesting1 From the Mastercam menu, choose Settings, Configurationand select the

English(Inch) configuration file.

2 Click OKto close the System Configuration dialog box.

3 Choose Xform, Geometry Nestingfrom the Mastercam menu.

4 Click the Openbutton at the bottom of the Nesting dialog box.

5 Go to ..\Documentation\ExampleParts and select BUMP.NSTX. Thisfile contains settings from a previous Mastercam nesting session.

On the Sheetstab, the sheet size is preset to 24x12 inches and the sheetmargin is set to 0.25 inches.


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ROUTER ENHANCEMENTS 77

7 Click OKto create the nesting results. The Nesting Results dialog box displays.

8 Click the Dragbutton at the bottom ofthe Nesting Results dialog box to enterBump Nesting mode.

The graphics window shows the nestedgeometry and the Bump Nesting ribbonbar displays.

Copying and Rotating Part Geometry

1 Click the Copybutton on the ribbon bar.


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6 Move the new geometry down next to the lower number 4. Notice that it canbe difficult to align with both the number 4 and the lower edge of the sheet.

7 Press and hold the left mouse button. An additional arrow displays that can bepointed towards the bottom edge of the sheet to bump against two edges.

8 Release the left mouse button to place the copied geometry.

Deleting and Moving Part Geometry

1 Click the Deletebutton on the ribbon

bar.

2 Click on the number 4 that you just created to delete it from the sheet.


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3 Click on the letter E at the center of the nested geometry.

4 Press [Esc]to exit Delete mode.

5 Click the Movebutton on the ribbon bar.

6 Click on one of the letter C parts and try to drag it into the space left in thecenter of the sheet. Due to the part-to-part distance, it will not fit in the space.


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7 Click anywhere on the right side of the sheet to place the letter C.

8 Click on one of the number 4 parts andmove it to the open space in the center ofthe sheet. Because this part is smaller,

Bump Nesting allows you to place it inthe space.

TIP: You can press the [+] and [-] buttons

to rotate the part within the space for more

efficient sheet usage.

9 Click once to place the part.

10 Click OKon the ribbon bar to return to

the Nesting Results dialog box.

The Minimum Quantity Not Achieved dialog box displays because youdeleted one of the letters and a minimum quantity of two was set for eachpart.

11 Click OKto continue.

12 Click OKto accept the nesting results and complete the nesting process.

Vertical and Horizontal Cutoff in NestingNesting can now generate a toolpath for vertical and horizontal cutoffs in order topreserve rectangular remnants for future use. If you wish to make horizontal andvertical cutoffs, you can use the Trimsettings to choose which cut to make first. The


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horizontal and vertical trim check boxes in the Results dialog are used to specify whichcuts to make.


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Lathe EnhancementsMastercam X4 Lathe provides many new features to make your lathe jobs faster andmore efficient, including several enhancements for grooving toolpaths, betterfunctionality for creating turned profiles, and a user-friendly interface for C-axis

toolpaths.

Grooving EnhancementsMastercam X4 includes several improvements that provide a new level of control forLathe grooving toolpaths.

Multiple Chains Grooving OptionThe new Multiple chainsoption allows you to select more than one groove for a groovetoolpath.

When you use this option to chain multiple grooves, the chaining function is impactedin the following ways:

The type of chain in the Chaining dialog box defaults to Partial Chain.

You are prompted to select an entry point or chain the inner boundary.

Using the Partial Chain method, select the first entity and then the last entity.

Using the Point method, select an entry point or points.

You can then select a retraction point or complete the chaining process.


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Because the grooves can be different widths, you can only select the new Middleoverlap option on the Groove Finish parameters tab.


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Independent Feed Rate for First PlungeThe Groove rough parameters page has a new option to set a feed rate specifically forthe first plunge move, providing precise control of your toolpath motion.

Tool InspectionMastercam X4 Lathe also provides the ability to program tool inspections into yourgroove toolpaths. You can program safe approach and retract locations for performingthe tool inspection. You can also define specific conditions for when you want toinspect the tool.


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LATHE ENHANCEMENTS 89

Round Boring Bar Display in VerifyMastercam X4 now shows round boring bars in Verify. The display is a simplifiedrepresentation of round tools, including boring bars. Collision checking is performedin the background against the 2D profile as it has always been.

All boring bar-type tools, including any custom boring bars, are now created with the

new, simplified round representation. For other tool types like General, ID groove, andID thread, the option to create a round tool shank is available.


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Wire EnhancementsMastercam X4 Wire provides a new, customized interface if your wire machiningprocesses include using Agie EDM with Agievision controls.

Agievision WorkflowIn Mastercam X4 Wires new Agievision mode, the wirepaths and related dialog boxesare intentionally designed to closely resemble the actual Agievision interface for afamiliar look and ease of use. This new Agievision support also includes a complete setof machine definition/control definition/post processor files. You can identify thesefiles by the _AWFin the file names.

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.WMD

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE MM.WMD

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.CONTROL

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION _AWF 4X Wire.PST

Select one of the Agievision AWF Wire Machine Definitions (WMD files) to switchMastercam Wire into the Agievision mode. Once you switch to this mode, the Toolpathsmenu shows the following wirepaths:


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As you go through the pages in the wirepath dialog boxes, you will see the Agievision-specific parameter pages that anyone familiar with the Agievision will instantlyrecognize.

Notes:

Mastercam X4 still includes the Agie C-Hook. This means that you can still runand maintain your current Agie C-Hook files using your current Agie machinedefinition and post.

Since these new Agievision wirepaths are Agievision-specific, they are not

compatible with existing wirepaths that have been created with the Agie C-Hook. The part geometry can be reused, but all the wirepaths must be recreatedusing the new interface.


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Post EnhancementsMastercam X4 includes a number of post enhancements that support the other new X4features. Your \Documentationfolder includes two additional resources for postsinformation:

Post Debugger Users Guide Describes how to use the post debugger,including a tutorial example and quick reference.

NCI & Parameter Reference Lists all of the NCI codes and associated

parameters, 20000s-series codes, and all the operation parameters. It includesprocedures and examples for accessing each type of value.

Updating Posts for Mastercam X4All posts need to be updated before they can be used with Mastercam X4. Use theUpdatePost C-Hook to update them. This is installed in your \chooksfolder and is runlike any other C-Hook. If you try to use a post that has not been updated, Mastercamdisplays an error message.

UpdatePost will make the following changes to your post:

The header will be updated with the latest version number, 13.00.

String initialization will be updated to conform to current best-practice

standards.

The following picture shows the new string initialization. All such statements will usethe :operator, with the string value in double-quotes " ". This also applies to blank

strings.

UpdatePost also includes routines that search for references to specific parameter

numbers and validates them against known changes. If your original post tries to read a


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parameter with a number that has changed, the following line will be written to theupdatepost.logfile:

PARAMETER DATA - - Possibly incorrect parameter number detected:

99999. Please check the parameter number.

When you see this message, look up the parameter number in the tables in theNCI &Parameter Referenceand make sure that your post is actually referencing theparameter that you want.

Note that UpdatePost only looks at parameter numbers in fprmtables. Postlines thatare inside postblocks are not validated. Here is one example:

pparameter$

if prmcode$ = 10068, z_stock = rpar(sparameter$, 1)

Support for Lathe Tool InspectionThe generic lathe posts supplied with Mastercam have been modified to support thenew tool inspection retract moves for lathe groove toolpaths. To implement thisfeature, there are two enhancements to the NCI output for lathe groove toolpaths:

A retract move to the inspection position. This is indicated by the same 70000

cur_cflag$(rpd_typ$ = 7) used for the Mill tool inspection feature in thesurface high speed toolpaths.

A comment that is written to the NCI just before the 70000 move. A new 29999

NCI code has been created for this comment.

Unlike other 20000s lines, which are written to the NCI before the tool change line, the29999 is written in the middle of the toolpath, at the point where the tool inspection isto take place.

The following picture shows the NCI code for a lathe groove toolpath, with and withoutthe tool inspection. You can see how the retract move and new codes are implemented.


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POST ENHANCEMENTS 95

If you are not using one of Mastercams generic lathe posts, you (or your reseller) willneed to modify your post to properly process the new NCI codes. UpdatePost will notmake these changes for you. See theNCI & Parameter Referencefor detailedinstructions and examples.

Agievision SupportThe Agievision interface introduced with Mastercam X4 includes many new dialogboxes that mimic the look and feel of the Agievision control. A new range of parametershas been established, 2200022999, to encapsulate these settings and pass them to thepost. These are then read and stored duringpparameter$like any other 20000-styleparameters.

This represents a significant change from how Agie data was written out by the Agie C-Hook used in Mastercam X3. The C-Hook wrote the data to a separate .ADTfile to be

read by the post, instead of the 22000 parameters. Posts written for the new Agievisioninterface therefore need to be completely different.

The Agievision interface supplied with Mastercam X4 includes a complete post, alongwith a machine and control definition:

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.WMD

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE MM.WMD

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION_AWF 4X WIRE.CONTROL

AGIE GENERIC AGIEVISION _AWF 4X Wire.PST

When you select the Agievision machine definition, the correct post is automaticallyloaded.

The new Agievision interface also includes a new control definition page that supplieskey information to the post.


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This information is used to validate the post and ensures that the selected post hasbeen properly configured for the interface. This means that any current Agie posts(posts that had been developed to work with the Agie C-Hook) will not work with thenew interface.

See theNCI & Parameter Referencefor detailed lists of all the new 22xxx parameters andother information about the Agievision post.

New Operation ParametersMastercam X4 includes many new operation parameters to support the new toolpathtypes and other new features. These new parameters are itemized in the NCI &Parameter Reference.

Traditionally, operation parameters have been numbered from 1000019999. Since weare running out of numbers in this range, new parameters are now numbered in the40000s.

Post Debugger ImprovementsThe Mastercam Post Debugger, which was introduced in Mastercam X3, has severalsignificant enhancements.

Run Turbomode - Lets you quickly preview your NC output so you can set

breakpoints, add variables to the watch list, and otherwise identify areas ofinterest that you want to look at closely.

Expanded NC Output -Lets you see each element of each NC line as it isoutput, and identify the specific postline element or statement that output it.

In addition, the documentation has been significantly enhanced, including a quickreference, FAQ, and tutorial example. Click the new Helpbutton on the debuggertoolbar, or open the Post Debugger Users Guidedirectly from the \Documentationfolder.


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Documents

Whats New in Mastercam