Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
in Mastercam X4
May 2009
TERMS OF USE
www.mastercam.com/legal/licenseagreement/
III
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................. 1
Before You Begin ..................................................................................... 1
If You Need More Help ............................................................................ 2
Additional Documentation ...................................................................... 2
Introduction
Welcome to Mastercam X4! Mastercam X4 features a new suite of CAD/CAM tools
focused on delivering speed and efficiency for your machining jobs. We are sure that
you 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 the
Whats New toolbar and menu. Go to Help, Whats New in the Mastercam menu to
view some of the new functions that Mastercam X4 offers.
Notes:
If you migrate your toolbar settings from a previous version of Mastercam, the
Whats New in X4 toolbar will not be available.
Some of the options on the Whats New toolbar are only available if you have
certain products enabled on your Mastercam SIM.
Tutorial Requirements
Many chapters in this book contain short tutorials on new features in Mastercam X4.
To complete these tutorials, you should meet the following requirements:
Technical SupportCNC Softwares Technical Support department (860-8755006 or support@mastercam.com) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time.
Additional Documentation
You can find more information on using Mastercam in the following materials, located
in the \Documentation folder of your Mastercam installation:
Dynamic Planes
Dynamic Planes is a new method for defining construction planes (Cplanes), tool
planes (Tplanes), planes, and work coordinate systems (WCS) in Mastercam X4. You
can now define the desired plane using an interactive graphical gnomon to establish
the plane's origin and orientation.
Everything centers on using the gnomon and its position-sensitive functionality. The
gnomon is made of an Axis Origin and three axes, each consisting of a First Leg, Axis
Label, 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 use
AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point. Generally, this is
the first manipulation of the dynamic gnomon.
2 First Leg - Select to move the gnomon along the selected axis. Move the
gnomon along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use
AutoCursor positions, type in XYZ values, or sketch a point.
3 Axis Label - Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomon
along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursor
positions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point.
Selecting the axis label for rotation follows these rules:
4 Second Leg - Select to rotate around a perpendicular axis. Rotate the gnomon
along the scale displayed in the graphics window. You can also use AutoCursor
positions, type a rotation angle, or sketch a point.
Selecting the axis second leg for rotation follows these rules:
5 Move the gnomon around the graphics window. The gnomon picks up on
various AutoCursor positions on the wireframe geometry.
2 Move the gnomon back and forth along the scale. Notice that the value in the
Y 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 simply
sketch a point to set an axis position.
3 Click the Settings button on the Dynamic Plane dialog box to display the
Gnomon Settings dialog box. You can adjust the gnomon behavior here,
including snap increments and gnomon size.
4 Set the Linear increment to 10 and choose OK.
TIP: If you deselect the Activate Linear Snap check box, you can position the axis
anywhere along the scale, not just at the snap positions.
5 Move the Y axis along the scale again. Notice that the scale increments are now
different.
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.
3 Click on the second leg of the Y axis. You can now rotate around the Z axis.
4 Enter 45 in the Rotation field 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.
8 Move your cursor again to the corner of the shaded surface. The point projects
down to the flat plane you are rotating within.
Aligning an Axis
1 Click on the Z axis arrowhead, and move around the graphics window. The Z
axis snaps to align with each piece of geometry. Notice how the axis adjusts to
changes 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 points
along the spline.
3 Press and hold the [Ctrl] key, and click the right button on your mouse to
display the Gnomon Settings dialog box.
10 Choose OK. The WCS, tool, and construction planes are now set to your new
plane.
Dynamic Xform
Imagine 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 Xform
features.
3 Press [F9] to display the world origin and axes. Notice that the part is not in a
standard Mastercam orientation.
4 Press [F9] again to clear the world axes from the graphics window.
7 On the Dynamic Xform ribbon bar, confirm that you are in Move mode and
are creating a single copy.
7 Move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the part. A Visual Cue displays
when Mastercam snaps to the endpoint.
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 to
start translating the part to a new origin.
5 Click anywhere in the graphics window to select a new origin position.
6 Click on the Z axis label, and notice that you can rotate around the X axis.
13 Press [F9] again to see that the part is now moved to the world origin and
oriented to match the standard Mastercam views.
3 Press [F1] and draw a zoom window around the left side of the part.
4 Choose Analyze, Contour from the Mastercam menu. The Chaining dialog
box displays.
5 Click the Chain Feature Options button
to display the Chain Feature dialog box.
This dialog lets you set criteria for
determining which geometry is similar.
6 Select Identical in the Feature Precision
group box. This option looks for chains
that are exact geometric matches. The
chains must contain the same number of
entities with the same measurements.
Notice that Mastercam found the identical shapes, along with similar shapes
that are smaller and larger.
19 Click the Chain Feature button again on the Chaining dialog box.
Notice that Mastercam chained all arcs that are less than or equal to the
reference arc. In total, Mastercam chained 620 shapes with just a few clicks.
TIP: You can save your Chain Feature settings and recall them for future use by
choosing the Save and Load buttons on the Chain Feature dialog box.
The new setup sheet lets you add project and customer information, including custom
screen captures. You can even add drafting and notes while you're capturing images.
The Level Manager also allows you to perform more level manipulation inside the
dialog box by using new options on the right-click menu.
Purge empty levels - Removes levels and level names that contain no
geometry.
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.
You can enter a level name in the status bar when you define a new level by typing the
level number followed by a colon and the name. For example, to define level 10 as a
new level with the name cavity, type 10:cavity (no spaces) in the Level box on the
status bar.
Viewsheet Enhancements
In Mastercam X4, you can recall every option on the status bar (except Groups) as part
of a viewsheet. Right-click on any viewsheet tab and choose Settings to specify which
status bar functions to recall in the viewsheet and which ones to ignore. The
Automatically restore bookmark settings option resets the viewsheet to the
bookmark automatically when you switch from one viewsheet to another. All of these
options are also available on the Screen, Viewsheets page of the System Configuration
dialog box.
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
Design Enhancements
Mastercam X4 Design makes drawing and editing your geometry more efficient than
ever before.
Translate 3D Improvements
The Xform, Translate 3D function has been revamped in Mastercam X4 to make it
faster 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.
Trim Divide/Delete
This 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.
Contour
Slot Mill
Point
Drill
Helix Bore
Facing
Circle Mill
Thread Mill
One of the benefits of this interface, beyond a unified look with other toolpaths, is the
ability to change toolpath types. If you begin a drill toolpath from the menu, select
several points or arcs, get into the interface and realize that Drill was not the correct
option but Circle Mill is better, you can simply switch styles and continue on. There is
no need to exit the toolpath and begin again all geometry remains selected. You
enter the appropriate parameters, and process the toolpath.
Dynamic Mill
Dynamic Mill is a new pocketing routine for Mastercam X4. It has been added to the 2D
HST tree-style dialog as an additional toolpath type.
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 down
in 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 have
been incorporated from the Peel Mill toolpath to further refine the dynamic pocket
motion and avoid excessive heat build-up. Both the powerful entry methods and the
micro lifts support custom feeds and speeds to further productivity and generate safe
motion.
speed toolpaths, but the information is only used for Backplot and not for gougechecking the toolpath.
FBM Drill
Large Hole Milling
Customers asked for a better solution to the problem of machining holes larger than
their drills and for creating flat-bottom holes without using a mill for drilling. FBM
Large 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 switch
from using a drill cycle to using Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths.
This part features a one inch hole in the center that is too large to drill
effectively.
3 From the Mastercam menu, choose Toolpaths, FBM Drill.
4 Click the Detect button at the top of the
FBM Drill dialog box to find the holes in
the part.
The one inch hole appears at the bottom of the feature list and is set to be
drilled by default.
5 Select the Hole milling page from the tree control and select the Through
holes check box.
This page includes options to determine what holes are machined with either
a circle mill or helix bore toolpath instead of drilling. In this case, any through
holes one inch or larger will be machined with a circle mill toolpath.
7 Select the Circle Mill page from the tree control. This page allows you to set
parameters for the circle mill toolpath or use the default toolpath parameters.
8 Click the Detect button again to re-detect the holes. Notice that the one inch
hole is now re-assigned as a circle mill operation.
9 Click OK to accept the Circle Mill default values and generate the toolpaths.
Mastercam creates a circle mill toolpath to machine the hole in the center of
the part.
Hole Mapping
FBM Drill now allows you to build a mapping table so that when a specific hole size is
encountered during detection, it is automatically assigned to a specific drill cycle and
tool. This can be useful on parts where holes that are intended to be tapped are created
with the pilot hole diameter rather than the finished hole diameter.
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 Detect button at the top of the
FBM Drill dialog box to find the holes in
the part.
5 Select the Hole Mapping page from the tree control and select the Hole
mapping check box to enable this feature.
6 Right-click anywhere in the hole mapping table and select Add to start a new
hole map entry.
7 Enter 0.201 for the diameter and press [Tab] to move to the next column.
8 Select Tap RH from the Hole type drop-down list and press [Tab] to move to
the next column.
9 Select the MCX: Tap RH tool from the Finish tool drop-down list to complete
the hole map entry.
10 Click the Detect button again to re-detect all of the features. All of the 0.201
holes 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.
11 Click the Select common features check box at the bottom of the feature list
and select one of the counterbore holes. All the counterbores are highlighted.
12 Right-click in the Finish tool column on the right and select Finish tool >
MCX: Drill from the flyout menu. This tool is applied to all the counterbore
holes.
Pre-Drilling
FBM Drill now includes a simpler way for pre-drilling to only drill the pilot hole
diameter and not perform any pre-drilling up to that hole size. The Pre-drill pilot holes
only check box on the Pre-drilling page generates only pilot hole pre-drill cycles
followed by finish hole drill cycles, such as tapping or reaming.
of the hole to the deepest depth of the hole, taking tip compensation and tool selection
into account.
FBM Mill
Slug Cutting
Users 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 a
contour operation to cut the outermost passes of the profile, leaving behind a slug that
is held in place by the vacuum table.
Note: The Slug cutting page is available only when the Through features check box
is selected on the Feature detection page.
Circle Mill, or Helix Bore toolpaths. You can activate Hole Milling on the Feature
detection page.
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 to
set tool selection ranges. Like Large Hole Milling in FBM Drill, you can set parameters
for the Circle Mill or Helix Bore toolpaths, or use the operation defaults.
Multi-Threading Support
Multi-threading is a special form of program multitasking that allows a single program
to 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 the
programs that regenerate its largest, most complex toolpaths into smaller, separate
program threads that execute simultaneously. Programs that are multi-threaded can
process 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 multiaxis
toolpaths:
Multisurface 5-axis
Flowline 5-axis
Port 5-axis
You can enable/disable multi-threaded toolpath processing as part of your Mastercam
configuration for all Mastercam sessions (Settings, Configuration, Toolpaths page).
Or you can use the Toggle Multi-Threading button to turn it on or off for the
current Mastercam session.This button is located on the Whats New in X4
toolbar, and in the Settings, Customize dialog box in the Multi-Thread
Toolpath Manager category.
Once you activate multi-threaded processing, whenever you generate/regenerate 3D
HST and multiaxis toolpaths, you can continue working in Mastercam once the
toolpaths have been sent to the Multi-Threading Manager (MTM). This dialog box
shows 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 in
the background.
You can use the Toggle Multi-Threading Manager button to control the
display of this dialog box for the current Mastercam session. This button is
also located on the Whats New in X4 toolbar, and in the Settings, Customize
dialog box in the Multi-Thread Toolpath Manager category.
When processing toolpaths in multi-threaded mode, the Toolpath Manager displays
two icons to indicate that toolpaths are being processed as threads in the MultiThreading 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 toolpath
threads. Dependent threads cannot begin processing until the MTM
completely finishes processing the parent thread (including translation of the
binary NCI data).
Toolpath Refinement
Mastercam X4 adds a new toolpath refinement feature 3D Advanced Toolpath
Refinement to 3D surface toolpaths. The 3D Advanced Toolpath Refinement helps
you optimize cycle times and produce better finishes with your 3D surface toolpaths.
This new feature combines the existing arc/line filter with new functionality that
supports smoothing, randomizing points, creating minimal points, maintaining a
consistent distance between points, and even converting arc motion to all G1 motion.
4 Click the Parameters icon to display the Surface High Speed Toolpaths dialog
box.
5 Select the Arc Filter/Tolerance page from the tree control. Notice that the
Total tolerance value is set to 0.001.
6 Click the Refine toolpath button to open the Refine Toolpath dialog box.
8 Select the Line/Arc Filtering Settings check box to activate line/arc filtering
for the toolpath. Line/arc filtering and smoothing tolerance are applied
approximately equally.
9 Slowly move the + slider, located immediately after the Cut tolerance field, to
the 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 to
the 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 Cancel to close the Refine Toolpath dialog box.
12 Click Cancel to close the Surface High Speed Toolpath dialog box.
6 Select the second toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. The Refine Toolpath
filter is turned on for this toolpath, which randomizes the point placement to
avoid patterns.
7 Select the third toolpath in the Backplot dialog box and notice the reduction in
the number of points. For this toolpath, the Minimize number of points
option in the Smoothing section is selected, which further filters the toolpath
and creates smaller NC files.
8 Select the last toolpath in the Backplot dialog box. This toolpath uses the Use
Fixed Segment Length option in the Smoothing section. No two points are
more than 0.04 inches apart, which is ideal for high speed machining.
Superior finish quality. Tests show a much smoother, consistent finish with
fewer visible tool marks on many parts.
desirable. You can access this toolpath by choosing Toolpaths, Multiaxis, Circle 5 axis
from the Mastercam menu.
Router Enhancements
Mastercam X4 Router provides new functions that give you additional control over
your router machining jobs.
Bump Nesting
Mastercam X4 allows you to perform automatic nesting with just enough manual
intervention to achieve the best possible result in the least amount of time.
6 Click on the Parts tab. Two copies of each part have been requested, using a
0.25 inch part-to-part distance to accommodate tool size.
ROUTER ENHANCEMENTS 59
7 Click OK to create the nesting results. The Nesting Results dialog box displays.
3 Use your mouse to move the copied geometry around the open area on the
right side of the sheet. You can see that the part-to-part distance is respected.
4 Press the [+] and [-] keys to rotate the part ten degrees in either direction.
5 Hold down the [Ctrl] key and press the [+] and [-] keys again to rotate the part
one degree in either direction.
ROUTER ENHANCEMENTS 61
6 Move the new geometry down next to the lower number 4. Notice that it can
be 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 be
pointed towards the bottom edge of the sheet to bump against two edges.
6 Click on one of the letter C parts and try to drag it into the space left in the
center of the sheet. Due to the part-to-part distance, it will not fit in the space.
ROUTER ENHANCEMENTS 63
7 Click anywhere on the right side of the sheet to place the letter C.
8 Click on one of the number 4 parts and
move it to the open space in the center of
the sheet. Because this part is smaller,
Bump Nesting allows you to place it in
the 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 OK on the ribbon bar to return to
the Nesting Results dialog box.
The Minimum Quantity Not Achieved dialog box displays because you
deleted one of the letters and a minimum quantity of two was set for each
part.
11 Click OK to continue.
12 Click OK to accept the nesting results and complete the nesting process.
horizontal and vertical trim check boxes in the Results dialog are used to specify which
cuts to make.
Lathe Enhancements
Mastercam X4 Lathe provides many new features to make your lathe jobs faster and
more efficient, including several enhancements for grooving toolpaths, better
functionality for creating turned profiles, and a user-friendly interface for C-axis
toolpaths.
Grooving Enhancements
Mastercam X4 includes several improvements that provide a new level of control for
Lathe grooving toolpaths.
When you use this option to chain multiple grooves, the chaining function is impacted
in 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.
Because the grooves can be different widths, you can only select the new Middle
overlap option on the Groove Finish parameters tab.
LATHE ENHANCEMENTS 67
Tool Inspection
Mastercam X4 Lathe also provides the ability to program tool inspections into your
groove toolpaths. You can program safe approach and retract locations for performing
the tool inspection. You can also define specific conditions for when you want to
inspect the tool.
LATHE ENHANCEMENTS 69
IMPORTANT: This feature only works if the post is customized to capture the new
information in the NCI file. For more information, see Support for Lathe Tool
Inspection on page 76.
You can access this new function by selecting Create, Turn Profile from the Mastercam
menu. After you select an existing solid, solid face, or surface, the following dialog box
displays.
LATHE ENHANCEMENTS 71
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, and
ID thread, the option to create a round tool shank is available.
Wire Enhancements
Mastercam X4 Wire provides a new, customized interface if your wire machining
processes include using Agie EDM with Agievision controls.
Agievision Workflow
In Mastercam X4 Wires new Agievision mode, the wirepaths and related dialog boxes
are intentionally designed to closely resemble the actual Agievision interface for a
familiar look and ease of use. This new Agievision support also includes a complete set
of machine definition/control definition/post processor files. You can identify these
files by the _AWF in the file names.
Select one of the Agievision AWF Wire Machine Definitions (WMD files) to switch
Mastercam Wire into the Agievision mode. Once you switch to this mode, the Toolpaths
menu shows the following wirepaths:
As you go through the pages in the wirepath dialog boxes, you will see the Agievisionspecific parameter pages that anyone familiar with the Agievision will instantly
recognize.
Notes:
Mastercam X4 still includes the Agie C-Hook. This means that you can still run
and maintain your current Agie C-Hook files using your current Agie machine
definition and post.
Since these new Agievision wirepaths are Agievision-specific, they are not
compatible with existing wirepaths that have been created with the Agie CHook. The part geometry can be reused, but all the wirepaths must be recreated
using the new interface.
Post Enhancements
Mastercam X4 includes a number of post enhancements that support the other new X4
features. Your \Documentation folder includes two additional resources for posts
information:
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 includes
procedures and examples for accessing each type of value.
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 use
the : 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
parameter with a number that has changed, the following line will be written to the
updatepost.log file:
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 the NCI &
Parameter Reference and make sure that your post is actually referencing the
parameter that you want.
Note that UpdatePost only looks at parameter numbers in fprm tables. Postlines that
are inside postblocks are not validated. Here is one example:
pparameter$
if prmcode$ = 10068, z_stock = rpar(sparameter$, 1)
A retract move to the inspection position. This is indicated by the same 70000
cur_cflag$ (rpd_typ$ = 7) used for the Mill tool inspection feature in the
surface 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, the
29999 is written in the middle of the toolpath, at the point where the tool inspection is
to take place.
The following picture shows the NCI code for a lathe groove toolpath, with and without
the tool inspection. You can see how the retract move and new codes are implemented.
POST ENHANCEMENTS 77
If you are not using one of Mastercams generic lathe posts, you (or your reseller) will
need to modify your post to properly process the new NCI codes. UpdatePost will not
make these changes for you. See the NCI & Parameter Reference for detailed
instructions and examples.
Agievision Support
The Agievision interface introduced with Mastercam X4 includes many new dialog
boxes that mimic the look and feel of the Agievision control. A new range of parameters
has been established, 2200022999, to encapsulate these settings and pass them to the
post. These are then read and stored during pparameter$ like any other 20000-style
parameters.
This represents a significant change from how Agie data was written out by the Agie CHook used in Mastercam X3. The C-Hook wrote the data to a separate .ADT file to be
read by the post, instead of the 22000 parameters. Posts written for the new Agievision
interface therefore need to be completely different.
The Agievision interface supplied with Mastercam X4 includes a complete post, along
with a machine and control definition:
This information is used to validate the post and ensures that the selected post has
been 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 the
new interface.
See the NCI & Parameter Reference for detailed lists of all the new 22xxx parameters and
other information about the Agievision post.
Run Turbo mode - Lets you quickly preview your NC output so you can set
breakpoints, add variables to the watch list, and otherwise identify areas of
interest that you want to look at closely.