SoildWorks, Mastercam, Dimension 3D Printing, CAD, PDM, COSMOS, FEA, CAM, CAE, Rapid Prototyping, FAQ's, Frequently Asked Questions, NJ, PA, NY, CT, MD, DE

You may need to change which revision of a model a drawing references or you may even need to change a drawing reference from one part to a totally different part. One quick way to do this without losing all your views and annotations is to follow the following procedure:

Open the drawing in question
Right click on any view and select the OPEN (Filename) option
Now that the model is open, select the FILE / RELOAD command
Select the REPLACE option and BROWSE to find the new file to reference
If you go back to the drawing you will see that it references the new model.

Mapping fonts between SolidWorks and Autocad via DWG.

To map fonts between SolidWorks and Autocad using the SAVE AS / DWG make sure the OPTIONS dialog is set correctly. In the FONTS drop down menu if you pick AUTOCAD STANDARD ONLY all the fonts in your SolidWorks drawing will be converted to the Autocad standard font. Be aware that font spacing will probably not be the same. To preserve the TrueType font that you used in your SolidWorks drawing, pick TRUE TYPE
in the FONTS drop down menu. This will keep the fonts as TrueType in Autocad. The font style may display as SLDTXT# in Autocad, but they will be correctly displayed as TrueType fonts.

How to get toolbars back that are off the screen.

Sometimes toolbars may be inadvertently dragged to a location that is off the visible area of the screen. One way to fix this is to increase your screen resolution to see so you can see the toolbar and then drag it to a new location. If that does not work you can also delete the following Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\<Your Current SolidWorks Version>\User Interface

SolidWorks will then revert back to the factory default toolbar settings on startup. Remember, editing the Registry may make your system unbootable or render your data unreadable. Please make sure you have a backup of all the data on your system and a backup of your Registry before changing it. If you need help editing your Registry please call Cimquest Technical Support at (732) 699-0400 x31 or send an e-mail to support@cimquest-inc.com.

How to export part and assembly files via IGES from SDRC I-DEAS.

Following is a procedure on how to translate SDRC I-DEAS Part data to SolidWorks via the IGES standard:

In I-DEAS: Go to File/Export/IGES and select OK on the Export form.
The Prompt region will ask you to "Pick Entity". Pick a part until the white bounding box appears around it.
On the IGES Export form enter the Filename and Pick Flavors…
On the IGES Flavors form, toggle on "Use Standard Flavors". Select the ? and pick Number 14 - Unigraphics.
OK the Flavor and IGES Flavor forms. When you reach the IGES export form select the Export button and OK the I-DEAS Warning which tells you that a new IGES file will be created.
Send the IGES file to the system which will import it into SolidWorks.
In SolidWorks: Go to File/Open.
Change "Files of type" to Iges Files (*.igs).
Find the directory with the Iges file and move it to the "file name" box by clicking on it.
Finally Click on the "open" button and the Iges file will be imported.

Following is a procedure on how to translate SDRC I-DEAS Assembly data to SolidWorks via the IGES standard:

In I-DEAS: Go to File/Export/IGES and select OK on the Export form.
The Prompt region will ask you to "Pick Entity". Grab all the assembly instances by holding down mouse button one and drawing a box around them. Alternatively when it says "Pick Entity" use mouse button 3, Get From Bin and select the assembly.
On the IGES Export form enter the Filename and Pick Flavors…
On the IGES Flavors form toggle on "Use Standard Flavors". Select the ? and pick Number 14 - Unigraphics.
OK the Flavor and IGES Flavor forms. When you reach the IGES export form select the Export button and OK the I-DEAS Warning which tells you that a new IGES file will be created.
Send the IGES file to the system which will import it into SolidWorks.
In SolidWorks: Go to File/Open.
Change "Files of type" to Iges Files (*.igs).
Find the directory with the Iges file and move it to the "file name" box by clicking on it.
Finally Click on the "open" button and the Iges file will be imported.

Why a dimension can not be moved from one drawing view to another.

There are times that you may try to move a dimension from one drawing view to another and SolidWorks will not move the dimension even though it may seem to be a valid view for the dimension. The reason for this is that SolidWorks is checking to see if the dimensions' sketch is in the proper orientation in the new view. If the dimensions sketch is not parallel to the view, the dimension will not be moved to that new view. This occurs mostly on round parts where a section view may contain the feature to be dimensioned, like a revolved slot, but the section is taken at 90 degrees to the plane that contained the sketch of the slot.

Locating the "Annotations" item in Feature Manager.

"Annotations" is now found at the top of the Feature Manager, just under the part name. The functionality remains the same as in SolidWorks 99.

Middle mouse button is not working.

Make sure your mouse configuration is properly set-up for your 3-button mouse. The middle button should be set to "middle button", or the equivalent, in your mouse configuration software as opposed to a special function.

Mouse/rotation functions are as follows:
- Pan: Ctrl + middle mouse button
- Rotate: Middle mouse button
- Zoom: Shift + middle mouse button

Changing units between English and Metric.

One method is to click on the "grid" icon, and then highlight "units" on the menu in the dialog box, just below "Grid/Snap".

You can also find it by selecting Tools, Options from the menu. Select the "Document Properties" tab, then click "units" on the menu along the left side of the dialog box.

Converting lines and arcs to construction line s and vice versa.

In SolidWorks 2000, there is an Icon on the Sketch Tools toolbar which converts entities to/from construction entities, when clicked. You can also access this function by clicking Tools, Sketch Entity, Construction Geometry.

Editing a polygon.

When initially creating the polygon, all of the polygon properties are displayed to the left, where the Feature Manager is typically found. You can edit these values when creating the polygon. To edit the shape at a later time, simply select one of the polygon edges, and click Tools, Sketch Tools, Edit Polygon from the menu. Alternatively, you can simply select a polygon edge, Right Mouse Click, and choose Edit Polygon. This puts you back into the edit polygon mode.

Editing Hole Wizard definitions.

On the hole wizard dialog box, you’ll notice a "Legacy" tab. You can edit the definition of holes created prior to SolidWorks 2000 using the parameters on this tab.

Shelled part doesn't look different from a solid part.

In SolidWorks 2000, you have the capability to shell without selecting any faces to remove. The part is "hollow", or shelled, inside, but on the outside it appears the same as before shelling. To choose a face(s) to be removed, simply Right Click on the shell feature, and edit the definition. Now highlight the "faces to remove" box, and select the faces on your model to be removed. Click OK, and you have created a shell with removed faces.

How to increase print quality.

This is controlled in the Tools, Options dialog box. Click on Performance, then click "Go to Image Quality". In this box, you can change the "deviation", or smoothness of the curves on the screen. The settings chosen here also effect the quality of the print-outs. Note that increasing the image quality, or decreasing the deviation, will slow down your computer. We recommend increasing the quality for printing if a higher resolution print is needed, then
resetting the quality back to either "fast" or "high quality" for shading, and "Optimal" for wireframe.

Rapid draft.

Rapid draft allows you to load a drawing without loading the model files into memory. Working in Rapid Draft mode allows much faster performance of your system due to the fact that the model file is not loaded into memory. Also, designers can work with the model files at the same time the drafters are working with the Rapid Draft drawing file. You can also send Rapid Draft files to other users without sending the model files. In order to create a Rapid Draft drawing, check the "Convert to Rapid Draft" box when opening an existing drawing. View borders are blue when you are in Rapid Draft mode. You will be prompted if SolidWorks ever needs to actually load the model file while in Rapid Draft mode.

*Note: Once a file has been converted to Rapid Draft, it cannot be changed back. Save a copy of the drawing under a different name if you want to keep a copy that is not Rapid Draft.

A list of the available operations available in Rapid Draft with the model loaded or not loaded can be found on pages 6-13 & 6-14 of the What’s New in SolidWorks 2000 manual.

Upon startup, Solidworks displays a Not Authorized or Not Commissioned to run Solidworks error.

To fix this change the regional settings in Windows to USA.

If a user needs to run SolidWorks in another language, then it is assumed that the machine he is using has that language version of Windows installed on it. Solidworks does not test running cross language installs (like French SolidWorks on English WIndows, etc). If a user really needs to run SolidWorks in say Chinese, then he should request his company get him a machine with Chinese Windows install on it. Or perhaps a dual OS boot machine.

If the user just has an English version of Windows, sets the regional setting to China, installs SolidWorks, and tries to run SolidWorks, then some of the SolidWorks user interface may show in Chinese; however, it is important to be aware that running in this configuration is Not officially supported and has not been tested by QA. Therefore, it is not known what types of issues the customer may see. I do know that there could be issues with Design tables and bend tables.

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How do I prevent Solidworks from updating the model when changing the drawing?

This option was available in 2005 and before/

In previous versions of SolidWorks when you installed it asked if you wanted to allow model changes from the drawings. It also said that if you wanted to change the setting you would have to reinstall. That question is not asked in the more recent versions of SolidWorks during the installation process.

You can however turn off the ability - so when you make a change to your drawing it does NOT change your part. It's a registry setting and it's located at: HKEY Current User/Software/SolidWorks/SolidWorks 2006/General/Disable model changes from drawings. I think changing the value from 0 to 1 makes the change.

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When creating a sketch in a new drawing, invoking the helix command crashes SW 2006.

1.) Close all Solidworks applications.
2.) Go to the Start menu - Run..
3.) Type in cmd (this will get you to the command prompt)
4.) Type in “regsvr32 msflxgrd.ocx” without the quotes.
5.) You should get a dialog saying that the above file was successful.

The Helix command should now work.

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I have a supported video card, but realview still does not work.

If you have Real View grayed out but have a supported card - go into windows explorer and see if the Shaders directory is there. Sometimes SW Realview will not be selected for installation. This is an option for install because the shaders directory is about half a gig.

If this is the issue - insert CD, modify, select realview and complete the install.

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64 Bit specific Solidworks Questions

I have been fielding questions about 64 bit OS over the last few months… I thought it’s important we all understand exactly what to expect as we move forward into the 64 bit world. I believe we have some QA on our website. But I wanted to just send out a quick email too. These are my personal observations.

Q. 64 bit vs 32 bit, is it faster?
A. Probably not.

There are various benchmarks that have been conducted that you can find over the web.

Here is one :http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=5768

It shows doing the exact same thing on the same hardware, 64 is actually a little bit slower… Intel has also confirmed that 64 bit code may be slightly slower.

Q. Why?
A. I don’t know I am not a programmer. However as you can read from the above article if you read all the techno speak, 64 bit version actually requires the cpu to do more work…

Q. So why would anybody want to go to 64 bit?
A. Memory… The clear advantage of 64 bit over 32 bit is that 64 bit allows virtually unlimited memory usage. Where as 32 bit has a 4 GIG upper limit…

Q. Which customers should consider the 64 bit version of Solidworks when it becomes available sometime later this year?
A. I would recommend only those customers who are creating HUGE assemblies and are specifically running out of memory in XP. It is not that difficult to use up more than 2-4 GIG in a large assembly. But only a small number of our user base fits into this category. Most of our customer do not come anywhere near the limits of 4 GIG memory.

Q. Should I recommend customers move to 64 bit hardware?
A. There is no reason customer should not purchase 64 bit CPU today. Since they will run the 32 bit version of XP. So there is really no problem.

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PDM Works FAQ / Tech Tips

How Do I Update my PDMWorks Vault Files to the Current Version?

Pick a time when the engineers don't need access to the vault (early one morning or late one evening maybe?).

1.) Go to the server and stop the PDM service.
2.) Copy the VaultData folder. (This is your backup in case of any problems with the update.)
3.) Run Task Scheduler.
4.) Pick "Update PDM file."
5.) Choose "Entire vault."
6.) Restart the service.

Any problems:

1.) Stop service.
2.) Delete VaultData.
3.) Rename "Copy of VaultData" to "VaultData."
4.) Restart service.

No matter what happens, you can always restore the vault to the state it was in prior to the update.

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Mastercam FAQ / Tech Tips

How to get the training files that were used in a mastercam training class.

The training files used in the Cimquest Mastercam training classes are avalable on the web site as ZIP archives. Remember that you will need a password to unzip the files from the archive. This password can be obtained by calling Cimquest Technical Support at (732)699-0400 x31 or e-mailing support@cimquest-inc.com.

How to create a toolpath with only linear moves.

To create a toolpath that contains only linear moves, you need to break all arcs into linear segments. In the MODIFY / BREAK menu there is a BREAK MANY command that allows you to break arcs into linear segments by specifying the number of segments or the length of the segments. Make sure you set ARCS to N(o)! If you want to specify a chordal deviation value to break the arcs, you must first convert them to NURB splines using the MODIFY / X TO NURBS command. You can also use the CREATE / SPLINE / CURVES command to chain the arcs and create splines. Once the arcs are converted to splines you can use the MODIFY / BREAK / BREAK MANY command and when you pick the newly converted NURB splines you will get an option to break BY ERROR or BY LENGTH.

How to adjust the maximum XY to UV distance and maximum taper angle in Wire EDM.

The maximum UV distance from XY and the maximum taper angle are parameters used in 4-axis wire EDM toolpaths. You may get an message while creating a 4-axis toolpath that your taper angle or maximum UV axis distance from XY has been exceeded. Mastercam is getting these values from two numbered questions in your post processor. In the MPWFANUC.PST file they're defaulted as follows:

68. Maximum UV axis diatance from XY? 100.0
69. 4 axis maximum taper angle? 45.0

If your post does not contain these numbered questions, you can add them and adjust the values. Mastercam will still write to toolpath if these values are exceeded.

Known issues with the ATI Rage 128 Pro video card in Mastercam.

There are several known issues with the ATI Rage 128 Pro video card in Mastercam 7.2C. You may get some "ghosting" when rotating or moving your model on the screen. The solution to this is to reduce the number of colors displayed by the card. You may also have problems using the True Solid option in Verify with this video card. We have found that if you lower the card's hardware acceleration from full to about half, it fixes the crashes
in True Solid Verify. Refer to the documentation that came with the card or ATI's web site as to how to make these changes.

How to show hidden lines in Mastercam Version 8, when importing a DWG file exported from SolidWorks2000.

When you export a DWG file from SolidWorks 2000 into Mastercam V8, they will not read-in hidden lines as dashed lines. They will be solid. A DWG file exported from SolidWorks 99 will read-in correctly.

You can do custom mapping on export from SolidWorks 2000 which will allow you to import the hidden lines as a separate color.

When you are ready to save your drawing in SolidWorks, with hidden lines visible:

Save As DWG
Click on Options
Pick your Version and Font
Check the box next to Custom Map SolidWorks to DXF
Click OK
Click Save
Switch to the Map Entities tab
Click Add
On Entities, select Hidden Lines
On DXF Color, pick any color that will standout when you import this DWG file
On Line Style, pick Hidden Lines/Thin
Make sure you choose a layer or you will have to redo this selection page.
If no layers are used in the drawing, you will select layer 0.
Click OK
Click OK

Why you are getting two NCI files and how to change it to a single NCI file.

When you create a toolpath in V7, the NCI file points to the default NCI directory. If you then read that MC7 file into V8, the NCI name or directory does not change. Now, if you create a new toolpath segment in V8, it may have the same NCI name, but the location is in the default NCI directory for version 8, as opposed to the directory for V7. When you post the entire file,
Mastercam will create 2 NC files because of the different NCI directories and if you do not rename the second one, it will overwrite the 1st NC file.

You can make all NCI files point to the same directory by picking all of the toolpath segments, clicking with your right mouse button and then choosing Options, Change NCI destination.

General X Technical Issues

Why is my Solids Chain Manager Dialog Blank?

If you resize your solids chain manager dialog, after you close it and re-open it, it will be completely blank. To correct this problem, close the solids chain manager. Then go to the control panel and double-click on the “Mastercam X” applet. Once the applet loads, check the “Dialog Positions” checkbox in the “Reset” section. Click OK. Your solids chain manager will be back to normal. Do not resize the dialog; otherwise it will go blank again.

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Limited use of graphics area in X or part of graphics area disappears

Cause: Hardware acceleration was turned off in the display properties of Windows.

Fix: Set hardware acceleration back to full

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When I backplot there is a flashing or trailing tool image, why?

If you are using an Nvidia Quadro FX graphics card, and are experiencing a flashing or trailing display when using Backplot, you need to disable a setting for the graphics card. Go to the graphics card settings, and to the Open GL Settings. Deselect the Use unified wback/depth buffer setting. This will fix the problem.

Note: The standard Nvidia FX card does not have this setting.

See this page for more info: Click Here

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When I try to upgrade using the Help menu I get “The Update Manager could not locate the correct version of Mastercam X on your machine.” error?

To fix this, download the following file: Click Here

Unzip it into the c:\mcamx\updateserver folder.

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When Posting, all selected operations do not post. What should I do?

Mastercam X MR2 defaults to use the current file’s MCX name for the newly created operations’ NC filename. If one opens a previously saved file, and creates a new operation, it will have a different NC name and will not post to the same file. One will get two separate NC files.

To fix the current file Select all Operations and right click on one of them. Select “edit selected operations” and then change NC file name. A dialog will pop up and ask you the new name of all operations.

To prevent this from happening next time one opens a file with a previously saved NC file name, go to Settings->Configure->ToolPath Manager. Change from “MCX file name” to “last operation’s NC file.”

Support for SolidWorks 2007

Mastercam X2 can import Solidworks 2007 files directly when installed on a Windows XP computer. With the release of SolidWorks 2007, SolidWorks no longer supports Windows 2000. Mastercam uses a .DLL (SWDocumentMgr.DLL) that they provide us with in order to open their SLDPRT files. We will maintain 2 versions of this file - one to be installed on Windows 2000 computers and one to be installed on Windows XP computers. The version we install on the Windows 2000 computers will be an older version that only supports up to SolidWorks 2006. The version we install on the Windows XP computers will support SolidWorks 2007.

So in short, There is no support for SW 2007 and beyond in Mastercam X2 with Windows 2000.

SIM's and NetHASP's

If Mastercam X Sim 9 or 8 Do not work and X does.

Download Drivers_X from Mastercam.com and Run Drivers.bat. This will remove test file that keeps 8/9 from working.

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If USB HASP Shuts off on restart:

Install new HASP HL Drivers from:

Click Here

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Many Customers Still Have A Hasp3

If the customer receives either a “Hasp not found (15).” or a “Hasp3 not supported” error message, the customer probably has a Hasp3. The Hasp3 is not supported with X. The customer must go to http://www.simswap.com, download and run the Hasp checking program (HASPINFO and not TESTHASP), and then fill out and submit the form. Please be aware that Customer Service is currently experiencing a very high volume of simswap requests at this time . The customer’s request will be processed in the order in which it was received.

Note for NetHASP users: If the user is running a NetHASP and they recieve this message but are certain they are running a HASP4, please make sure that they are pointing to the correct server IP in the NH_SERVER_ADDR line in nethasp.ini as shown below. Remember that the semi colon (;) indicates a remark or comment so be sure to remove the leading semi colons.

Nethasp.ini

;;NH_SERVER_ADDR = <Addr1>, <Addr2> ; IP addresses of all the NetHASP

Example:

NH_SERVER_ADDR = 192.168.0.4 ; IP addresses of all the NetHASP

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White Parallel HASP becomes disconnected frequently during printing.

For now the only good work around we have is to replace the Parallel SIM with a USB sim.

If this needs to be done, the is NO charge to the customer. When exchanging the SIM it should be done in the same manner as exchanging a bad sim.

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NHaspX.exe is not included in the NetHASP Server Installation

This was an oversight in the NetHASP Server Installation. It will be corrected in MR1. For the interim, simply copy NHaspX.exe over from an installation of Mastercam X.

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The NetHASP Server Installation Directions Are Not Accurate

The NetHASP Server Installation directions are not accurate for Mastercam X. On page 6, directions numbered 5 – 8 should be ignored. Also, the NHaspX.exe file should be copied over to the NetHASP server from a Mastercam X Installation.

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The new NetHASP drivers do not work on Windows NT

Windows NT 4 is no longer supported as a NetHASP client or server.

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The default nhsrv.ini has some settings that are NOT commented out.

This will cause your NetHASP server to be assigned the example names. It should not affect the operation of the NetHASP server or Mastercam.

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Translators

My CATIA Translator does not work.

The Mastercam CATIA5 converter will only work in Windows ME and up (ME, 2000, XP). It will not even install on any older Windows versions (95, 98, NT)

The Mastercam SolidWorks 2004 converter will only work in Windows 2000 and up (2000 and XP).

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If you have Win ME or higher and still can’t see an option for CATIA5, or if you are having a problem running it, here is something to check:

Go to: Start, Control Panel, System, Advanced, Environment Variables. Under System Variables, click on Path and edit. Make sure there is a semi-colon between all of the paths.

My path is below, with error:

%SolidWorks SimulationM%;C:\Program
Files\eDrawings2003\;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;C:\Program
Files\Common Files\Adaptec Shared\System;C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\AUTODE~1;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\AcisData;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib\NT_DLL;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib3Dx\Intel_a\Code\Bin;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat4Data;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\AcisData;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib\NT_DLLC:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib3Dx\Intel_a\Code\Bin;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat4Data

With error corrected:

%SolidWorks SimulationM%;C:\Program Files\eDrawings2003\;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;C:\Program
Files\Common Files\Adaptec Shared\System;C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\AUTODE~1;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\AcisData;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib\NT_DLL;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib3Dx\Intel_a\Code\Bin;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat4Data;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\AcisData;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib\NT_DLL;C:\CAD-
CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat5Data\Lib3Dx\Intel_a\Code\Bin;C:\CAD-CAM\MCAM91SP2\Common\Cat4Data

Notice the lack of semi-colon on the first path. This will not always cause a problem. My path didn’t have a semi-colon and it worked fine. But Mastercam said that is the first thing to check if you DO have a problem.

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Mastercam MR1/SP2 Technical Issues

NetHASP.

IniInstalling MR1/SP2 on top of an existing X installation will over write the NetHASP.ini.

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Printing

After installing Mastercam X MR1, some users are going to find that the color option for printing is disabled, even though they are trying to print to a color printer: Click Here for the Work Around Solution

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Zip2Go

There is a problem with Zip2Go in the MR1/SP2 release which is related to the latest token fix. If you create a MCX file, save it, then create a Z2G, there will be no machine definition file included in the Z2G. You need to reload the MCX file to refresh the paths, and then do the Zip 2 Go again; the machine definition will show up.

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Mastercam MR1/SP2 FAQ

How do you break, shorten, lengthen or add to entitles in.

All these commands are now done with the trim command. Click here to see how.

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I have a post processor for version 9. Can I use it in version X? How do you update a post.

You must update a post to use in version X. Please see this document.

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I used to use CIMCO Edit in V9. My machines are already set up in there and I want to continue using it. Can I use it as my default editor in X?

Yes you can, this PDF will show you how.

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The “Verify Selection” dialog box always pops up when I am selecting entities that are close each other. How can I turn this off.

This is a toggle. You can toggle it on and off with the White Arrow/Blue Check mark icon in the selection toolbar over the ribbon bar. It can be clearly seen in this image.

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Where did my Xform->ToView command go?

In v X it is under:

Xform->Translate 3D… Click here to see this command.

Mastercam includes a document that shows you where all version 9 commands have been moved to.

It is in Start menu -> Programs -> Mastercam X -> Documentation -> Version 9 to X Function Mapping.PDF

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How do you change your post processor in X?

Please refer to this document.

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How do I turn on cutter compensation, then plunge into my part, cut the operation rapid up and then turn it off?

This can be done in the lead in lead out dialog box. Please refer for this image.

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My radiuses and Circles are not accurate on the part cut? Mastercam backplots ok and the G-Code backplots ok, but when the parts are cut they are off by several thousands.

Try changing your arc outputs from R style to IJK style. This will allow Mastercam to calculate the center of the arc instead of the controller. This solves many arc cutting errors on the machine side and will also cut faster. To do so go to the arc section of the machine definition.

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The program I created in Mastercam post to two or more files, how do I fix this?

Mastercam has the ability to post a program to separate files. The NCI designation (v9) or the NC Filename (vX) switch under the right click menu defines what filename the operation will post to.

To change the filename of an operation select it and right click on it. Select Change NC Filename from the drop down. If you want every single operation to post to the same program, simply select all operations first.

Please refer to this file.

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If you are having problems writing a PDF a great work around is to install a Free PDF printer and driver.

Both of these are available here: Click Here

Install the Ghost Script Converter First. Then install the PDF Printer . To print PDFs, print the page but select the CutePDF Printer for your printer. After you hit ok, it will ask you where to save the file.

This PDF engine has the added benefit that it writes PDFs with a more simplified and universal format, ensuring that it will open up the same on any computer.

Click here for more installation info.

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