New in all SmartCAM Applications:
ACISŪ Solid Modeling Kernel - New for all SmartCAM V14.0 - All SmartCAM products now include the ACIS solid modeling geometry kernel, previously only available in the FreeForm Machining and Advanced Milling products. This new capability allows all applications to import/export 3D wireframe, surface, and solid model data via DXF, DWG, IGES, and ACIS-SAT.
OpenGL Graphics - New in V14.0 - The SmartCAM main graphics view (g-view) has been updated with OpenGL graphics. This change has several benefits, especially increased graphics performance. Other benefits include:
Shaded Surfaces
Surfaces in SmartCAM can now be shaded, making it much easier to see what the
surfaces represent and how they relate to each other. Surface models and solids
are now considerably easier to work with and visualize. A global transparency value
can be applied to the shaded model, allowing for "through the part" viewing.
Surface Picking
Picking shaded surfaces is much easier than picking surfaces in wireframe, and is
useful for adding surfaces to a group, for example. You can pick anywhere on the
surface in shaded mode, and the selected element is highlighted using a different
highlight color.
Reversed Normals on Surfaces
In the shaded view, surfaces with reversed normals can be viewed in a different
color to make them easy to locate so they can be corrected.
Concurrent Dynamic Viewing
The Dynamic View functionality (provide only in a separate dialog box in previous
versions) is now available on-demand in the g-view window. Using the keyboard
function keys and mouse, the model can be immediately and dynamically zoomed,
spun, panned or rotated.
These dynamic viewing options are also available during ShowPath tool
motion verification.
Line Thickness
A new set of Display Modes options allow line width of Step or Layer line
elements to be thickened, providing improved visibility when the toolpath or
model edge geometry is displayed on top of a shaded model. Also, when the thick
line style is used only for Step or Layer, it is now easy to distinguish toolpath
from wireframe CAD geometry.
Group Element Marking Color
The Display Modes Element Marking setting has been enhanced to include options
for Color, and Color and Arrows combined, providing better group element identification.
Machining From Solids Geometry Tools - New in V14.0 - the Create-From Solid geometry toolbox tools have been enhanced and are also now available in all SmartCAM products.
The From Solid functionality has been enhanced to allow boundary and slice profiles to be created from a group of surfaces. The Boundary function can now create a composite boundary from multiple adjacent surfaces which share edges, and the Slice function can now slice an entire solid or a subset of surfaces.
A new Hole Flip option has been added to allow the entry side of through holes to be interactively toggled from one side to the other.
Element Data now reports whether a surface is a member of a solid, or not.
Code Compensation - New in V14.0 - New Machine Event allows special radius compensation user commands to be inserted into non-offset toolpath profiles.
File Preview Enhancements- New in V14.0 - When you save a PM5 Process Model file, a thumbnail image of the current g-view display is stored with the PM5 file to be displayed in the File Open Preview display. The File Open, Merge, CTG and Font file select dialogs also now include a Preview window.
Clicking on the image preview displays a larger version of the thumbnail image.
Intermediate File Open/Save Dialogs Removed - New in V14.0 - The intermediate SmartCAM file selection dialog has been replaced with standard Windows file dialogs, bypassing the need to trigger the "File Select" button on the old dialog box.
Process Planner, Sort by Type Option - New in V14.0 - A new Process Planner Sort option allows the Step and Tool lists to be sorted by Operation and Tool type, which is particularly helpful when using the planner to organize and perform management tasks on your Job Libraries.
Invert Visibility Option - New in V14.0 - A new Invert Visibility option has been added to the Group palette and pop-up menu, providing the ability to toggle the visibility of geometry; items hidden become visible, and items visible become hidden.
Tool Tips - New in V14.0 - SmartCAM now displays tool tips, a short descriptive text string that describes what the cursor is hovering over.
Copy Image - New in V14.0 - the File-Copy Image captures the current graphics view to the Window's clipboard to use in Setup Sheets or other documentation.
New in SmartCAM Milling Products
New in All Milling Applications
Plunge Roughing Milling Process - New in V14.0 - The new Plunge Rough Milling Process clears a boundary of material using a pattern of drilling-style plunge cuts. The plunge rough toolpath can be coded using either drilling canned cycles or conventional "long-hand" commands.
Trochoidal Roughing Milling Process - New in V14.0 - A new Trochoidal Roughing Milling Process clears material using smooth, continuous arc loops and lines which advance the tool along the profile in small increments. This technique allows slotting cuts to be performed using high feed rates while limiting the maximum tool load, thus extending cutting tool life.
Pocket Roughing True Spiral Path Type - New in V14.0 - A new Pocket Roughing True Spiral option generates a continuous spiral path between the pocket boundary and a central location within the region. This technique, available in the Pocket, Group Pocket, Face, and Cavity process panels, reduces spikes in tool load by eliminating step over moves that would otherwise be present in conventional offset pocketing path.
Customization Features
Macro Command Line Execution - New in V14.0 - A new Macro-Command function allows single macro language statements to be directly entered and executed by the system. If commands are entered while recording a macro they are also inserted into the macro file being recorded.
Macro Functions - New in V14.0 - A number of new macro commands have been added to the SmartCAM Macro Control Language (MCL). These functions add new capabilities to your custom macros and allow for better integration of custom control panels. Some of the new functions and capabilities include:
- Decimal Data Type Declaration
- String Manipulation Functions
- Application Path Functions
- Var, Step, Layer, Workplane Exist/Used Functions
- Insert Bar Status Functions
- Current Application Version Function
