One of the strengths of SmartCAM has always been the fact that it allows the user to interact with the model at the element level of detail. Users can freely select and change any element in the database. While this capability provides power beyond the reach of most systems it also exposes a level of complexity that can at times be difficult to manage. Roughing toolpaths for example can consist of hundreds if not thousands of sequential elements.

With the release of v13 we have introduced a new Container element type to provide a means to allow users to better manage the sequence (list) view of the database. Container elements are single logical objects which contain a sequential list of other elements, and are processed by Showpath, Showcut, and Code the same as if the individual elements within them were placed in the list view. Container elements can be created manually from an active group using the User Elements - Container panel, or automatically as toolpath output from Process panels. Container elements can also be modified allowing the container to be named and described, or the elements within them to be placed back into the list view so they can be modified, then regrouped and placed back into the container.

Click here to view the "Containers and Regenerative Process Containers" video.

This capability provides several key benefits the most obvious of which is that an entire roughing toolpath can now be represented as a single element. Another benefit is that it is now possible to add descriptive information to sequenced sets of elements. For example a company practice could be established whereby each set of completed toolpath could be placed into a container, then named and described so that subsequent users could easily revisit past jobs and immediately understand the toolpaths. The container names appear in the list view and when the cursor is moved over the container in the list view the description is displayed in the readout line at the bottom of the screen.

Using Containers - To manually create a Container element select a sequential group of elements with the same Layer or Step property then use the Create - User Element - Container panel to name, describe, and create the element. To create a Container toolpath from a Process panel, simply depress the Insert Bar - Insert into Container icon. To modify a Container element use the Edit - Geo Edit - Modify panel and select the element.

Examples (rollover for caption):