pci read modifiers

[Dan Petre]

hi folks

i have just started to mess with pci's and i cannot find a way to read settings like feeds in cycles, layers which belong to all tools in a sequence, whether track view is on or off.

i want to be able to turn the stock layer on and go to verifying in one pci, to turn all tool layers off or on through pci instructions.

i have managed to toogle track view on and off with a pci for which i have assigned a keyboard shortcut but that resets all the other settings for the view, i'd like to keep them.

i can also turn the toolpath display off but that resets the track setting. i could use variables across pci to keep the settings but i would like somthing more general.

also i would like a quick list of all cycles feeds and speeds in a sequence without the need to see the html instruction list.


any help will be greatly appreciated.

[SSConsulting]

* Initialising command:- Layers
%InitCommand=cmd1=16,73
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
* Setting modifier 'None'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],50,<Yes>
* Setting modifier 'Include'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],51,[$displayonly]
%SetModifier=[cmd1],52,<None>
* Setting modifier 'Redraw'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],138,<Yes>
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]

* Initialising command:- Zoom Port
%InitCommand=cmd1=4,6
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
* Setting modifier 'Extents'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],8,<Yes>
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]

or you can do that for SImulation:

* Initialising command:- Layers
%InitCommand=cmd1=16,73
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
* Setting modifier 'All'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],42,<Yes>
%SetModifier=[cmd1],51,<None>
%SetModifier=[cmd1],52,<None>
* Setting modifier 'Redraw'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],138,<Yes>
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]

* Initialising command:- Simulate
%InitCommand=cmd1=50,212
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]


you can also do a variation of both by only simulating certain layers:
Now mind you the variable I used here:[$displayonly] would have to be set from somewhere (either user promt or find a criteria you can use to make genereic for any file).

* Initialising command:- Layers
%InitCommand=cmd1=16,73
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
* Setting modifier 'None'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],50,<Yes>
* Setting modifier 'Include'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],51,[$displayonly]
%SetModifier=[cmd1],52,<None>
* Setting modifier 'Redraw'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],138,<Yes>
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]

* Initialising command:- Simulate
%InitCommand=cmd1=50,212
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
%InitDigInfo=gdh1
%ExecCommand=cmdret=[cmd1],[gdh1]
%FreeDigInfo=[gdh1]


Please do not hesitate to contact me would you need any assistance with post processors or PCIs.

[SSConsulting]

for your feedrate question:

* Initialising command:- Profiling
%InitCommand=cmd1=22,110
%ClearMods=[cmd1]
* Setting modifier 'Model Type'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],93,Solid|3
* Setting modifier 'Mill Type'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],137,Optimised|2
* Setting modifier 'NC Output Smoothing'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],101,Line Arc|1
* Setting modifier 'Prismatic Geometry'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],92,<Yes>
* Setting modifier 'Tolerance'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],62,0.05
* Setting modifier 'Multiple Passes'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],191,
* Setting modifier 'Feed'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],199,
* Setting modifier 'Feedrate'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],5,600
* Setting modifier 'Plunge Feed'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],6,80
* Setting modifier 'Speed'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],7,18000
* Setting modifier 'CRC'
%SetModifier=[cmd1],216,


Now you can use a variable for the feedrates: You can have that variable set somewhere along your pci, or you can use a system variable [!realPlungeFeedrate]. This will set your feedrate directly from the value specified in the toolstore.

[Dan Petre]

what you posted works ok.

the problem is i want more. maybe i set my goal too high.

i want to set certain things without touching others. like changing spindle speed and feedrates with a pci for a certain tool throughout a sequence. i know that i can multiedit intructions but using a pci would give me a quick table for feeds and speeds whitout generating the instruction list in job report.

another thing i would like to do is turning on and off layers that contain a certain string (op1 stock, op1 geo, op1 fixtures, op1 features), or all layers that are tool layers. at the moment i use the view configuration to display or hide all tool layers. turning all tool layers off and doing a display layer on the tool in sequence window would be nicer.

dealing automaticly with these sort of things frees my brain to focus on the work and it helps when the setup is 5 fixtures (left and right hand parts with assembly fixture) on a tombstone each except the last one with 3 cpls and 75-100 instructions resulting in 118 layers