Stock definition can't be changed: STL / Solid

[Donkey Hotey]

This is a problem that I've been having for awhile but, never chased down. I have this problem both at home on X and work on X4.

If I have a pre-existing part file that had some kind of rectangular stock defined in the past, I absolutely cannot change it to use an STL or solid for the stock. I go into the dialog, try to redefine it but, it never takes; the toolpath preview reverts to a rectangular block.

To test this, I opened a brand-new MC file and imported two different solid bodies. It DOES let me select one of them as the stock. I am able to define a cutter path and see it cut in the verify screen. The trick seems to be that I MUST do this first thing as I create the file and not do a toolpath preview until I've defined the solid as my stock.

Now the problem: I can't go back into stock setup and change the stock to the other body. It always reverts back to the solid I initially setup--it ignored any changes to the stock that I made.

So it doesn't seem to be the solids I was using. Can anybody shed light on how I should be doing this?

• Do I need to be very careful to import my stock solid as soon as I start the file and hope that the stock never needs to change?
• What if I DO have to change the stock (if a raw casting changed shape after I had defined all of my toolpaths as an example)?

I'm starting to do a lot of work with precut parts and things like raw extrusions so this is becoming important to me.

Thanks in advance,

[Mike Mattera]

"I go into the dialog, try to redefine it but, it never takes; the toolpath preview reverts to a rectangular block."

I guess I would want more of a description (detail) as to what and where your accessin the dialog. Mastercam not short on menus :-)

If your in Verify and you select the Options button, you can select a Solid or File (stl). That's where you should be setting it for Verifications.

Mike Mattera

[Donkey Hotey]

Thanks, Mike. Yes, while beating on MC X last night, I DID discover that additional place to define the stock and it DID work (on X). I wasn't going to declare success until I got to try it on X4.

So now the next question: why is that different than defining it in the operations tree? They look the same and seem to have the same options. If I change it in the operations tree and make it an external STL file (for example), it shows that option as the selection in the operations tree but, it doesn't preview. Is there some other purpose or use for the Stock Definition in the tree that I'm not understanding.

Also: STLs created in Solidworks don't seem to work at all. They don't display at all when pointed to. If I import them into a MC file, they show up as wireframe only, even though they import back into Solidworks as a closed solid. I've played with the export options in Solidworks but, aside from units and quality settings, it all looks pretty straightforward.

[Jhjr]

Donkey, with different stock set up in verify you have more options/capabilities. Like you can set up your stock in the op manager, say a square block. You can run it in verify with the stock selected the same as the op manager. Next you could you could verify it again with your actual part (solid or stl) selected as stock in verify. You can make sure it isn't undercutting your part. It's a nice feature to have. There's some other things that you can do with this like remachining using stl's for the stock.

Did you pick .stl from the dropdown menu in mastercam when opening/merging the stl?
Also when merging an stl you have more options, before you click ok to merge, click options beside the green checkmark. In there it gives you the option to import as mesh, which comes in handy for stock and toolpathing.
Why are you importing stl's from solidworks? Why not solids? Even if you don't have the solids option on mastercam you can still import solids. You just have to use the wcs since you can't move the solid.

[Donkey Hotey]

I was importing the STL file to Mastercam as a test to see if it recognized it as a solid rather than wireframe. I was trying to figure out if the link was working but there just wasn't anything there that Mastercam could use to preview. It doesn't work.

Yes, I could just import the stock as an extra solid and hide it. I'll give that a try in X4 later today. I can already see that it's going to give me fits though. We didn't buy the solids package, not realizing that MC won't let us even translate a solid to a new location.

[TheBigJW]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey I was importing the STL file to Mastercam as a test to see if it recognized it as a solid rather than wireframe. I was trying to figure out if the link was working but there just wasn't anything there that Mastercam could use to preview. It doesn't work. Yes, I could just import the stock as an extra solid and hide it. I'll give that a try in X4 later today. I can already see that it's going to give me fits though. We didn't buy the solids package, not realizing that MC won't let us even translate a solid to a new location.

I am sure most people don't realize you can't even just relocate or rotate a solid in mastercam with out paying more to do so. It makes lathe solids not possible to use in X4. I was told it will be fixed in X5 but we all know how that works.

John

[Jhjr]

Greg, we had to add solids for the same reason. To have the ability to move a solid. I hate messing with stl's. I am trying to import an stl into inventor. To make a drawing off a machined part. What a pita. I wish you could save your machined stl as a solid body.

[Mike Mattera]

"I am trying to import an stl into inventor. "

Outputting as an STEP or Parasolid (from Mastercam) would be a better choice, to import into Inventor. Even a DWG might work well going into Inventor. But I prefer to stay away from DWG most of the time.

Mike Mattera

[Mike Mattera]

"...To have the ability to move a solid."

The Solids Module is nice to have. However, you don't have to move the solid, when you you can place the WCS zero any place you want to. You can always machine the part "in place" where it was drawn.

Mike Mattera

[TheBigJW]

Originally Posted by Mike Mattera "...To have the ability to move a solid." The Solids Module is nice to have. However, you don't have to move the solid, when you you can place the WCS zero any place you want to. You can always machine the part "in place" where it was drawn. Mike Mattera

Yes you can. But in lathe you can't use verify in X4 if you use the WCS. Least that was a wall we ran into with our dealer. In the class at our dealers first I was told it would just be easier to export a dxf of the profile from Solidworks. Thought that sounded like a big advancement from V9..

John

[Donkey Hotey]

Originally Posted by Mike Mattera "...To have the ability to move a solid." The Solids Module is nice to have. However, you don't have to move the solid, when you you can place the WCS zero any place you want to. You can always machine the part "in place" where it was drawn.

This is true...except the solid that defines the stock probably won't be in the same location or orientation as the part solid. Lets say a part is based on an extrusion. If I don't have a solid model of the extrusion, modeled in exactly the right coordinates, with exactly the desired stock allowances on the ends, there is no hope of placing it where it needs to be relative to the solid of the real part.

Luckily, I design most of the parts I make so, I can plan for this in Catia and build a dummy solid around the part and export it in proper position.

[Jhjr]

Thanks Mike. Step worked. Parasolid wouldn't though, it said error no solids when trying to save in mc with both parasolid file types. I was hoping to get either a solid or mesh entity imported to inventor instead of lines. If i saved the mesh stl in mc it imported nothing into inventor. I got the print done by making a solid off of the lines from the stl in inventor but it took some time. Maybe I'm not doing something right?