Mastercam X4. Problems, whoo boy.

[Shotout]

We installed X4 on all our workstations several days ago and are having problems. Our IT guy has been on the phone several times with our reseller to address these problems but so far we've been told we are the only ones in his territory having problems but he is working with us. I've listed some of the problems we are having below and was wanting to hear from anyone else running X4 whether you are having any issues or not just to kind of get a sense of what other people are experiencing. Some of these files where generated in X3, some in X4 but the errors are common to both files once brought into X4. According to our IT guy and the reseller our systems exceed the requirements by enough to give us good performance which under X3 we had.

Graphics, disabled the front buffer and hardware acceleration to get rid of ghost wire frame geometry but still having some issues with wire frame blanking out or displaying incorrectly.

Graphics in general don't seem to be right. I have problems with rotating solids and when I zoom in and out some geometry doesn't refresh properly requiring me to use repaint a lot.

Chains, it isn't displaying the chaining direction for chains. It flashes on the screen and then blanks back off so you can't see the direction or side.

Locked tool paths, some tool paths will be locked when reopening the file in the morning even though it wasn't locked when saving and closing it the day before.

Memory errors associated with particular files, even though the file wasn't large or complex.

Files that when opened have tool paths that need to be regenerated but won't, even though when saved the tool paths where fine. Turned out to be the solids, which were fine on saving, needed regenerating on opening for no apparent reason but wouldn't. Closing the file, skipping the warning message and reopening the file fixed the solids and they required no regeneration and then the tool paths would regenerate.

Geometry associated with a tool path disappearing and the tool path geometry entry is empty.

Anyone else?

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Shotout Graphics, disabled the front buffer and hardware acceleration to get rid of ghost wire frame geometry but still having some issues with wire frame blanking out or displaying incorrectly. Graphics in general don't seem to be right. I have problems with rotating solids and when I zoom in and out some geometry doesn't refresh properly requiring me to use repaint a lot. Chains, it isn't displaying the chaining direction for chains. It flashes on the screen and then blanks back off so you can't see the direction or side.

Have you checked that graphics drivers for the PCs are the tested and certified ones.
checkout solidworks drivers link
also disabled front buffer, openGL and all that stuff

Locked tool paths, some tool paths will be locked when reopening the file in the morning even though it wasn't locked when saving and closing it the day before. Memory errors associated with particular files, even though the file wasn't large or complex.

??? Haven't seen this before

Files that when opened have tool paths that need to be regenerated but won't, even though when saved the tool paths where fine. Turned out to be the solids, which were fine on saving, needed regenerating on opening for no apparent reason but wouldn't. Closing the file, skipping the warning message and reopening the file fixed the solids and they required no regeneration and then the tool paths would regenerate.

These are strange ones. May be influenced by mastercam configs, regen settings, chaining toerances etc

We have had similar problems, where one PC may have tight chaining settings in its' config file to create a solid, done toolpaths, then opened later on the same, or even a different PC, and found "dirty" solids and paths

Geometry associated with a tool path disappearing and the tool path geometry entry is empty.

yes, this would happen if taking chains from a solid, and the solid going "dirty", as those selected chains are lost.


These last 2 problems seem to stem from how the solid is created, maybe when creating the wireframe for the solid base. Try eliminating the solids "history" - this leaves just the solid with NO association to any wireframe , I think the C-hook is no_hist.dll ( note---you cannot alter the solid again throught the solids manager )
or
create wireframe and surfaces, and base your operations on these leaving the solid as reference only ( this should stop the disappearing geometry from your ops. )

[cadcam]

For starters what video cards are you running?
Also what OS (Windows oparating System) are you useing?

Oh and for this thought (checkout solidworks drivers) this option is only in Quadro video card drivers.

Do most of these issues happen with bringing in X3 files?

I have not had most of these issues except the locked one and this was from a earler X3 MU1 file.
I have been programming with x4 for about 4 months full time now.I have not come across most of the issues you are having but I have supported allot of customers with video issues I here you speaking of.

[Shotout]

@CadCam
Each computer has a different hardware configurations. We have 5 seats and they weren't all put in at the same time. I think all of the computers are on XP Pro. We are looking at the video cards and updated drivers for all the hardware. Our IT person has been working with our reseller and he has brought us a couple of fixes. I do know they exceed the minimum requirements but past that I don't know. Some of the files are from X3, some where converted from V9 to Xn previously and some are generated directly in X4. A couple of us where talking about the fact we hadn't seen any feedback on it here and wanting to find out if other people using it are having issues or if it was a seamless integration. If most people are having a seamless integration it is time to upgrade some hardware. I think a lot of the problems would be solved by a video upgrade, but some of the others I don't know. Kind of what I went through at another shop when going from V9 to X. The main fix then was a new video card and a full gig of memory. I'm more worried about the fundamental issues like with the solids and geometry.

@ Superman
Almost all of the solids we are working from are provided by the customer and have no history. We have a level that is the "Master Model" that we don't touch, only copy to a new level to work with. That master model has gone dirty a few days into working on a program. Level manager shows 1 entity on that level. I copy the faces I need for the first op, say OP10 to level 100 and name it OP10 Solid, level 101 will be OP10 wire frame and level 103 will be OP10 surfaces and so on for containment geometry, cap surfaces for holes etc. The stuff I have changed in the config file I saved for me is stuff like colors, file paths, middle mouse button behavior, backplot and verify options. All the little things to customize it to my work habits but not to change the software behavior.

[lovecnc2003]

thanks

[psychomill]

For the "locked toolpaths" problem, it has been reported and the response is this (posted by CNC Software on another forum site):

Good catch boys, and the problem has been fixed. You'll see it in the X4-MU1 release. The bug: A couple toolpath filter functions (arc & point distribution) were introducing an extra start-of-section record when the filters were applied. This was not a critical error as the NCI is checked and corrected for this during a file-get, but anything screwy with the NCI has a potential of causing problems farther downstream. Also, some performance improvements were made with the speed of the filters.

[Shotout]

Good to hear. I'm working a part right now that has about 40 surfacing tool ops in the first two machining ops so anything that is not behaving like I think it ought to makes me nervous. @ PMill and Superman I don't use emc forum as it is all I can do to follow threads here most of the time so I appreciate the info.

[fizzissist]

I've had some goofy problems too...sometimes entities won't highlight on a mouse-over, occasionally I can't check or un-check an operation until I select all, then de-select all. I've gotten entities that won't select, or times when I have to repaint when I don't think I should have to. I know my video card could be stronger, but you kinda get the feel for what's hardware related and what's a software glitch.

Since about 1/2 of my jobs are one part, I get nervous too. Especially the current part, with about 24 different 3D surface contours....not that complicated, just lots of surfaces, on a real expensive blank. And I'm doin' stuff that I don't have much experience with. Like 3D surface contours...

[cadcam]

Originally Posted by fizzissist I've had some goofy problems too...sometimes entities won't highlight on a mouse-over, occasionally I can't check or un-check an operation until I select all, then de-select all. I've gotten entities that won't select, or times when I have to repaint when I don't think I should have to. I know my video card could be stronger, but you kinda get the feel for what's hardware related and what's a software glitch. Since about 1/2 of my jobs are one part, I get nervous too. Especially the current part, with about 24 different 3D surface contours....not that complicated, just lots of surfaces, on a real expensive blank. And I'm doin' stuff that I don't have much experience with. Like 3D surface contours...

The unhilghted issues were for sure in X3 first release.I have not seen this sense the X3 MU1 relaese and for sure not on X4.
But the enitits repaint I have hade issues but allot of the time repaint will not fix but Screen rebuild does. I have not had to use thiat tool for years.

The only path I really have had issues when I was Beta testing it was face dynamic on programming a a Horzontal. but CNC fixed it.

As for 3D I do allot from the HST to standard and have not had any issues.
I would hate to see this after 100 to 200 ops like some of my parts can get.
I feel that X4 is allot better release then the first X3 release.

I do suggest that you send any issues you can duplacate to QC of Mastercam.

Is your dealers name Mark can't remeber marks last name.

[timmydabull]

i just switched over to x4 and now i cant generate toolpaths.
when i select toolpath function the chain box does not open.

i am also getting program error when adding to toolpaths to existing toolpath groups.

anyone else have this problem

[John_B]

Lesson to be learned, never be a Beta tester. I know, I know, the product has been released to mass market. Follow the trend with MasterCam and recognize the pattern, all their products have huge issues for the first year atleast.
Me, I'm thinking about stepping up to X3 soon now that the bugs seem to be worked out.

[timmydabull]

i have no issues with product advancement but i know what you mean,i have lost a weeks work trying to get this to work,and im going to be down the rest of the weekend now.