NCPlot v2 beta 22 available

[MetLHead]

You can download it at:

www.ncplot.com


General
=======

Fixed toolbar related window resizing problem. Under certain conditions a blank bar would remain under the toolbar when the NCPlot window was maximized.

Fixed problem with system variables #5001, #5021 and #5041 when machine type is set to Lathe diameter. These values were only half of what they should have been.

NCPlot now works properly regardless of the decimal point character assigned by the Control Panel's regional settings.

Added a status bar panel for quick access to script files. When this panel is clicked, a menu pops up with a list of the available script files. When one the script files is selected from this menu, the script file is executed.

Added support for Lathe G70 - G73 cycles. These cycles do not display the full roughing tool path, but rather just the finished profile. They work similar to a subprogram, beginning at the block designated by the "P" address and ending at the block designated by the "Q" address.



DXF Import / Export
===================

The DXF exporter has been modified to save the actual viewport contents rather than generating the DXF data from the G-Code program. This is faster and allows saving of geometry created with the Calc tools.

Added a new DXF export option to the File menu. The new tool is called "Export Selected as DXF File" and allows saving only the selected viewport entities to a DXF file.

Fixed a bug in the DXF exporter. When the Lathe machine type was active, the exporter was saving all arcs as clockwise. This is fixed.

Fixed an error that was occurring when a DXF file was opened from the File | Open menu. The drawing would display, but a run time error would shut NCPlot down when converted to G-Code. There was also a case where the drawing would display briefly and then disappear before the conversion options window opened.



Viewport
========

Added the ability to maximize the viewport. Double-clicking the viewport will hide the program display in order to maximize the size of the viewport. Double-clicking again will restore the program display.

Added a slider control to the bottom of the viewport. This allows you to control the backplot by simply moving the slider.


Thanks,
Scott

[single phase]

Thank you for adding that. Where do I set the x and z lathe offsets or in other words the value in machine coordinates for the tool safe turret rotation? Will the graphics show the tool moving over to this point?

[MetLHead]

Originally Posted by single phase Thank you for adding that. Where do I set the x and z lathe offsets or in other words the value in machine coordinates for the tool safe turret rotation? Will the graphics show the tool moving over to this point?

Are you talking about the G54 - G59 work offsets? These can be found under Setup | Machine Configuration on the work offsets tab. See the attached pic.

Regards,
Scott

[tobyaxis]

Hello MetLHead,

I went to your website and saw that Beta2.2 was still in the development stage. Does your post here indicate that Beta2.2 is up and running? Or are you still working on the bugs?

[MetLHead]

Tobyaxis,

All of the beta versions so far have been available to the general public. This is so I get as much feedback as possible about what works and what doesn't. The official release of NCPlot version 2 will be sometime this summer, probably before the end of August. So, I'm pretty much finished adding features and am working on finishing up what I have and fixing whatever bugs there are.

Thanks,
Scott

[single phase]

The G28 command.

[MetLHead]

Originally Posted by single phase The G28 command.

??

I'm sorry, but I think you lost me. Could you explain what you are trying to do? If you have a sample program, that would help me too.

Thanks,
Scott

[single phase]

On a lathe the G28 command returns the cutter back to the machine zero in both X and Z. It executes moves in the same way as the G00 does, by that I mean it moves both axis at the same rate (not a linear move).

The machine zero on a lathe is usually out away from the spindle and therefor a safe place for the turret to rotate without any risk of a tool crash. So it is where you move the tool to before you do a tool change.

To simulate that in your program, you could put in tool offsets for all the tools or you could just put in an offset from the G50 to the machine zero. By default that is where all programs should start from.

The G28 command also has X(or U) and Z(or W) parameters. They move the tool to an intermediate point before going to the machine zero.

G1X0Z-1;
G28U0Z.5;

This G28 moves the drill out of the part before returning to the machine zero. Without the Z.5 parameter the drill is broken off in the part.

Cheers
Dave

[MetLHead]

Hi Dave,

The G28 should work just like you described. The commanded axes first move to the commanded position, then move to the machine zero point. You can set NCPlot to show G00 moves as non-interpolated. This is on the machine configuration dialog on the control options tab. The only thing not supported is the tool offsets. Did you try the new beta? Let me know if you see something that doesn't work.

Thanks,
Scott

[single phase]

I would like to make a request.

CIMCO Edit is a tool similar to yours. It has a nice user interface, one feature of which I wish you would consider adopting. It automatically and dynamically refreshes the plot. The biggest reason I did not buy it was it is far behind your program when it comes to lathe simulation. Yours works and CIMCO Edit doesn't. I called them on it and they said their programmers just concentrate on mill stuff.

Predator Editor does many of the lathe g-code commands the right way but its back plot feature is so bad I laughed at it. Yours is way better.

The thing that makes an automatic update option so cool to use is you can put it in a mode where it always updates the graphics the instant you change a parameter of code. Say you are editing a program and you think to your self I better move that just a little and so you change a 4 to a 4.5 and as you type it in, the line in the graphics window jumps over to the new position.

Another feature I would like to see is dynamic "plot to". When this is selected the program dynamically plots to the position of the cursor. Move the cursor to another line in the g-code and the plot updates and stops there. An offshoot of this feature is to have the plot show the full program plotted but a cutter is shown on the plot with the position at the position of the cursor in the g-code.


Even if you do not like my ideas I want to thank you for such a great tool. Keep up the good work.

Cheers
Dave

[single phase]

Originally Posted by MetLHead Hi Dave, The G28 should work just like you described. The commanded axes first move to the commanded position, then move to the machine zero point. You can set NCPlot to show G00 moves as non-interpolated. This is on the machine configuration dialog on the control options tab. The only thing not supported is the tool offsets. Did you try the new beta? Let me know if you see something that doesn't work. Thanks, Scott

Where is the machine zero in the plot window? It can not be at the G54 zero.

[single phase]

I see what you did. You have it moving the cutter to X0.0Z0.0. That is not what the G28 command really does and there is no value in that. It would just cause a crash.

The G28 command moves the cutter to machine zero (while going through the intermediate position). As an example G28U0W0 moves the cutter directly to the machine zero.

Please see my example above and note that I edited it because I screwed it up the first time around.


Dave