Edit > Options

Use this menu option to display the Options panel and specify the settings and defaults for ArtCAM.

Note: The availability of some settings is license dependent.

To specify the options, expand one of the sections in the panel, edit the settings, then click Apply to save your changes.

Tip: To restore the default settings for all options, click Reset.

Drawing Colours

The default colours and settings that are currently used for each of the drawing elements are displayed. Click a colour swatch to display the Colour dialog and select a different colour to assign to the different elements.

2D Drawing Colours

• Selected — Change the colour associated with a selected ungrouped vector.
• Multiple Selected — Change the colour associated with two or more selected ungrouped vectors.
• Overlaying — Change the colour associated with two or more overlapping vectors.
• Selected Toolpath Preview — Change the colour associated with a selection of 2D toolpath previews.

Grouped

• Selected — Change the colour associated with a selected grouped vector.
• Relief Clipart Outline — Change the colour associated with the outline of relief clipart when not selected.

Locked

• Selected — Change the colour associated with locked vectors when selected.
• Unselected — Change the colour associated with locked vectors when deselected.

2D View

• Control Handle Style — Select whether to use the Circus Polka style or Classic Wire style for control handles in the 2D view.

3D Drawing Colours

• Rulers — Change the colour of the rulers displayed in the 3D view.

Toolpath Simulation

• Default Toolpath Simulation Colour — Change the default colour assigned to tools when simulating toolpaths.
• Simulation Block Material — Change the default colour used for the material block when rendering simulations.

Machining

Toolpath Strategies

• Use Climb Milling by default — Climb Milling rotates the tool bit in the same direction as the feed motion. Select this option to set climb milling as the default cutting direction used in toolpaths.
• Default Raster Angle — A raster machining strategy machines in passes back and forth along a specified angle. Enter a value in the Default Raster Angle box to set the default angle for toolpaths that use a raster machining strategy.
• Start Offset Machining at edge — Offset toolpaths usually start machining at the centre and work outwards. Select this option to start machining the offset toolpath at the outside edge and work inwards.
• Use Engraving engine for Area Clear — The Engraving toolpath calculating engine is recommended if you are machining small areas of material with fine detail. This option is deselected by default.
• Engraving Retry Limit — This value limits the amount of times ArtCAM tries to recalculate the toolpath for a subsequent tool of a Smart Engraving toolpath after encountering a problem. Enter 0 to disable this feature.
• Use 3D Bridges by default — Select this option to use bridges with a triangular cross-section and without any associated retract or plunge moves. This option is selected by default.

2D View Toolpath Preview

• Show Cutting Direction — Select this option to show the cutting direction of all 2D toolpath previews in the 2D view.
• Reverse 2D Simulation Order — When selected, the 2D toolpath simulation draws the earlier tools on top of later tools within a toolpath group. This shows which material was removed by which tool. When deselected, the 2D toolpath simulation draws the later tools on top of the earlier tools within a toolpath group. This enables you to see how effectively the later tools avoid regions already machined by earlier tools.

3D View Toolpath Drawing

• Draw Rapid & Plunge Moves — Rapid and plunge moves are shown in all simulated toolpaths in the 3D view by default. Deselect this option to hide them.

Material Setup Dialog

• Use relief thickness — If selected, the Material Setup dialog starts with the material thickness set to the thickness of the relief if no material thickness has been set. If deselected, the Material Setup dialog starts with the last material thickness used, unless the current relief is thicker, in which case the relief thickness is still used.

Save Toolpaths Dialog

• Allow distinct tools with same number — Select this option to be given the choice to save toolpaths even if tools with the same number have different descriptions.

File Import

• Show Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Input Resources form — Select this option to display the Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Input Resources dialog when you import files into ArtCAM.
• Show Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Output Resources form — Select this option to display the Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Output Resources dialog when you export files from ArtCAM.
• Remove duplicate faces from STL — Some STL models have duplicate faces, which can cause problems for certain operations, for example creating supports for 3D Printing. Select this option to search for duplicate faces and remove them when importing STL files. This will slow down the STL import process.
• Split colours into separate layers — Select this option to preserve vector colour information and import coloured vectors to different layers when importing .dxf or .dgk files.

Image Export Resolution

These settings enable you to control the resolution at which a bitmap layer or an ArtCAM model is saved as an image file:

Exported Image Resolution

• Use DPI from image — Select this option if you want to save a bitmap layer or ArtCAM model as an image file using the resolution calculated by ArtCAM.
• DPI — Select this option and enter a value if you want to save a bitmap layer or ArtCAM model as an image with a specific resolution.

3D View Image Resolution

• Enter a value, in total number of pixels, for the ideal resolution for your exported reliefs. ArtCAM will attempt to achieve this resolution, but may be limited by the available graphics card resources.

Text Defaults

These settings enable you to control the default increments used in the Size area of the Tool Settings: Text Tool panel.

• Point size increment — Enter the incremental value used between each click of either the or icon whenever the points option is selected. This option is set to 3 points by default.
• MM size increment — Enter the incremental value used between each click of either the or icon whenever the mm option is selected. This option is set to 1 mm by default.
• Inches size increment — Enter the incremental value used between each click of either the or icon whenever the inches option is selected. This option is set to 0.05 inches by default.

Drawing Options

• Vector Thickness — Enter a value in this box to specify the thickness of vectors when drawn in the 2D or 3D view.
• 2D view Font size — This option controls the size of the information text shown in the 2D view, such as the numbers and letters displayed when creating a two-rail swept shape. A default size of 15 points is used.

Miscellaneous

• Maximise Views On Startup — Select this option to maximise the design windows when ArtCAM is started.
• Start new models in the 3D view — Select this check box to display the 3D view by default when you create a model. Deselect this check box to display the 2D view by default when you create a model.
  Note: When you reopen a model, ArtCAM displays the view that was active when you last saved the model.
• Save all files in Model or Project directory — Select this option to save all files from ArtCAM to the same folder on your computer in which the current ArtCAM Model (.art) file or ArtCAM Project (.3dp) file is saved.
• Click To Slide Autohidden Panes — By default, when you position the cursor over a hidden panel, it slides out. When Click To Slide Autohidden Panes is selected, this behaviour is disabled and you have to click on hidden panels to slide them out.
• Model from mesh resolution — Enter the resolution of a relief created from an assembly or a mesh. The specified number of pixels is used in X or Y; depending on which is the largest dimension in the assembly or replica mesh. The default resolution is 1000000 pixels.
• Prompt to replace assembly — If selected, when you use the mesh creator to create an assembly of the same name as an existing one, you are given the option to overwrite the existing assembly.
• Align Nodes - replace with a single line — If selected, a continuous selection of nodes is replaced by a single vertical or horizontal straight line. If deselected, the nodes are preserved and aligned in X or Y.
• Language — Select an option in the list to specify the language setting for ArtCAM. The change is applied the next time you start ArtCAM.

Preview Relief

• Base Colour — Change the colour representing the zero plane in the selected relief layer.
• Lowest Colour — Change the colour representing the lowest points in the selected relief layer. ArtCAM blends from this colour to the colour selected for its highest points.
• Highest Colour — Change the colour representing the highest points in the selected relief layer.
• Linear colour blend — If this option is selected, the greyscale blends linearly from the lowest colour to the highest. If deselected, a non-linear blend is used, which shows a more detailed view of the higher points in the selected relief layer.

Scratch File Settings

• Size of scratch file in MB — Specify the amount of space that you want to allocate on your computer to the temporary scratch file. The default size is 100 MB.

  The scratch file is stored in the temporary directory associated with the User currently logged-in to Windows.

Auto-Recover Settings

You can control if and when ArtCAM saves the current ArtCAM session to memory. If you want to use auto-save when you are working:

1. Select Enable auto-recover. This option is selected by default.
2. Enter the interval between each auto-save in the minutes box. The default interval is 30 minutes.
3. Enter the period of mouse or keyboard inactivity allowed before an auto-save in the seconds box. The default time is 30 seconds.

Cursor Info Settings

• Opacity — Enter a value between 0 and 255 to control the opacity of the cursor information.
• Text Size — Enter a value between 40 and 400 to control the point size of the cursor information.

Note: Click View > Show Cursor Information to display the cursor information.

Relief Modelling

• The Constant Height option of the Shape Editor can produce steep inclines in corners and narrow areas. A more gradual gradient in such areas is attempted at the threshold entered in the Constant Height Corner Angle box. Enter an angle between 0 and 180 degrees. An angle of 180 degrees or above results in this being applied everywhere. An angle of 0 results in this being applied nowhere.
• Finer Detail — Select this option to improve the quality of the results from the Shape Editor at the expense of the calculation speed.
• Open on double-click — By default, the Shape Editor panel is displayed when you double-click a vector. Deselected this option to disable that behaviour.

2D View

• Allow right-click zooming — When selected, you can zoom in and out using the right mouse button in the 2D view:
  • Press and hold down the Ctrl key when you click the right mouse button to zoom in.
  • Press and hold down the Shift key when you click the right mouse button to zoom out.

3D Printing

• Platform Spacing — Enter the distance you want ArtCAM to apply automatically between platforms when creating a 3D printing platform.