User Defined Boundary

The User Defined Boundary dialog creates a boundary from a shape defined by you.

Click Boundary tab > Create panel > User Defined to display the User Defined Boundary dialog.

This dialog contains the following:

• Lock — Click to lock the boundary so that its parameters cannot be changed. When a boundary is locked, the button changes to and all the parameter fields become 'read-only'. Click the button again to unlock the boundary. This is useful for protecting complex boundaries that may have taken some time to calculate.
• This icon shows the type of boundary you are creating; in this case, a User-Defined boundary.
• Name — Enter the name of the boundary.
• Insert — The options in the Insert pane enable you to insert the associated entities into the boundary:
• Insert File — Click to display the Open Boundary dialog. Use the dialog to select a .dgk or .pic file to insert into the boundary.
• Boundary — Click to insert the selected boundary into this boundary.

  

• Pattern — Click to insert the selected pattern into the boundary.

  

  • Toolpath — Click to insert the selected toolpath into the boundary.

  

  Only closed contours are inserted into a boundary from a file, pattern or toolpath. Open contours are ignored.

• Model — Click to insert the edges of the model surfaces currently selected in the graphics window into the boundary.
• Model Tolerance — Enter the Model Tolerance. When within this tolerance PowerMill automatically detects and removes edges that are adjacent, so that only the outline of a group of adjoining surfaces is added to the boundary.

  To be considered adjacent, surfaces must be oriented consistently. In the default shading mode, consistently oriented surfaces are shaded in the same colour (orange or red). If necessary, surfaces can be reversed using the Reverse Selected command from the Models context menu.

• Curve Editor — Click to display the Curve Editor tab, which enables you to create and edit boundaries. The assumption is that you extract curves from the model, by extracting curves at surface boundaries, before modifying the curve to create the exact boundary you need.
• Composite Curve — Click to insert a composite curve into your boundary. Click to display the Curve Editortab the Create Composite Curvetoolbar which enables you to create your composite curve.
• Edit — The boundary edit options.
• Clear — Click to delete boundary graphical information, but maintain the entity name in the Explorer.
• Allow boundary to be private — Select to create a boundary that could become a private boundary. The boundary becomes private only when it's linked to a toolpath or stock model. A private boundary is linked to a specific toolpath and cannot be used by any other toolpaths. To use the same boundary elsewhere you have to duplicate it.
• Information — Hover over this button to display private boundary information.
• Apply edit history on calculation — When selected, applies the list of edits to the boundary when it is recalculated. When deselected, the boundary is recalculated using the options on this dialog, but no edits are applied.
• View boundary edits — Click to display the Boundary Editing History dialog, which enables you to see all edits you have made to the boundary.
• Apply — Click to calculate the boundary immediately, using the parameter settings from the dialog.
• Queue — Click to check that all the parameters used to calculate the boundary are acceptable. The boundary is added to the calculation queue and the dialog is closed. The boundary is calculated in the background when PowerMill would otherwise be idle.
• Accept — Click to store the boundary parameters. This closes the dialog without calculating the boundary. The boundary is calculated automatically when required.
• Cancel — Click to close the dialog without storing the boundary parameters.