Managing the Project Geometry

You can define Part, Fixture and Stock geometry in your project. 

1. The geometry is managed through the Pallet View, which is usually docked as a tab on the Project Navigator view:

   

2. The view contains 3 sections which can be expanded or collapsed to ease in navigation.

   Stock Parts – The current “material” removal objects which will simulate the material being cut during simulation (Collision Check and Optimization Execution modes only) (See Managing Stock Material for Machining Simulation – Page 6)

   Part Geometry – The part design geometry.  Part geometry will be checked against machine components for collisions.  During interpolated cutting moves (G01/G02/G03), the part geometry will not be collision checked against the cutting surface of the tool (the holder and tool shank are still checked).  Part geometry will be checked against the cutting portion of the tool for overcut violations during cutting motions.

   Fixture Geometry – Fixture geometry is used to define work holding geometry for mounting the part to the machine.  Any geometry defined as the fixture will be checked for collisions against the parts of the machine as well as with the entire cutting tool (holder, tool shank and tool cutting surface) at all times during simulation (Collision Check and Optimization Execution modes only)

3. The Part Geometry and Fixture Geometry windows work the same way.

   The grid lists the geometric entities in the part or fixture.

   Import Geometry – Import more geometry from IGES or STL file(s).

   Delete Geometry – Delete the item(s) selected in the geometry.

   To Polygon – Converts the currently selected IGES into a single polygon object for improved performance and a simplified geometry display.

   Geometry Visibility – Show the Visibility Wizard for the Part or Fixture.  (See Display Wizard - Part – Page 6 and Display Wizard - Fixture – Page 6)

   Create Geometry – Will created basic blocks and clones that can be used in place of imported CAD data.

Locating the Project on the Machine

By default, the datum on the machine is set to the top of the pallet or table on the machine.  This represents the work coordinate system on your actual machine.  It is where the machine will go if you program X0. Y0. Z0. in the active work coordinates.

Edit Datums

1. The location of the datums are controlled through the Edit Datums window, which is accessed from the Home tab of the Ribbon:

   

2. The Edit Datums page allows you to set the physical location of the part, fixture and programs on your machine and the reference coordinate systems for each path.  This is used to make sure that the simulation matches the real-world machine setup.

   

3. Each datum is listed in the grid:

   Machine Axis Home CS	The basic machine coordinates of the axes relative to the Kinematic CS.  This datum cannot be edited.
   Kinematic CS	This is the kinematic center of the machine defined as the intersection point of the tilt and rotary axes.  This datum cannot be edited.
   Machine CS	This is the vector offset from the Kinematic CS to the top of the table or pallet.  This can be edited by the user and set to a custom value.  This is usually set to some convenient geometric location on the machine.
   G-Code CS	This is the offset from the Machine CS to the work coordinate location of the part.  In other words, this determines the location of the X0 Y0 Z0 location in G-Code coordinates.  This can be edited by the user and set to a custom value.
   Controller Based Work Coordinates	These are the controller based work coordinate locations.  For example G54-G59, G54.1 Px, G505, PRESET 1 etc.

4. For this example, note that only the Machine CS is set (to the top of the table).  The Machine CS is set to -23.4 mm for the example machine.  In the 3D View, note that the zero of the part (which is located at the top of the part in the CAM system) is set to the top of the table (matching the Machine CS + G-Code CS offsets):

   

5. Now enter 170 mm for the G-Code CS.  That is the distance from the bottom of the fixture to the top of the part.  Note that the part will be moved up so that the bottom of the vice (fixture) is now aligned with the table top:

   

6. The project should now be positioned on the virtual machine to match the actual machine.

   Note: If you make changes to the datum(s), your programs will automatically be reposted to account for these changes.

Rotary Axis Work Offset Control

In addition to specifying the XYZ coordinates for the G-Code CS, you can control the angle of the C-axis to account for changes made on the machine control to adjust the “zero” location.This can allow for changing the zero angle:

1. The C-Axis offset is controlled through the Edit Datums view.

2. The C-Axis angle can be edited in the All Available Datums on NC Controller grid.

3. Note that when you enter the new angle, ALL C-axis angles will update with that value:

   

4. The A or B angles cannot be edited.

5. In the 3D view, the C-axis table will now appear as rotated by 45 degrees.

   

Moving the Individual Geometry (Part, Fixture and Tool Paths)

Autodesk CAMplete TruePath also allows you to work with parts, fixtures and tool paths that have been programmed in different coordinate systems. The Transform page of the CAM Wizard allows you to control the position of these objects separately or together without reference to any machine coordinate settings.

1. To quickly access the Transforms, click it in the Home tab of the Ribbon:

   

2. The CAM Wizard will be opened to the Transforms page:

   

3. By default, Autodesk CAMplete TruePath shows the Local Transforms tab.  Autodesk CAMplete TruePath maintains local transforms for the fixture, part and tool paths. Transforms can be “linked” so that the same transform will be shared by multiple objects. The effect of modifying these transformations is seen in both Tool Positioning Mode and Machine Positioning Mode. For this example, there is no need to edit the Local Transforms.

4. Click CAM World to Machine World System to see the global transformation of the entire project:

   

5. The global transformation edited on this page is applied to the fixture, part and tool paths and is measured relative to the G-Code coordinate system. This transformation will have an effect only in machine mode.

   Warning: The transforms should ONLY be used when you want to shift your part without going back to the CAM systems.  It should NOT be used to generally position your part for simulation since changes to the Tool Path and CAM World Transforms will alter the posted XYZ values.
   Note: For this example, do not use any transformations or modify any values on these pages.