gibbscam 2011, v10: what's new ·...

What’s NewGibbsCAM 2011, v10

Gibbs and Associates323 Science Drive

Moorpark, CA 93021

Modified: Thursday, July 07, 2011 7:14 PM

Proprietary NoticeThis document contains proprietary information of Gibbs and Associates and is tobe used only pursuant to and in conjunction with the license granted to thelicensee with respect to the accompanying licensed software from Gibbs andAssociates. Except as expressly permitted in the license, no part of this documentmay be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, ortranslated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means,electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the priorexpressed written permission from Gibbs and Associates or a duly authorizedrepresentative thereof.

It is strongly advised that users carefully review the license in order to understandthe rights and obligations related to this licensed software and the accompanyingdocumentation.

Use of the computer software and the user documentation has been providedpursuant to a Gibbs and Associates licensing agreement.

© 2011 Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron® Company. All rights reserved. The Gibbslogo, GibbsCAM, GibbsCAM logo, Virtual Gibbs, SolidSurfacer, and “PowerfullySimple. Simply Powerful.” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gibbs andAssociates in the United States and/or other countries. Windows and the Windowslogo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other brand orproduct names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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Contents

WHAT'S NEW IN GIBBSCAM 2011, V10 6

Highlights 6

Documentation 7

Online Help and Individual User Guides 7Other Documentation 8Name Changes 8

Links to Online Resources 9

Conventions 9Text 10Graphics 10

GENERAL FUNCTIONALITY 11

System and Installation Changes 11

Update Notifier 11Notes on Update Notifier 11

Installation 11New Installation Media 11New Installation Capabilities 12New Folder/File Organization 12

Migrating Settings and Preferences 12Using the GibbsCAM Migration Tool 12

64-Bit Integration 13

Interface Changes 14

Menus, Behaviors, and Look-and-Feel 14Changes to Plug-Ins 14Changes to Task Bar, Context Menus, Tiles, and Tile Lists 15Geometry Creation 15Freehand Move and Rotate 16Touch Interface 16

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Color Modes 17

Functional Changes 18

Attributes and User-Defined Features 18About Attributes 19User-Defined Features 19

Holes and Hole Features 20Hole Manager and Hole Wizard 21Custom Drill Cycles 22

Operation Modifiers 23Notes for Using Operation Modifiers 23

Managers for Tools, Processes, and Operations 24Viewing Tool/Process/Operation Data 24Editing Tool/Process/Operation Data 25

PRODUCTION MILL, LATHE, AND MILL/TURN 26

Mill: Pocketing 27

Lathe: B-Axis Turning 28

Lathe: Groove Cycles 29

Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling 29

VOLUMILL 32

SOLIDS 33

Body Bag Pages 33

Body Bag View Settings 34

5-AXIS 35

Background Task Management 35

5-Axis Drilling Options 35

NewMachining Strategies for Toolpath Generation 36

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TriangleMesh 36Wireframe 36SwarfMachining 37

MULTI-TASK MACHINING 38

Drag Operations Preserve Syncs 38

Undo for Sync/Unsync 38

WIRE EDM 39

No-Core Roughing 39

Color Configuration 39

MACROS 41

Custom Drill Cycles 41

NewMacro Commands 41

CAD INTEROPERABILITY 42

What's New in GibbsCAM 2011, v10

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What's New inGibbsCAM 2011, v10

GibbsCAM 2011, v10, is the first major version of GibbsCAM since GibbsCAM 2010, v9.5. Thisdocument summarizes and describes the enhancements and changes provided inGibbsCAM 2011.

This release of GibbsCAM is expected to be available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional),Czech, Dutch, English (US and UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish,Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

HighlightsMajor highlights of this release include:

l Color modes, including Feature color and user-defined colorl Attributes and user-defined features, including CAD attribute importl Ability to rotate and translate elements freehandl Touch gestures for common actions (with suitable hardware)l Improvements to Hole Features, including custom drill cycles, new hole-selectionmethods, streamlined Hole Manager, and the ability to copy-and-paste holes

l Operation Modifiers that reapply toolpath changes automatically with each Redo.l New interfaces Tool Manager and Process Manager, similar to the existing OperationManager, with new capabilities for editing tools, processes, and operations

l Resizable/expandable tile lists for tools, processes, and operationsl Plug-In Manager, to control plug-in availability and organize items and subitems in thePlug-Ins menu.

l Mill: Improvements to Pocketingl VoluMill: Support for Rotary Mill pocketing; reduced CPU time; improved Depth Firstmachining; new ability to specify Climb milling; and other improvements

l Lathe: B-Axis contouring; Groove Cyclesl Solids: Multi-page Body Bagl 5-Axis: Background task management; drilling and drill cycles; new machining strategiesTriangle Mesh, Swarf Machining, and Wireframe; smoothing; and other enhancements

l Significant new macro capabilities, continuously documented in the new Macros wiki(http://macros.GibbsCAM.com).


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l Updated interoperability: CATIA v5 R20, Solid Edge ST3 v103, Parasolid 24, NX 7.5,Autodesk 2012, RealDWG 2012, and CimatronE v10

l New installation capabilities, such as selective installation/uninstallation of individualproduct options and components; repairing an incomplete or damaged installation, andthe ability to migrate most settings and preferences from previous releases of GibbsCAM.

l Update Notifier, to detect GibbsCAM software updates as they become available

For detailed information on new and updated functionality in GibbsCAM 2011, refer to thefollowing sections:

l “General Functionality” on page 11l “Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn” on page 26l “VoluMill” on page 32l “Solids” on page 33l “5-Axis” on page 35l “Multi-Task Machining” on page 38l “Wire EDM” on page 39l “Macros” on page 41l “CAD Interoperability” on page 42

DocumentationDocumentation forGibbsCAM 2011 has a new appearance in both online help and portabledocument format (PDF) files. PDFs are provided with the installation media and are alsoavailable for download from https://online.GibbsCAM.com.

Online Help and Individual User GuidesThe following user guides and online help have content changes:

l Installation: Reflects changes to the installation procedures and file layout. Contains newinformation on repairing and updating an installation and on migrating settings fromprevious releases.

l Getting Started: Explains how to use the new freehand rotate/translate functionality andtouch interface.

l Geometry Creation: Contains the improved Rectangle creation options.l Mill: Explains the Pocketing enhancements and the new options for the Holes process.Describes the display and editing capabilities of Tool Manager, Process Manager, andOperations Manager. Provides information on using Operation Modifiers.

l Lathe: Explains the B-Axis Turning enhancement. Describes the display and editingcapabilities of Tool Manager, Process Manager, and Operations Manager. Providesinformation on using Operation Modifiers.


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l 2.5D Solids, Solid Import, SolidSurfacer: Explain the multi-page Body Bag and improvedapproach to body names, IDs, and creation methods. Contains updated information onPlunge Rough improvements.

l Macros Guide: Replaced by the GibbsCAM Macros wiki (https://macros.GibbsCAM.com).l Features (renamed from Wizards Guide): Contains new information on attributes, user-defined features and colors, and color modes. Explains the new Hole Managercapabilities, including Auto Wizard and many other enhancements and improvements.

l Radial Milling (renamed from 4-Axis Guide).l 5-Axis: Contains information on drilling, new toolpath strategies (triangle mesh,wireframe, and swarf machining), the task manager, and other enhancements.

l Data Exchange: Contains updated information on Add-Ins and compatible CAD packagesand formats.

l Plug-Ins: Contains updated information on new plug-ins and options, as well as Plug-InManager and Operation Modifiers.

l VoluMill: Contains information on Polar & Cylindrical Milling pocketing and otherimprovements.

Other DocumentationThe following changes should be noted:

l Each tutorial is now an individual PDF document separate from the corresponding userguide.

l Tutorials for Mill, Lathe, and Geometry Creation have been extensively revised.l Updated documentation for Reporter Commands will reflect accumulated changes.

As in previous releases, tutorial guides are available as PDFs only.

Name ChangesThe documentation and user interface (UI) reflect the following name changes:

• “Polar & Cylindrical Milling” (formerly known as “Rotary Milling”)

• “Radial Milling” (formerly known as “4-Axis”)


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Links to Online ResourcesLink URL Action / Description

Go http://www.GibbsCAM.com Opens the main website for Gibbs and Associates.

Go https://online.GibbsCAM.com

Opens a restricted website containing materialsavailable for download. Requires a GibbsCAM Onlineaccount; to set up an account, contact GibbsCAMSupport.

Go https://macros.GibbsCAM.comOpens a wiki containing documentation andexamples of GibbsCAM macros. Requires aGibbsCAMaccount.

Go mailto:[email protected] your e-mail client to create a new messageaddressed to the Gibbs and Associates TechnicalSupport department.

Go mailto:[email protected] your e-mail client to create a new messageaddressed to the Gibbs and Associates Salesdepartment.

Go http://www.autodesk.com/inventor Opens an external website that provides moreinformation on Autodesk Inventor products.

Go http://www.celeritive.comOpens an external website that provides moreinformation on VoluMill Ultra High-PerformanceToolpath (UHPT) from Celeritive Technologies.

Go http://www.predator-software.comOpens an external website that provides moreinformation on a CNC editor and a virtual CNCviewer from Predator Software, Inc.

ConventionsGibbsCAM documentation uses two special fonts to represent screen text and keystrokes ormouse actions. Other conventions in text and graphics are used to allow quick skimming, tosuppress irrelevancy, or to indicate links.

http://www.gibbscam.com/

http://online.gibbscam.com/

http://macros.gibbscam.com/

http://www.autodesk.com/inventor

http://www.celeritive.com/

http://www.predator-software.com/


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Text

Screen text. Text with this appearance indicates text that appears in GibbsCAM or on yourmonitor. Typically this is a button or text for a dialog.

Keystroke/Mouse. Text with this appearance indicates a keystroke or mouse action, such asCtrl+C or right-click.

Code. Text with this appearance indicates computer code, such as lines in a macro or ablock of G-code.

Term: A paragraph formatted like this one usually indicates a word or phrase used in GibbsCAM,followed by a definition or explanation.

Hotspot popup A paragraph formatted like this one has no special meaning in PDF. In onlinehelp, however, you can click the hotspot to pop up a small block of text that provides additionaldetails or links.

Drop-down formatting:A paragraph formatted like this one has no special meaning in PDF. In online help, however,you can click the drop-down heading to reveal or hide the explanatory text it contains.

Graphics

Some graphics are altered so as to de-emphasize irrelevant information. A “torn” edge signifiesan intentional omission. Portions of a graphic might be blurred or dimmed to highlight theitem being discussed. For example:

Annotations on a graphic are usually numbered callouts (as seen above), and sometimes includegreen circles, arrows, or tie-lines to focus attention on a particular portion of the graphic.

Faint green borders that outline areas within a graphic usually signify an image map. In onlinehelp or a PDF viewer, you can click a green-bordered area to follow the link.

General Functionality

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General FunctionalityItems in the “General Functionality” category are independent of any particularGibbsCAM package or function.

• Changes in installation and system considerations are discussed in System and InstallationChanges.

• Changes affecting the GibbsCAM interface are discussed in “Interface Changes” on page 14.

• Functional changes that apply to many or all products are discussed in “Functional Changes”on page 18.

System and Installation ChangesItems discussed below are independent of any particular GibbsCAM package or function.

Update NotifierWhen GibbsCAM 2011 first starts, it checks for updated releases (if an Internet connection isavailable). If a later version of GibbsCAM is available, a message dialog appears:

• If you are current on Maintenance, the message prompts you to visit a web page where youcan see information about the update and decide whether to download and install it. Theupdate system will never automatically install any software.

• Otherwise, the message tells you that Maintenance is required if you want the latest version.

Notes on Update Notifier

• Help menu option Check for Updates performs a one-time update check.

• If you do not want GibbsCAM to check for updates each time it starts, go to File >Preferences, Interface tab, and clear the checkbox Automatically Check for Updates on Startup.

Installation

New Installation Media

To accommodate separate 32-bit and 64-bit installations for each language, GibbsCAM softwareis now delivered on multiple dual-layer DVDs. The same installer is used to install from physical


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media or from the website.

New Installation Capabilities

The GibbsCAM installation process now automatically detects the default national language andwhether the platform is 32-bit or 64-bit. It has been redesigned to make greater use of theMicrosoft Windows Installer (MSI) in the following ways:

• You can now selectively install or uninstall individual product options and components.

• You can easily repair an incomplete or damaged installation, such as when a file isaccidentally moved, deleted, or overwritten.

• Optionally, you can associate GibbsCAM with the context menu (right-click menu) offiletypes other than .vnc, including .sat, .sab, .asat, .asab, .dlv, .model, .dxf, .igs,.catpart, .catproduct, .x_t, .xmt, .par, .vda, .3dm, .prt, .stl, .iam, .ipt, .ckd,.asmsldpart, .sldasm, .x_b, .p_b, .dwg, .step, and .stp.

• When installing from the command line, standard msiexec options can be used, such as /q(quiet) options to install with little or no user interaction and /l (logging) options to recordstatus and warning messages, parameters, and so forth.

Note: In accordance with Microsoft guidelines for Vista and Windows 7, the GibbsCAMshortcut is created as public desktop item that does not support drag-and-drop of *.vnc orother files onto it. To create an old-style desktop icon that supports drag-and-drop applicationlaunching, navigate to the Bin\ subfolder of the installation directory, select Virtual.exe, andCTRL+ALT-drag it to you desktop, creating a new shortcut.

New Folder/File Organization

The disk layout of GibbsCAM files has been standardized; for example, binary executables areseparated from resource files, and the location of machine-specific files, including MDDs andVMMs, has changed. For details, refer to the Installation guide.

Migrating Settings and PreferencesThe GibbsCAM Migration Tool lets you detect all previously installed versions of GibbsCAM andcopy compatible settings and preferences — display settings, custom MDDs and VMMs, boltand tap table data, macro configuration file, machine models, and so forth — from a specifiedprevious version to the current release. The previous version is not modified.

For best results, run the Migration Tool before the first time you start a newly installed releaseof GibbsCAM. This allows old files to be migrated before they are blocked by new files createdin the newly installed version.

Using the GibbsCAM Migration Tool

You can launch the tool from the Startmenu: GibbsCAM > Migration Tool v10.


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1. The first dialog lets you scan your system for installed versions of GibbsCAM, select onefrom the list, and check it for compatibility.

2. The second dialog shows you the files that can and cannot be copied forward to the currentrelease. Appropriate restrictions are respected if Administrator privileges are lacking.

Note: There is no ability to migrate plug-ins or material databases from previous releases.However, settings for Plug-In Manager can be migrated.

64-Bit IntegrationGibbsCAM 2011 is fully compatible with both 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. The ability of 64-bitsystems to handle more RAM and use larger chunks of information gives them a performance


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advantage if your part files are mid-size or larger or if you run many tasks simultaneously. TheGibbsCAM installer detects which platform you have and installs the corresponding version ofthe software.

GibbsCAM macros and Reporter functions are fully compatible with Microsoft Excel in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes.

All plug-ins distributed with the product are 64-bit compatible. However, we cannot guaranteethird-party plug-ins. If you have a 32-bit-only plug-in, please contact your third-party plug-invendor.

Please note that 32-bit VMMs cannot be used on 64-bit GibbsCAM. If you need a 64-bit VMM,please contact the Post department ([email protected]). Customers on Maintenance canupgrade their 32-bit VMMs to 64-bit at no charge.

Interface ChangesItems discussed below are common to all GibbsCAM product options.

Menus, Behaviors, and Look-and-FeelNew main menu Features replaces Wizards. New menu items under Features include AttributeManager and Feature Manager (see “Attributes and User-Defined Features” on page 18).

Changes to Plug-Ins

Menu item Stock Wizard is now under Plug-Ins > Misc.

Plug-In Manager, available under the Plug-Ins menu, lets you globally activate/deactivateindividual plug-ins and plug-in groups.

Important: Deactivating a plug-in disables that plug-in's function throughout GibbsCAM. Forexample:

• If the EDM plug-in (EdmPlugin.dll) is deactivated, then Wire EDM does not appear on themain menu.

• If the Transform Toolpath plug-in (TpTrans.dll) is deactivated, it does not appear on the listof available Operation Modifiers.

• If the Read SolidEdge Assembly plug-in (ReadSEAsm.dll) is deactivated, the SolidEdgeAssembly (*ASM) choice does not appear among the file types offered in the Open part file orImport file dialogs.

Plug-In Manager also gives you control over menu items and sub-items displayed in the Plug-Insmenu. You can right-click to add and rename folders and subfolders, and you can moveitems or entire groups using drag-and-drop. The menu does not display empty folders. Foldernames cannot contain the characters (<^/\;!.

Changes that are made by Plug-In Manager take effect the next time GibbsCAM is started.


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Other new plug-ins include Touch Interface Manager and Update Notifier; see below and“Update Notifier” on page 11.

Changes to Task Bar, Context Menus, Tiles, and Tile Lists

The task bar has a new button that allows you to choose color display mode:

See “Color Modes” on page 17.

Context menus (right-click menus) contain new options for manipulating user color. And whenProfiler is active, the context menu now includes an Extract Selected Profile option.

Context menus for the Tool List and Process List now offer a Tool Manager and a ProcessManager, similar to the Operation Manager.

All three managers allow you to edit data fields. Warning: You cannot undo the results ofediting a tool, process, or operation.

You can now shorten or extend tile lists by dragging the divider between the Tool List andProcess List or by dragging the lower edge of the Process List or Operation List.

You can now undo the results of a sorting an operation list or tool list.

Geometry Creation

When creating geometry, you can now create rectangles by specifying X and Y distances fromedges or corners, and you can now offset shapes using square corners.


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Freehand Move and Rotate

You can now move or rotate elements using the mouse: Select one or more elements, pressCtrl+Alt to pop up a temporary axis block, and then drag either the origin (for freehandtranslation) or one of the six axes (for axis-constrained translation or rotation).

Touch Interface

With suitable hardware, on Windows 7, you can now use touch gestures to control commonviewing actions, such as move/rotate, zoom, and restore. To enable or disable controls, usePlug-Ins →Misc → Touch Interface Manager.


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For information on general interface items, refer to the Getting Started guide.

Color ModesYou can now choose amongst color modes for displaying workspace items:

• Gibbs Colors mode is always available. In this mode, workspace display is governed by theColors tab of the Appearance Settings dialog.

• Feature Color mode is available if the part contains user-defined features. In this mode, itemsin the workspace are displayed according to their feature color assignments defined inFeature Manager.

• User Color mode is available if any element in the part is tagged with the reserved attributenamed User Color. In this mode, workspace display is governed by the palette of colorsdefined in the Attribute Manager dialog for the User Color attribute.

• Other user-created color modes are available if elements are tagged with other userattributes of type color. Workspace display is governed by the palette of colors defined forthe corresponding user-created color attribute.

For more information on color modes, refer to the Features guide.


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Functional ChangesItems discussed below are common to all GibbsCAM product options.

• Attributes and User-Defined Features below

• “Holes and Hole Features” on page 20

• “Operation Modifiers” on page 23

• “Managers for Tools, Processes, and Operations” on page 24

Attributes and User-Defined FeaturesThe Attribute Manager dialog, accessed from the Features menu, lets you view, create, andmanage user-defined attributes:

In addition, you can now preserve CAD attributes in models you import into GibbsCAM:


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About Attributes

Attributes provide a way to associate data values with elements or to tag elements as belongingto a user-defined Feature.

• A data attribute consists of a name, a data type (integer number, real number, text, orcolor), and a default data value. A Feature attribute consists of a name and a color. Colorincludes both RGB hue and transparency.

• A single element, such as a piece of wireframe geometry, a face, or an entire solid body, canbe tagged with many attributes. A single attribute can be attached to many differentelements.

• You use Attribute Manager to identify, select, filter, sort, and otherwise manipulateelements that are tagged with a particular attribute (or even multiple attributes). Forexample, you could find all elements tagged with a MyNomOD attribute and select only thosewhose MyNomOD value is 1.5.

• Attributes of data type color, including the reserved attribute named User Color, have theirnames appear on the list of color modes. For example, you could define a color namedRevision, assign a value of transparent black to all existing elements, and then assign colorsto changed elements according to their revision status. The new Revision color mode wouldthen allow you to visualize and select elements in a new way.

For details on attributes and Attribute Manager, refer to the Features guide.

User-Defined Features

The Feature Manager dialog, accessed from the Features menu, lets you view, create, and manageuser-defined features:


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The Feature attribute type allows you to collect elements and designate the collection with aname and color. For example, you could tag the faces of a slot with a blue Feature attribute youcall MySlotBlue. Then, Feature Color mode would provide a quick way to distinguish all user-defined features, and Feature Manager would let you easily select the elements tagged asMySlotBlue for machining.

For details on user-defined features and Feature Manager, refer to the Features guide.

Holes and Hole FeaturesThe Drill tab of the Holes Process has new controls — custom drill cycles (when the necessarysupport files are installed; see Custom Drill Cycles, below) and the Reverse Order check box —described in “Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn” on page 26.

Hole features in SolidWorks models are preserved and recognized when imported intoGibbsCAM.

New options make it easier to select a Hole feature, whether predefined or to be definedthrough Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR). Hole Manager lets you select holes according toCS the hole is aligned with, or one or more individual faces that constitute the hole, and thecontext menu when a face is selected provides Select Adjacent Holes.


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Hole Manager and Hole Wizard

Hole Manager, now accessed from the Features menu, now includes an Auto Wizard thatstreamlines and automates hole creation. If you set Preferences to minimize user intervention,the power of Hole Wizard is greatly increased: You can automatically recognize, group, and drillthousands of holes in just three button clicks: Run AFR, Auto Group, and then Auto Wiz.

Hole Manager context menus have been expanded with new options, many of which areavailable even when multiple rows are selected.

You are now able to copy and paste holes from one workgroup to another.


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The Lock Selection checkbox highlights holes when rows are selected and highlights rows whenholes are selected, providing immediate visualization of workspace and Hole Manager selectionsets.

For details on the new Hole Manager capabilities, refer to the Features guide, which wasformerly named theWizards Guide.

Custom Drill Cycles

Custom drill cycle macros can be called from the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5-Axis Drilling Options tab. A sample set of macros is available to illustrate custom drill cycles forVariable Peck.

These macros, along with the custom MDDs to support them, can be downloaded from theMacros wiki (https://macros.GibbsCAM.com). For example, in the web page for the categoryCustom_Drill_Cycles, you can download the following items.

• Example macros for: Variable-peck drilling by Distance or Percentage; Fagor style variable-peck drilling; Pecking/drilling of Tapered squares; and Peck chamfering.

• MDDs (*.mdd files) supporting custom drill cycles for: 3-axis vertical mill, 5-axis verticalmill, and 2-axis horizontal lathe.

• Sample parts (*.vnc files) illustrating the use of custom drill cycles.

• A single *.zip file containing all the files mentioned above.

Installing a sample package for custom drill cycles is simple. In your global data folder (such asC:\ProgramData\Gibbs\GibbsCAM\10\):

1. Under its Macros\ folder, create new subfolder CustomDrillCycles\ and move theGibbs.*.Generic\ folders into it.

2. Change to its MDD\ folder and move the sample *.mdd files into it.

3. Place the sample part files (*.vnc) wherever you like.

After yourC:\ProgramData\...\Macros\CustomDrillCycles\Gibbs.PeckDistance.Generic\ folderis populated and your C:\ProgramData\...\MDD\ folder contains the sample MDD referencedby the part, simply open a sample part and look at each of its processes. For example:

• In the 3-axis Mill part, Mill3a.vnc, .the Holes process dialog’s Drill tab offers a pull-downof custom drill cycles under Entry/Exit Cycle when the bottommost option button is selected.To view or adjust parameter values, click User Cycle Data.

• In the Lathe part, Lathe2a.vnc, .the Holes process dialog offers a pull-down of custom drillcycles under Entry/Exit Cycle when the bottommost option button is selected. To view oradjust parameter values, click the User Cycle Data the button.


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• In the 5-Axis part, Mill5a.vnc, the Drilling Options tab shows pull-down options whenCustom Cycle is selected. To view or adjust parameter values, click the Define CustomDatabutton.

Operation ModifiersWhen you right-click an operation and choose OperationModifiers, the Manage Modifiers dialogpresents a list of operation modifiers. The left pane shows all modifiers available for theoperation type; the right pane shows all that have been assigned to the selected operation.

Each time you add a modifier, its modifier dialog appears. The parameter settings for mostmodifier dialogs are the same as for the corresponding plug-in, except for the omission ofcontrols for selecting operations or creating new operations. You can add multiple instances ofsome modifiers, such as Change Feeds and Speeds. Others, such as 5-Axis Toolpath Conversion, canbe added only once.

In the list of assigned modifiers, you can change the order in which they are applied, and youcan disable or enable one or more modifiers. Click the Edit button (or double-click themodifier) to view or edit parameter settings.

When you click Do It, the operation is modified: The operation tile is marked with a plussign (+) in its lower left corner, and the corresponding toolpath is regenerated.

You can combine multiple Operation Modifiers, but you need to exercise caution applying two(or more) modifiers that both change toolpath. The general guideline is: Use common sense. Forexample, it would make no sense to combine a Z Ramp Contour modifier with a Z StepContour. Other specific caveats are noted below.

Notes for Using Operation Modifiers

l Operation modifier data is stored with each operation, not with the process or processgroup. For example, if a process group is associated with three operations, applying amodifier to the second operation has no effect on the first or third.


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l You cannot save modifiers independently of the operation. You cannot copy or transfermodifiers from one operation to another.

l Modifiers are applied sequentially, without inter-modifier communication: The endingstate of modifier n is the starting state of modifier n+1. Therefore, the toolpath couldchange significantly if the same set of modifiers were to be stacked in a different order.

l Clicking CAM palette button Redo preserves existing modifiers, but clicking CAM palettebutton Do It does not; it creates one or more new operations without copying modifiers.

l Do not combine a conversion modifier (such as 5-Axis Toolpath Conversion or Convert toTrochoidal) with any other modifier, except to follow it with Change Feeds and Speeds orTransform Toolpath.

l Do not combine Z Ramp Contour with Z Step Contour, and do not precede either withChange Feeds and Speeds. However, it is perfectly acceptable to follow Z Ramp Contour (or ZStep Contour, but never both combined) with Change Feeds and Speeds.

l When using Z Step Contour, the Prefer Subs and Cutter Radius Compensation options arenot supported.

Managers for Tools, Processes, and OperationsGibbsCAM 2011 provides interfaces that let you see all your tools at once (Tool Manager) or seeall processes in a group (Process Manager), or all operations that have been created (OperationsManager).

Viewing Tool/Process/Operation Data

In each of the Manager interfaces, you can do any of the following:

• Choose which columns to display and in which order.

• Sort the display either with a simple click on the column header or by using multi-level sort.

• Sort the entire tile list, or find tiles and move them within the list.

• Open the corresponding Tool/Process/Operation dialog.


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• Isolate a subset of rows.

• Print the data.

Dozens of data types are provided. Tool Manager can display up to 25 columns; ProcessManager, up to 32. A brief description is provided for each data type.

Editing Tool/Process/Operation Data

All three managers provide powerful editing capabilities. Clicking the Allow Editing buttonhighlights all editable fields. You can modify the value in an editable cell, or you can apply asingle value to many selected items at once.

Warning: In Edit mode, a single click can cause far-ranging global changes, and there is noUndo capability.

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

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Production Mill, Lathe, andMill/Turn

For Mill, Lathe, Mill/Turn, and 5-Axis: Custom drill cycles, such as Variable Peck, can be calledfrom the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5-Axis Drilling Options tab. As an example, aset of macros is supplied to illustrate custom drill cycles for Variable Peck. When the supportfiles (macros and custom MDD) are installed, the functionality is visible to end users asadditional pull-down options among the Entry-Exit Cycle choices, as shown below.

For details on how to download sample packages for custom drill cycles, see “Holes and HoleFeatures” on page 20.

For Mill and Mill/Turn: The Holes process provides a new option in the Drill tab. When makingmultiple passes over dozens or hundreds of holes, you want to minimize unnecessary moves.The new checkbox, Reverse Order, lets you reverse the drilling sequence.

Other improvements are Mill-specific or Lathe-specific:


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l Mill: Pocketingl “Lathe: B-Axis Turning” on page 28l “Lathe: Groove Cycles” on page 29l “Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling” on page 29

Mill: PocketingFor the Roughing process, Mill has several pocketing improvements, including:

l Depth First support for pocketing with Material Only.l Improved Material Only. behavior (scallop cleanup) when MinimumCut is set to 0.l Non-broken finish passes with open sides.l Mixed-shape pocketing.l A new tab, Offset/Trim, gives you finer control over toolpath for offset pocketingoperations. For example, when a pocket has an air wall, you can use Trim to Material(affecting outside fills and inside voids) to avoid burying the tool in the material.

Offset from Material Trim to MaterialOffset/Trim Options


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Offset from Material Trim to Material

Lathe: B-Axis TurningFor Lathe machining, the Contour process dialog offers a new tab: B-Axis.

What Is B-Axis Turning?

B-axis turning machines provide features similar to a 5-axis mill machine. A lathe that supportsB-axis turning lets machinists specify vectors on which the tool will rotate, allowing a part to becut in a single pass. The two principal benefits of B-axis turning are fewer tool changes and theability to cut parts in which there would normally not be enough clearance.

The above image shows how GibbsCAM depicts a B-axis path that uses selected vectors. Thegreen vector lines with blue arrows mark positions at which the tool holder will rotate, and towhat degree.

For more information, see the Lathe guide.

Effect on Settings in the Contour Tab

Selecting the Vary B-Axis checkbox in the B-Axis tab can affect states and settings in the Contourtab, as follows:

• The Cut Off checkbox is unselected and unavailable.


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• The No Drag checkbox is unselected and unavailable.

• The Use Auto Clearance checkbox is unselected and unavailable.

• Under Contour Style:

• The Material Only option is unselected and unavailable.

• The Full option is selected, and a value of 0 is used for Corner Break.

Unselecting the Vary B-Axis checkbox automatically restores all affected controls in the Contourtab to their previous states and settings.

Caveats

B-axis toolpath animation is supported by Flash CPR and Simulation but not by CPR.

In B-axis toolpath, collisions between tools and holders are not automatically detected.

Lathe: Groove CyclesA new Lathe plug-in, Groove Cycle, designed around the Fanuc-style canned cycles for G74 andG75 output, allows you to cut geometry-independent rectangular grooves. You can choose OD,ID, or Face (or Back Face for MTM machines) and specify peck depth and stepover.

Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling

Thread Whirling is a machining process where the cutters are mounted on the inside ofa cutting ring or cutting holder rather than the outside of a milling tool.


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depths diagramEntry Clearance Diameter/RadiusThe tool will rapid to this diameter/radius before beginning the threading cuts. The tool willalso return to this value for each new cutting pass.

Exit Clearance Diameter/RadiusThe tool will rapid to this value after completing the threading process. The tool will alsomove to the next operation at this X value.

In X and In ZFor X - This represents the Xr component of the Run In move. There are several specificbehaviors available. If this is equal to the Z Run In, the entry will be 45 degrees from thetaper slope. A value of zero will be a straight Run In and will continue the taper.

For Z - This is the incremental distance to position to the right of the true thread start. Avalue of 0 will start the tool exactly at the thread start. Please note that the Z axis value isnot measured along the taper and only positive values are valid.

Out X and Out ZFor X - This represents the Xr component of the Run Out move. There are several specificbehaviors available. If this is equal to the Z Run In, the entry will be 45 degrees from thetaper slope. A value of zero will be a straight Run Out and will continue the taper.

For Z - This is the incremental distance to position for the tool to over-travel at the left ofthe true thread end. A value of 0 will stop the tool exactly at the thread end. Please note thatthe Z axis value is not measured along the taper and only positive values are valid.


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Start X and Start ZThese values represent the absolute position of X and Z at the start of the thread.

End X and End ZThese values represent the absolute position of X and Z at the end of the thread.

PositionsApproachThis is the Z approach position. The Whirling tool will rapid to this point in Z beforerapiding to the start position of the toolpath.

RetractThis is the Z retract position. The Whirling tool will rapid to this point in Z after completingthe Thread Whirling process.

Angle OffsetOffsetThis checkbox enables Start/End Angle Offset values. This will allow you to set the rotaryaxis for a part that needs the start or end of the thread to be oriented to a specific angularvalue. This will be output in G-Code, but will not render.

Offset Angle StartRotary angle at which to start the process.

Offset Angle EndRotary angle at which to end the process.

ParametersNumber of TeethNumber of teeth for the Thread Whirling tool.

Feed per ToothAllows the Rotary Axis feed rate to be calculated per tooth. Toggling Constant Feed rate willoverride this value.

Constant Feed rateThis will override the Feed per Tooth with a desired feed rate in degrees per minute.

TPI/PitchPitch represents the distance measured in millimeters from one thread to the next. TPI is thenumber of threads per inch.

Rotation SpeedThis sets the tool spindle speed. The part spindle speed will be controlled by the rotary axisfeed rate.

CoolantToggle coolant on or off and a drop-down box with coolant choices. Flood is standard.

VoluMill

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VoluMillThe GibbsCAM VoluMill product option uses the high-performance VoluMill toolpath enginedeveloped by Celeritive Technologies to reduce cycle times, extend tool life, and reduce stresson machine tools.

The VoluMill Solids product option allows you to machine solids, sheets, and facet bodies.

In GibbsCAM 2011, improvements in both VoluMill Solids and VoluMill Wireframe include:

l Improved Depth Firstmachiningl Improved cutting near islandsl New option for Climb millingl Support for Polar & Cylindrical Milling pocketing (formerly known as “Rotary Mill”pocketing)

l Freeway Linking to reduce cycle timel Reduced processing time on multi-core CPUs

For details, refer to the GibbsCAM VoluMill guide.

Solids

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SolidsBody Bag

In Solids Import, 2.5D Solids, and SolidSurfacer, the Body Bag now provides a multi-pageinterface with options for viewing and arranging the icons in each page. Highlights aresummarized below; for details, refer to the corresponding documentation.

l Body Bag Pagesl Body Bag View Settings

Names, IDs, and CreationMethod

Automatically generated names for bodies contain more information than previously, and thebody's ID and its creation method are now displayed in the Properties dialog box, andoptionally, in the Body Bag and History.

Body Bag PagesThe Body Bag now provides a multi-page interface. Each page maintains its own settings forviewing and arranging the icons it contains. Selection sets can include icons in one, some, or allBody Bag pages, as well as items in the workspace.

You can move icons from one Body Bag page to another by selecting and dragging to anothertab; as the cursor passes over the tab, a preview of the page displays. You can create a new BodyBag page on the fly by dragging a Body Bag selection to an empty area to the right of therightmost tab.

To insert, delete, or rename a Body Bag page, right-click the corresponding tab. A tab name initalics indicates an empty page. Only empty pages can be deleted.

Context menu option Clean Up Page performs a one-time Auto-Arrange on the current pagewithout modifying view settings. Context menu option Clean Up Body Bag deletes all empty pagesand performs a Clean Up Page on all pages that remain. Context menu options Select Page andDeselect Page select or deselect all icons in the page you specify but otherwise preserve theexisting selection set.

Solids

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Body Bag View SettingsTo see or modify the view settings of a page in the Body Bag, display the page, right-click theBody Bag title bar, and select View.

• When Large Icons or Small Icons is selected, the page displays each body's icon and nameonly.

• When Details or Tiles is selected, the page displays each body's icon, name, type (Part, Stock,or Fixture), chord height, and CS (coordinate system).

• If Align to Grid is also selected, icons or tiles are prevented from overlapping.

• If Auto-Arrange is also selected, overlapping and empty slots are both prevented.

• If Show Solid ID is also selected, the body's numeric ID is also displayed.

• If Show Solid CreationMethod is also selected, the body's most recent creation method is alsodisplayed, such as Sphere or Union or Slice.

You can use Ctrl+mousewheel to increase or decrease the size of icons across the entire BodyBag. The result is visible in any page that is set to display Large Icons or Tiles.

not Aligned or Arranged Arranged

Large Icons

Small Icons

Details

Tiles

5-Axis

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5-AxisThe 5-Axis module has been updated to take advantage of multi-threading, and now offersdrilling functionality and important new machining strategies for toolpath generation. Toolpathsmoothing and link move smoothing are significantly improved, and a large number of otherenhancements have also been made.

Highlights are summarized below. For details, refer to the 5-Axis guide.

Background Task Management5-Axis is now multi-threaded; you can now run multiple independent processes simultaneously,depending on the number of CPU cores under the control of your computer. After you clickDo It to start computing 5-axis toolpath, a new Task Manager facility allows you to view andcontrol the tasks as they are processed.

5-Axis Drilling OptionsYou can now use 5-Axis for drilling, tapping, and pecking, as well as for custom drilling cycles.

5-Axis

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New Machining Strategies for ToolpathGenerationIn previous releases, 5-axis machining strategy used a surface-based approach to calculatingtoolpath. With GibbsCAM 2011, we are pleased to make available the following additionalstrategies.

Triangle Mesh

Triangle Mesh provides the following toolpath patterns:

• Rough: To quickly remove material in planar layers perpendicular to the tool axis.

• Parallel cuts: To machine a 3D component using toolpath passes that are parallel to eachother relative to the angle you specify in the XY plane.

• Project Curves: Allows you to project a 2D curve pattern — Radial, Spiral, Offset, or user-defined — onto the triangle mesh to create toolpath.

• Constant Z: To machine a 3D component using toolpath passes that are parallel to the XYplane.

• Constant Cusp: To create a cut pattern with constant distance between contours; cusps thatare created will have the same height.

• Flatlands: To machine true flat areas of a 3D component using toolpath passes that are offsetfrom the boundary of the flat area.

• Pencil: To automatically detect inlying edges and create a single toolpath along them.

• Projection: To create line projections on machining surfaces, especially for rotary machining.

WireframeWireframe works without any machining surfaces, using drive curves and orientation lines.

5-Axis

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Swarf MachiningSWARF is an acronym for Side Wall Axial Relief Feed. Swarf Machining is often used for turbineparts where the goal is to produce the target surface with only one cut, using the entire flutelength of the tool. Tilt cycles control the tool axis orientation.

Multi-Task Machining

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Multi-Task MachiningAlso see: “Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling” on page 29.

Drag Operations Preserve SyncsThe Sync Control dialog now preserves syncs when operations are dragged.

Undo for Sync/UnsyncThe Undo (Ctrl-Z) and Redo (Ctrl-Y) actions apply to setting and unsetting syncs in the SyncControl dialog.

Wire EDM

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Wire EDM

No-Core RoughingIn the Create No-Core dialog box, a new checkbox now allows you to specify a value for roughingstock.

Color ConfigurationNew color configurations options are now available, including user colors for dimensions andstart holes.

Wire EDM

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Macros

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MacrosNewMacro Documentation: macros.gibbscam.com

We are pleased to make available a new wiki — https://macros.GibbsCAM.com — containingcomplete documentation for all GibbsCAM macro commands. This wiki is updatedcontinuously as new macro functionality is released.

Custom Drill CyclesCustom drill cycle macros can be called from the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5-Axis Drilling Options tab. As an example, a set of macros is supplied to illustrate custom drillcycles for Variable Peck.

New Macro CommandsA wide variety of macro commands have been added, allowing you to do the following:

l Create fillets and chamfersl Get, set, and select attribute colorsl Copy and explode solidsl Manipulate tool tiles and control Tool List displayl Manipulate process tiles and processes (including utility processes), and control ProcessList display

l Manipulate operation tiles, operations, and toolpath, and control Op List displayl Plunge Roughl Get and set post informationl Perform matrix operations such as translate, rotate, scale, invert, normalize, and multiplyl Manipulate work groups, coordinate systems, features, the clipboard, part files, andimport files

l Exit the GibbsCAM application

For a complete list of macro commands, see https://macros.GibbsCAM.com.

CAD Interoperability

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CAD InteroperabilityInteroperability has been updated for both Add-Ins and Data Exchange:

l Updated libraries support Parasolid v24 and ACIS R21.l Updated file formats include: CATIA v5 R20, Solid Edge ST3 v103, Autodesk Inventor 2012as well as AutoCAD 2011 and RealDWG 2012, NX 7.5, KeyCreator v9.0, Rhinoceros v5.0,SolidWorks 2011, and Creo Elements/Pro (formerly “Pro/ENGINEER”) Wildfire 5.0.

l A new standalone installer for the SolidWorks Add-In lets you install the Add-In even onworkstations that do not run GibbsCAM.

Import version Export version Add-In version

ACIS R21 ACIS-SAT R21AutodeskInventor

2012

AutodeskInventor

2012CreoElements/Pro

Wildfire v5.0 CimatronE 10

CATIA v5 R20 DXF KeyCreator 7.0

CreoElements/Pro

Wildfire v5.0 IGES KeyCreator 8.0

DXF Parasolid v24 KeyCreator 9.0

IGES STEP (Granite v7) KeyCreator 10.0

KeyCreator 9.0MechanicalDesktop

2004

NX 7.5MechanicalDesktop

2009

Parasolid v24 Rhinoceros 3.0

RealDWG 2012 Rhinoceros 4.0

Rhinoceros 5.0 Rhinoceros 5.0

Solid Edge ST3 v103 Solid Edge ST3 v103

SolidWorks 2011 SolidWorks 2011

STEP (Granite v7)

VDA-FS

Name changes:

CAD Interoperability

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Import version Export version Add-In versionl Pro/ENGINEER: see Creol Siemens PLM: see NXl Unigraphic/UGS: see NX

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