If we don't get profile contouring walls andfloors in the activities proces table I am gonna scream.

We have been patient..?   right!

Dave

I love it!!  I know how you feel.  All kidding aside, this would be a great enhancment and make my life easier.  I would most likely use the process table more if it had this option.

Thanks for screaming... if you do!  :)

In Reply to Dave King:

I love it!!  I know how you feel.  All kidding aside, this would be a great enhancment and make my life easier.  I would most likely use the process table more if it had this option.

Thanks for screaming... if you do!  :)

Ha Ha Dave...

I haven't screamed yet.... there is hope.

By the way.... I know all about a VB solution to this.... I actually just posted the code here:

http://www.coe.org/index.php?module=forum&op=st&thread=26852&post=76881#p76881

But... even with the script... .how to you verify the changes.

Uness you have Samarinders NC programming assistant, with a button to Verify the settings... you still need to select the MO's one by one to VERIFY the change.

SOOOOO we still need profile contouring walls and floors in the activities proces table!

I say this is a top ten......

Again.. part of this is my fault.... I aske for EVERYTHING added to the activities proces table... and thats just not feasable. But, this should be.

Dave

In Reply to Dave Frank:

In Reply to Dave King:

I love it!!  I know how you feel.  All kidding aside, this would be a great enhancment and make my life easier.  I would most likely use the process table more if it had this option.

Thanks for screaming... if you do!  :)

Ha Ha Dave...

I haven't screamed yet.... there is hope.

 

By the way.... I know all about a VB solution to this.... I actually just posted the code here:

http://www.coe.org/index.php?module=forum&op=st&thread=26852&post=76881#p76881

 

But... even with the script... .how to you verify the changes.

Uness you have Samarinders NC programming assistant, with a button to Verify the settings... you still need to select the MO's one by one to VERIFY the change.

 

SOOOOO we still need profile contouring walls and floors in the activities proces table!

I say this is a top ten......

Again.. part of this is my fault.... I aske for EVERYTHING added to the activities proces table... and thats just not feasable. But, this should be.

 

Dave

Dave,

That functionality has been improved in NPA. And I think it will be very easy for DS to add this enhancement in the Activities Process Table.

Haven't we been needing this since 2006 ??

All kidding around aside it would be a great enhancement. 

Frank

I agree 100%.  It's funny because they have offset on Part Surface (floor) for some MO's in the process activities table.  Why they didn't just go ahead and put it for ALL MO's, including offset on Drive Surface (contour) is beyond me. 

I would want offset on PS/Floor, DS/Contour for ALL MO's in the process table.  I have a great VB Script which allows me to do this very easily, but if it was in the process table, I'd probably use it instead.

P.S.  The script Dave posted can be edited to allow for multi-selection of ANY and/or ALL MO's at programmer's discretion.  That's basically the script I have....it gives me a tremendous advantage when I want to do mass-editing.

Hi,

Now you know why I never request such enhancements because I know DS would take it forever to implement such little things which is just like adding another button in the interface.

Meanwhile I can save my time just by writing another vb routine for such enhancements. Even if it is available in the Activities Process Table, I would still use my vb-routines. Because I have extra options where I can increase or decrease the existing amount of such offsets, clearance feedrates, transition feedrates, etc... you name it, I'll probably have it if not then I can write one in no time. Also I write a file for a quick check to make sure the changes by comparing old and new values.I didn't mean to brag. Pardon me if I did.

Anyway if you spend some time into Catia APIs then you can make some decent applications to enhance Catia's functionality. I cant imagine myself working without such vb-routines I have written in past 4-5 years and I have been improving them ever since.

That works great for you Samarinder but I for one don't know VB so it really isn't an option to just write a script to do that.  Trust me, I wish I could but I agree with some of the other people I've seen posting that it bothers me that I have to learn another programming language just to make CATIA work the way I want it to.  I didn't have to do that with APT or NCL and I'd rather not have to do it with CATIA.  I know that they are available to purchase but I don't blame the company for not wanting to have to buy 6 different softwares just to get CATIA to play nice.  I'm just hoping that Daussalt will take the suggestions and work on the ones that will make using their software easier for everyone, which in turn should help their marketshare.  If everyone raved about how easy it was to use that wouldn't be a bad thing.  Then if they could just do something about the price!  :)

In Reply to Dave King:

That works great for you Samarinder but I for one don't know VB so it really isn't an option to just write a script to do that.  Trust me, I wish I could but I agree with some of the other people I've seen posting that it bothers me that I have to learn another programming language just to make CATIA work the way I want it to.  I didn't have to do that with APT or NCL and I'd rather not have to do it with CATIA.  I know that they are available to purchase but I don't blame the company for not wanting to have to buy 6 different softwares just to get CATIA to play nice.  I'm just hoping that Daussalt will take the suggestions and work on the ones that will make using their software easier for everyone, which in turn should help their marketshare.  If everyone raved about how easy it was to use that wouldn't be a bad thing.  Then if they could just do something about the price!  :)

I hear this from many I talk to.

But the script I posted will get you HALF the functionality........ you still need to check the mo,s to be sure the svript did its job.

In the words of Ronaldus Maximus Reagan.....TRUST BUT VERIFY!!!!!

That is part of the programmers job.....

Dave Frank

Dave K,

I know that not everybody is going to learn vb to make such scripts. That is up to companies' management folks who can decide either wait on DS for 5-6 years for such enhancements and spend tons of NC-programming hours or have someone get trained into the vb and save all the frustration or buy it from outside people like me, Bryan or you could ask you VAR to write one but they will be very expensive unless you have connections like Dave F who got this one for free.

P.S. I like the way Catia works. If it is made so easy then we'll have lots of competition among NC-programmers just as you can see in mastercam users.

I hear you guys.  I really don't know a whole lot about VB either.  I have written some basic scripts and some VBA projects when I have the time and it's sort of fun, but since I don't do it often enough, I am very slow.  I am not fluent in the language, so it takes me a lot of refreshing myself and looking stuff up, then debugging it and constantly tweaking it to work better.  I wrote a few post-processors from scratch with a free basic compiler.  I quit that and now just buy them.  Just like when I go back and write an APT program...have to bust out the books and look stuff up, and it takes me longer than someone who does it every day.

Since I quote at $75 per hour, and I believe I bought the script to mass edit MO's for $100, it was a no-brainer.  Even if I COULD write it (which I believe I could), it would take me a long time, way more than 1.3 hours.  Quick, easy decision to just buy it.  Same thing with the many other scripts I have bought.  In each case, it was much cheaper to just buy it, then to take time from programming machines.

It's baffling to me that so many shops would rather pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of overtime pay, then do the cheap thing, and buy the scripts.  But it's good for most programmers.  More money in our pockets, so I'd just keep quiet about it....no- I'm kidding.  I know we all want to do a good job, and have the proper tools.  I don't blame DS for this.  Companies should buy the scripts they want and need, or stop complaining about their programmers taking longer than expected.

I agree with you 100% Samarinder.  I don't sell scripts anymore, though- so that just leaves you and a handful of guys.  I can't tell you how many people I've given your phone number when they've told me they want to buy a script.  I would bet that none of them even called.  I think they usually expect them to be free.  Like I said, it's baffling how shops won't spend the money on scripts.

Bryan,

I guess I am one of very few people out there who can say, "Catia VB script written by NC-Programmer for NC-Programmers". And you are right nobody came forward to buy it from me. If I get to go to next year at COE then I'll prove that how you can save 100s and 1000s of hours by using such scripts.

I don't know if you have seen my Feed-Speed Calculator in action. I showed it Philippe @DS and he was pretty impressed. You keep working on your programming and without any need of checking for any feeds-speeds in MOs until you are ready to post the program. At the end you can change/modify feeds speeds in seconds regardless number of MOs even if all of them are locked as well.

DS could buy all of my vb-routines and they can implement it inside their code. So people who want it for free can have it for just paying their yearly maintenance to DS.

I agree.  I guess I'm just happy that people like Dave F. keep the pressure on for a better product.  I could probably sell the company on spending $100 but I guess I just don't know where they are available at that price.  You are correct that if I want my VAR to do it they charge a lot more than $100.  If it was up to me I'd do everything I could to speed up the programming process.  Saving money is what it's all about.

In Reply to Dave King:

I agree.  I guess I'm just happy that people like Dave F. keep the pressure on for a better product.  I could probably sell the company on spending $100 but I guess I just don't know where they are available at that price.  You are correct that if I want my VAR to do it they charge a lot more than $100.  If it was up to me I'd do everything I could to speed up the programming process.  Saving money is what it's all about.

Hi Dave,

It is always good to have extra options in the Catia. But you don't need to wait for it. You have the best player (for mfg automation and better than anyone out there period) working with you. You know whom I am talking about. He can write anything for Catia or NCL as long as APIs are available. So you don't have to get anything from outside at all. And I learned lots of good things from him which can be used to automate the MOs and selecting geometries etc.. (Pretty much you click and watch Catia doing lots of fun stuff for you automatically)

Hi Dave King,

Scripts like this are freebies....if you use your partner the right amount. The right amount means more then zero..... That equals some training on best practices, modeling, simulation, file structure, links.  How to USE scripts. 

if you got someone like Cliff, Joe, or Wes out for a few days of advanced training, there is ROI in that.  Ask your bp.

Dave

Oh eah..

Completely agree on that... Would like more control for 3-axis Profile in Tables ALWAYS... While DS at it let them look at Auto Compute Feeds and Speeds... (add button or something) in Process Tables.

Great

In Reply to Alex Smygov:

Oh eah..

Completely agree on that... Would like more control for 3-axis Profile in Tables ALWAYS... While DS at it let them look at Auto Compute Feeds and Speeds... (add button or something) in Process Tables.

 

Great

Hi Alex,

You are so correct. The orange button on each MO to get speeds and feeds from the cutter technology page.  I have many enhancments to add more feeds to this cutter technology page.  Being able the manage ON?OFF condition thru the  activities proces table, is mandatory.

Good call. I know this has been asked for before.

Dave

Agree also, Alex.  It doesn't make sense not to be able to turn off auto-compute in the table, because you can't even mass edit feeds and speeds, if it is ON!

I have a script that lets me turn auto-compute feeds and speeds on or off.  I NEVER use auto-compute.  I just have the script for contractors that would turn in programs with it on (even though I told them NOT to), so I could turn them all OFF, and mass-edit their programs to some proper feeds and speeds, then never use them to contract program again...

Using the sample Dave Frank posted, one could modify it to write one pretty easy, if one hasn't already.

Resolved,  V5-62015

Dave Frank  *    Aerospace Dynamics International, Valencia, Ca

5-Axis CNC Programmer

COE Product Co-Chairman, Digital Numerical Control