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Cam lite M070?

D

dewme5

New member
A new feature of WF4 M070, is Cam lite, a 2 1/2 axis program. (expert machinist). However, the only post to come with it, is for a Fanuc. I just for some reason can not find a way to replace the post. Nothing I do seems to matter in trying to correct the g-code.

I am using Mach 3 to run a benchtop mill. I have a post file, but nothing I do seems to get Cam Lite to accept it.

I do not have Pro/NC. Our licenses only for Pro/E Foundation Adv., but Cam lite is now for everybody.
 
According to the link below, that is correct and a specific limitation of the Lite module. The link below isn't official PTC, but it's something (I can't find anything at ptc.com or in the M070 help file regarding the Lite modules).

<cite>http://www.cvcl.com.hk/ProE_Lite_Modules.pdf


</cite>
 
From what I can tell the lite versions of things included in M070 are just enough to be no more then advertisments to try and get you to upgrade. PTC does not want you to be able to do anything worthwhile without having to pay.


We went to a User Group and PTC showed a demo on Manikin Lite. It only allows you to work with one manikin and you can not save your model once you enter that mode.


It is amazing CAM Lite allows you to create any g-code at all.
 
Check to see if there is a config.pro option gpostpp_dir . If PTC did not remove this option then create a new folder and place your post processorthere. Set the gpostpp_dir to point to that folder.


Test to see if the processor usesyour post. If not I suggest renaming your post to the same name as the current one. Then place this itinto the default location.


Proe install dir \ i486_nt\gpost


Be sure to rename both files.


Example of file names : uncx01.p01 uncx01.f01
 
After much trial and Error, and help from dbrainsky over the phone, and PTC over the phone to India. It's been confirmed that the default post file, is hard coded, and there is no getting around that.

While some people are happy to see the new toys that are provided for you to play with, I am unhappy to receive a useless toy. I've made this known to PTC, and hopefully something will come of it.

The comparison to Manikin lite is invalid. You can open a file, import only one Manikin, and check the functionality. Observations can be made, notes can be taken, designs can be worked out (the whole purpose of Manikin). Then, you have to close it, reopen the file, and make changes. Save, then try Manikin again.

With Cam lite, you can open a file, use only 2 1/2 axis, and have something useless. Observations are useless, notes are useless, and the design will not be changed from what you find in CAM lite. If you are going to give me severly crippled software, let me use it. If you aren't going to let me use it, give the full version.

Let's pay a yearly maintenance fee, so you can receive non functional updates, that will hopefully lead to more money, and more maitenance fees for PTC.
 
PTC seems to just want to milk us for money. All I see them doing is just fixing up bugs and stretching out the gui update. I agree with the above statement. Lets get some new features for our money. Lets also standardize on file formats so we can open a WF5 file with WF4.
 
I agree with Marker4x4 and radelectronics for power users of ProNC the cam lite stuff is just in the way. I hate the way it goes to the cam lite every time I open a file. Also with this rev it seems to open an existing mfg file with everything expanded in the model tree.


Iwould like to see them fix some of the existing stuff like have the plunge milling move away from the wall before retracting and moving to the next location just for an example. seems to me there is an awful lot of things that could be just improved on that are already in the software.
 
ToolDude said:
....I hate the way it goes to the cam lite every time I open a file....
Click to expand...

From the PTC/USER Forum:



"Thanks to Dave Brainsky

Set the config.pro option assy_mfg_open_mode to mfg"

I hope this helps
 
I asked about getting Plunge fixed a couple of years ago
at the Technical Committee meeting for manufacturing - I
was told there is no development money to put into
plunge.

Regards
 
Thanks Marker


I think you already sent that to me through the exploder. I e mailed you asking if you got any replies to your question on the exploder.


I can't seem to get it to work. The way I have to open Pro man is open Pro E then go to tools and load pro Man as a floating moduleby that time the cam lite is already sittingin my configs or sh_ting which ever way you would like to call it. Unless you know of a way to load my pro Man floating module as ProE opens.


Maybe Dave has a fix for that?
 
wow!! if you half finished a job for a customer and told them you don't have the budget to finish it what would they say to you? Probably needed the money to buy that junk they call Pro Toolmaker.





sorry in rant mode right now.
smiley7.gif
 
Ok thought you were someone else. Sorry Marker. I would stay on wf 3 I f I were you. I was forced to wf4 m030 and have been complaining ever since.


when we first moved to wf4m 030 couldn't figure out how to gouge check with vericut. Another software improvement totally changed how that works, andnot for the better. then vericut on my system would not show a counter bore as cut round it would always show it off center of the through hole. after about a month of messing with support finally they suggested upgrading to M070 and that fixed the vericut issuebut nowwe get the cam lite mess with m070.
 
Alright Guys,

First of all lets clear things up. Pro Toolmaker was brought from a company call NCG and this was a leading piece of software within the CNC / High Speed Machining industry. So Its not a piece of junk at all.

Regarding WF4.0 and WF3.0 There all fully stable software compared to the feedback reveived from a the Solidworks user even were they all asked for stable software.

Regarding CAM Lite yes it is a cut down version of Pro NC and it is the First release M070 so there is going to be slight Issue and they will be fixed within M080. Which is one reason why to keep on maintenance.

Vericut isnt a peice of software which is owned by PTC, so If you have a problem with Vericut them maybe you should be speaking to the guys at Vericut not wasting your time moaning on here!!!

Your all moaning about the CAM Lite option, read what it says in the Title > LITE !!!!
There is a point release every month for Pro Engineer etc so download it seen as your all paying your maintenance.

If you've got a problem is the Issue escalate the Issue add notes, put your point across instead on moanin on here about it.

Think about what Pro Engineer can do regarding modules compared to the likes of Solidwork and Inventor we have a much much much large toolkit compared to other software vendors. Think about what other softwares Pro Engineer Plugs into Windchill, Mathcad, Isodraw, Pro intralink, Pro Toolmaker etc etc etc Do you see any body else doing this? NO

Regarding Manikin Lite, you can bring more than one manikin in but you cant save it. There called lite options for a reason guys. If you want the extra functionality then you will have to buy the full option.

Regarding WF5.0 this is a major release and there is user interface changes more options have been taking out of the cascading menus and put in the dashboard, the whole drawing side of Pro Engineer has been changed and the rest of the interfaces will follow!!!!!!!!!!

If you guys can do so much better then write the software your self. If you guys think the software is that bad when wait untill you use solidworks or intentor you will want to jump straight back onto Pro Engineer due to the fact of how good it is and that provides more reasons why to keep your maintenance turned on.
 
Sorry Paul,


my rant should not have been quite so negative towards Pro TM but we are a mold shop that bought Pro TM when PTC first Brought it out. Which in my opinionwas way before it was ready for pro Man users to try. We had nothing but trouble with it getting pro E parts into the software and gouging parts after we were able to get them in the way we like them(oriented corectly). After weeks of tech support that kept saying it was our post processors that were gouging our parts not the ProTM.


We dropped Maintenance on it this fall because it was not worth messing with. Now when you open ProE the start page tech support bulletins says there is a critical issue patch for ProTM to fix part gouging.


So that is why I am not a happy camper. It seems to me that PTC has always rushed to get thing to market a little to quickly. Now with this lite stuff It would have been nice if they would have just said it's available and here is how you turn it on. Not blast it in so it basically takes over and you have to turn it off every time you open Pro to get ProNC to run.


I know Vericut is not owned by ptc and they have no control over the software builds. but PTC must have some input as tohow thesoftware and interfaceworks.


regarding solidworks I have never used it and don't care to. I will always be a Pro E guy but sometimes they can really get me mad with some of the things they do. then I can come on here and vent and see if anyone else is having problems too.
 
ToolDude said:
Unless you know of a way to load my pro Man floating module as ProE opens.


Maybe Dave has a fix for that?
Click to expand...

FWIW,
I am not Dave....



That aside:

In order to get a module to load at startup. This is determined via the
PTCSETUP you can run this from the "loadpoint"/bin directory. One of
the last things covered while going thru PTCSETUP is to state what
modules you want to run @ ProE start.

I can assure you 100% my complete machining license loads automatically when I start ProE.



Best regards,

Sean
 
MR_NC,


that worked great thank you for the fix. I have been using ProMan since rev.18 and always had to add floating licenses. I feel like a newbie with such a simple fix!! Makes me wonder what else I am missing?


Again thanks Sean.
 
No apologies here Paul. Cam lite has no functionality/usefulness. It's basically a toy at this stage. Look what I can half way do (2 1/2 axis), and what I've been wasting company time on (no useful output).

You throw these development's like it's amazing. It's not, It's what we are paying for, and paying maintenance for. It's not a plus, it's expected. I don't pay a maintenance fee for the fun of it. I pay for the software to get better, and become more useful. I'm paying to have what I want incorporated.

The lite version of software should still be useful. As cam lite stands now, it is not.

I wasn't here to complain. I was here to ask for help. I got help, and then I took the issue to PTC. I talked to several people there, and have made my case.

Coming on to a message board to chastise people discussing the negatives about something isn't the right way to handle it.

I don't if you are a developer for PTC or not, but they way you are defending everything, it sounds like it. Which would mean our "moaning" here, isn't falling on deaf ears.
 
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