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NC Program

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The NC Program command button opens the NC Program Review panel which enables you to quickly and easily view, replay and edit a previously processed NC program (toolpath). NC Program Review can be accessed at any point in the verification process; however, only information related to the "current" setup is available for review. It does not interrupt the current verification status, so reset or rewind of the NC program is not necessary.

📝 NOTE: The following conditions must be met before a NC program can be viewed with NC Program Review.

  1. The NC program must be processed far enough in Vericut so that a tool has been loaded and at least one tool motion has been processed after the tool is loaded.

  2. There must be a model attached to the first "Stock" type component in the Component Tree.

  3. The first "Stock" type component must be visible in a workpiece view.

NC Program Review mode the Vericut main window changes in the following ways:

  1. Some of the tabs in the menu ribbon become grayed out and are no longer available.

  2. The icons in the Toolbar associated with the features in grayed out tabs are also not available. If selected the message "Action not allowed in the NC Program Review panel" will display at the bottom of the Error Listing area.

  3. The graphics display will change and lines representing the actual tool paths will be displayed.
  4. The NC Program Review, Error Listing area, will replace the Vericut Logger.
  5. Two additional icons, (Step Backward) and (Play Backward) are added to the Simulation (VCR) Controls.
  6. The NC Program Review panel will display. If the NC Program panel is already displayed, it will be replaced by the NC Program Review panel.

Each of these changes is described in detail in the sections that follow.

The NC Program Review main window is composed of three distinct areas, each with different user interaction. The window header displays the current NC program file. This window can be moved and resized like most other windows, via dragging the window header, sides or corners. In addition, the size of the NC Program Listing, Error Listing, and Graphics areas can be changed within the main window by dragging the adjoining sides of each area.

NC Program Review enables you to quickly and easily associate the NC program record, the motion resulting from it, and any errors that may be associated with it. The three areas of the window are linked together so that if you select a NC program record in the listing, the tool moves to the corresponding location in the graphics area. If you select a location in the graphics area, the corresponding NC program record is highlighted in the NC program listing. If you select an error in the error listing, the NC program record that caused the error becomes highlighted in the NC program listing and the tool moves to the position where the error occurred in the graphics area.

NC Program Listing — This area displays a listing of the NC program records. In this area you can manually edit, add, or delete NC program records. Save the modified NC program file or open another NC program file associated with the current project file. You can also set Start and End markers to define the range of NC program records that you want to review. For more information about this portion of the NC Program Review main window, see the NC Program Listing Area section below.

Error Listing — This area displays a list of the errors that Vericut found while processing the NC program. For more information about this portion of the NC Program Review main window, see the Error Listing Area section below.

Graphics Area — This area displays a visual representation of the motion associated with the records in the NC Program Listing. Here you can control how the tool is displayed, the method and direction of the replayed NC program as well as the speed of the replay. For more information about this portion of the NC Program Review main window, see the Graphics Area section below.

NC Program Listing Area

The NC Program Review panel, or NC Program Listing panel, contains a listing of the NC program records. Features in this panel enable you to edit, save, or print the NC program, and define display characteristics, and ranges for replay of the NC program.

    

The NC Program Listing panel is one of the dockable panels enabling you to dock it inside the Vericut Reviewer main window if you choose. See Personalizing the Vericut Main Window in the Getting Started section of Vericut Reviewer Help for additional information.

📝 NOTE: When the NC Program Listing panel is docked, make sure that you click in the panel so that it becomes the "active" panel before using F1 to get help specific to the panel. Otherwise F1 will go to the Vericut Help Library.

(Close) — Located at the end of the tab, this icon enables you to close the NC Program Listing panel.

Icon Bar

    

The items in the Icon Bar enable you to search for specific items in the NC program listing, print the NC program listing, or close the NC Program Listing window. Moving the cursor over the icon will display name of the option.

(Down to enable mouse tracking and picks, up to disable.) — Use this icon to designate that the NC Program Listing window is the window that picks in the Vericut graphics area are to be applied to. When toggled “on”, the icon is highlighted yellow.

Search — Opens the search subpanel in the NC Program Review.

    

  • Line Number or Search Text — Use this text field to enter a line number, or a string of text, to search for.

  • Got Line Number — Moves the cursor in the file listing to the line number specified in the Line Number or Search Text field.

  • Search Forward — Searches forward in the file listing for the text string specified in the Line Number or Search Text field.

  • Search Backward — Searches backward in the file listing for the text string specified in the Line Number or Search Text field.

  • Replacement Text — Use this text field to enter a "replacement text" string.

  • Replace One — Replace one occurrence of text string in the Line Number or Search Text field (or the highlighted text in the file listing) with the text string in the Replacement Text field.

  • Replace All — Replace all occurrences of the text string in the Line Number or Search Text field with the text string in the Replacement Text field.

  • Close — Closes the window.

Print — Prints the NC program listing.

(Tile Horizontally) — When running 'sync' jobs that run multiple NC programs simultaneously, this feature enables you to tell Vericut that you want to view the NC program listings tiled horizontally as shown in the picture below. This icon can be toggled to become Tile Vertically.

(Tile Vertically) — When running 'sync' jobs that run multiple NC programs simultaneously, this feature enables you to tell Vericut that you want to view the NC program listings tiled vertically as shown in the picture below. This icon can be toggled to become Tile Horizontally.

Go to Previous Error — Navigates the NC Program to the most recent error.

Go to Next Error — Navigates the NC Program to the next upcoming error.

(Close) — Closes the NC Program Listing panel and returns to standard Vericut mode. This icon is only displayed when the NC Program Listing panel is docked.

Other Features

    

Setup — enables you to specify the Setup that you want to review. Choose the desired setup from the pull-down list. All of the setups contained in the current project file will be displayed in the pull-down list.

NC Program — enables you to specify the NC program in the Setup selected above that you want to review. Choose the desired NC program from the pull-down list. All of NC programs contained in the selected Setup will be displayed in the pull-down list.

Tool Display — enables you to specify how the tool is to be displayed in the graphics area while in NC Program Review. Choose Off (do not display tool), Solid, or Translucent from the pull-down list.

Line Display — enables you to specify whether or not to display the lines representing the tool's path in the graphics area while in NC Program Review. Choose Off (do not display) or On (display) from the pull-down list.

(Use mouse to select display box) — Clicking on this feature highlights the icon in yellow and enables you to drag a zoom box around a cut stock section you wish to inspect. The zoom box finds the interactions with review trace or cut stock and sets start/end range accordingly. If you put your zoom box outside of cut stock, nothing will happen. Then play to the end of the file and use this feature on cut stock, appropriate start and stop ranges will then be generated in the NC Program area for replaying the highlighted section.

NC Program Listing Area

The line number of the "current" NC program record and "current" NC program is displayed at the bottom of the NC Program Listing area.

Single NC program

    

Multiple NC programs (SYNC jobs)

    

NC Program Editing

The NC program listing area allows you to edit the NC program with a full function text editor.

You can use the keyboard to add, change, or delete portions of the NC program listing. You can also use the Cut, Copy, and Paste functions found under Edit in the main menu.

You can easily see the modifications that you have made to the NC program listing. Added, changed, and pasted text is displayed in blue and underlined. Cut and deleted text is displayed in red with a "strike through" font. Once you save the modified NC program, the red and deleted text is removed and the blue added, changed, and pasted text is returned to the original font.

Start/Current/End Markers

The Start/Current/End markers can be found along the left side of the NC Program Listing area. The Start marker is represented by the green triangle , the Current marker is represented by the aquamarine arrow , and the End marker is represented by the red square . You can easily identify each marker by moving the cursor over it.

The Start and End markers are used to define the range of NC program records that will be replayed when using Play to End. The Current marker moves to the NC program record that is currently being replayed.

Set these markers by either selecting an NC program record in the NC program listing or the location in the graphics area where you want the marker placed. Then select the appropriate option (Set Start, Set Current, Set End) from the menu displayed by the Settings menu in the NC Program Review panel.

You can also set these markers by right-clicking an NC program record in the NC program listing or the location in the graphics area where you want the marker placed. Then select the appropriate option (Set Start, Set Current, Set End) from the menu that displays.

You can also click on the appropriate marker in the NC program listing and drag it to the desired NC program record.

↘️ Shortcut: Click the right mouse button in the NC Program Listing Area to display a menu with the following features:

    

Error Listing Area

The Error Listing area replaces the Vericut Logger while in NC Program Review. It contains a list of the errors that were found while processing the NC program in Vericut.

    

Selecting an error in the Error Listing causes the line in the NC Program Listing associated with the error to become highlighted. At the same, the tool display in the Graphics Area moves to the position where the error occurred. This enables you to quickly and easily associate the error with the position in the NC program and in the toolpath display.

💡 Tip: Click with the right mouse button in the Error Listing Area to display the following menu.

    

Its features enable you to specify whether or not to display only Errors, only Warnings, or both Errors and Warnings in the Error Listing Area. When toggled “on” (checked) the feature will be displayed. When toggled “off”, the feature will not be displayed. Click on the feature in the menu to toggle on/off.

Graphics Area

The graphics area displays the active views from the Vericut main graphics area. Also, many of the analysis, display and view manipulation tools in the Vericut Verification main menu are available for use while you are in the NC Program Review graphics area.

The Toolpath Display

As the NC program is replayed, a line representing the motion of the tool control point is displayed in the graphics area. By default, the tool motion display is only visible in a Workpiece view.

Motions that remove material are displayed as solid lines with a default color of the foreground color. Motions that do not remove material are displayed as dashed lines with a default color of magenta. The line representing the motion of the current NC program record is highlighted with a default color of red. The tool image is displayed at the location of the current NC program record.

The color of the lines can be changed using the Cut Line, Non-Cut Line, and Circular Motion options found in the menu that is displayed when using the right mouse button in the graphics area or the NC Program listing area in the NC Program Listing window.

Graphics Area Controls

Animation Speed Slider — Controls the speed of the toolpath replay. Move to the left to slow down the replay of the toolpath. Move to the right to speed it up. See Animation Speed Slider in the Getting Started section of Vericut Help for additional information.

    

Status Lights — Only the Ready/Busy status light is active when in NC Program Review mode.

    

Progress Bar — The Progress Bar is inactive when in NC Program Review mode.

    

Simulation (VCR) Controls — The simulation controls, also known as VCR buttons, located at the bottom-right corner of the graphics area control interactive tool path replay. Use these controls to start and stop the replay of the toolpath. To see what action is associated with a Simulation control icon, simply position the cursor over the icon and a tip appears.

    

Right clicking (Play) brings up the Start At and Stop At Options window.

    

Icon Name Function
Play Replays from the Current position to the End position.
Step Forward Replays the next NC program record ("single block").
Step Into Subroutine These actions are not allowed in the NC Program Review panel.
Step Over Subroutine
Step to End of Subroutine
Pause Pauses the replay during "Play" (after the current record displays)
Step Backward Replays the previous NC program record ("single block"). See notes below.
Play Backward Replays from the Current position to the Start position. See notes below.
Rewind Sets the Current marker to the record with the Start marker and clears the toolpath display from the Graphics area.
Reset Sets the Start and Current markers to the first motion record in the NC program, sets the End marker to the last NC program motion record, and clears the toolpath display from the Graphics area.

📝 NOTES:

  1. You can see removed material replaced as you step back (Step Backward or Play Backward) through the NC program by turning on Replace Material When Stepping Back on the Settings window: Properties tab (see Project tab > Settings in Vericut Help). This feature can be turned on at any point in the simulation but Vericut will not start to store the information required to replace material while stepping back until Replace Material When Stepping Back is toggled "on". Cuts made prior to turning this feature on will not replace material while stepping back. Vericut will store up to 1000 cut records that remove material. If you step back more than the 1000 stored cut records, the message, "Material restored for the maximum 1000 steps back", will display in the temporary message area at the bottom of the Error Listing Area.

  2. You can see machine animation as you step back (Step Backward or Play Backward) through the NC program by turning on Animate Machine When Stepping Back on the Settings window: Properties tab (see Project tab > Settings in Vericut Help). This feature can be turned on at any point in the simulation but Vericut will not start to store the information required to animate the machine while stepping back until Animate Machine When Stepping Back is toggled "on". Machine motions made prior to turning this feature on will not animate while stepping back. Vericut will store up to 1000 cut records that cause machine motion.

  3. Turning on Animate Machine When Stepping Back on also enables you to view the line representing the motion of the tool control point in a Machine view.