software reference guide

8/14/2019 Software Reference Guide

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Contents

Chapter 6 Software Reference Guide 6-1Using the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Viewing Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3The Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Selecting Paths in the Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

The Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Type Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Pick Points on Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Pick Points on Screen with Snaps On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Center Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Quadrant Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Tangent Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Intersection Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Midpoint Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Endpoint Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

On Path Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Perpendicular Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Torch Point Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Table Edge Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Orthogonal Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Grid Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

NodePoint Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-10

File Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-11


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New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-11

Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-11

Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-13

Windows Bitmap Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-14AutoCAD DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-18

PlasmaCAM Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-19

HPGL/2 Plot Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-19

Spreadsheet Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-19

G-Code; All Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-20

Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-21

AutoCAD DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-22

Spreadsheet Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-22

G-Code; All Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-22

Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-24

Print Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-25

Print Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-25

Recent Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-26

Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-26

Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-27

Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-27

Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-27

Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-27

Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-28

Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-28

Stretch Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-28

Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-28

Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-29

Scale Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-29

Slant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-29

Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-30Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-30

Link Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-30

Explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-31


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Edit Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-31

Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-32

Trim/Extend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-32

Smooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-32

View Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-34

Scroll Bars/Arrow Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-34Zoom Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-34

Zoom Previous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-34

Zoom Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Zoom Extents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Zoom Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Zoom Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-35

Select All By . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-36

Select Shortest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-37

Redraw Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-37

Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-37

Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-37

Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-38

Cutting Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-38

Animate Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-38

Display Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-39

Draw Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40

Line(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40

Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40

Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40

Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40

Bulge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-41

Fillet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-41

Chamfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-41

Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-42Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-43

Machine Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-45

Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-45


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Auto Cut Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-46

Move To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-46

Move Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-46

Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-46

Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-47

Cut Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-47Convert to Cut Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-47

Reorder Path(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-50

Pick Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-50

After Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-50

Before Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51

Make Last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51

Make First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51

Detect Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51

Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51

X/Y Axes Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-52

Time Delays and Torch Location Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-53

Height Control Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-53

Z Axis Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-53

Digital Height Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-54

Z Axis Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-54

Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-54

System Setup Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-55

Parallel Port Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-55

Controller Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-55

Machine Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-55

Restore All Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-55

Configurations Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-56

Help Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-57

About PlasmaCAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-57


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6Software Reference Guide

The PlasmaCAM software is useful for drawing new designs, transferring designs to and fromother programs, editing designs in various ways, and making metal parts from the designs withthe cutting table.This chapter provides reference information on how to use the PlasmaCAM software. If you aretotally unfamiliar with this program and other CAD programs, you may want to work through the

tutorial given in CHAPTER 7 first. However, you will still need to read this chapter later inorder to successfully work with the PlasmaCAM cutting system.For convenience, this chapter is organized mostly according to the commands found on theprogram menus. This makes it easy to find information about a particular command for whichyou have questions.Feel free to experiment with the software and try different things as you learn (but be much morecareful when actually controlling the machine). After you have familiarized yourself with theprogram, read over this chapter to make sure that you understand how to fully utilize all of thecommands. You may then find that you can do something much more easily than you originallythought.


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Using the ProgramIn order to use the PlasmaCAM cutting system, you need to know how to communicate with thePlasmaCAM program. This is done through the programs user interface. You communicate tothe program through commands and settings. The program communicates to you with theviewing window and through messages.

Viewing Window

When you run the program from your Windows menu, the following window appears on screen:

This viewing window occupies the screen and allows you to visually work on your drawing.The titlebar at the top of the window shows the name of the program and the file you arecurrently working on. It also contains standard Windows buttons for changing the size of theprogram window.Also at the top of the window is the program menu. The menu contains all of the programscommands, grouped by subject.

Most of the screen is occupied by the drawing area. The drawing area lets you see the drawingwhile you work on it. Within the drawing area is the cutting area, which represents the area overwhich the cutting table can move. Although your drawings can extend into the area beyond thecutting area, only shapes placed within the cutting area can be cut by the machine. You canoptionally display a grid or the grate points within the cutting area. The bottom and right side ofthe drawing area is bordered by scroll bars. (See Settings under VIEW COMMANDS for more.)At the bottom of the window is the status bar. The right end of the status bar shows the current


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coordinates of the machine torch and also the mouse cursor, as it moves over the drawing area.Toward the center of the status bar is an area which displays the snaps currently running.

MessagesWhen you execute a command, the right side of the status bar prompts you for actions.Otherwise, this region of the status bar displays how many paths within the drawing are currentlyselected. The status bar is an important source of messages; information communicated to youfrom the program. Messages can also be sent directly through dialog boxes. For example, afteryou execute the Measure command, a dialog box displays information about what you measured.

CommandsThe program contains several commands, each of which is a useful tool. To use the programefficiently, learn how to use each command. Most of the commands can be found on theprogram menu. To use a command, pop open the menu on which it is located with the mouse.Then click on the command. You will be prompted by the status bar to enter the information thatthe program needs to execute the command.You will notice that most of the menu commands can be activated simply by typing a letter onthe keyboard. The keyboard shortcuts are listed next to the commands on the menu. As you

become more familiar with a particular command, you will find that hitting the letter is muchquicker than finding the command on the menu.

SettingsAnother way that you control the actions of the program is through the program settings.Settings affect how the program executes commands that you choose. For example, if you selecta shape and choose Cut , the machine will cut the shape at the current speed setting. Most of theprogram settings can be accessed through the Settings command on the menu. However, some ofthe programs settings are not located in the main settings dialog box. For example, when youimport and export files, you can alter program settings directly on the dialog boxes used to selectthe files.


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The DrawingMuch of the PlasmaCAM software is geared toward transferring designs from odd forms intoactual cut parts. The original design may be a paper drawing, a photograph, an image stored insome exchangeable computer format, or even a design created in PlasmaCAM. All designs arestored in PlasmaCAM as paths, which are traces made up of two or more nodes. For example, apath of two nodes is a line. A rectangle is a path of 5 nodes.

Whatever the source, the design will most likely have to be transformed and converted by theprogram so that it becomes suitable material for controlling the cutting table. For this reason, aPlasmaCAM drawing can contain three different types of paths, which are distinguished by theircolors. These types correspond to the changing stages from original design to cutable shape.

1. Open Paths (white) The design is drawn in the program (see DRAW COMMANDS and EDIT COMMANDS ) or imported from a computer file (see Import ). The design may need tobe scaled or otherwise edited. The drawing probably contains an assortment of disjointedlines and paths, possibly even closed paths. Cutting out the drawing at this stage would notbe wise because among other things, each disjointed piece would be cut separately andprobably not in order.

2. Closed Paths (purple ) The design is usually linked together so that it is made up of onlyclosed paths, which form a closed loop (see Link Segments ). Furthermore, all defects likesmall pieces and intersections are removed (see Select All By , Select Shortest , and Detect

Intersections ).3. Machine Paths (blue) Finally, the design is converted into actual paths that the machines

torch will cut along. This means that kerf adjustments have been made, pierce lead-in pointsand end gaps have been added to each path, and the paths have been sorted so that they arecut in order (see Convert to Cut Path ).

After a design has been properly transformed and converted to machine paths, it can be cut by themachine. The design can also be saved so that cutting it next time is easy.

Selecting Paths in the DrawingMany commands require that you have something selected before you can execute the command.Such commands are grayed-out and inaccessible on the menu when nothing is selected. Forexample, you will not be able to choose Delete until you select path(s) that you want erased.Selecting shapes in PlasmaCAM is very easy. Simply place the mouse cursor over a path andclick the left mouse button to select it. Paths turn green when they are selected. If you click on asecond path, youll notice that the first path returns to its original color, leaving only the newpath selected. You can select additional paths by holding down the Ctrl key of the keyboard asyou click. If you select multiple paths and would like to remove some from the selection, click

again on the paths to remove (while holding down Ctrl).The easiest way to select a group of paths in one area is to drag a selection window over thepaths. To select everything within a window, move the mouse cursor to one corner of thewindow you want to draw. Hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse to the othercorner of the desired window. After you release the mouse button, every path that lies within thedrawn window is selected.You can also select paths using Select All By and Select Shortest .


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The Coordinate SystemIf you have previous CAD experience you may already understand coordinate systems.However, you need to be aware of how coordinates work in PlasmaCAM. If you do not haveprevious CAD experience, you can learn everything necessary for efficient operation of yourmachine from this manual. You will be amazed at how a little learning coupled with thissoftware will empower you to design in ways you never thought you could.Shapes are stored and cut by PlasmaCAM using a basic coordinate system. A coordinate system

is like an imaginary grid that locates points using pairs of numbers, called coordinates. The tableshown below illustrates an example of such a grid and lists coordinates of three different typesthat could be used to draw (or represent) the shape shown in the grid. (To experiment, chooseLINE and type in the coordinates listed.)

Absolute(True)

Coordinates(inches,inches)

1,1

3,13,22,2.577

1,21,1

RelativeCoordinates

(inches,inches)

1,1

@2,0@0,1@-1,.577@-1,-.577

@0,-1

AngularRelative

Coordinates(degrees,inches)

1,1


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Pick Points on ScreenThe fastest and easiest way to enter coordinates is to simply pick points on screen with themouse. To aid in this, the mouse cursor becomes a pair of crosshairs when the program expectsyou to enter a coordinate:

To pick a point on screen, simply move the mouse until the cursor is located at the point youwant to pick. Click once with the left mouse button. (Double-clicking is not required for anycommand, and you do not need to hold down the left mouse button except when selecting with awindow.)Without the aid of snaps, picking coordinates on screen is not accurate. For example, you wouldnot be able to draw a triangle that is exactly 1 inch on each side this way. However, the freehandapproach works fine when accuracy is not an issue. Furthermore, many commands like Trim andOffset are totally impractical unless you pick points on screen.

Pick Points on Screen with Snaps OnIn many circumstances, snaps combine the accuracy of coordinate entry with the speed andconvenience of picking points on screen. When you pick a point, active snaps can cause themouse cursor to snap (or jump) to nearby snap points. (See the SNAPS section below for detailson the available snaps.) For example, if you pick near a path while Nodepoint Snap is activated,you will effectively pick exactly on the closest node of the nearby path.You can turn snaps off and on during commands, and you can activate more than one snap at onetime.Some commands allow you to type in a number as an alternative to entering coordinates. Forsuch commands, entering the numbers is often easier and more direct than entering coordinates.

For example, when drawing a circle the status bar displays the prompt, Point on circle (or typediameter): after you pick the first coordinate. To draw a 1 inch diameter circle you can simplytype 1 rather than entering a coordinate like @.5,0.

Some commands allow many possible combinations of coordinate and number entry. You willalways be aware of your options from the status bar prompt. However, it is wise to familiarizeyourself with what is available. For example, scaling a shape so that it becomes exactly 20inches long is almost as easy as scaling the shape by exactly 50 percent, but the procedures forentering the scaling information are very different. See each command for details.

Tip

To cancel a command while it is waiting for you to pick points, press the Escape key or click theright mouse button.


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SnapsWhile drawing and editing a drawing, the software often asksyou to pick points. Snaps allow you to quickly and preciselypick these points on screen with the mouse. Snaps work byadjusting the approximate point you pick so that it exactly fitssome geometric criteria.

Three types of snaps can be turned on or off at your requestfrom either the VIEW menu or Drawing View under Settings .These are Snap to Grid , Snap Orthogonal , and Snap to

Nodepoints . When one of these snaps is turned on, it stays onuntil you turn it off again.While you are in the middle of drawing or editing and thesoftware asks you to pick a point, you can temporarilyactivate (or deactivate) a wide variety of snaps using the context menu, shown at right. Thismenu can be opened by pressing the middle mouse button, or the key on the keyboard. (If youdo not have a 3 button mouse or a keyboard with the key, Windows lets you access a contextmenu by pressing Shift+F10.)

Notice that each snap on the menu has one of its letters underlined, meaning that you can chooseit by just typing the letter. If you remember the letter for a particular snap that you want, you canactivate the snap before picking a point simply by typing the letterwithout opening the snapmenu. After you activate or deactivate one of the pop-up snaps and then pick a point (or cancelthe command), all the snaps revert to their previous states. You can always tell which snaps areactivated by looking at the status bar:

The snap pane of the status bar shows the one-letter abbreviations for all of the snaps that arecurrently active. In the example shown above, Grid Snap , Orthogonal Snap , and NodepointSnap are all active.

Tip

All snaps that act on arcs or circles ( Center Snap , Quadrant Snap , Tangent Snap , andPerpendicular Snap ) are affected by the number entered at Allowable arc deviation duringrecognize (inch) found in Path Conversion under Settings . This is because when you use one ofthese snaps, the software attempts to interpret the path you pick on as an arc.

Center Snap

Center Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that it liesat the center of the arc or circle on which you pick (point s).


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Quadrant SnapQuadrant Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies either at the top, bottom, right or left of the arcs circle.The chosen point (point s) is the point that actually lies on thearc and is closest to where you pick. For the example shown,the 9 oclock quadrant is closer to the point picked than the 12oclock quadrant, but the 12 oclock quadrant is chosenbecause the 9 oclock quadrant does not actually lie on the arc.

Tangent SnapTangent Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies tangent (point s) on the arc or circle from the last pointyou picked (point l). In cases where there are two possibletangent points, as in the example shown, the closer tangentpoint is chosen.

Intersection Snap Intersection Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that it

lies at the closest intersection found between two paths.

Midpoint Snap Midpoint Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies at the midpoint of the path segment (point s) on whichyou pick.

Endpoint Snap Endpoint Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies at the closest endpoint (point s) of the path on which youpick. The closest endpoint is the endpoint that is leastdistance away along the path (not in a straight line).

On Path SnapOn Path Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies exactly on the nearby path segment (point s).

Perpendicular SnapPerpendicular Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) sothat an imaginary line drawn from the last point picked (pointl) to the actual snap point (point s) is perpendicular to the pathsegment or arc on which you pick. Perpendicular Snap determines whether you picked an arc or a regular linesegment. If an arc was picked, the perpendicular point isplaced on the arc, and the imaginary line also lines up with the


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arcs center. If a regular line segment is picked, the perpendicular point is calculated accordingto the segment picked, even if the point ends up off the end of the segment.

Torch Point SnapTorch Point Snap automatically picks the current location of the torch over the cutting area. Youdont have to pick a point first. The coordinate of the torch is shown in the status bar and also bythe yellow cursor on screen. Torch Point Snap is useful for quickly moving a shape over towhere the torch is.

Table Edge SnapTable Edge Snap adjusts the point you pick (point p) so that itlies at the nearest edge of the cutting table area (point s).Table Edge Snap is like Perpendicular Snap making aperpendicular segment from the last point picked (point l)except that it looks for the nearest edge of the cutting area. Ifyou pick near one of the cutting area corners or outside of acorner, then the snap point will be placed at the corner ratherthan perpendicular at the edge.

Running SnapsThe last three snaps on the list are enabled or disabled from the VIEW menu (see VIEWCOMMANDS ). When enabled, these snaps remain active until disabled, and are called runningsnaps. You can temporarily disable or enable one of these snaps from the snap menu. All threerunning snaps are overridden by the other snaps.

Orthogonal Snap Orthogonal Snap affects some commands by allowing you topick points that are directly to the right, left, top or bottom ofthe last point you picked. For example, you will be able todraw only horizontal or vertical lines with Orthogonal Snapenabled. ( Orthogonal Snap overrides Grid Snap .)

Grid SnapGrid Snap allows you to pick only points that are evenlyspaced on a grid that you set up. See Drawing View underSettings for information on setting up the grid and snapspacing. For the example shown, Grid spacing (inches) was

set to 1 and Snap points per grid point was set to 4. Arectangle is then drawn by hand, exactly 5 inches wide by 2.75inches high, even though the points (1 and 2) are not picked inexactly the right places.


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NodePoint Snap NodePoint Snap allows you to pick points that lie exactly onthe nodes of preexisting paths. Each time you pick a point(point p), the program looks for a nearby node. If one isfound, the point you picked is adjusted so that it lies on thenode (point s). Among other things, NodePoint Snap allowsyou to place objects on the ends of other objects whenmoving, scale objects to exact sizes, and fix rotations.( NodePoint Snap can override both Grid Snap andOrthogonal Snap .)


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Tip

If you want to insert a PlasmaCAM drawing file into the current drawing you are working on, use Import .

SaveSave writes the current drawing to disk in the PlasmaCAM drawing file format (*.pcm). After ithas been saved, the drawings file name can be seen in the titlebar (top) of the programs mainwindow. If no name appears in the titlebar, then the drawing does not yet have a name.Choosing Save in such a case will have the same effect as choosing Save As .

Save AsSave As writes the current drawing to disk in the PlasmaCAM drawing file format (*.pcm, see

Export for writing other types of files), giving it the file name that you specify. When youchoose Save As , the following dialog box appears:

Make sure that you will save the file in the desired drive and directory as specified at Save in .Then simply type in the name that you want to give to the file. The file extension .pcm will be


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added to the file whether or not you type in the file name. If you want to wipe out a file thatalready exists and save your new file under the same name, simply click on the file from the list.You will be asked to verify that you want to overwrite this file:

Import Import loads a drawing from file on disk from any one of several formats. Unlike Open , Import does not create a new drawing. Instead, it adds the file it is loading to the current drawing.Therefore, you can Undo an Import . When you choose Import , the following dialog box appears:

This is similar to what you see when you choose Open . If you want to have drawingsautomatically cleaned up by the Link Segments command when you import them, check the boxtitled Link segments while importing . If necessary, you can directly access the link settings bypressing the Link Settings button (see Link Segments ).Check Import as cut paths only if you want to have the entire imported drawing changed

directly into cut paths, with no alterations to the geometry. For example, you can use this featureto directly load and run a G-Code program from another system.If you click on the down arrow next to Files of type , you will notice that you can choose fromamong several drawing file formats, as shown below. If you choose the last file type, G-Code;All Files (*.*), then the list of files will show every file in the folder (not just files with aselected file extension). You will then be able to import any type of file from the list. Each typeof file that you can import is explained separately in the next several sections.


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Tip

If you want to use clipart images from Corel Draw, export the images as either DXF or bitmap,depending upon the image. Most of these images are best exported as DXF, because of the directand accurate vector conversion. However, some images involve wide polylines and complex,overlapping vectors that are hard to clean up and resolve when imported as DXF. In such cases,export the image as a high resolution BMP to be imported by PlasmaCAM.

Windows Bitmap Files (*.bmp)Scanned pictures are imported into the program as Windows bitmap files. A bitmap file stores apicture as many small dots of various colors arranged in a large grid. These dots are square inshape and are called pixels. For example, the following shows how a doughnut is converted to ablack & white, 10 pixel wide by 10 pixel tall bitmap:

If a bitmap uses a larger number of pixels to store a picture, then the resolution is higher and thebitmap more closely resembles the original picture.As you can imagine, a bitmap file by itself is not useful for cutting out a part. Instead, the bitmap

must be converted into groups of connected lines (or vectors) that can be used as cutting pathsfor a machine to follow. When you choose a Windows bitmap file on Import , you are takenthrough a series of steps during which the program attempts to convert the bitmap file intocontinuous paths (or vectors) that are useful for cutting out the shapes. These steps are describedin the following pages.

Tip

Many photographs do not have enough contrast between foreground and background colors to beconverted automatically. However, you can still make parts from such images if you first openthem in another graphics program and manually fix them up (such as Windows Paint or CorelPhotoPaint). Zoom in close to the edge of the bitmap and manually trace it out using an eraser or

a pen. Work around the entire perimeter, carefully tracing the edge so that it is accurate. Thiswill provide a clear boundary of colors that can be easily extracted by the PlasmaCAM software.


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Step 1: Separate the colors into background and foreground, so the bitmap can be convertedinto a black & white image

The preview window shows you what the bitmap file looks like. If the image is not square inshape, it is stretched to fit in the square window. Do not be concerned by this disproportioning,

because it will not be reflected in the final result.If you believe that the wrong bitmap file was selected, click the Previous button to select adifferent file.Each of the colors that is used in the bitmap is shown on a button at the right side of the dialog.You can click one or more buttons to select the background colors. Alternatively, you can clickSelect All and then click one or more buttons to unselect the foreground colors.If you place the mouse cursor over the preview of the bitmap, you will notice that a color buttonwill be highlighted showing you which color belongs to the pixel that is directly under the cursor.As you move the cursor, you will notice that the selected button will change. Clicking over thepreview has the same effect as clicking on the highlighted button. You will find this useful forlocating and selecting background colors.Once you have finished separating the background colors from the foreground colors, click theNext button. The preview will then show the image with the color separation applied. If youwant to readjust the colors, click the Previous button.

Tips Separating colors of black & white bitmaps is easy because you just click the white button.


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(Click the black button only if the image is reversed.) You can only import 2, 16 and 256 color bitmaps. If a bitmap file has more colors, first open

it with Windows Paint (a program included with Windows) and save it as a 256 color bitmap.If you are using a scanner to generate the bitmap files, save yourself time and disk space byscanning the pictures as 256 color or lower color bitmaps. Use another graphics program toconvert other bitmap file types (such as TIFF) to Windows Bitmaps.

Step 2: Remove speckles, holes and gaps; and hollow or thin the image.

Image Type

Under Image Type , Solid is checked automatically. (You can convert outline drawings to solidimages using flood fill in other graphics programs like Windows Paint or Corel PhotoPaint.)

Removing speckles and holesThe program can remove unwanted speckles (black) and holes (white) from the image. If youclosely examine bitmaps, you will notice that these defects are present in almost every scannedimage. If they are not removed, they will eventually cause problems when you try to cut out theshapes. (To find and remove such defects after they have been converted to vectors, see Detect

Intersections , Select Shortest , and Link Segments .) You must tell the program how big of defectsit can remove. It will then remove all speckles and holes that are equal to or less than the widthsyou specifyin pixelsboth in width and in height. (The amount of time spent by the programlooking for defects does not depend on the sizes you specify, unless you specify zero, in whichcase no time is required.)


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Saving the current bitmapYou can use the Save the Current Bitmap button to save a bitmap after it has been transformedby any number of the conversion steps. The new bitmap file can then either be imported byPlasmaCAM or used by other programs.

Hollowing or Thinning the imageAfter you press the Next button, solid bitmaps are automatically hollowed so they becomeoutline bitmaps with 1 pixel wide lines. If the bitmap is already an outline type, it is

automatically thinned to ensure that the lines are only 1 pixel wide.

Step 3: Converting the cleaned up bitmap to vectors.

Setting the resolutionThe default resolution is extracted from the bitmap file. However, many programs do notproperly set this number. If you want to make sure that a scanned image stays the same size,verify that the resolution is set the same as the resolution you chose when scanning the image.Otherwise, you can resize the shape later (see Scale ).SmoothingSet the smooth distance, in pixels. Although 0.7 to 3 works well in general, you will need toexperiment to find what works best for you. (If you are not sure what number to use, you canskip smoothing now and use the Smooth command later, using Undo as needed.) If you enter0, then no smoothing will be done to the vectors. This means that lines in the drawing will


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connect each pixel to each adjacent pixel of the bitmap outline.In most cases, using Find arcs during smoothing of a bitmap image will result in a higherquality shape. Note that the program settings change if you check this box ( Path Conversionpage). See Smooth for information on how smoothing, including arc recognition, works.Converting the bitmap to vectorsAfter you click the Next button, the outline bitmap is converted to lines in the drawing. Thedrawing is then shown on screen while smoothing takes place.

Tips After scanned images have been imported, they may still contain defects. To find and

remove such defects, see Detect Intersections , Select Shortest and Link Segments . You can correct for scanner non-squareness by using the Slant command after Import . The process of scanning an image, converting it, and cutting it out is like photocopying. In

particular, the copy will always be of less quality than the original. If you are trying to cutlarge, high resolution shapes from scanned images, you must begin with very high qualityartwork. Be sure to scan at a high resolution, and to carefully convert the image so as not todeteriorate it more than necessary. Keep in mind that all the defects will greatly enlargealong with the rest of the image.

AutoCAD DXF Files (*.dxf)Files saved in the Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) can be imported from AutoCAD and manyother programs. In fact, most CAD (computer-aided drafting) programs can save drawings asDXF files. Consult your softwares instruction manual to learn how to do this.Most CAD programs will not import DXF files that contain any unexpected data. Since eachprogram writes slightly different DXF files, different CAD programs can find the transfer ofdrawings to one another through DXF difficult or impossible. However, PlasmaCAM will helpyou to avoid these problems. When you import a DXF file, the program will attempt to readeverything useful from iteven if the file is full of trash that doesnt belong. (See Export to

learn how PlasmaCAM writes DXF files that are easy for other programs to import.)Because PlasmaCAM focuses on cutting metal shapes from computer files, the program does notperform many of the typical CAD functions. For this reason, many of the possible geometriesfound in a DXF file are ignored when imported. The following table shows which DXFgeometries are recognized, and which are ignored:

DXF Geometries that are Imported DXF Features that are IgnoredLinesArcs

CirclesBlocks (Inserts)

Traces

PolylinesPolyline SplinesPolyline BulgesWide Polylines

DimensionsText

Points (solitary)Shapes (hex-coded)

3D Lines

3D FacesLine Styles/Colors

Attributesother DXF entities

When you import a file, everything is converted into paths made up of line segments. Evencircles and arcs are converted into groups of line segments. You can adjust the resolution atwhich this conversion happens at Arc resolution (lines in a 1 inch circle) in the Settings dialog.(Settings can be accessed by either the VIEW menu, the MACHINE menu, or by pressing Tab.When the dialog box appears, click the Path Conversion tab at the top.)


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Note that when you export a DXF file, these shapes can be automatically converted back into

arcs and circles (see Export ). You can adjust what will be recognized as an arc or circle at Arcrecognition tolerance (inch) .

PlasmaCAM Files (*.pcm)Importing a PlasmaCAM file has the same effect as Open , except that the file is added to thecurrent drawing. Use this feature to insert one drawing into another drawing.

HPGL/2 Plot Files (*.plt;*.prn)The Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (HPGL) was originally developed so that computerscould tell pen plotters how to draw shapes on paper. HPGL/2 is a more recent and simplified

development that is now a widely recognized vector format. Because Windows supports a widevariety of printers and plotters, you can use HPGL/2 to transfer designs into PlasmaCAM fromalmost any Windows program that can print.To set up a HPGL/2 plotter on your computer, choose Printers under Settings from the WindowsSTART menu. Double click Add Printer and choose a HPGL/2 compatible plotter capable ofplotting on a large sheet (such as HP DraftMaster II). Configure the plotter so it prints to a file,rather than to a port. You can then specify the file each time you print to this plotter fromanother program. After printing is complete, the file can be imported into PlasmaCAM.When Windows creates a print or plot file, it gives it the extension .prn. Otherwise, thestandard file extension for HPGL/2 is .plt. If you want to import a file with another fileextension that you believe is an HPGL/2 file, first rename the file extension to .plt or .prn.Of the dozens of HPGL and HPGL/2 commands that can be used in a plotter file, many do notmake a useful contribution to a PlasmaCAM drawing. For this reason, some parts of a file thatyou import may be ignored. Also HPGL/2 draws shapes in relatively course plotter units; thissometimes causes an imported drawing to appear bristly and poor in quality. You can controlthese factors to some degree by varying the type of plotter another program writes to.Nevertheless, HPGL/2 is simply not as accurate of a vector format as DXF.

Spreadsheet Text (*.csv)When you import a CSV file, the program draws multiple paths directly from the coordinatesgiven in the file. You can manually create a CSV file with a text editor simply by typing in Xand Y coordinates (each separated by a comma) for all of the vertices of the paths you want tocreate. Individual paths are separated by blank lines in the text file. For example, the followingtable shows how a CSV file is imported and converted into a drawing of a line inside of a square:


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Imported File Contents (all text) Imported Drawing 0.000000,0.0000000.000000,2.0000002.000000,2.0000002.000000,0.0000000.000000,0.000000

0.462644,0.0991381.581609,1.818678

Because CSV files can be imported and exported by spreadsheet programs (like MicrosoftExcel), you can generate special mathematical curves and include them in your drawings. Forexample, PlasmaCAM does not directly allow you to draw a sine wave. However, you can easilygenerate the coordinates for a sine wave in a spreadsheet, which is then imported intoPlasmaCAM. You can also use the CSV format to distort drawings in clever mathematical ways.

G-Code; All Files (*.*)G-Code is perhaps the most standard and common format for storing CNC programs.PlasmaCAM can import G-Code that was originally written for the purpose of controllinganother CNC machine. The G-Code program is imported as a drawing just like any other format.

This means you can manipulate the shapes in many possible ways. If you just want to load a G-Code program and run on the PlasmaCAM table, check Import as Cut Paths . The shapes arethen ready to cut.Although G-Code is used for controlling many types of automated machines, you will find thatprograms from basic 2-axis cutting tables are easiest to import and use. The following list givessome example CNC machines that you may be able to import from and export to with G-Code:

Router Tables Waterjet Cutters Laser Cutters High Definition Plasma Cutters Flame Cutters

Only four G commands (and no M commands) are considered useful and are recognized byPlasmaCAM during the importing of a G-Code file:

G Command Meaning to PlasmaCAM values to specifyG00G01G02G03

Rapid FeedLinear CutCircular Cut, ClockwiseCircular Cut, Counter-Clockwise

X and Y of destinationX and Y of destinationX and Y of destination; I and J of arc centerX and Y of destination; I and J of arc center

When you export to G-Code, you can have other commands included in your files (see Export ).Because no standard file extension exists for G-Code files, you can find and import G-Code filesregardless of their extensions. When Files of type is set to G-Code; All Files (*.*), you canfind and select other types of files. If you attempt to import a file that is not recognized as eithera .bmp, .dxf, .pcm, .plt, .prn or .csv, then PlasmaCAM will attempt to interpret thefile as G-Code.


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Export Export writes the current drawing to disk in one of several possible formats. The exported filescan then be opened by other programs. When you choose Export , the following dialog boxappears:

This is similar to what you see when you choose Save As . If you click on the down arrow next toFiles of type , you will notice that you can choose from among a few drawing file formats:

If you choose the last file type, G-Code; All Files (*.*), then the list of files will show everyfile in the folder (not just files with a selected file extension).Although PlasmaCAM drawings are composed entirely of paths made up of line segments, otherprograms may be able to handle the drawings more efficiently and accurately if they denoteshapes differently. For this reason, exported drawings can be made to contain differentcombinations of the following entities (under Recognize the following entities ):

1. Lines (always checked)2. Arcs/Circles (DXF or G-Code)3. Polylines (DXF only)

If you are exporting a DXF file to a CAD program that does not recognize polylines, make surePolylines remains unchecked. This will convert all exported paths to individual line segments(like Explode ), unless arcs or circles are extracted. To create the most compact andmathematically regular DXF (or G-Code) file, check both Arcs/Circles and Polylines . If youwant to ensure that the exported file is geometrically identical to the current drawing, checkPolylines only.Each type of file that you can export is explained separately in the next few sections (see Import


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for more information on these file types):

AutoCAD DXF Files (*.dxf)When PlasmaCAM exports a DXF file, only a minimal amount of information is stored inaddition to the actual drawing entities. This helps keep file sizes small, and even large drawingscan usually be transferred by normal floppy disks. Furthermore, other CAD programs are muchmore likely to import PlasmaCAM DXF files without problems than typical DXF files.Depending upon what you check under Recognize the following entities , exported DXF filescan contain any of the following entities:

Lines Arcs Circles

Polylines Polyline Bulges

You can control how the software recognizes arcs and circles from Settings (see Import ).

Spreadsheet Text (*.csv)Choose this file type to export an entire drawing as a text file. The file simply contains thecoordinates of all the shapes in the drawing. Separate paths are separated in the file by blank

lines. Since the CSV format simply contains numbers separated by commas, these files can beimported by common spreadsheet programs. Among other things, you can use the CSV formatto distort drawings in clever mathematical ways.

G-Code; All Files (*.*)When you select G-Code files, all files will be shown in the current folder. This is because nostandard file extension exists for G-Code files. If you choose to overwrite an existing file byselecting it, be careful not to choose a file of a different type. When typing in a file name, besure to also type the file extension. Otherwise, none will be added.PlasmaCAM is so powerful for getting designs into manufacturing, many companies are usingthe software for programming other types of CNC machines. If you have an older CNC machinewith only primitive software, you may be able to avoid a lot of problems by directly creating G-Code programs from PlasmaCAM. Before you export to G-Code, make sure your drawing meetsthe following criteria:

Everything in the drawing should be converted to cut paths (see Convert to Cut Path andSelect All By ).

The shapes you are going to cut should be properly positioned, according to the coordinatesystem of the machine you are exporting to (see Move ).

All of the paths should be arranged in the correct order. The drawing should be free of defects.

When you export to G-Code, PlasmaCAM only generates up to 4 types of G commands (no Mcommands). These are:


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G Command Meaning to PlasmaCAM Values Specified after G CommandG00G01

*G02*G03

Rapid FeedLinear CutCircular Cut, ClockwiseCircular Cut, Counter-Clockwise

X and Y of destinationX and Y of destinationX and Y of destination; I and J of arc centerX and Y of destination; I and J of arc center

*only generated if you check Arcs/Circles under Recognize the following entities .

Many CNC machines require additional commands in various places of the program in order tobe able to properly cut out the shapes. After you click the Save button, the following dialog boxappears:

The lines of code that you enter into the various boxes will be added to the G-Code programs thatyou export. The following example shows what part of a G-Code program might look like afteryou export using the above settings:

G01X1.2200Y6.5000G01X1.2300Y7.9000G01X1.2400Y9.8000M61G0G00X3.0000Y36.0000M98P0100G1B20F10.S1500T100G1B65F80.S1500T1000

G01X4.0000Y36.0000G02X6.0000Y36.0000I5.0000Y36.0000G01X6.0000Y37.0000

Notice that extra lines of G-Code are added before and after each G00 command generated byPlasmaCAM. Likewise, program lines will be added to the start and end of the file. Dont checkUse line numbers unless you have to.The best way to set up this information is to open a G-Code file that you already know works in


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your CNC machine (use Microsoft Notepad that comes with Windows). To place a section of theG-Code program into the PlasmaCAM dialog box, highlight it and copy it to the Clipboard (Ctrl+ C). Switch to PlasmaCAM and place the mouse cursor where you want the informationinserted in the dialog box. Then simply paste the information (Ctrl + V). If you press OK , theG-Code configuration will be saved and used in the future (otherwise, press Cancel ).To verify that PlasmaCAM can export valid G-Code programs, first import the file that youalready know works in your CNC machine. Then export the file with a new file name. You canthen carefully compare the two files to make sure that they are identical. If you find a mistake,you can fix it in the PlasmaCAM dialog box and try again.

PrintPrint is used to print the current drawing. If you plan to do much printing with the samecomputer that is used to control the machine, make sure that the computer has two parallel portsinstalled (see CHAPTER 4 ). When you choose Print , the following dialog box appears:

You can choose from among any printer installed on your computer under Name . (Consult yourprinter manual for setting up your printer on your computer.) Click the Properties button toconfigure the selected printer; this has the same effect as choosing Print Setup from the FILE menu. Click the Preview button to see what the printout will look like before you make it; thishas the same effect as choosing Print Preview from the FILE menu. (To return to the Printdialog after choosing Preview , you must click the Print button in the preview window.)If you want to print the current drawing on paper in the same way that it appears on screen, checkScale to fit window . To print the entire drawing or a selected part of the drawing, choose Zoom

Extents or Zoom Selection before you print.If you dont want the drawing sized to fit the page but instead want it scaled by a certain amount,uncheck Scale to fit window and enter the scale factor, as a percentage, at Scaling (%) .Regardless of the scaling, PlasmaCAM prints drawings such that the center of the window onscreen prints at the center of the page.For most printers, you can adjust how heavily the lines print by adjusting Line width (pixels) .


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Print PreviewPrint Preview shows you what the drawing will look like on paper if you print it using thecurrently selected print setup. When you choose Print Preview , the following window appears(showing whatever is in your drawing):

If you click the Close button, no printing will take place. To continue with the print process,click the Print button; this has the same effect as choosing Print from the FILE menu.To adjust the placement of the drawing on paper, click the Close button and use the scroll bars toadjust the placement of the drawing on the screen. You can make the printed image smaller orlarger either by rezooming the image on screen (see Zoom Window ), or by adjusting the scalingin the print dialog box (see Print ).

Print SetupPrint Setup can be used to select which printer you want to print to (if you have more than one),or to adjust settings that are specific to your printer. After you choose Print Setup , a dialog boxlike the following will appear. (The example shown below is for a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L.)

Although the Landscape orientation is normally used, you can also print a drawing in thePortrait orientation.


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Recent FilesBetween Print Setup and Exit on the FILE menu, up to four recent files may appear. These arethe last four PlasmaCAM files (*.pcm) that you opened or saved on the computer. The followingshows an example:

If you want to open a file that you have used recently, you dont have to search for it in thedirectory structure. Instead, simply choose the recent file from the menu. This will have thesame effect as choosing Open , then finding and selecting the same file. If one of the recent fileshas been moved, renamed or deleted since it was last open in PlasmaCAM, then you will not beable to open it using the recent file list (see Open ).

ExitTo quit the program, choose Exit . You can also click on the X at the top right corner of thewindow to close the program. If the program is busy and wont respond, you can close itimmediately and later restart it if you really want to. (Keep in mind that your drawing will belost and also any settings that you changed since starting the program.) To force a program toclose immediately, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This will bring up a list of running programs, withPlasmaCAM selected. You can then click End Task and Shut Down to force the program toclose.


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Edit Commands

EDIT commands allow you to modify parts of the drawingyou are working on. You can remove objects that you dontwant, make copies of objects that you want more of, andchange the sizes and shapes of other objects in many possibleways. When you click EDIT at the top of the programwindow, a menu appears (shown at right). Each command isexplained separately in a different section below.When you are using the program, you will sometimes noticethat many of the commands are grayed outmeaning that youcannot use them. Many of the EDIT commands cannot beexecuted until you select something (see THE DRAWING inthis chapter).

UndoUndo takes back the last change that you made to the drawing. You can undo up to 10 of the lastchanges. Everything that is undone can also be redone (see Redo ).Undo only works for commands that actually modify the current drawing (change or erasecurrent paths, or add new paths). For example, Undo does not take back VIEW commands (use

Zoom Previous instead) or changes to Settings . You cannot undo New , Open or any commandsoccurring before them, because these commands abandon the current drawing and make a newone. Before doing this, both New and Open ask you to verify that you do not want to save thecurrent drawingif you have not already. Undo s and Redo s are not saved with drawings, soyou cannot open a drawing and Undo changes made before it was saved.

Redo Redo takes back the last Undo . You can redo as many of the previous Undo s as you want.However, you cannot take back an Undo that occurred before a command that changed thedrawing. For example suppose that you move a line, then undo the fact that it was moved. If youthen Delete the line, you will not be able to choose Redo in an attempt to repeat the Move command. This is because the line is no longer in the drawing, so how could it be moved?Therefore be sure not to modify the drawing if you just Undo to take back complex operationswhich you are planning to reinstate with Redo .

Delete Delete removes all of the selected paths from the drawing.


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Mirror Mirror reverses all of the selected paths by flipping themacross a mirror line. During a mirror the path nodes remainthe same distance from the mirror line, but they move to theopposite side of the line. This results in a reversed image withplacement and rotation controlled by the mirror line you draw.When you Mirror an object, simply pick points 1 and 2 of themirror line.

OffsetOffset shifts a path inward or outward by a specifieddistance. Offset is particularly useful for compensatingfor torch kerf when you are converting a drawing tocut paths, and can be done automatically (see PathConversion under Settings ). To offset paths, first typein the offset distance. You can also pick points 1 and2, and the offset distance becomes the distancebetween these two points. Next pick on a path you

want to offset (point 3). You must pick slightly to one side of the path, so the path will be offsetin that direction. You can continue offsetting paths the same distance by clicking on them, soyou will need to cancel the function (right mouse button or Escape key) when you are done.Note that the Undo command takes back offsets one at a time.

Link Segments Link Segments joins togetherindividual line segments and paths thatare near each other in the drawing.

Link Segments works to prepareimperfect drawings for cutting on the

machine. (Imported files can be linkedautomatically; see Import .) Simplyselect paths that you want joined tonearby paths. You can link multiplepaths at once. For each path that isselected, Link Segments will find andconnect all nearby paths. For pathsthat can be knitted together to formcomplete closed loops, the paths will be changed to purple (see THE DRAWING in this chapterfor more information on the three different types of paths). You will find two numbers in theSettings dialog under Automatic Linking of Path Segments which control how Link Segments

operates. ( Settings can be accessed by either the VIEW menu, the MACHINE menu, or bypressing Tab. When the dialog box appears, click the Path Conversion tab at the top.)


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Separate line and arc segments in a drawing often appear to connect to each other at theirendpoints, but on a microscopic scale they do not. In order to join together these pieces and forma continuous path that the machine can cut along, the small gaps between them must be ignored.You can adjust the Gap distance to jump (inch) . Separate segments that are farther apart thanthis distance will remain separate during the linking process. Segments that are nearer to eachother will be linked together.Sometimes a drawing contains segments that overlap other segments. Although these glitchescan be removed manually, removing them automatically with Link Segments is often much moreconvenient. To do this, adjust the Delete overlapping segments within (inch) . During linking,segments that are found to lie within this distance of segments being linked are consideredoverlapping and are erased from the drawing. Disable this function when not needed by settingto zero.

Tip

During normal use, keep the gap distance to ignore small. This will help keep your drawingsfrom being distorted in unexpected ways. You can always increase the gap distance and relink ifnecessary. Also, disable the option to destroy overlapping segments during normal use byentering zero for the setting. The Link Segments command takes much less time if it does nothave to also find and destroy overlapping segments. Also, your drawing will less likely bedistorted in unexpected ways if you keep this feature disabled. If you later suspect that a drawingcontains overlapping segments (see Detect Intersections and Select Shortest ), then relink thequestionable areas with the option to destroy overlapping segments enabled. If the problemsegments are not removed, try exploding (see Explode ) the paths and relinking them.

Explode Explode is the opposite of Link Segments . Explode breaks allselected paths into several individual line segments. Forexample, a rectangle explodes into four individual linesegments. A circle will explode into a large number of linesegments.

Edit Path Edit Path is useful both for shifting around individual nodesof a path and for finding out information about a path. If youwant to edit a path beginning at its first node, then select thepath before doing Edit Path . If you want to edit a pathbeginning at some other node on the path, make sure nothingis selected before doing Edit Path . Then pick where on thepath you want to begin editing (point 1). You can move this

node by picking at a new location (point 2). Use Ctrl + theRight Arrow key to move down the path by one node. Use Ctrl + the Left Arrow key to move upthe path by one node. You can insert an extra node into the path during editing if you press theInsert key. Use the Delete key to remove the current node. You can edit an unlimited number ofnodes along a path, so you will need to cancel the function (right mouse button or Escape key)when you are done.


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Tips You can walk your way down a path to check its integrity and look for hidden defects by

holding down the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key while editing a path. You can find out where a path begins by selecting it and editing it. You can then find out

where it ends by pressing the left arrow key once. Type in relative coordinates to move a node by a certain amount (see THE COORDINATE

SYSTEM in this chapter). For example, type @1,0 to move the current node 1 inch to the

right.

Break Break converts one path into two separate paths. Pick whereyou want to break the path; this point becomes the junctionbetween the two new individual paths. Keep in mind thatsnaps may affect where a path is broken (see SNAPS in thischapter). You will often find it useful to run Snap to

Nodepoints during Break . This causes the path to be brokenright at the node that is closest to where you pick. Otherwisethe path will be broken between nodes, resulting in the creation of new nodes at the break point.

You can break an unlimited number of paths, so you will need to cancel the function (rightmouse button or Escape key) when you are done.

Trim/ExtendUse Trim to erase the part of a path that intersects otherpaths. Use Extend to lengthen the end of a path until itintersects another path. Pick on a path to Trim it, orpick just off the end of a path to Extend it. You canTrim or Extend an unlimited number of paths, so youwill need to cancel the function (right mouse button orEscape key) when you are done. Remember that eachUndo will take back only one Trim/Extend at a time.

Tip

The Trim/Extend command may take a long time to trim away a large section of a very complexpath. You can avoid this by first breaking (see Break ) the path you want to trim, near the otherpath(s) that it will be trimmed to. You can then delete the unwanted section of the broken pathand quickly trim what is left.

SmoothSmooth removes unnecessary and straynodes from the selected paths. Tosmooth out paths, first type in the smoothdistance. You can also pick points 1 and2, and the smooth distance becomes thedistance between these two points.During smoothing, all extra nodes thatare within the smooth distance of the final smoothed shape are removed.


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Smooth can also recognize arcs in a shape while it is being transformed. You will find a checkbox in the Settings dialog under Arc Conversion which controls whether or not Smooth recognizes arcs. ( Settings can be accessed by either the VIEW menu, the MACHINE menu, or bypressing Tab. When the dialog box appears, click the Path Conversion tab at the top.)

With this feature enabled, Smooth will replace a choppy shape with arc segments as well as linesegments, depending upon what is appropriate. In either case, the new shape always lies withinthe smooth distance of the original shape. Arc recognition works especially well when importinga bitmap, because the image reclaims a well-contoured shape. Note that when you import abitmap image, Smooth is automatically used to clean up the shape (see Import ).


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View CommandsView commands allow you to change your viewpoint as youwork on the current drawing. Since the maximum size andcomplexity of a drawing seems almost unlimited, you need tobe able to work on drawings without being limited by thecomputer screen. The Zoom commands allow you to quickly

look at any part of the drawing at almost any magnification.The Snap commands help you to control the points where youpick on screen (see also SNAPS ).When you click View at the top of the program window, amenu appears (shown at right). Each command is explainedseparately in a different section below.

Scroll Bars/Arrow KeysNot appearing on any menu is the ability to easily scroll (or pan) around the drawing. You candrag the sliders of the scroll bars to manually pan around the drawing. If you click on the arrowat an end of either scroll bar, the drawing will pan by about 1/10 th the screen width (or height).You can also click just to the inside of an arrow to pan the drawing by about the screen width(or height). The following shows the horizontal scroll bar (see USING THE PROGRAM in thischapter for an illustration of both scroll bars).

Slider - drag to panArrow - click to pan 1/10th a screen Click here to pan about a screen

A much faster (but not as controllable) way to pan around the drawing is to press any of the fourarrow keys on the keyboard. This will move the drawing across the screen by the screen width(or height).

Zoom Window Zoom Window is probably the most frequently used command in the program. It is a quick andeffective way to magnify part of the drawing. For this reason, Zoom Window is convenientlyplaced at the top of the menu and at the F1 key. After you choose Zoom Window , you are askedto pick two points on screen (corners of the window). You draw a zoom window in the samemanner as you would draw a rectangle (see Rectangle ). After the box is drawn around the part ofthe drawing you want to magnify, the screen is redrawn with the area inside of the box magnifiedto fill the screen.

Zoom Previous Zoom Previous is like an Undo for zoom commands. When you select Zoom Previous , thescreen is redrawn with the same viewpoint as you had before the last zoom command. You

Zoom Previous through up to 10 of the previous consecutive viewpoints. Note that ZoomPrevious ignores any scrolling that takes place.


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Zoom Selection Zoom Selection adjusts the viewpoint and redraws the screen so that selected paths in the drawingare magnified to fill the screen. You must first select path(s) in the drawing, otherwise you willnot be able to choose Zoom Selection . Zoom Selection is just like Zoom Extents , except that itfocuses only on what is selected, not the entire drawing.

Zoom Extents

Zoom Extents adjusts the viewpoint and redraws the screen so that the entire drawing fits justwithin the screen. Zoom Extents is the second most commonly used command, and isconveniently placed at the F4 key.

Zoom Table Zoom Table adjusts the viewpoint and redraws the screen so that the 4ft by 4ft cutting area fits just within the screen. If you have a larger total cutting area set under Cutting area (seeDrawing View under Settings ), you will be asked to pick inside of one of the 4ft by 4ft cuttingareas, choosing which cutting area will be shown on screen.

Zoom Out

Zoom Out decreases the current magnification by a factor of two, showing you a larger area ofthe drawing.

SnapsSnaps are drawing aids that allow you to pick exact points with the mouse while drawing orediting, rather than picking approximate points on screen by eye. You can enable or disable threetypes of running snaps while you are drawing. These snaps remain on until you turn them offagain, either from the menu, or from Drawing View under Settings . To temporarily activate ordeactivate snaps while drawing, pop up the context menu. (See SNAPS in this chapter for morecomplete information on these and other types of snaps.)Snap Orthogonal affects some commands by allowing you to pick points that are directly to theright, left, top or bottom of the last point you picked.Snap to Grid allows you to pick only points that are evenly spaced on a grid that you set up.Snap to NodePoints allows you to pick points that lie exactly on the nodes of preexisting paths.

Measure Measure does one of two possible actions, depending onwhether or not you have anything selected when you choose

Measure . If you select paths before choosing Measure , thenthe program tells you information about the paths youselected. For example, suppose we select the objects shown atright, then choose Measure . The dialog box shown belowappears. If you select only cut paths before cutting, then youcan interpret the number of paths shown as the number of pierces required during cutting, and thetotal path length as the net cutting distance. You can even approximate cutting time by dividingthe total path length by the cut speed.


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If you have nothing selected when you choose Measure , the

program allows you to measure from one point to another inthe drawing. For the example shown at right, the dialog boxshown below appears. You are shown the exact coordinatesof the two points you picked, as well as the angle and distancebetween them (see THE COORDINATE SYSTEM in thischapter for more information on coordinates).

Select All BySelect All By allows you to select every path in the drawing. You can also control what types ofpaths you select. For example, you can just select all machine paths in the drawing. When youchoose Select All By , the following dialog box appears:

You can check any combination of the three types of paths to select. For example, suppose youhave a drawing made up of closed and open paths that you want to cut. You can save thedrawing, then convert all of the paths to cut paths, offsetting some as appropriate. If you thenwant to compare the cut paths to the original drawing, you can insert the original drawing (with

Import ). After adjusting the cut paths somewhat, you need to delete everything from the originaldrawing. You can use Select All By , checking every type except machine paths, followed by

Delete .


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Select ShortestSelect Shortest is used mostly for finding and removing tiny residual defects from a drawing.You must first select a group of paths that you want to extract the shortest paths from. (Make aselection window around a group of paths or use Select All By ). When you choose SelectShortest , the following dialog box appears:

The list contains up to 100 of the shortest paths from the selection. (All selected paths willappear on the list if the selection contains less than 100.) The list is sorted so that the shortestpaths appear first on the list. The two numbers appearing at each row are the total path length(inches) and the number of nodes the path contains. You can scroll down the list and choose thepaths that you want selected in the drawing, selecting as many at one time as you need to. Eachtime you select an item from the list, that path is selected in the drawing (and you can see it turngreen on screen). Often the short paths you select will be too small to see. After you click OK ,you can magnify and find a selected short path using Zoom Selection .

Redraw Screen Redraw Screen erases everything on screen and repaints it, without changing the viewpoint.When you are doing heavy amounts of editing, you may notice residual pixels appearing onscreen that are not actually part of the drawing. Also, parts of the drawing or grid may betemporarily obstructed and appear to begin disappearing. Every time you choose a zoomcommand, these anomalies are cleared off the screen. However, you will periodically want toredraw the screen without rezooming.

SettingsWhen you choose Settings from the VIEW menu, the following dialog box appears. (You canalso access Machine Control , Height Control , System Setup , and Configurations settings byclicking these tabs at the top of the window. For an explanation of these, see Settings under

MACHINE commands.) For an explanation of the Path Conversion settings, see Import , LinkSegments and Convert to Cut Path .

GridDisplaying a drawing grid on screen can help you to draw and place shapes with geometricprecision. If you check Show grid , a regular grid of small dots will be displayed over the cuttingarea. Each dot is spaced apart by the distance you set at Grid point spacing (inches) . Set Snappoints per grid point to control how many increments between each grid point will be possiblesnap points. When you check Snap to grid , you will be able to pick points on screen that areexact snap points within the grid (see Grid Snap ).


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If you check Show grate points a grid of dots will be shown on screen, with each dotcorresponding to a grate contact point in the cutting table. Before cutting parts, you may want toplace them (see Move and Rotate ) so that their cutting does not remove any points from themachines grate.

SnapsYou can enable or disable Snap to node points or Orthogonal snap (see Endpoint Snap andOrthogonal Snap ).

Cutting AreaIf you want to cut shapes out of a sheet that is larger than 4ft by 4ft, including one-piece shapesthat are larger than this size, you can increase the cutting area by 4ft increments, up to 32ft.Although the machine will only cut 4ft by 4ft subareas at a time, the software can automaticallymanage multiple cut subareas for working with large sheets (see Convert to Cut Path and Cut ).

Animate Edit CommandsIf you check Always , then you will be able to see shapes continuously change as you move themouse during most editing commands. Checking Never completely disables this feature. If youcheck Simple only , then the program will only animate paths during editing if the paths containless nodes than what you set at Node count limit . This setting is most handy because it causesshapes that are quick to draw to be animated, while complex shapes that would take too long arenot animated.


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Display ColorsIf you click Colors , the a settings window appears that allows you to customize the programscolors. For best results and training purposes, check Use standard PlasmaCAM colors .(Customized colors can produce unexpected results and are not covered by technical support.)


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Draw CommandsDrawing commands allow you to draw new shapes on screen.Although you will often want to bring drawings into theprogram from other sources like pictures and other computerprograms, you will often need to draw your own shapesdirectly in PlasmaCAM.

When you click DRAW at the top of the program window, amenu appears (shown at right). Each command is explainedseparately in a different section below.

Line(s)Choose Line(s) to draw by hand a new path made up of one ormore line segments. First pick the starting point of the line(point 1), then the next point of the line (point 2). Thefunction will continue to ask you for the next point, allowingyou to draw multiple connected line segments. After you pickthe last point you want drawn, you must cancel the function(right mouse button or Escape key).

RectangleChoose Rectangle to draw a box by hand. First pick onecorner of the box (point 1), then pick the opposite corner(point 2). The first point you pick can be any of the fourpoints on the rectangle. Rectangle always draws boxes withhorizontal and vertical sides. If you want an angled rectangle,use Rotate after using Rectangle .

CircleChoose Circle to draw a new circle by hand. First pick thecenter of the circle (point 1), then pick a point that lies on thecircle (point 2). Note that instead of picking point 2, you cantype in the diameter of the circle. If you already know whatthe diameter should be, you can even type in the diameterbefore you pick point 1. This may help you to properly placethe center of the circle.If you want only part of a circle, draw an Arc or Bulge , or useTrim or Break after drawing a circle.

ArcChoose Arc to draw a new arc by hand if you know where toplace the center point (otherwise use Bulge or Fillet ). Firstpick the center of the arc (point 1). Next pick the point on thearc where the arc is to start (point 2), keeping in mind that arcsare drawn in the counter-clockwise direction. Finally, pick a


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point that is used to determine the end angle of the arc (point 3).Note that you can also type in the arcs radius before or after picking point 1. This makes iteasier to draw an arc of a known radius, because you just have to pick the start and end angles.Note that you can also type in either the start or end angle, instead of picking points 2 or 3.Using this alternative method to draw the rest of the example arc shown, you could type 10 andEnter, -130 and Enter, 125 and Enter.

BulgeChoose Bulge to draw a new arc by hand if you know whereto place the two end points of the arc (otherwise use Arc orFillet ). First pick one end point of the arc (point 1); then pickthe other end point (point 2). To complete the arc, you canthen pick a point somewhere on the arc (3).Note that you can also type in the radius of the arc before youpick point 3. This allows you to draw the arc with an exactradius.

Fillet

Choose Fillet to have an arc drawn whichrounds the corner of a path or at theintersection of two paths. To Fillet paths,first type in the fillet radius. You canalso pick points 1 and 2, and the filletradius becomes the distance betweenthese two points. Next, pick the corner(s)you want filleted (points 3, 4 and 5). When you fillet two paths together, you should pick points

just inside of both paths, so the fillet is drawn in the right direction.

Tip

If the gap between two paths that you want filleted together is too big for the Fillet command torecognize, you can use Zoom Out to make the gap appear smaller on the screen so that Fillet willconnect the paths.

ChamferChamfer is identical to Fillet , except thatit rounds the corner of a path (or theintersection of two paths) with a singleline segment instead of an arc. Tochamfer paths, first type in the chamferdistance. You can also pick points 1 and2, and the chamfer distance becomes the distance between these two points. (Chamfer distance isdefined as the distance from the intersection of the two segments to be chamfered and anendpoint of the chamfer segment.) Next, pick the corner(s) you want chamfered (points 3, 4 and5). When you chamfer two paths together, you should pick points just inside of both paths, sothe chamfer is drawn in the right direction.


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Tip

If the gap between two paths that you want chamfered together is too big for the Chamfer command to recognize, you can use Zoom Out to make the gap appear smaller on the screen sothat Chamfer will connect the paths.

ArrayUse Array to draw an even pattern of multiple copies using the selected paths. When you choose

Array , the dialog box shown below appears. You must choose whether you want a Rectangular or Polar array.

RectangularEnter the number of columns you want at Number of

horizontal copies . Enter the number of rows you wantat Number of vertical copies . The minimum numberfor either is 1. After you click OK , you will be asked topick the base point of the array (point 1). Next pick thepoint of the copy on the next row and column (point 2).

Array rectangular works much like Copy , except thatmultiple copies are produced based on the numbers youspecify.

Tip

Type a relative coordinate for point 2 to specify numeric spacing for the array

software reference guide

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