Aspire messes up my toolpath names when i recalculate toolpaths

[Chuck Keysor]

Hello Aspire experts:

Is there any way to STOP Aspire from changing my toolpath names every time I use the "Recalculate All Toolpaths" command? I am referring to the name as it appears in the "Toolpath List".

My current design has lots of pocketing with a 1/4" end mill. I select the "clear area with larger tool" option, and select a 1/2" end mill. (Also doing the same with 1/16th and 1/8th inch end mills.)

I go and name each tool path, so that it has the tool name, size and description of what the layer contains in each toolpath title. I NEED these details to keep everything straight.

But whenever I "Recalculate All Toolpaths", (which I seem to have to do again, after I thought I was all done..... ), it blows away all my toolpath names, and replaces them with what it wants. And worse, in the above case of the 1/4" em, it relabels all of these files with the 1/2" endmill in the title, even though the file has a 1/4" end mill.

It does other odd things in the relabeling, but I really don't like this feature, and REALLY don't like that it puts a 1/2" endmill label on my 1/4" endmill files.

With all the layers/toolpaths in this design, this is really annoying. Any suggestions????

Thank you, Chuck

[Kyle Stapleton]

http://screencast.com/t/E9VYm9jecw
Is this what is happening?

[Chuck Keysor]

Yes Kyle, that is what is happening, my toolpath names are being changed when I hit "recalculate all toolpaths".

It looked like your original toolpath names were generated by something in the program, my guess.... And so the changes made in your case were not a severe as the changes made in my case, where I had made up names with lengthy descriptions that were over-written.

Now what??? Thanks Kyle. Chuck

[shilala]

I use "recalculate all toolpaths" on the toolbar up top and have never seen this happen.
Will you try that and see if that helps?
I'd do it but I'm out for the night...

[Chuck Keysor]

Hello Scott. I just tested this, and found that the toolpath names are re-written when using "recalculate all toolpaths" from the toolbar, just the same as when I use the "recalculate all toolpaths" icon found on the left toolpath pane. I have version 8.017 of Aspire. I just checked, and there is an update, which I am downloading now. I'll test that and report back later. Thanks, Chuck

[Chuck Keysor]

Scott, I just completed the Aspire update, so now I have 8.024, but the "recalculate all toolpaths" function still changes my toolpath names. Chuck

[shilala]

That is totally bizarre.
I'd drop a note to the folks at Aspire right away.

[mark_m]

Hello Chuck,

I am afraid that I am not 100% sure what problem you are seeing.
The example within Kyle's video shows an example of the area clearance toolpath being renamed to match
the name of the linked detail toolpath for the same pair of toolpaths.
This behaviour is correct, the two toolpaths in this example are a linked pair and will always share the same name,
(the area clearance toolpath will have "[Clear]" appended to the main toolpath name).

REALLY don't like that it puts a 1/2" endmill label on my 1/4" endmill files.

I have not seen an example of this, but this might depend on exactly how you are naming your toolpaths.
As Scott has mentioned, if you are seeing problems, please send in an example of your file to support at Vectric,
we will be happy to check it out for you.

I hope that this helps.

Cheers,

Mark.

[Chuck Keysor]

Hello Mark. Sorry for my slow reply.......

What I described, is exactly what Kyle showed in his video. So you know from his video, what my concern is, I don't like having something come and changing my toolpath name.

After being surprised by Aspire's re-naming a couple of times, I figured out that it was doing this on purpose. But your confirming that Aspire is only doing what it was designed to do does not mean I think it is OK.

I would think people who are being careful in creating their designs would want to be in control of their on toolpath nomenclature, and would be frustrated that their personally crafted toolpath names were being over-written in a way that did not agree with their intentions. I try to write my toolpath names so that I can come back and figure out a few days later what each toolpath is for, and Aspire's changing my crafted names undoes this documentation.

To me, it would be logical that if you want to show inter-dependence of two files (where one has been automatically created to do large area clearance), that a visual link could be established, which would not over-write my toolpath name upon executing the re-calculate all toolpaths command. Even just appending a text name at the end of my cut file name would be fine.

Or you could make it auto generate your file name if someone had failed to write a toolpath name, that would be logical.

I initially figured if I could just turn off that re-naming functionality, it would be good. But then it would be such an obscure function, that probably no one would know it was even there.

Anyway, that is my thinking. This is not the end of the world type of problem, but to my way of thinking, it is an unnecessary annoyance. Especially considering how fabulous Aspire is.

Thanks, Chuck