Part File Load form issue - Desktop Max

[MichaelM]

Hello, I'm quite new with Vcarve Pro and a couple year old but never used Shopbot Desktop max. I just finished designing my first project and when I went to cut the roughing pass, the "Part File Load" form comes up with a required field in the first line. The parameter name is "Part File Name" and the value is the file name which is "3D Roughing 1_025EM.sbp". I click on the exclamation mark and I get what appears to be the setup data for the roughing pass. I'm thinking I missed a step in Vcarve Pro??? But I'm not sure at this time. Any ideas what I'm missing?

Thanks for any help!
Michael

[scottp55]

Welcome!

NOT positive, but had problems when I started using special characters in file names(with me it was commas and hyphens).
Not sure if that's still the case, as I got into the habit of Not using them.

Perhaps go into VCarve and right click the toolpath to get the "Rename" to pop up, and get rid of the "_" ?
Then save the whole project again, re-export the toolpath and try again?

I'm cutting at the moment, so very well may be wrong...just off the top of my pointy head

[MichaelM]

Thanks Scott, I'll give that a try and post a status whether it works or not!

[MichaelM]

taking the underscore out of the name didn't fix the issue. This time I took some photos. Here's what I'm seeing:

20210622_164844.jpg
20210622_164835.jpg

[srwtlc]

You just need to keep clicking through. The fill in sheet is just for making any changes to how the file can be run, mainly if you want to run it in 2d or 3d offset. If you don't need to do anything special with the file (using the fill in sheet), just click the "Start" button to run it as it was designed. The "!" is just to give you the file info that is in the header of the part file.

One of your manuals should have a section on how to load and run a part file. If at first you don't succeed, read the manual.

[srwtlc]

Also, if you happen to be running SB3 in "Easy" mode, click the "?" and choose to run in full mode.

[MichaelM]

Thanks Scott. I hadn't seen your response here before I had called ShopBot Tech Support and spoke with Tom. Well...problem is solved! He told me this was a normal newbie issue with the control software on the ShopBot units. He told me to ignore that dialog and just click <START>. Sure enough the machine started right up and I'm happy to say that my first project is mostly a success! I think my "stepover" setting was too large as I've got small ridges between each final pass cut. Live and learn! Otherwise, I'm very happy with the machine so far!

[MichaelM]

mainly if you want to run it in 2d or 3d offset. If you don't need to do anything special with the file (using the fill in sheet)

Scott, is there somewhere, like the manual , where I can get more info about what you said about 2d or 3d offset? What kind of things can you do with the file in the sheet before you click <START>?
Thanks!

[srwtlc]

Here are a few things from some of the manuals/handbooks.

Pg 18, Temporary Zero Points When Cutting Files

Pg 53, Air cut a file

Pg 5, Nesting and embedding part files

The main thing that would be used from a part file fill-in sheet would be using 2D offset. For example, if you had one file that you cut in one location of a piece of material and you wanted to cut it somewhere else, you could manually drive the tool to that starting location and then run the file in 2D offset from that point. When it's finished, the coordinates are reset back to normal.

Use of 2D offsetting in a custom file (master file calling up other part files with prepositioning or value offsetting VO) can be very handy at times as well. Probably more so on a large machine than it would be on a benchtop though.

Other things that can be done are pretty much as shown/notated in the fill-in sheet (changing proportion in either axis etc.) Other fill-in sheets for other commands, such as CR or CC, have their own set of options for the cut.

Lots of other useful information in the various docs found here and tutorials here.