PW 3D Software

[superjez]

I can't seem to be able to save my tool paths. I have a job that will require 2 different bits and it is telling me that I have to save each path individually, but it doesn't seem to let me save a single tool path either.

[john_how]

Make sure you select the tool path you want to save (up top) before hitting the save button. I know this seems obvious but it got me a time or two.

[oscarg1971]

PW 3D wont let you save 2 different bits in a single toolpath. It has to be the same bit. Right below the toolpath selection there's a note, "The toolpaths use different tools and the selected PostProcessor does not support toolchanging. Toolpaths must be saved to individual files."

-Oscar

[phil_o]

Be sure you don't have the selection box checked. This is for saving two or more toolpaths with the same bit.

[oscarg1971]

Phil, this is for PartWorks 3D, so there isn't that option anyways. It would be in Parkworks though. -Oscar

[phil_o]

I only have Aspire. I assumed that Aspire and Partworks were identical since Vectric makes both of them.

[mudbug765]

Last week I downloaded Partworks 2D and 3D versions in advance of picking up my new ShopBot in June. I am primarily interested in using the ShopBot for designing electric guitars with students in my manufacturing class. I have a guitar body drawn in AutoDesk inventor, and saved it as an STL file. I imported the STL file into Partworks3D. I was able to preview toolpaths just fine with the software. However, it seems to be machining every square inch of the guitar. This is hardly necessary as the body blanks will be surfaced to the proper thickness to begin with. If I machine the body this way, it will be wasting time, and there will be stray tool marks on the flat surfaces of the guitar that will require additional sanding. All I want it to do is machine the pockets and the body contours. If the body contours were not part of the deal, I could just put the pockets into the 2D version of the software (which I have also done and successfully generated spb files) but the 2D loses the ability to make the neato body contours. Am I missing something? If the 3D Partworks program is unable to skip over machining the flat surfaces of the guitar body, which do not need machining, is there another software title I should be looking at?