Alphacam Whats New

WHAT’S NEW IN ALPHACAM 2023.
This document contains a general overview of the new features within ALPHACAM 2023.1.
4 April 2023
Contents
Contents
Important Information................................................................................................................ 6
Operating System Support .................................................................................................... 6
More Information about New Features .................................................................................. 6
ALPHACAM Maintenance Expiry Date .................................................................................. 6
Supported CAD File Versions ................................................................................................... 7
Supported CAD File Versions................................................................................................ 7
Maintenance Report ................................................................................................................. 8
Maintenance Report .............................................................................................................. 8
Machining ............................................................................................................................... 11
Machining - Pocketing - Use Z Contour Roughing - New Option to start outside the part .... 11
Machining - Rough or Finish Pass - New Ignore Open Elements option ............................. 12
Machining - Support Tags Enhancements ........................................................................... 13
Machining - Support Tags - Option to reference lowest selected toolpath for Z height ........ 14
Machining - Rough or Finish - Give unchecked result if no collision checking faces are
selected ............................................................................................................................... 15
Machining - Rough or Finish - Auto Z - Addition of an option for Equal cuts ........................ 15
Machining - Pocketing and Pocket Holes - Auto Z - Addition of option for Equal cuts ......... 16
Machining - Sawing - Auto Z - The addition of option for Equal cuts ................................... 17
Machining - Rough or Finish - Machine Solids with Tool Side - Collision Checking -
Improved support for extra Solids ........................................................................................ 18
Machining - Pocketing and Z Roughing - Waveform - Max Feed on Back Passes - User
control over value used ....................................................................................................... 19
Machining - Stone – Saw - Cut and Move - Repeating loop for Geometry Selection ........... 20
Machining - 4K - To be able to adjust toolpath thickness..................................................... 21
Machining Cycles.................................................................................................................... 22
Machining Cycles - New ‘Preview’ command button ........................................................... 22
Operations Manager ............................................................................................................... 23
Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for ordering operations ................................ 23
Operations Manager - Drag and Drop to reorder sub-operations ........................................ 24
Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for automatic scrolling ................................. 25
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Tool Library ............................................................................................................................. 26

Tool Library - Add Tool Type filter buttons ........................................................................... 26
Tool Library - Graphical Display of Tool Tip and Gauge Line .............................................. 27
Tool Library - Configurable columns .................................................................................... 28
Tool Library - Column field for assigned Holder................................................................... 28
Tool Library - To open tool library when a cycle is selected if no active tool ........................ 28
Tool Directions ........................................................................................................................ 29
Tool Directions - Enhanced to support automatic Arc Elements .......................................... 29
Tool Directions - Option to Show Ghost Tools ..................................................................... 30
Tool Directions - The addition of Climb and Conventional / Left and Right .......................... 31
Rapids Manager ..................................................................................................................... 32
Rapids Manager - Improved Support for Parallel Planes ..................................................... 32
Rapids Manager - Pick button for Rapid Levels................................................................... 33
Rapids Manager - Insert Managed Rapid command ........................................................... 34
Nesting ................................................................................................................................... 35
Nesting - Second Nesting Times to Stop/Interrupt the Process ........................................... 35
Nesting – Saw - Join Saw Cuts - Add to Nesting Extensions .............................................. 36
Nesting - Improved recognition of apertures in existing parts on sheets when
Renesting into existing nested sheets ................................................................................. 37
Nesting - Nest Extensions - Enable Onion Skinning and Part Quantity Multiplier to be
configured from the ALPHACAM Nesting dialog ................................................................. 38
Nesting - Cabinet Vision Label Add-on integration .............................................................. 39
CAD ........................................................................................................................................ 44
CAD - Contour from Picked Edges and Contour around Picked Faces - Set Ghost Tool
automatically ....................................................................................................................... 44
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Automation Manager .............................................................................................................. 45

Automation Manager - Add refresh button to Machining Styles tree .................................... 45
Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) - Convert Splines to Lines and
Arcs added to be run when processing DXF/DWG files ...................................................... 46
Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) Common Line Removal added
as an option when CAD drawings are added to a job .......................................................... 47
Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) - Addition of Project 3D to 2D .................... 48
Automation Manager - Implement Reverse Side Nesting .................................................... 49
Automation Manager - Ability to handle multi-body parts as single parts ............................. 50
Automation Manager - Hole Drilling and Door Handle Processing - Prevent Hole
Drilling configurations being deleted when in use ................................................................ 50
Automation Manager - Add the new Line/Arc Preference to Tool Directions ....................... 50
Automation Manager - Hole Drilling and Door Handle processing - Multiprocess
Job Support ......................................................................................................................... 51
Automation Manager - Option to display Jobs and Customer Names in
alphabetical order ................................................................................................................ 52
Automation Manager - Search function for Jobs.................................................................. 53
Automation Manager - UI - Ability to rename and edit the custom fields ............................. 53
Automation Manager - Option to display Jobs and Customer Names in
alphabetical order - Improved numeric sorting .................................................................... 54
Automation Manager - Add Vero Nester Inactivity Timeout option ...................................... 54
Automation Manager - Add Nesting Priority to Custom Column View ................................. 54
Automation Manager - Join Saw Cuts - Add to Automation Manager .................................. 55
Automation Manager – ‘Create Work Volume’ accessible without the
xSolids Multiplier ................................................................................................................. 55
Automation Manager - CDM - Display Number of different Parts and Total
Number of Parts as in Legacy CDM .................................................................................... 56
Automation Manager and CDM .............................................................................................. 57
Automation Manager and CDM - Implement Drilling and Door Handle processing -
Support multi-selection edits ............................................................................................... 57
Layers ..................................................................................................................................... 58
Layers - Clear Memory – Retain Clear Memory setup dialog settings ................................. 58
Layers - Added Surface toggle to Clear Memory options .................................................... 59
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Layers Manager ...................................................................................................................... 60

Layers Manager - Locked User Layers Enhancements ....................................................... 60
Layers Manager - New Duplicate Layer right click command .............................................. 60
Layers Manager - Option to Clear Empty Layers................................................................. 61
Layers Manager - Delete and move to next item ................................................................. 62
Layers Manager - Project Manager - Machine Configuration - Double click to access
the Machine Configuration edit dialog ................................................................................. 62
CAD ........................................................................................................................................ 63
CAD - Offset - Line/Arc - Multiple Element Support ............................................................. 63
CAD - Offset - To be able to box select elements................................................................ 63
CAD - Trim - New improved behaviour with Floating Dialog ................................................ 64
Work Planes ........................................................................................................................... 65
Work Planes – New Delete Empty Work Planes command ................................................. 65
Work Planes - New Lock/Unlock user control ...................................................................... 66
Work Plane Properties and Work Plane by Name Dialogs - Lock Column added ............... 67
Input CAD ............................................................................................................................... 68
Input CAD - File Browser Add-in - Use ‘Last Used’ CAD Import settings when
loading files using the File Browser ..................................................................................... 68
Input CAD - Lathe Cad Import - Rhino 3DM files - Support for Surfaces added .................. 69
Input CAD - Implement Parasolid Mesh to Solid conversion ............................................... 69
Input CAD - File Browser Add-in - Add File Size and Date Modified to the folder
contents list ......................................................................................................................... 70
Display Options ...................................................................................................................... 71
Display Options - Ability to control size of markers with mouse wheel ................................. 71
Appendix A - API Improvements in ALPHACAM 2023.1 ......................................................... 72
CAD Input Settings .............................................................................................................. 72
Nesting – Nest List Inactivity Timeout.................................................................................. 74
Drawing – Set Rapid Manager ............................................................................................ 76
BeforeLoadToolMultidrill Event (Router only) ...................................................................... 77
BeforeLoadToolTurret Event (Lathe only) ........................................................................... 80
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What's New in ALPHACAM 2023.1
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Important Information
Operating System Support

Please refer to the Installation Guide or System Requirements page on http://www.alphacam.com for further
information.
More Information about New Features

The What’s New document contains only a brief introduction to the new features available in this release.
Further details and examples about this functionality can be found on our Customer Community Forums Wiki
page.
ALPHACAM Maintenance Expiry Date

To run ALPHACAM 2023.1, the maintenance expiry date in your license must be November 2022 or later.
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Supported CAD File Versions
Supported CAD File Versions

To import Solid CAD files, the xSolids multiplier is required.
In order to import Autodesk Inventor files, Autodesk Inventor® or Inventor® View™ must also be
installed.
Translator and Version
ACIS R1 – 2023 1.0
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe PDF
ALPHACAM Designer Files
Autodesk Inventor 2023 (current, IPT & IAM files)
Creo 9.0 (formerly Pro/E Wildfire)
DXF/DWG (AutoCAD 2018)
IGES (not version specific)
JT Open 10.2
NX Unigraphics UG11 – NX 2206
Parasolid 9.0 – 35.0.184
Part Modeler (current)
PostScript
Rhino 7.0
SketchUp 2022
Solid Edge SE 2023 (PAR & PSM files)
SOLIDWORKS 2023 (SOLIDWORKS 2023 Configurations and Custom Property Data are not imported from 2023 files yet)
Spaceclaim 2019 R1
STEP AP203/AP214/AP242 (preferred Schemas)
STL (not version specific)
VISI Version (current)
Extra Cost
Translator and Version
Catia V4 4.1.9 - 4.2.4
CATIA V5 V5R8 - V5-6R2022
CATIA V6 Up to V6 R2022x
Note: CATIA V6 users should export their database objects as CATIA V5 CATParts or CATProducts.
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Maintenance Report
Maintenance Report
The following is a list of bug fixes and enhancements implemented in ALPHACAM 2023.1:
ID Description Closing Notes
8312 Nesting - Cut Small Parts First - Does not work if the toolpath has Automatic Fixed.
Support Tags.
23370 Automation Manager - Alignment Vector - Fails if ‘Align on Import’ is turned on Fixed.
in General configuration.
23682 Make Local Axis Horizontal – The command renames the work plane. Fixed.
29611 NCSIMUL - Japanese Language - NCSIMUL will not run when a Japanese Fixed.
character is in the filename.
30791 View - Display Options - Material Cut - Saw Toolpaths are shown as Material Fixed.
Cut when switched to Work Plane view of an unrelated Work Plane.
30877 Input CAD Extensions - Create Geometry Z Levels from Parallel Planes - Does Fixed.
not work on angled planes.
31042 Nesting - Part outline is not correctly considered when parts are re-nested into Fixed.
a sheet.
31043 Nesting - Saw Paths are not being fully considered and are damaging Fixed.
neighbouring parts.
31045 Nesting - Lead In/Lead Out is not considered when Optimise Overlapping Fixed.
toolpaths is turned on when Re-Nesting.
31048 Post - 3D machining – The values for CPX CPY CPZ are not set for elements Fixed.
overlap in Surface and Polyline machining. (Operation Update Required).
31075 Work Planes Project Page - Keep in sync with active work plane. Fixed.
31210 Define Tool - Advanced 5 Axis - Generic Revolved Tool - If user tries to load a Fixed.
Mesh as any of the definitions and then clicks OK to save the tool,
ALPHACAM will crash.
31259 Rough / Finish - Support Tags - Wrong NC with negative stock. Fixed.
31267 Automation Manager - Optimise Toolpath Overlapping shown in the wrong Fixed.
Nesting Option category.
31302 Edit - Scale - When using Scale with an Uneven Scaling Factor that is close, Fixed.
the resulting geometry is changed drastically.
31315 Reverse Side Nesting - Item Numbers and Text copied to Reverse Sheet Fixed.
when there is no Reverse Side drawing.
31389 User Interface - Show Keyboard shortcut for Auto Snap function. Implemented.
31661 Automation Manager - Extensions - Nesting Filler Parts - Filler Parts are not Fixed.
saved when creating the ‘Automation Manager Support File’.
31704 Thread Milling - Wrong Tool Number / Offset Number after ‘Quick Edit’. Fixed.
31809 Output CAD - STEP - No CAD file is output. Fixed.
31812 AM/CDM Incorrect Processing error message when ‘Split Nested Sheet Fixed.
Drawings and Programs’ is Active.
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31819 Automation Manager - Error contacting SQL Database if Job is previewed 3 Fixed.
times or 3 parts are within the Job.
31891 Select Tool - Crash if dialog is too small to show the entire Ribbon Bar. Fixed.
31917 NCSIMUL Tool compensation always zero. Fixed.
31969 File Browser – ‘Show in Folder Tree’ right click option stopped working in File Fixed.
browser quick access.
31974 Nesting - Renest causes ‘Exception!!’ dialog box message to appear. Fixed.
32062 Automation Manager - Process waste from Nested Sheets - Waste cuts Fixed.
damage generated sheet offcut.
32265 Nesting - Split Nest - Save Sheets to Drawing - Retain Number of Sheets Fixed.
value in drawing when Suppress Drawing of Duplicate Sheets has been Only on nests created with new
used. build.
32269 Move to Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.0.XX). Implemented.
32398 Solids - Edit - Mirrored Solid changes Operation associativity. Fixed.
32603 Input CAD - STEP/SAT Files no longer import with original CAD Layers. Fixed.
Affects version 2022.0 SU2213 and later releases.
32622 Machining dialogs - Apply button issues. Fixed.
32660 Nesting – Screen Updating is disabled if the Nesting process is aborted. Fixed.
32665 Join Saw Cuts - If Number of Cuts is greater than 1, the result is poor. Fixed.
32812 Automation Manager - Process Waste for Nested Sheets - Not generating Fixed.
waste cuts.
32826 File Open - Add Machining Operation - Save causes crash. Fixed.
32886 Automation Manager – Nesting Method inconsistent with ALPHACAM Nesting. Fixed.
32887 Nesting - Sheet Database - Error when adding a new Material. Fixed.
32888 User Interface - Radial Menu - Launching the Radial wheel causes Fixed.
ALPHACAM to crash in Windows 11.
32890 User Interface - Recent File list - Time and date are being incorrectly reported Fixed.
on W11 Machines.
32956 Automation Manager - Fields in the Property Grid are no longer greyed out Fixed.
after the DevExpress update.
32957 Reports - Reports Designer - Report Design Analyser added since Fixed.
DevExpress update.
33187 User Interface - Project Manager – Double clicking inside the Project Manager, Fixed.
but not on any selection, results in an ‘Encountered improper argument’
acamcore error message being displayed.
33230 Simulation Problems with Pop Clamps. Fixed.
33262 Automation Manager - Some Job Properties are not populated in Fixed.
BeforeAddingFileToJob event.
33309 Machine Holes - Enabled when only Solids Present and can be used to Fixed.
machine faces.
33598 Define Tool – Maximum Depth of cut incorrectly displayed graphically. Fixed.
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33600 Define Tool - Tool length graphics of the drill do not illustrate the tool tip Fixed.
correctly.
33610 Cut Surface/Solid with Disk - Bi-Directional - Max Link Distance should be Fixed.
automatically modified.
33741 Automation Manager – The wrong description is used for Reverse Side Fixed.
Nesting from the language file.
33885 Tool Directions - Directions - Using the Right or Left Direction option causes Fixed.
the command to abort after finding open geometries.
33887 Rapids manager - Spherical Rapid Level dialog text is not get greyed out. Fixed.
33963 Stone / Wire / Profiling - Operation Manager - Drag and Drop does not work in Fixed.
these modules.
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Machining
Machining - Pocketing - Use Z Contour Roughing - New Option to start outside the part
A new Start Outside Open Elements Check box has been added when using Z Contour Pocketing.
When checked, the user setting for Overlap on Open Elements is disabled and the distance for the tool
amount is controlled by the Standoff.
If a pocket has open elements, this option starts machining by plunging the tool outside the pocket in fresh air.
The XY Standoff parameter can be used to control the distance from the edge of the tool to the open side of
the pocket.
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Machining - Rough or Finish Pass - New Ignore Open Elements option

A new Ignore Open Elements option has been added to Rough Finish Pass. When selected, open elements
will not be machined which means that the machined path may no longer be closed and could consist of one or
more open paths.
Supports Auto Z and Take Account of previous machining.
Note: When this option is selected, the user setting for Overlap on Open Elements Tool Rad 8 * is disabled.
The selected paths have all the open elements removed and new paths are created assuming Open ends.
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Machining - Support Tags Enhancements

The Add Support Tags command in the Edit Machining menu has been enhanced to make it quicker and
easier to use, while also providing better feedback to the user. Instead of picking individual toolpaths with the
mouse, a new area selector can be positioned over multiple toolpaths and the support tags automatically
added to all toolpaths intersecting with the circle. This is achieved by showing a fixed-sized circular geometry
at the mouse cursor and allowing the user to zoom in/out to control how many toolpaths intersect with the
circle. Once the toolpaths have been selected, aligned tags will be created on all of the toolpaths. A Status Bar
message indicates how many support tags have been added to the drawing.
The second enhancement provides a visual clue that tags have been added. This is particularly useful in 2D
views where it is not possible to see the changes to the toolpaths after a support tag has been added. Each
tag is represented visually by adding coloured balls at the start and end of each tag. The balls are in the same
colour as their toolpath and are visible while the Add Support Tags command is active. Any pre-existing tags
in the drawing will also be given coloured ball markers, making it easier to see where tags have been
previously located.
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A third enhancement has been implemented for removing support tags. When selecting Remove Support
Tags from the Edit Machining menu, the visual aid showing where the support tags are located is displayed
and the user can now either individually or window select support tags that they wish to remove. Once the
command is finished by right clicking, pressing the Esc key or clicking Finish in the input bar, a message box
is displayed indicating how many support tags have been removed from the drawing.
With the new changes, adding and removing support tags to nested sheets is much quicker and no longer
requires constantly changing views to see if the tags have been inserted at the desired locations.
Machining - Support Tags - Option to reference lowest selected toolpath for Z height
An enhancement has been made to the Add Support Tags command. A new Use distance from lowest
selected tool path option has been added which toggles between Tag Top Z (a global Z level) and Tag
Height which creates a tag of that height above the lowest selected toolpath. For example, if the Tag Height is
3 and the lowest tool path selected is at -20 then the tag top will be at -17.
Note: The Use distance from lowest selected tool path option is activated, by default.
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Machining - Rough or Finish - Give unchecked result if no collision checking faces are selected
Previously, when creating a Rough/Finish Solid Model Faces operation, if the Select Faces to collision
check option was selected and the user chose not to pick any foul-check faces, the operation would not be
created.
In this release:
• The operation will be created and, if the operation is edited, Select Faces to collision check will be deselected.
• The same occurs if you apply a Rough/Finish Solid Model Faces Style with the Select Faces to collision check
option selected; the operation will be created with the option deselected.
• If an operation which previously had the option deselected is edited but then the option is selected with no foul-
check faces being selected, it now creates the operation and automatically deselects the option.
Machining - Rough or Finish - Auto Z - Addition of an option for Equal cuts

An Equal Cuts option has been added to Rough/Finish Auto Z Geometry, Rough/Finish Solid Model Faces
with Tool Side and Machine Holes Auto Z.
The new Equal Cuts option reduces, if necessary, the depth of cut so that all cuts are equal. The new option is
located within the Levels and Cuts tab and will be disabled if the Depth of Cut is set to 0 or if the Helical
option is checked.
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Machining - Pocketing and Pocket Holes - Auto Z - Addition of option for Equal cuts
A new Equal Cuts option has been added to Pocketing and Pocket Holes Auto Z. The new Equal Cuts option
reduces, if necessary, the depth of cut so that all cuts are equal. The new option is located within the Levels
and Cuts tab and will be disabled if the Depth of Cut is set to 0. Also note that the minimum depth of cut is
disabled when Equal Cuts is activated.
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Machining - Sawing - Auto Z - The addition of option for Equal cuts

The Equal Cuts option has been added to Sawing Auto Z Geometry and Solid Model Faces. The new Equal
Cuts option reduces, if necessary, the depth of cut so that all cuts are equal. The new option is located within
the Levels and Cuts tab and will be disabled if the Depth of Cut is set to 0.
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Machining - Rough or Finish - Machine Solids with Tool Side - Collision Checking - Improved
support for extra Solids
Collision Checking has been enhanced in Rough/Finish Machine Solid Faces with Tool Side to automatically
check against all faces for all visible models in the active drawing.
Note: This does not apply if the user has selected the Select Faces for Collision Checking option.
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Machining - Pocketing and Z Roughing - Waveform - Max Feed on Back Passes - User control
over value used
A new High Speed Feed Rate parameter has been added to 3D Machining Z Contour Roughing and
Pocketing using Z Contour Roughing. The parameter is in the General tab, near the Use Max Feed on Back
Passes check box.
When loading an older drawing/style, the new parameter defaults to the High Speed Feed Rate read from the
current Post Processor, which could be 0.
$753 Maximum Feed Rate (Use mm/min or in/min as appropriate for this Post)
5000mm/min
VB Posts
Config.FeedMax = 5000
In the operations, a High Speed Feed Rate of 0 means use the Cut Feed because there is no High Speed
Feed Rate.
The High Speed Feed Rate cannot be negative and, if it is greater than the value in the Post Processor (if
set), a warning will be displayed (just once unless you change the value) when leaving the tab or clicking OK.
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Machining - Stone – Saw - Cut and Move - Repeating loop for Geometry Selection
The geometry selection has been enhanced so that, after a Cut and Move operation has completed, the
geometry prompt remains active until cancelled. In this way, many operations can be made much quicker.
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Machining - 4K - To be able to adjust toolpath thickness

For this release, an enhancement has been made which allows Tool Path line thickness to be adjusted. The
new setting is on the Line Widths tab of the General settings dialog accessed from the Configure command
on the Home tab. The setting, once saved, is remembered between sessions of ALPHACAM but can be edited
as required.
Three line thickness options can be selected: Thin, Normal and Thick, and the weight of these lines can also
be set in the same dialog. Note that any changes to the weight of the line thickness will also impact any other
line type using that option.
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Machining Cycles
Machining Cycles - New ‘Preview’ command button

Machining Cycles are being enhanced by adding a Preview command button. When the operation is first
created, it acts like the OK button prompting for the required selections but with the difference that the dialog
returns to the screen. The user can then make changes and press Preview again to immediately see the
differences.
Creating a new operation and pressing Preview one or more times followed by Cancel will not create the new
operation. OK must be pressed to keep the new operation.
Editing an operation and pressing Preview one or more times followed by Cancel will return the operation
parameters to their values prior to any applied edits. OK must be pressed to keep the changes.
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Operations Manager
Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for ordering operations

It is now possible to drag an operation to another location. Moving an operation within a sheet is possible but
not from one sheet to another.
Note: It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that the operations are in a logical sequence.
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Operations Manager - Drag and Drop to reorder sub-operations

It is now possible to drag a sub-operation to another location within the same parent operation. Sub-operations
cannot be drag and dropped to other parent operations.
Note: It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that the sub-operations are in a logical sequence.
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Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for automatic scrolling

Enhancements have been made to Automatic Scrolling within the Operations and Layer tabs of the Project
Manager Page. This allows for easier movement of Geometries to different layers and the re-ordering of sub-
operations when scrolling is required.
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Tool Library
Tool Library - Add Tool Type filter buttons

The tool selection User Interface has been updated. It now uses a ribbon interface with tool type filtering
buttons which will allow the user to quickly filter between different tool types.
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Tool Library - Graphical Display of Tool Tip and Gauge Line

Graphical Datum symbols representing the Tool Tip and Gauge Line reference points have been added to help
with visualisation of the user input values.
Lathe Tools will show the Tool Tip and turret offset reference points.
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Tool Library - Configurable columns

It is now possible to configure the columns in the Tool Library allowing for a more customisable user interface:
• A right click menu has been implemented which allows the user to select which columns are visible and which are
hidden.
• The columns can be repositioned by left clicking on the column title bar and dragging the selected column to a
new position.
Tool Library - Column field for assigned Holder

An enhancement has been made to the Tool Library. An additional Library Holder column has been added
which displays the currently selected library holder for a particular tool. A library holder can be selected from
the tool edit/creation dialog – Simulation – Select from library. If the tool does not have a holder applied or is
using a non-library holder, then the column will be populated with only a dash.
Note: Any existing tools will require the holder to be redefined in order to display the correct information in the
holder column.
Tool Library - To open tool library when a cycle is selected if no active tool
A change has been made to the GUI. Previously, cycles were disabled if an appropriate tool had not been
selected. Cycles will now prompt for a tool if the existing tool is not appropriate or if no tool is selected by
opening the tool selection dialog. If the selected tool is not appropriate, the command will exit and do nothing.
If the tool is okay, the cycle will proceed as before.
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Tool Directions
Tool Directions - Enhanced to support automatic Arc Elements

The Tool Directions Dialog has been enhanced to support automatically finding either Line or Arc Elements or
no preference. Users can select between the Start, Middle or End of the longest or shortest element with a
preference control for Line, Arc or no preference (Line or Arc).
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Tool Directions - Option to Show Ghost Tools

For this release, a Show Ghost Tools option has been added to the Tool Direction dialog which allows the
visibility of the Ghost Tool to be turned on or off. This function temporarily overrides the Global Ghost Tool
setting but reverts once the Tool Direction dialog is closed.
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Tool Directions - The addition of Climb and Conventional / Left and Right
An enhancement has been made to the Tool Directions dialog. When using the Automatic for Pockets and
Automatic for Cutouts options, it is now possible to set the Closed Geometry Tool Direction to cut either Left
or Right. This enables the correct tool direction for Climb or Conventional machining types to be set.
With Clockwise (CW) tool rotation, Climb machining can be achieved by setting the Side to Automatic for
Cutouts and Direction to Left.
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Rapids Manager
Rapids Manager - Improved Support for Parallel Planes

Automatic Rapid Manager has been enhanced with a new Add Rapids to Operations in Parallel Planes
check box. With this new option checked, ALPHACAM now adds Rapids between planes that are parallel. This
means work planes that share a Local Z axis vector direction but not necessarily the same origin or local X Y
axis directions.
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Rapids Manager - Pick button for Rapid Levels

Automatic Rapid Manager has been enhanced and it is now possible to pick the rapid level from the drawing
using the newly implemented pick buttons (…) located next to each manual entry box.
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Rapids Manager - Insert Managed Rapid command

A new Managed Rapid feature has been added to ALPHACAM which is located in the Special Edits section
of the Machining tab on the ribbon.
Inserting a Managed Rapid is used to override Global Rapid Manager settings.
When the Apply to consecutive Operations option is selected, the current Managed Rapid options are
applied to all following operations until another Managed Rapid is applied with different options. When the
option is deselected, the Rapid Manager settings are only used by the subsequent operation.
For example, if a sequence of operations requires the use of Cylindrical Rapids, this can be applied to all of the
operations in that sequence and will remain applied until an additional Managed Rapid is applied with an
alternative Rapid movement option or the Use Automatic Rapids option is deselected, at which point the
Global Rapid Manager settings will be used.
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Nesting
Nesting - Second Nesting Times to Stop/Interrupt the Process

The Vero Nester has been enhanced to include an inactivity timeout. The Inactivity Timeout option has been
added to the Options tab of the Settings dialog in Nesting:
• When 0 (the default) is used there is no change in existing behaviour.

• When a value other than 0 is entered, the nest-engine will be automatically stopped if no new intermediate result
is found within the specified time.
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Nesting – Saw - Join Saw Cuts - Add to Nesting Extensions

The Join Saw Cuts command has now been added to Nesting Extensions. When the extension is active, it will
run automatically after the nesting process has completed. The new extension can be configured in the same
way as when running as a standalone command and these options can be accessed from Nesting - Settings –
Extensions – Join Saw Cuts – Configure.
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Nesting - Improved recognition of apertures in existing parts on sheets when Renesting into
existing nested sheets
Nesting now provides improved recognition of any apertures in sheets where existing nested parts are
contained within them. The nesting engine recognises existing parts as No Nesting Void areas and now can
find nestable areas within those voids.
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Nesting - Nest Extensions - Enable Onion Skinning and Part Quantity Multiplier to be configured
from the ALPHACAM Nesting dialog
An enhancement has been made to the Onion Skin Small Parts and Part Quantity Multiplier Nesting
Extensions. It is now possible to configure these extensions from the Extensions tab on the main Nesting
Settings page. When either of these extensions is selected, the Configure button becomes active which
allows the user to launch the dialog for the extension and configure the values as required.
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Nesting - Cabinet Vision Label Add-on integration

A new feature has been added to ALPHACAM called +Label. To use +Label, an additional license is required
which is sold separately.
The xNesting multiplier (License) is a pre-requisite and must be installed or configured within the License
Manager in order to use the +Label software.
+Label is a standalone piece of software with its own installer which can be downloaded from the Downloads –
Software section of the Hexagon Customer Portal.
+Label enables the user to create custom part labels from the ‘Label Designer’ and highlights the part and
corresponding label within the +Label User Interface. The user can move between parts and sheets using the
on-screen arrows. The current part is highlighted on screen with the next part in the sequence marked with a
pointer.
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Labels can be generated either from the ribbon button located in Home – +Label – Create Labels or from the
‘Create Reports’ dialog located in Home – Reports – Create Reports. When creating labels from the ‘Create
Reports’ dialog, the ‘Output to +Label’ tick box must be selected, otherwise, only an ALPHACAM report will be
output; this feature allows both an ALPHACAM report and Labels to be output in tandem.
The labels can be output independently from Reports by using the Create Labels Ribbon button that
generates a label file (.tld) which can then be opened in the +Label User Interface.
Label output files are currently located in ALPHACAM\LICOMDIR\Reports\Data.
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By clicking Configure, the user can select which label template they wish to use; alternatively, the label
Administrator can be launched using the Label Administrator button.
The Label Administrator allows the user to create new label templates or edit existing ones. This is done in the
Design tab of the Label Administrator. Required fields can be added by clicking the Add button and selecting
the field from the data list. Once added, they can be manually positioned within the label template.
Label templates can be copied and deleted by using the User Interface buttons.
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Clicking OK will save the label template making it available to select from the Select Label Template To Use
dropdown.
Labels can also be generated using Automation Manager. To activate this option, an Output To xLabel tick
box has been added to Nested Job Report Settings located in the Reports Options section of the
Configuration tab.
Automation Manager will output labels using the last selected label template from ALPHACAM (Create Labels
- Configure/Create Reports – Configure - Select Template To Use).
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The label file (.tld) will be output to the same folder as generated Reports, as defined in Configuration –
Configuration Top Node – Output Settings – Report File Output Location.
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CAD
CAD - Contour from Picked Edges and Contour around Picked Faces - Set Ghost Tool
automatically
An enhancement has been made to Contour around Picked Faces and Contour from Picked Edges. The
default Ghost Tool direction after extraction is now more appropriately positioned which will reduce the
frequency with which the user will have to manually change the Ghost Tool direction after extraction.
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Automation Manager
Automation Manager - Add refresh button to Machining Styles tree

The ability to refresh the machining styles tree has been added. When in the Layer Mapping Setup tab of
Automation Manager, it is now possible to right click on the root folder and refresh the listing without having to
close and re-open Automation Manager. When selecting the new Refresh Machining Styles option, any
newly added, edited or deleted styles will now be reflected.
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Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) - Convert Splines to Lines and Arcs added to be
run when processing DXF/DWG files
A new Convert Spline to Lines/Arcs setting has been added to the File Import Settings in the Layer
Mapping Setup tab of Automation Manager.
This option is OFF, by default, for a new setup and, when active, additional settings are displayed such as
Tolerance, Delete Original, Join Resulting Lines/Arcs and Set Element Z Levels which are also set OFF,
by default.
Using these settings, DXF or DWG files containing Splines can be imported and converted to Lines and Arcs;
the command works in the same way as it does in ALPHACAM.
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Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) Common Line Removal added as an option
when CAD drawings are added to a job
A new Common Line Removal setting has been added to the File Import Settings in the Layer Mapping
Setup tab of Automation Manager.
This option is OFF by default for a new setup and, when active, an additional Join Resulting Geometries
setting is displayed which is also set OFF by default.
Using these options common lines can be removed from drawings; the command works in the same way as it
does in ALPHACAM.
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Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) - Addition of Project 3D to 2D

A new setting has been added to Automation Manager called “Project 3D to 2D” and can be found under Layer
Mapping Setup - Open any setup - File Import Settings - Project 3D to 2D.
This option will be OFF by default for a new setup and, when active, additional Step length and Chord
Tolerance for Arcs settings become available. The default values are set to 1 and 0.01, respectively.
Using these options, a 3D drawing can be converted to a 2D drawing.
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Automation Manager - Implement Reverse Side Nesting

The ability to use Reverse Side Nesting has been added to Automation Manager. The settings and activation
button can be found in the Nesting options located in the Configurations tab. When adding files to be
processed, only the first side drawing is required but the _Rev part needs to be located within the same folder
location.
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Automation Manager - Ability to handle multi-body parts as single parts

When Process Assemblies is checked in the Assembly Handling options located in the Configurations tab
of Automation Manager, the multi bodied parts will be exploded and treated as separate files. When Process
Assemblies is not checked, the multi bodied parts will be treated as one part and the multiple solids will be
aligned together.
Automation Manager - Hole Drilling and Door Handle Processing - Prevent Hole Drilling
configurations being deleted when in use
If a Hole Drilling configuration is in use, either by an Automation Manager Part File or a CDM job, it cannot be
deleted. An error message will be displayed showing the user which jobs/job files and door type/order details
are using the Hole Drilling configuration.
Automation Manager - Add the new Line/Arc Preference to Tool Directions

A new Start Point Preference option has been added to Automation Manager which can be found in the
property grid of the Layer Mapping Setup tab. The feature acts in the same way as it does in ALPHACAM
and allows the user to select whether the start point is applied to a Line or an Arc or to either (Line or Arc).
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Automation Manager - Hole Drilling and Door Handle processing - Multiprocess Job Support
It is now possible to apply Drilling Configurations to Multiple Process Jobs within Automation Manager. The
drilling configurations can be applied to both Automation Manager job files and CDM part files. Drilling
configurations can be applied manually to parts by selecting the part in the sub operation and then adding the
drilling configuration from the property grid or they can be applied during the import of a CSV file.
A new Import Setting has been added called Drilling Configurations to enable this functionality.
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Automation Manager - Option to display Jobs and Customer Names in alphabetical order
An enhancement has been made to Automation Manager allowing alphabetical ordering of Customers and
Jobs. The new Order Jobs Alphabetically filter is located in the Jobs Sorting section of the Processing tab.
If a Customer or Job is added to the current session while Order Jobs Alphabetically is active, the new
entry is located in alphabetical order. When disabled, the new entry is located at the bottom of the list in the
order of creation and is no longer in alphabetical order.
When ALPHACAM is closed and re-opened, the Customers are sorted into Alphabetical order which a is pre-
existing behaviour. However, Jobs remain in the order in which they were created until Order Jobs
Alphabetically is active where they are sorted alphabetically.
The filter state is retained when Automation Manager and/or ALPHACAM is closed and reopened.
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Automation Manager - Search function for Jobs

An enhancement has been made to both the Processing tab in Automation Manager. It is now possible to
search for Customers and Jobs by using Key Words within the newly implemented Search Bar:
• The inclusion of an Exact Match check box allows the user to search for the exact Key Words entered in the
Search Bar; the Exact Match will only return results when the whole string is matched.
• With Exact Match unchecked, all entries which contain the Key Words will be displayed.
• The Exact Match feature is set to off, by default, and must be activated by the user.
Automation Manager - UI - Ability to rename and edit the custom fields

An enhancement has been made to the Custom Fields in Automation Manager. It is now possible to rename
and edit the Custom Field Names to better represent their use. Within the Automation Manager Settings
dialog, a new tab has been added where the Custom Field Names can be edited; within this section, all 25
custom fields are visible, and values can be assigned to them. Wherever the custom fields are visible in
Automation Manager, the user will see these values in brackets next to the custom field.
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Automation Manager - Option to display Jobs and Customer Names in alphabetical order -
Improved numeric sorting
An enhancement has been made to the sorting of Jobs and Customers when using the Order Jobs
Alphabetically option in the Processing tab of Automation Manager. Numerical sorting now follows the same
convention as Microsoft Windows File Explorer meaning that numbers are no longer sorted as, for example,
1,11, 12, 2 but, instead, are sorted in the correct ascending order.
Automation Manager - Add Vero Nester Inactivity Timeout option

A new Inactivity Timeout option has been added to the Vero Nester within Automation Manager which can be
found in the Vero Nesting Settings section of the Nesting Options on the Configuration tab. When 0 (the
default) is used there is no change from the existing behaviour but, when a value other than 0 is entered, the
nest-engine will be automatically stopped if no new intermediate result is found within the specified time.
Automation Manager - Add Nesting Priority to Custom Column View

An enhancement has been made to Automation Manager and CDM for this release. It is now possible to add
Nesting Priority to the Custom Column view which, when configured, is visible in the Processing tab. The
new Nest Priority tiles can be added using the Configure button on the View Settings tab of the Automation
Manager Settings for both for Automation Manager and CDM. If changes are made to the nesting priority of a
job file using the property grid, the value is updated in the Nest Priority column.
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Automation Manager - Join Saw Cuts - Add to Automation Manager

An enhancement has been made to Automation Manager with the addition of the Join Saw Cuts command as
a Nesting Extension. It is located within the Nesting Extensions category of the Nesting Options in Automation
Manager and functions in the same manner as the Join Saw Cuts command available though the User
Interface. With the extension active, Join Saw Cuts will run automatically after the nesting process has
completed.
Note: Currently, the Join Saw Cuts extension cannot be used to join sawing tool paths with multiple depths of
cut.
Automation Manager – ‘Create Work Volume’ accessible without the xSolids Multiplier
An enhancement has been made to the Create Work Volume option within Automation Manager which can
be found in the Main Settings section of the Layer Mapping Setup tab. It is now possible to use the Create
Work Volume option without the xSolids Multiplier. This is useful for Post Processors that require a work
Volume.
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Automation Manager - CDM - Display Number of different Parts and Total Number of Parts as in
Legacy CDM
An enhancement has been made to Automation Manager and it is now possible to see the total number of
parts and the total quantity in the bottom right hand corner of the Processing tab window. The quantities will
update as parts are added or removed. For multi process jobs, it is the sum of all the sub process parts and
their quantities.
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Automation Manager and CDM
Automation Manager and CDM - Implement Drilling and Door Handle processing - Support
multi-selection edits
To be consistent with other Automation Manager functionality, it is now possible to select multiple job files or
order details and apply drilling configurations to the selection. A warning message will be displayed if the
selected items have different drilling configurations already assigned.
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Layers
Layers - Clear Memory – Retain Clear Memory setup dialog settings

An enhancement has been made to the Clear Memory command which is accessed from the Home tab of the
ribbon. When the OK button is pressed, the state of all the checkboxes is saved into the registry. The next time
the command is run, even after closing and re-opening ALPHACAM, the initial state of the checkboxes will be
read from the registry.
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Layers - Added Surface toggle to Clear Memory options

The ability to clear Surfaces using the Clear Memory command has been added when using the ALPHACAM
Core module. The Clear Memory command is located in the Utilities section of the Home tab.
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Layers Manager
Layers Manager - Locked User Layers Enhancements

Further enhancements have been made to the Lock User Layers feature such as:
• Locked User Layers cannot be deleted either by right-click delete or the keyboard delete key.
• The contents within a locked user layer cannot be deleted from the Layers projects page or from the Work Planes
project page. Content cannot be dragged into or out of a Locked User layer.
• The option to Lock/ Unlock has been added to the User Layers context menu and a Padlock icon is now displayed
on locked user layers. It is not possible to have an ‘Active’ locked User Layer and double clicking will no longer
activate the Locked User Layer.
Layers Manager - New Duplicate Layer right click command

A new right click option to Duplicate an existing User Layer has been added for this release. This will invoke
the New Layer dialog with all of the properties pre-selected to match the existing Layer; the user just needs to
confirm a new name.
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Layers Manager - Option to Clear Empty Layers

A new Delete Empty Layers button has been added to the toolbar of the Layers tab within the Project
Manager and to the CAD tab of the ribbon bar. The new button will locate and delete all empty user layers
contained in the active drawing. Empty user layers can also now be saved and are no longer deleted when
saving a drawing.
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Layers Manager - Delete and move to next item

The ability to use the keyboard Delete button to delete individual entities contained within a Layer and then
move to the next entity has been added for this release. This function works within the Layers tab of the
Project Manager.
Layers Manager - Project Manager - Machine Configuration - Double click to access the
Machine Configuration edit dialog
For this release, an enhancement has been made to the Project Manager user interface. Double clicking on
the top-level tree item for the machine configuration within the Project Manager will now display the Machine
Configuration dialog.
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CAD
CAD - Offset - Line/Arc - Multiple Element Support

The Offset command has been enhanced so that when you have opted to offset Line/Arc as either Geometry
or Construction, using a value or To Point, and including offsetting to both sides, the user can now select
multiple elements or Esc to continue with one element.
Note the change to the Prompt Bar:
CAD - Offset - To be able to box select elements

The Offset command has been enhanced and it is now possible to ‘Box Select’ elements when offsetting
Lines/Arcs.
Previously, the user was required to pick an element from a path and would then be prompted to optionally
pick more elements from that same path. In this release, selection is performed in one step; the user can pick
as many elements as required and, when finished, the offset is completed. Please note that elements cannot
be picked from multiple paths.
The new box selection highlights elements as soon as they are fully inside the rectangular selection box if you
are dragging the selection box from left to right. If you are dragging the selection box from right to left, they are
highlighted as soon as they intersect with the rectangle. Holding down SHIFT when dragging the selection box
deselects selected elements with similar left-to-right and right-to-left behaviour as when selecting.
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CAD - Trim - New improved behaviour with Floating Dialog

Trimming has been improved by adding a new floating dialog with options to Keep or Remove the selected
section of geometry and localised Undo and Redo commands.
Previously, sections of the path that became disjointed, and no longer intersected anything, could not be
removed but they now can be removed.
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Work Planes
Work Planes – New Delete Empty Work Planes command

A new Delete Empty Work Planes command that will delete all the empty work planes in the current drawing
has been added for this release. This is sometimes useful when Cad import and manipulation has been
performed leaving behind redundant work planes. Note that deleting empty work planes will mark a drawing as
requiring saving prompting the user that something has changed. This command is available in the Ribbon and
on the Work Planes tab of the Project Manager.
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Work Planes - New Lock/Unlock user control

Work Planes can be Locked/Unlocked to ensure that required work planes are not mistakenly deleted.
From the Work Planes tab on the Project manager, you can use the right click menu that now has the
Lock/Unlock controls.
Note: Locked work planes are indicated by the lock symbol on the icon.
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Work Plane Properties and Work Plane by Name Dialogs - Lock Column added
To support the ability to lock Work Planes, a Lock / Unlock column has been added to both Work Plane
Properties and Work Plane By Name Dialogs. This provides a rapid method of managing the Lock Status when
the active drawing contains many work planes.
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Input CAD
Input CAD - File Browser Add-in - Use ‘Last Used’ CAD Import settings when loading files using
the File Browser
An enhancement has been made to the File Browser which is located in the Project Manager within
ALPHACAM. For this release, when a file is opened using the File Browser, it uses the last used Input CAD
settings. These settings can be changed using the Input CAD command located on the Home tab.
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Input CAD - Lathe Cad Import - Rhino 3DM files - Support for Surfaces added
Support for Surfaces added for Rhino 3DM files in Lathe Cad Import.
Input CAD - Implement Parasolid Mesh to Solid conversion

An enhancement has been made to the import of Parasolid Meshes and the ability to convert them to Solids.
For this release, when importing a Parasolid Mesh, the user is given the option to Attempt mesh to solid
conversion:
• The conversion will only work for relatively simple STLs with flat surfaces and sharp edges that have been made
from faceting a solid.
• If the conversion is successful, a solid model is created and will be located in the Solid Model layer of the Project
Manager.
• If the conversion is unsuccessful, a warning message will be displayed and the STL will be located in the STL
layer of the Project Manager.
The Tolerance option is used for triangle to surface conversion and sewing the facets together. Specifying a
Maximum face count allows you to stop performing conversions on large parts that will take a long time and
are likely to fail.
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Input CAD - File Browser Add-in - Add File Size and Date Modified to the folder contents list
An enhancement has been made to the File Browser which is located in the Project Manager within
ALPHACAM. For this release, Size and Date Modified columns have been added and it is also possible to
sort the files in alphabetical order by clicking on the column headers making it easier to locate files.
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Display Options
Display Options - Ability to control size of markers with mouse wheel

An enhancement has been made allowing the user to re-size on screen ‘markers’. For this release, holding
down CTRL while using the Mouse Wheel will increase/decrease the size of various ‘markers’ attached to
paths in the Drawing.
The Reverse Mouse Wheel Zoom Direction option in the Dynamic View tab of the General settings will also
reverse whether you scroll down or up to increase/decrease the size of the markers. The markers immediately
resize when performing a CTRL Mouse Wheel movement even when inside a command, for example, Edit
Geometry by Node. Pressing CTRL+ Middle Mouse Button will reset the ‘markers’ to their default size.
The ‘markers’ affected by this are:
• Ghost Tools.
• Show Breaks.
• Tool Path Arrows.
• User Defined Code.
• Geometry Nodes.
• Support Tags.
• The crosses that appear when drawing geometry, for example, Line or Rectangle command.
• Snap points, for example, when F2 is pressed.
• Number labels, for example, when re-ordering geometries manually.
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Appendix A - API Improvements in ALPHACAM 2023.1
CAD Input Settings

The CadInputSettings object was missing some properties and has been enhanced with a new method to
query the settings last used by the user. Together, these can be used to save current settings, get the last
used settings, import some CAD files and then restore the input settings. Note that not all settings will be used
by all CAD file types.
CadInputSettings.InputText As Boolean
Set was available previously, get has now been added.
CadInputSettings.IgnorePolylineWidth As Boolean
CadInputSettings.UseColors As Boolean
CadInputSettings.Font As String
Set and get the current font used for text imported from the CAD file.
CadInputSettings.IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes As Boolean
Set and get whether existing work planes in the Drawing are ignored or not.
CadInputSettings.GetLastUsedSettings
Populate the CadInputSettings object with the settings that were last used by the user.
Example
' Structure to hold on to all CAD Input settings

Type CISettings
CombineTangentialElements As Boolean
InputText As Boolean
IgnorePolylineWidth As Boolean
UseColours As Boolean
UseLayerVisibility As Boolean
Join3DPolylines As Boolean
ModelSpaceOnly As Boolean
IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes As Boolean
DXFSpecial As Long
BreakTol As Double
Font As String
DXFDWGTranslator As AcamDXFDWGTranslator
IGESTranslator As AcamIgesTranslator
StepTranslator As AcamStepTranslator
End Type
Dim settings As CISettings
Public Sub GetLatest()

Dim CI As CadInputSettings
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Set CI = App.CadInputSettings
CI.GetLastUsedSettings 'New
End Sub
Public Sub SaveSettings()

With settings
.CombineTangentialElements = CI.CombineTangentialElements
.InputText = CI.InputText 'New
.IgnorePolylineWidth = CI.IgnorePolylineWidth 'New
.UseColours = CI.UseColors 'New
.UseLayerVisibility = CI.UseLayerVisibility
.Join3DPolylines = CI.Join3Dpolylines
.ModelSpaceOnly = CI.ModelSpaceOnly
.IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes = CI.IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes 'New
.DXFSpecial = CI.DXFSpecial
.BreakTol = CI.BreakTol
.Font = CI.Font 'New
.DXFDWGTranslator = CI.DXFDWGTranslator
.IGESTranslator = CI.IGESTranslator
.StepTranslator = CI.StepTranslator
End With
End Sub
Public Sub RestoreSettings()

With settings
CI.CombineTangentialElements = .CombineTangentialElements
CI.InputText = .InputText
CI.IgnorePolylineWidth = .IgnorePolylineWidth
CI.UseColors = .UseColours
CI.UseLayerVisibility = .UseLayerVisibility
CI.Join3DPolylines = .Join3Dpolylines
CI.ModelSpaceOnly = .ModelSpaceOnly
CI.IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes = .IgnoreExistingWorkPlanes 'New
CI.DXFSpecial = .DXFSpecial
CI.BreakTol = .BreakTol
CI.Font = .Font 'New
CI.DXFDWGTranslator = .DXFDWGTranslator
CI.IGESTranslator = .IGESTranslator
CI.StepTranslator = .StepTranslator
End With
End Sub
Public Sub TestWithGetLatestSettings()

' Save CAD input settings
SaveSettings
' Get latest settings used by user
GetLatest
' Load file(s)
App.OpenDxfFile "C:\DXF\MyDXFFile.dxf", True
' Restore CAD input settings
RestoreSettings
End Sub
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Nesting – Nest List Inactivity Timeout

ALPHACAM 2023 introduces a new option for the Vero Nest Engine to stop calculation time prematurely if no
new nesting results have been found within a certain time. The new InactivityTimeout option defaults to 0
which means the nest engine will not be stopped early. The timeout period starts after the first result is
obtained and is reset each time a new intermediate result is found.
To use the Nesting API commands in VBA, go to Tools | References and ensure that the “Alphacam Nesting
v3.0 Type Library” entry in “Available References” is checked.
NestList.InactivityTimeout As double
Timeout in seconds. This option requires the Vero Nest Engine.
Example
' Create simple Finish operation using selected tool and geometry
Public Function FinishPath() As Paths
Dim MD As MillData
Set MD = App.CreateMillData
MD.XYCorners = acamCornersSTRAIGHT
MD.SafeRapidLevel = 20
MD.RapidDownTo = 1
MD.FinalDepth = -10
Dim TPs As Paths
Set TPs = MD.RoughFinish
Set FinishPath = TPs
End Function
Public Sub CreateNestList()

Dim NS As Nesting
Dim NL As Nestlist
Dim NP As NestPart
App.New
Set NS = App.Nesting
NS.DeleteAllNestLists
Set NL = NS.NewNestList("Nesting")
' Configure Nest List options
NL.NestingMethod = nestMethodVERONEST
NL.PathType = nestBOTH
NL.EdgeGap = 0#
NL.PartGap = 0#
NL.TotalTime = 120
NL.InactivityTimeout = 10
NL.NestSide = nestBOTTOMLEFT
NL.OptimizedToolpathOverlap = True
Dim D As Drawing
Set D = App.ActiveDrawing
' Create a couple of test shapes with different tool sizes
Dim P As Path
Dim TPs As Paths
Set P = D.CreateRectangle(-500#, 0#, -300, 100)
P.ToolInOut = acamOUTSIDE
P.Selected = True
App.SelectTool App.SystemDatPath & "\RTOOLS.ALP\Flat - 10mm.art"
P.Selected = True
Set TPs = FinishPath()
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Set NP = NL.Add(TPs)
NP.Required = 4
NP.RotationAngle = 360
NP.AllowMirror = True
Set P = D.CreateRectangle(-500#, 200#, -450, 250)
P.ToolInOut = acamOUTSIDE
P.Selected = True
App.SelectTool App.SystemDatPath & "\RTOOLS.ALP\Flat - 2mm.art"
P.Selected = True
Set TPs = FinishPath()
Set NP = NL.Add(TPs)
NP.Required = 10
NP.RotationAngle = 360
NP.AllowMirror = True
' Create a sheet
Dim SL As SheetList
Dim S As NestSheet
Set SL = NS.NewSheetList
Set P = App.ActiveDrawing.CreateRectangle(0#, 0#, 1220, 600)
Set S = SL.Add(P)
' Nest
NS.Nest NL, SL
End Sub
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Drawing – Set Rapid Manager

Use the following method to turn on / off the rapid manager and set Z retract parameters.
Drawing. SetRapidManagerZ (Enable As Boolean, SafeRapidLevel As Double, allowPlanar As Boolean)
• Enable – Turn rapid manager on / off.

• SafeRapidLevel – Safe rapid height.
• allowPlanar – Additionally, add moves between parallel workplanes.
Example
Public Sub Test()

Dim d As Drawing
d. SetRapidManagerZ (true, 100.0, true)
End Sub
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BeforeLoadToolMultidrill Event (Router only)

A new add-in event has been added to ALPHACAM 2023 which fires when a user loads a tool into a Multi Drill
Unit (MDU). An add-in can use this event to show the user an alternative tool library and simply pass back the
filename of the tool which should be loaded into the MDU:
• In VBA, to use a specific tool, return its filename, return an empty string or ‘1’ to tell ALPHACAM to show the
default tool library dialog, or, return ‘2’ to abort the load tool command.
• In C# and C++, return the string and a return code of ‘1’ to use a specific tool, return ‘0’ to show the default tool
library and return ‘2’ to abort the load tool command.
VBA
Inside a module called ‘Events’:
Function BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill() As String

Dim filename As String
Dim ret As VbMsgBoxResult
ret = MsgBox("Use hardcoded tool?", vbYesNoCancel)
If ret = vbYes Then

filename = App.SystemDatPath & "RTools.alp\Ball End - 20mm.art"
BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill = filename
ElseIf ret = vbNo Then
BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill = "1"
Else
BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill = "2"
End If
End Function
4 April 2023 77
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C#
public class AlphacamEvents

{
IAlphaCamApp Acam;
AddInInterfaceClass theAddInInterface;
public AlphacamEvents(IAlphaCamApp Acam)
{
this.Acam = Acam;
Frame Frm = Acam.Frame;
theAddInInterface = Frm.CreateAddInInterface() as AddInInterfaceClass;
theAddInInterface.InitAlphacamAddIn += theAddInInterface_InitAlphacamAddIn;
theAddInInterface.BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill +=
theAddInInterface_BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill;
if (Frm != null)
Marshal.ReleaseComObject(Frm);
}
void theAddInInterface_InitAlphacamAddIn(AcamInitAddInAction Action, EventData
Data)
{
Data.ReturnCode = 0;
}
// Add-in may set Data.FileName to the name of the file
// to be opened, and set Data.ReturnCode to 1,
// or 0 if ALPHACAM is to show normal dialog box,
// or 2 to cancel the command.
void theAddInInterface_BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill(EventDataFileName Data)
{
Data.FileName = Acam.SystemDatPath + "RTools.Alp\\Ball End - 10mm.art";
}
}
4 April 2023 78
www.alphacam.com
C++
#define ACAMAPIFUN(type) extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) type __stdcall

ACAMAPIFUN(int) BeforeLoadToolMultiDrill(VARIANT var_acam, LPSTR filename)
{
AFX_MANAGE_STATE(AfxGetStaticModuleState());
ACAMAPP(var_acam);
// Add-in may copy name of file to be opened to string

// and return 1, or return 0 if AlphaCAM is to show normal
// dialog box, or return 2 to cancel command.
int ret = AfxMessageBox(_T("Use hardcoded tool?"), MB_YESNOCANCEL);
if (ret == IDYES)
{
CString strFilename((BSTR)(acam->SystemDatPath));
strFilename.Append(L"RTools.alp\\Ball End - 2mm.art");
CStringA sFilename(strFilename);
strcpy_s(filename, _MAX_PATH, sFilename.GetString());
return 1;
}
else if (ret == IDNO)
{
return 0;
}
else if (ret == IDCANCEL)
{
return 2;
}
return 0;
}
4 April 2023 79
www.alphacam.com
BeforeLoadToolTurret Event (Lathe only)

A new add-in event has been added to ALPHACAM 2023 which fires when a user loads a tool into a turret. An
add-in can use this event to show the user an alternative tool library and simply pass back the filename of the
tool which should be loaded into the turret:
• In VBA, to use a specific tool, return its filename, return an empty string or ‘1’ to tell ALPHACAM to show the
default tool library dialog, or, return ‘2’ to abort the load tool command.
• In C# and C++, return the string and a return code of ‘1’ to use a specific tool, return ‘0’ to show the default tool
library and return ‘2’ to abort the load tool command.
VBA
Inside a module called ‘Events’:
Function BeforeLoadToolTurret() As String

Dim filename As String
Dim ret As VbMsgBoxResult
ret = MsgBox("Use hardcoded tool?", vbYesNoCancel)
If ret = vbYes Then
filename = App.SystemDatPath & "TTools.alp\Roughing\IDLD 04 11 93 32 55
CT525 P 40.att"
BeforeLoadToolTurret = filename
ElseIf ret = vbNo Then
BeforeLoadToolTurret = "1"
Else
BeforeLoadToolTurret = "2"
End If
End Function
4 April 2023 80
www.alphacam.com
C#
public class AlphacamEvents

{
IAlphaCamApp Acam;
AddInInterfaceClass theAddInInterface;
public AlphacamEvents(IAlphaCamApp Acam)
{
this.Acam = Acam;
Frame Frm = Acam.Frame;
theAddInInterface = Frm.CreateAddInInterface() as AddInInterfaceClass;
theAddInInterface.InitAlphacamAddIn += theAddInInterface_InitAlphacamAddIn;
theAddInInterface.BeforeLoadToolTurret +=
theAddInInterface_BeforeLoadToolTurret;
if (Frm != null)
Marshal.ReleaseComObject(Frm);
}
void theAddInInterface_InitAlphacamAddIn(AcamInitAddInAction Action, EventData
Data)
{
}
// Add-in may set Data.FileName to the name of the file
// to be opened, and set Data.ReturnCode to 1,
// or 0 if ALPHACAM is to show normal dialog box,
// or 2 to cancel the command.
void theAddInInterface_BeforeLoadToolTurret(EventDataFileName Data)
{
Data.FileName = Acam.SystemDatPath + "TTools.alp\\Roughing\\IDLD 04 11 93 32
55 CT525 P 40.att";
}
}
4 April 2023 81
www.alphacam.com
C++
#define ACAMAPIFUN(type) extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) type __stdcall

ACAMAPIFUN(int) BeforeLoadToolTurret(VARIANT var_acam, LPSTR filename)
{
AFX_MANAGE_STATE(AfxGetStaticModuleState());
ACAMAPP(var_acam);
// Add-in may copy name of file to be opened to string
// and return 1, or return 0 if ALPHACAM is to show normal
// dialog box, or return 2 to cancel command.
int ret = AfxMessageBox(_T("Use hardcoded tool?"), MB_YESNOCANCEL);
if (ret == IDYES)
{
CString strFilename((BSTR)(acam->SystemDatPath));
strFilename.Append(L"TTools.alp\\Roughing\\IDLD 04 11 93 32 55 CT525 P
40.att");
CStringA sFilename(strFilename);
strcpy_s(filename, _MAX_PATH, sFilename.GetString());
return 1;
}
else if (ret == IDNO)
{
return 0;
}
else if (ret == IDCANCEL)
{
return 2;
}
return 0;
}
4 April 2023 82

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Alphacam Whats New

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WHAT’S NEW IN ALPHACAM 2023.

Tool Library ............................................................................................................................. 26

Automation Manager .............................................................................................................. 45

Layers Manager ...................................................................................................................... 60

Operating System Support

More Information about New Features

ALPHACAM Maintenance Expiry Date

Supported CAD File Versions

Supported CAD File Versions

Translator and Version

ACIS R1 – 2023 1.0

ALPHACAM Designer Files

Autodesk Inventor 2023 (current, IPT & IAM files)

Creo 9.0 (formerly Pro/E Wildfire)

DXF/DWG (AutoCAD 2018)

IGES (not version specific)

NX Unigraphics UG11 – NX 2206

Parasolid 9.0 – 35.0.184

Part Modeler (current)

Solid Edge SE 2023 (PAR & PSM files)

STEP AP203/AP214/AP242 (preferred Schemas)

STL (not version specific)

VISI Version (current)

Translator and Version

Catia V4 4.1.9 - 4.2.4

CATIA V5 V5R8 - V5-6R2022

ID Description Closing Notes

31809 Output CAD - STEP - No CAD file is output. Fixed.

ID Description Closing Notes

31917 NCSIMUL Tool compensation always zero. Fixed.

32269 Move to Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.0.XX). Implemented.

32398 Solids - Edit - Mirrored Solid changes Operation associativity. Fixed.

32622 Machining dialogs - Apply button issues. Fixed.

33230 Simulation Problems with Pop Clamps. Fixed.

ID Description Closing Notes

Machining - Rough or Finish Pass - New Ignore Open Elements option

Supports Auto Z and Take Account of previous machining.

Machining - Support Tags Enhancements

Machining - Rough or Finish - Auto Z - Addition of an option for Equal cuts

Machining - Sawing - Auto Z - The addition of option for Equal cuts

Machining - 4K - To be able to adjust toolpath thickness

Machining Cycles - New ‘Preview’ command button

Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for ordering operations

Operations Manager - Drag and Drop to reorder sub-operations

Operations Manager - Drag and Drop support for automatic scrolling

Tool Library - Add Tool Type filter buttons

Tool Library - Graphical Display of Tool Tip and Gauge Line

Tool Library - Configurable columns

Tool Library - Column field for assigned Holder

Tool Directions - Enhanced to support automatic Arc Elements

Tool Directions - Option to Show Ghost Tools

Rapids Manager - Improved Support for Parallel Planes

Rapids Manager - Pick button for Rapid Levels

Rapids Manager - Insert Managed Rapid command

Inserting a Managed Rapid is used to override Global Rapid Manager settings.

Nesting - Second Nesting Times to Stop/Interrupt the Process

• When 0 (the default) is used there is no change in existing behaviour.

Nesting – Saw - Join Saw Cuts - Add to Nesting Extensions

Nesting - Cabinet Vision Label Add-on integration

Label output files are currently located in ALPHACAM\LICOMDIR\Reports\Data.

Automation Manager - Add refresh button to Machining Styles tree

Automation Manager - (Input CAD Extensions) - Addition of Project 3D to 2D

Using these options, a 3D drawing can be converted to a 2D drawing.

#define ACAMAPIFUN(type) extern "C" declspec(dllexport) type stdcall

#define ACAMAPIFUN(type) extern "C" declspec(dllexport) type stdcall