[Chris Figgatt]

I'm interested in learning how to edit and create post processors for Mastercam, however, I would like to approach this endeavor at my own pace. I know that from time to time, different companies offer classes on this topic and while I'm not opposed to taking one of these classes I would like to find a good training guide on this subject, does one exist anywhere?

[John_B]

Ask your reseller to send you a copy of the Mastercam Post Reference document (Basic Posts Class). It's about a 47MB file, so you'll need to have an FTP available, or have them send it to you on CD or something...

[Chris Figgatt]

Thanks John, I didn't know that was available, I'll give them a call on Monday.

[lawrence]

Ask your reseller to send you a copy of the Mastercam Post Reference document (Basic Posts Class). It's about a 47MB file, so you'll need to have an FTP available, or have them send it to you on CD or something...

Any idea if it is possible to download this file?

[WallyL7]

Chris Figgatt, there is another guy named Chris Figgatt (weird, I know) looking for the same thing here:
Looking for training book on Mastercam post processors - Practical Machinist - Largest Manufacturing Technology Forum on the Web

Check with the "wiz" over there. He is a huge help in this matter. He's got the down low low down download you need.

[Chris Figgatt]

Thanks Tim,

That's me on PM too. I replied to cadcamwiz and he shoudl be sending me a .pdf on Basic Post Building, I'm also checking with our reseller to see if I can get a copy of the Mastercam Post Reference document from the Baisc Posts class.....sounds like it may be the same thing that cadcamwiz is sending but we'll see.

[WallyL7]

Yeah, I just figured I'd let anyone else reading this that there was a lot of help regarding this offered over there just in case someone else needs it.

Oh, and just a general rule: Make your Reseller work for their money!!!

:cheers:

[John_B]

Sure it can be downloaded, if you can find a MC reseller who has it on their server with a link to download it from... My local reseller didn't so all they could do was try to e-mail it, which didn't work due to the size of the file. They wound up burning it to a CD and mailing it to me.

[qnet2]

I got a guide from my reseller not too long ago, if you want it i'll post it here

[Magnusan]

Please post it!

[qnet2]

Glad to help

[qnet2]

Try this
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/70069247/MP_documentation.zip

[cadcam]

ya it is a few megs to big..

[cadcam]

ya what is working

[qnet2]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/70069247/MP_...ntation.zipthe dropbox link to the MP documentation i edited into my earlier post

[mikefalkner]

Thanks a million for the documentation. It helped me also a whole lot. Happy reading.

[canyondrift]

Helloo,

A little bit old topic, but is there still a copy of MP_documentation moving around?
I would like to learn about post processors and edit them as i wish, i have a little programming backround, so well see, will it be easy or not...

Maybe can someone send me a link to dropbox or something?

Thanks

[RadianRacing]

Did you find any information on this which you would like to share. I want to edit generic Haas post on my Mastercam 2022.

[cadcam]

There is a Post basics class on the Mastercam University you may want to look into.

https://university.mastercam.com/

[Green0]

The people that should be making the training materials for the software are CNC software (MASTERCAM). I bought a bunch of books. They don't really do what I want which is to receive a working knowledge of tools and an understanding of parameters. They instead seem to be like "paint by numbers" books where the inferences are all supposed to be inferred rather than an actual explanation given. Perhaps that's because no one really understands all the parameters. Linking parameters for example is a dialog I don't understand in milling operations. There are like 4-5 values and it only ever seems like I need maybe 2? The picture without word explanations menu format doesn't help. I want to know what I'm supposed to be telling the software but after $36,000 in software and $12,000 in training, and $1000 in third party books, I can't say I know that. I often take several attempts to get an operation to populate and work properly and it bothers me that there isn't an obvious path to a better place.

The biggest elephant in the CNC world is the question of "how much training should this take?" Resellers always want to say something like, "I like to start guys at 3 days." The implication being that it is totally awesome software and no time will be required to learn it. Then you dig deeper with a question like, "So I should be competent in 3 days." And they start backpeddling with stuff like, well then you might want to come back for another 5, and then if you ask them another question you will quickly understand that training is a complete bottomless pit with no solution. The reality, at $1500 a day, it might actually take a year of one on one training to build a mastercam expert. So if you have $457,500 to spend on cam software and 305 free days to burn, I would expect you to be a happy customer at the end of the pipeline. The training the re-seller gave an employee was ~3.5 months from what I heard. That's $105,000 of training. For me as a shop owner I have to realize if I don't want to invest that money in an employee, I have to program for my shop, so it's not just a problem for me the customer. It's a problem in that it is so not user friendly that guys on the floor who want to learn it I really am going to have major obstacles to teaching or ever giving that opportunity to. I'm not currently qualified to teach them and I have a a year on the software. I feel like it would be 5-7 years before I would be qualified to teach them.

The software is essentially free compared to the human investment, mental and financial turmoil you will endure to become an expert programmer with a software, because the softwares are still stone age. They haven't reached a level of user friendliness that reduces the human relationship to something simple.