[camtd]

The company I work for now needs to use ProEngineer for there cad work. They are considering Mastercam for cnc programming. Does anyone work with imported step files and have some kind of association of the cad file to the Mastercam file with toolpaths? Any recomendations?

[Mike Mattera]

Mastercam can read ProE file. You dont need to convert to STEP. Once you read it in, Mastercam toolpaths will be associated to the part, but not back to changes in the ProE system. Only ProMan will be associated to a ProE file.

Mike Mattera

[John@CRDM]

We design in Pro E and the export everything as IGS for machining......Never had any problems

[Matt Berube]

Correct me if I'm wrong here... but isn't the ProE converter for Mastercam an add-on (i.e. you have to pay extra for it) ?

When I get files from customers I nearly always prefer parasolid files. The only exception to this is when the files are exported from ProE. For some reason their parasolid translator doesn't seem to work very well.

When I have a customer using ProE I am usually able to get their files into Mastercam via *.step or *.sat formats.

[Mike Mattera]

I dont know if it's still an option. If it is and your dont have it, I would also ask for an .step file and go from there.

Mike Mattera

[Shotout]

Correct me if I'm wrong here... but isn't the ProE converter for Mastercam an add-on (i.e. you have to pay extra for it) ?

When I get files from customers I nearly always prefer parasolid files. The only exception to this is when the files are exported from ProE. For some reason their parasolid translator doesn't seem to work very well.

When I have a customer using ProE I am usually able to get their files into Mastercam via *.step or *.sat formats.

I've had that problem before and it was traced to export import tolerances not matching. To much averaging it was explained by the support people.

[Mike Mattera]

Yes the tolerances in ProE are pretty open. That's why when you put curves on the edges, nothing connects (corner to corner).

Matt: As for it being an option, I'm not sure any more. What does it say when you select the ProE converter? Are you running X4?

Mike Mattera

[Matt Berube]

Tried it today...

Asks for an access code upon trying to use the proe converter.

I am currently running X4-MU2

[fizzissist]

Yes the tolerances in ProE are pretty open. That's why when you put curves on the edges, nothing connects (corner to corner).

Matt: As for it being an option, I'm not sure any more. What does it say when you select the ProE converter? Are you running X4?

Mike Mattera

I'm also running X4 and have had problems with ProE files from day 1. I hate to blame the guy doing the ProE modeling, but the models I get are a real headache, and often I just rebuild it rather than trying to get things to connect. That includes having to completely remodel edges to get a surface.

Honestly don't know if it's better to use the .prt or .iges for import, and would love to know what the tolerances NEED to be? The filtering is somewhat a mystery, since I was assuming (I know, I know) that ProE would construct well within reasonable constraints.

[ckirchen]

Yes the tolerances in ProE are pretty open. That's why when you put curves on the edges, nothing connects (corner to corner).

The default accuracy on a ProE part is .0012 and that is relative to the model size. I have my part template set to .0001 absolute and that makes a huge difference for downstream use.

[Shotout]

The default accuracy on a ProE part is .0012 and that is relative to the model size. I have my part template set to .0001 absolute and that makes a huge difference for downstream use.

.012?!?! I realized they had open tolerances but jeez. Then you get a tolerance of .010 or less and an APO that reads machine to model.

[Limpan]

Hi, I´ve never had any problems with *.step-files exported from ProE. I´m using X3MU1.

[ckirchen]

.012?!?! I realized they had open tolerances but jeez. Then you get a tolerance of .010 or less and an APO that reads machine to model.

It defaults to .0012 relative accuracy because it keeps regeneration time down. It is a throwback from the earlier versions when most users did not have access to computers capable of processing a .0001 (or increased) absolute accuracy model, at least in a timely manner.

I agree that they should increase the default accuracy, especially now that a powerful computer is more commonplace. Almost everyone that uses ProE knows that you must set it up to suit your specific needs (i.e. config.pro, etc.).

Forgive the question, but what is APO?

[Shotout]

It defaults to .0012 relative accuracy because it keeps regeneration time down. It is a throwback from the earlier versions when most users did not have access to computers capable of processing a .0001 (or increased) absolute accuracy model, at least in a timely manner.

I agree that they should increase the default accuracy, especially now that a powerful computer is more commonplace. Almost everyone that uses ProE knows that you must set it up to suit your specific needs (i.e. config.pro, etc.).

Forgive the question, but what is APO?

I think the problems I've had in the past are the models have passed through 2 or 3 different software suites before getting to me so averaging has accumulated.

The original poster commented on step files being good. I have to agree. I never get bad models when I import step files.

APO= Automated Planning Order.