How to modify CAM operation dialog window

How to modify CAM operation dialog window

This week’s Technical Tuesday I will show you how you can modify which options will be available in CAM operation dialog windows. If you use some options often, you want to have them available close at hand. Also you will want to remove options which you never use. Here you can find how you can do this in NX CAM:

Customizing dialog layout makes sense mostly in operation’s template. I described CAM operations templates last week.

You will find it after you right click on operation (operation’s template actually) / Object / Customize…

In Customize Dialog, you will find Items Used tab, which contains all elements currently existing in your operation dialog:

You can reorder elements and remove them.

To add new element, which currently doesn’t exist in the dialog, use Items to Add tab:

You will see all out-of-the-box elements which are available to add to the template.

To make your custom dialog well organized you can use also elements like: groups, tabs, labels, separators, and even pictures:

Also if you often use UDE’s, you can add it directly to operation’s template. If UDE is attached to operation which dialog you are currently editing, you will see it on the list:

…so you can change this UDE settings directly in the operation:

 

Investing some time in preparing your dialog windows, should make your everyday work faster. You will be able to focus on programming tool paths instead of searching for options which you need.

All described customization methods are available not only for operations but also for tools, geometries, methods and even program groups.

About the Author
Marek Pawlus
Marek’s focus is development of postprocessors, NC code simulation kits and NX Open applications for NX CAM. In 2016 Marek founded NCmatic in Poland to provide services for NX CAM users. In 2017 NCmatic became Siemens’ Software and Technology Partner. In 2018 Marek launched second location of NCmatic in Morgan Hill, California, to make it even easier for companies from United States to cooperate with NCmatic. Marek graduated from University of Technology in Rzeszow, Poland in 2010 with master’s degree in Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering. While Marek’s area of interest is CAM software and CNC controllers, he also has hands-on experience as CAM programmer in motorsport industry.

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