Whats New

GibbsCAM2011, v10

Proprietary Notice
This document contains proprietary information of Gibbs and Associates and is to
be used only pursuant to and in conjunction with the license granted to the
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It is strongly advised that users carefully review the license in order to understand
the rights and obligations related to this licensed software and the accompanying
documentation.
Use of the computer software and the user documentation has been provided
pursuant to a Gibbs and Associates licensing agreement.
2011 Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron Company. All rights reserved. The Gibbs
logo, GibbsCAM, GibbsCAM logo, Virtual Gibbs, SolidSurfacer, and Powerfully
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product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Gibbs and Associates

323 Science Drive
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Modified: Thursday, July 07, 2011 7:14 PM

Contents
WHAT'S NEW IN GIBBSCAM2011, V10

Highlights

Documentation

Online Help and Individual User Guides

Other Documentation
Name Changes

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8
8

Links to Online Resources

Conventions

Text
Graphics

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10

GENERAL FUNCTIONALITY

11

System and Installation Changes

11

Update Notifier

11
11

Notes on Update Notifier

Installation

11
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12
12

New Installation Media

New Installation Capabilities
New Folder/File Organization

Migrating Settings and Preferences

12
12

Using the GibbsCAM Migration Tool

64-Bit Integration

13

Interface Changes

14

Menus, Behaviors, and Look-and-Feel

14

Changes to Plug-Ins
Changes to Task Bar, Context Menus, Tiles, and Tile Lists
Geometry Creation
Freehand Move and Rotate
Touch Interface

14
15
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16
16

Color Modes

17

Functional Changes

18

Attributes and User-Defined Features

18

About Attributes
User-Defined Features

19
19

Holes and Hole Features

20
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22

Hole Managerand Hole Wizard

Custom Drill Cycles

Operation Modifiers

23
23

Notes for Using Operation Modifiers

Managers for Tools, Processes, and Operations

24
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25

Viewing Tool/Process/Operation Data

Editing Tool/Process/Operation Data

PRODUCTION MILL, LATHE, AND MILL/TURN

26

Mill:Pocketing

27

Lathe:B-Axis Turning

28

Lathe:Groove Cycles

29

Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling

29

VOLUMILL

32

SOLIDS

33

Body Bag Pages

33

Body Bag View Settings

34

5-AXIS

35

Background Task Management

35

5-Axis Drilling Options

35

New Machining Strategies for Toolpath Generation

36

Triangle Mesh
Wireframe
Swarf Machining

36
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37

MULTI-TASK MACHINING

38

Drag Operations Preserve Syncs

38

Undo for Sync/Unsync

38

WIRE EDM

39

No-Core Roughing

39

Color Configuration

39

MACROS

41

Custom Drill Cycles

41

New Macro Commands

41

CAD INTEROPERABILITY

42

What's New in GibbsCAM2011, v10

What's New in
GibbsCAM2011, v10
GibbsCAM 2011, v10, is the first major version of GibbsCAM since GibbsCAM2010,v9.5. This
document summarizes and describes the enhancements and changes provided in
GibbsCAM2011.
This release of GibbsCAM is expected to be available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional),
Czech, Dutch, English (USandUK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish,
Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Highlights
Major highlights of this release include:
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Color modes, including Feature color and user-defined color

Attributes and user-defined features, including CADattribute import
Ability to rotate and translate elements freehand
Touch gestures for common actions (with suitable hardware)
Improvements to Hole Features, including custom drill cycles, new hole-selection
methods, streamlined Hole Manager, and the ability to copy-and-paste holes
Operation Modifiers that reapply toolpath changes automatically with each Redo.
New interfaces Tool Manager and Process Manager, similar to the existing Operation
Manager, with new capabilities for editing tools, processes, and operations
Resizable/expandable tile lists for tools, processes, and operations
Plug-In Manager, to control plug-in availability and organize items and subitems in the
Plug-Ins menu.
Mill:Improvements to Pocketing
VoluMill:Support for Rotary Mill pocketing; reduced CPU time; improved Depth First
machining; new ability to specify Climb milling; and other improvements
Lathe:B-Axis contouring; Groove Cycles
Solids:Multi-page Body Bag
5-Axis:Background task management; drilling and drill cycles; new machining strategies
Triangle Mesh, Swarf Machining, and Wireframe; smoothing; and other enhancements
Significant new macro capabilities, continuously documented in the new Macros wiki
(http://macros.GibbsCAM.com).

What's New in GibbsCAM2011, v10

Updated interoperability:CATIAv5 R20, Solid Edge ST3v103, Parasolid24, NX7.5,

Autodesk 2012, RealDWG2012, and CimatronE v10
New installation capabilities, such as selective installation/uninstallation of individual
product options and components; repairing an incomplete or damaged installation, and
the ability to migrate most settings and preferences from previous releases of GibbsCAM.
Update Notifier, to detect GibbsCAM software updates as they become available

For detailed information on new and updated functionality in GibbsCAM2011, refer to the
following sections:
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General Functionality on page11

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn on page26
VoluMill on page32
Solids on page33
5-Axis on page35
Multi-Task Machining on page38
Wire EDM on page39
Macros on page41
CAD Interoperability on page42

Documentation
Documentation forGibbsCAM2011 has a new appearance in both online help and portable
document format (PDF) files. PDFs are provided with the installation media and are also
available for download from https://online.GibbsCAM.com.

Online Help and Individual User Guides

The following user guides and online help have content changes:
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Installation: Reflects changes to the installation procedures and file layout. Contains new
information on repairing and updating an installation and on migrating settings from
previous releases.
Getting Started: Explains how to use the new freehand rotate/translate functionality and
touch interface.
Geometry Creation: Contains the improved Rectangle creation options.
Mill: Explains the Pocketing enhancements and the new options for the Holes process.
Describes the display and editing capabilities of Tool Manager, Process Manager, and
Operations Manager. Provides information on using Operation Modifiers.
Lathe: Explains the B-Axis Turning enhancement. Describes the display and editing
capabilities of Tool Manager, Process Manager, and Operations Manager. Provides
information on using Operation Modifiers.

What's New in GibbsCAM2011, v10

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2.5D Solids, Solid Import, SolidSurfacer: Explain the multi-page Body Bag and improved
approach to body names, IDs, and creation methods. Contains updated information on
Plunge Rough improvements.
Macros Guide: Replaced by the GibbsCAMMacros wiki (https://macros.GibbsCAM.com).
Features (renamed from Wizards Guide): Contains new information on attributes, userdefined features and colors, and color modes. Explains the new Hole Manager
capabilities, including Auto Wizard and many other enhancements and improvements.
Radial Milling(renamed from 4-Axis Guide).
5-Axis: Contains information on drilling, new toolpath strategies (triangle mesh,
wireframe, and swarf machining), the task manager, and other enhancements.
Data Exchange: Contains updated information on Add-Ins and compatible CAD packages
and formats.
Plug-Ins: Contains updated information on new plug-ins and options, as well as Plug-In
Manager and Operation Modifiers.
VoluMill: Contains information on Polar & Cylindrical Milling pocketing and other
improvements.

Other Documentation
The following changes should be noted:
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Each tutorial is now an individual PDF document separate from the corresponding user
guide.
Tutorials for Mill, Lathe, and Geometry Creation have been extensively revised.
Updated documentation for Reporter Commands will reflect accumulated changes.

As in previous releases, tutorial guides are available as PDFs only.

Name Changes
The documentation and user interface (UI) reflect the following name changes:

Polar & Cylindrical Milling (formerly known as Rotary Milling)

Radial Milling (formerly known as 4-Axis)

What's New in GibbsCAM2011, v10

Links to Online Resources

Link URL

Action / Description

Go

http://www.GibbsCAM.com

Opens the main website for Gibbs and Associates.

https://online.GibbsCAM.com

Opens a restricted website containing materials

available for download. Requires a GibbsCAM Online
account; to set up an account, contact GibbsCAM
Support.

Go

https://macros.GibbsCAM.com

Opens a wiki containing documentation and

examples of GibbsCAM macros. Requires a
GibbsCAMaccount.

Go

mailto:Support@GibbsCAM.com

Runs your e-mail client to create a new message

addressed to the Gibbs and Associates Technical
Support department.

Go

mailto:Sales@GibbsCAM.com

Runs your e-mail client to create a new message

addressed to the Gibbs and Associates Sales
department.

Go

http://www.autodesk.com/inventor

Opens an external website that provides more

information on Autodesk Inventor products.

Go

http://www.celeritive.com

Opens an external website that provides more

information on VoluMill Ultra High-Performance
Toolpath (UHPT)from Celeritive Technologies.

Go

http://www.predator-software.com

Opens an external website that provides more

information on a CNC editor and a virtual CNC
viewer from Predator Software, Inc.

Go

Conventions
GibbsCAM documentation uses two special fonts to represent screen text and keystrokes or
mouse actions. Other conventions in text and graphics are used to allow quick skimming, to
suppress irrelevancy, or to indicate links.

What's New in GibbsCAM2011, v10

Text
Screen text.Text with this appearance indicates text that appears in GibbsCAM or on your

monitor. Typically this is a button or text for a dialog.

Keystroke/Mouse.Text with this appearance indicates a keystroke or mouse action, such as
Ctrl+C or right-click.
Code.Text with this appearance indicates computer code, such as lines in a macro or a
block of G-code.
Term:
A paragraph formatted like this one usually indicates a word or phrase used in GibbsCAM,
followed by a definition or explanation.
Hotspot popup A paragraph formatted like this one has no special meaning in PDF. In online
help, however, you can click the hotspot to pop up a small block of text that provides additional
details or links.
Drop-down formatting:
A paragraph formatted like this one has no special meaning in PDF. In online help, however,
you can click the drop-down heading to reveal or hide the explanatory text it contains.

Graphics
Some graphics are altered so as to de-emphasize irrelevant information. A torn edge signifies
an intentional omission. Portions of a graphic might be blurred or dimmed to highlight the
item being discussed. For example:

Annotations on a graphic are usually numbered callouts (as seen above), and sometimes include
green circles, arrows, or tie-lines to focus attention on a particular portion of the graphic.
Faint green borders that outline areas within a graphic usually signify an image map. In online
help or a PDFviewer, you can click a green-bordered area to follow the link.

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General Functionality

General Functionality
Items in the General Functionality category are independent of any particular
GibbsCAMpackage or function.

Changes in installation and system considerations are discussed in System and Installation
Changes.

Changes affecting the GibbsCAM interface are discussed in Interface Changes on page14.

Functional changes that apply to many or all products are discussed in Functional Changes
on page18.

System and Installation Changes

Items discussed below are independent of any particular GibbsCAM package or function.

Update Notifier
When GibbsCAM2011 first starts, it checks for updated releases (if an Internet connection is
available). If a later version of GibbsCAM is available, a message dialog appears:

If you are current on Maintenance, the message prompts you to visit a web page where you
can see information about the update and decide whether to download and install it. The
update system will never automatically install any software.

Otherwise, the message tells you that Maintenance is required if you want the latest version.

Notes on Update Notifier

Help menu option Check for Updates performs a one-time update check.

If you do not want GibbsCAM to check for updates each time it starts, go to File>
Preferences , Interface tab, and clear the checkbox Automatically Check for Updates on Startup.

Installation
New Installation Media
To accommodate separate 32-bit and 64-bit installations for each language, GibbsCAM software
is now delivered on multiple dual-layer DVDs. The same installer is used to install from physical

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General Functionality

media or from the website.

New Installation Capabilities

The GibbsCAMinstallation process now automatically detects the default national language and
whether the platform is 32-bit or 64-bit. It has been redesigned to make greater use of the
Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) in the following ways:

You can now selectively install or uninstall individual product options and components.

You can easily repair an incomplete or damaged installation, such as when a file is
accidentally moved, deleted, or overwritten.

Optionally, you can associate GibbsCAMwith the context menu (right-click menu) of
filetypes other than .vnc, including .sat, .sab, .asat, .asab, .dlv, .model, .dxf, .igs,
.catpart, .catproduct, .x_t, .xmt, .par, .vda, .3dm, .prt, .stl, .iam, .ipt, .ckd,
.asmsldpart, .sldasm, .x_b, .p_b, .dwg, .step, and .stp.

When installing from the command line, standard msiexec options can be used, such as /q
(quiet)options to install with little or no user interaction and /l (logging) options to record
status and warning messages, parameters, and so forth.

Note:In accordance with Microsoft guidelines for Vista and Windows7, the GibbsCAM
shortcut is created as public desktop item that does not support drag-and-drop of *.vnc or
other files onto it. To create an old-style desktop icon that supports drag-and-drop application
launching, navigate to the Bin\ subfolder of the installation directory, select Virtual.exe, and
CTRL+ALT-drag it to you desktop, creating a new shortcut.

New Folder/File Organization

The disk layout of GibbsCAMfiles has been standardized; for example, binary executables are
separated from resource files, and the location of machine-specific files, including MDDs and
VMMs, has changed. For details, refer to the Installation guide.

Migrating Settings and Preferences

The GibbsCAM Migration Tool lets you detect all previously installed versions of GibbsCAM and
copy compatible settings and preferences display settings, custom MDDs and VMMs, bolt
and tap table data, macro configuration file, machine models, and so forth from a specified
previous version to the current release. The previous version is not modified.
For best results, run the Migration Tool before the first time you start a newly installed release
of GibbsCAM. This allows old files to be migrated before they are blocked by new files created
in the newly installed version.

Using the GibbsCAM Migration Tool

You can launch the tool from the Start menu: GibbsCAM> MigrationToolv10.

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General Functionality

1.

The first dialog lets you scan your system for installed versions of GibbsCAM, select one
from the list, and check it for compatibility.

2. The second dialog shows you the files that can and cannot be copied forward to the current
release. Appropriate restrictions are respected if Administrator privileges are lacking.

Note:There is no ability to migrate plug-ins or material databases from previous releases.

However, settings for Plug-In Manager can be migrated.

64-Bit Integration
GibbsCAM2011 is fully compatible with both 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. The ability of 64-bit
systems to handle more RAM and use larger chunks of information gives them a performance

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General Functionality

advantage if your part files are mid-size or larger or if you run many tasks simultaneously. The
GibbsCAM installer detects which platform you have and installs the corresponding version of
the software.
GibbsCAM macros and Reporter functions are fully compatible with Microsoft Excel in both 32bit and 64-bit modes.
All plug-ins distributed with the product are 64-bit compatible. However, we cannot guarantee
third-party plug-ins. If you have a 32-bit-only plug-in, please contact your third-party plug-in
vendor.
Please note that 32-bit VMMs cannot be used on 64-bit GibbsCAM. If you need a 64-bit VMM,
please contact the Post department (Posts@GibbsCAM.com). Customers on Maintenance can
upgrade their 32-bit VMMs to 64-bit at no charge.

Interface Changes
Items discussed below are common to all GibbsCAMproduct options.

Menus, Behaviors, and Look-and-Feel

New main menu Features replaces Wizards. New menu items under Features include Attribute
Manager and Feature Manager (see Attributes and User-Defined Features on page18).

Changes to Plug-Ins
Menu item Stock Wizard is now under Plug-Ins> Misc.
Plug-In Manager, available under the Plug-Ins menu, lets you globally activate/deactivate
individual plug-ins and plug-in groups.
Important:Deactivating a plug-in disables that plug-in's function throughout GibbsCAM. For
example:

If the EDMplug-in (EdmPlugin.dll) is deactivated, then WireEDM does not appear on the
main menu.

If the Transform Toolpath plug-in (TpTrans.dll) is deactivated, it does not appear on the list
of available Operation Modifiers.

If the Read SolidEdge Assembly plug-in (ReadSEAsm.dll) is deactivated, the SolidEdge

Assembly (*ASM) choice does not appear among the file types offered in the Open part file or
Import file dialogs.

Plug-In Manager also gives you control over menu items and sub-items displayed in the Plug-Ins
menu. You can right-click to add and rename folders and subfolders, and you can move
items or entire groups using drag-and-drop. The menu does not display empty folders. Folder
names cannot contain the characters (<^/\;!.
Changes that are made by Plug-In Manager take effect the next time GibbsCAM is started.

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General Functionality

Other new plug-ins include Touch Interface Manager and Update Notifier; see below and
Update Notifier on page11.

Changes to Task Bar, Context Menus, Tiles, and Tile Lists

The task bar has a new button that allows you to choose color display mode:

See Color Modes on page17.

Context menus (right-click menus) contain new options for manipulating user color. And when
Profiler is active, the context menu now includes an Extract Selected Profile option.
Context menus for the Tool List and Process List now offer a Tool Manager and a Process
Manager, similar to the Operation Manager.
All three managers allow you to edit data fields. Warning:You cannot undo the results of
editing a tool, process, or operation.
You can now shorten or extend tile lists by dragging the divider between the Tool List and
Process List or by dragging the lower edge of the Process List or Operation List.
You can now undo the results of a sorting an operation list or tool list.

Geometry Creation
When creating geometry, you can now create rectangles by specifying X and Y distances from
edges or corners, and you can now offset shapes using square corners.

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General Functionality

Freehand Move and Rotate

You can now move or rotate elements using the mouse: Select one or more elements, press
Ctrl+Alt to pop up a temporary axis block, and then drag either the origin (for freehand
translation) or one of the six axes (for axis-constrained translation or rotation).

Touch Interface
With suitable hardware, on Windows7, you can now use touch gestures to control common
viewing actions, such as move/rotate, zoom, and restore. To enable or disable controls, use
Plug-Ins Misc Touch Interface Manager .

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General Functionality

For information on general interface items, refer to the Getting Started guide.

Color Modes
You can now choose amongst color modes for displaying workspace items:

Gibbs Colors mode is always available. In this mode, workspace display is governed by the

Colors tab of the Appearance Settings dialog.

Feature Color mode is available if the part contains user-defined features. In this mode, items

in the workspace are displayed according to their feature color assignments defined in
Feature Manager.

User Color mode is available if any element in the part is tagged with the reserved attribute
named User Color. In this mode, workspace display is governed by the palette of colors
defined in the Attribute Manager dialog for the User Color attribute.

Other user-created color modes are available if elements are tagged with other user
attributes of type color. Workspace display is governed by the palette of colors defined for
the corresponding user-created color attribute.

For more information on color modes, refer to the Features guide.

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General Functionality

Functional Changes
Items discussed below are common to all GibbsCAM product options.

Attributes and User-Defined Features below

Holes and Hole Features on page20

Operation Modifiers on page23

Managers for Tools, Processes, and Operations on page24

Attributes and User-Defined Features

The Attribute Manager dialog, accessed from the Features menu, lets you view, create, and
manage user-defined attributes:

In addition, you can now preserve CADattributes in models you import into GibbsCAM:

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General Functionality

About Attributes
Attributes provide a way to associate data values with elements or to tag elements as belonging
to a user-defined Feature.

A data attribute consists of a name, a data type (integer number, real number, text, or
color), and a default data value. A Feature attribute consists of a name and a color. Color
includes both RGB hue and transparency.

A single element, such as a piece of wireframe geometry, a face, or an entire solid body, can
be tagged with many attributes. A single attribute can be attached to many different
elements.

You use Attribute Manager to identify, select, filter, sort, and otherwise manipulate
elements that are tagged with a particular attribute (or even multiple attributes). For
example, you could find all elements tagged with a MyNomOD attribute and select only those
whose MyNomODvalue is 1.5.

Attributes of data type color, including the reserved attribute named User Color, have their
names appear on the list of color modes. For example, you could define a color named
Revision, assign a value of transparent black to all existing elements, and then assign colors
to changed elements according to their revision status. The new Revisioncolor mode would
then allow you to visualize and select elements in a new way.

For details on attributes and Attribute Manager, refer to the Features guide.

User-Defined Features
The Feature Manager dialog, accessed from the Features menu, lets you view, create, and manage
user-defined features:

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General Functionality

The Feature attribute type allows you to collect elements and designate the collection with a
name and color. For example, you could tag the faces of a slot with a blue Feature attribute you
call MySlotBlue. Then, Feature Color mode would provide a quick way to distinguish all userdefined features, and Feature Manager would let you easily select the elements tagged as
MySlotBlue for machining.
For details on user-defined features and Feature Manager, refer to the Features guide.

Holes and Hole Features

The Drill tab of the Holes Process has new controls custom drill cycles (when the necessary
support files are installed; see Custom Drill Cycles, below)and the Reverse Order check box
described in Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn on page26.
Hole features in SolidWorks models are preserved and recognized when imported into
GibbsCAM.
New options make it easier to select a Hole feature, whether predefined or to be defined
through Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR). Hole Manager lets you select holes according to
CS the hole is aligned with, or one or more individual faces that constitute the hole, and the
context menu when a face is selected provides Select Adjacent Holes.

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General Functionality

Hole Managerand Hole Wizard

Hole Manager, now accessed from the Features menu, now includes an Auto Wizard that
streamlines and automates hole creation. If you set Preferences to minimize user intervention,
the power of Hole Wizard is greatly increased: You can automatically recognize, group, and drill
thousands of holes in just three button clicks: Run AFR, AutoGroup, and then AutoWiz.

Hole Manager context menus have been expanded with new options, many of which are
available even when multiple rows are selected.
You are now able to copy and paste holes from one workgroup to another.

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General Functionality

The Lock Selection checkbox highlights holes when rows are selected and highlights rows when
holes are selected, providing immediate visualization of workspace and Hole Manager selection
sets.
For details on the new Hole Manager capabilities, refer to the Features guide, which was
formerly named the Wizards Guide.

Custom Drill Cycles

Custom drill cycle macros can be called from the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5Axis Drilling Options tab. A sample set of macros is available to illustrate custom drill cycles for
Variable Peck.
These macros, along with the custom MDDsto support them, can be downloaded from the
Macros wiki (https://macros.GibbsCAM.com). For example, in the web page for the category
Custom_Drill_Cycles, you can download the following items.

Example macros for: Variable-peck drilling by Distance or Percentage; Fagor style variablepeck drilling; Pecking/drilling of Tapered squares; and Peck chamfering.

MDDs (*.mdd files) supporting custom drill cycles for: 3-axis vertical mill, 5-axis vertical
mill, and 2-axis horizontal lathe.

Sample parts (*.vnc files) illustrating the use of custom drill cycles.

A single *.zip file containing all the files mentioned above.

Installing a sample package for custom drill cycles is simple. In your global data folder (such as
C:\ProgramData\Gibbs\GibbsCAM\10\):
1.

Under its Macros\ folder, create new subfolder CustomDrillCycles\ and move the
Gibbs.*.Generic\ folders into it.

2. Change to its MDD\ folder and move the sample *.mdd files into it.
3. Place the sample part files (*.vnc) wherever you like.

After your
C:\ProgramData\...\Macros\CustomDrillCycles\Gibbs.PeckDistance.Generic\ folder
is populated and your C:\ProgramData\...\MDD\ folder contains the sample MDD referenced
by the part, simply open a sample part and look at each of its processes. For example:

In the 3-axis Mill part, Mill3a.vnc, .the Holes process dialogs Drill tab offers a pull-down
of custom drill cycles under Entry/Exit Cycle when the bottommost option button is selected.
To view or adjust parameter values, click User Cycle Data.

In the Lathe part, Lathe2a.vnc, .the Holes process dialog offers a pull-down of custom drill
cycles under Entry/Exit Cycle when the bottommost option button is selected. To view or
adjust parameter values, click the User Cycle Data the button.

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General Functionality

In the 5-Axis part, Mill5a.vnc, the Drilling Options tab shows pull-down options when
Custom Cycle is selected. To view or adjust parameter values, click the Define Custom Data
button.

Operation Modifiers
When you right-click an operation and choose Operation Modifiers, the Manage Modifiers dialog
presents a list of operation modifiers. The left pane shows all modifiers available for the
operation type; the right pane shows all that have been assigned to the selected operation.
Each time you add a modifier, its modifier dialog appears. The parameter settings for most
modifier dialogs are the same as for the corresponding plug-in, except for the omission of
controls for selecting operations or creating new operations. You can add multiple instances of
some modifiers, such as Change Feeds and Speeds. Others, such as 5-Axis Toolpath Conversion, can
be added only once.
In the list of assigned modifiers, you can change the order in which they are applied, and you
can disable or enable one or more modifiers. Click the Edit button (or double-click the
modifier) to view or edit parameter settings.
When you click Do It, the operation is modified: The operation tile is marked with a plus
sign(+) in its lower left corner, and the corresponding toolpath is regenerated.
You can combine multiple Operation Modifiers, but you need to exercise caution applying two
(or more) modifiers that both change toolpath. The general guideline is: Use common sense. For
example, it would make no sense to combine a Z Ramp Contour modifier with a Z Step
Contour. Other specific caveats are noted below.

Notes for Using Operation Modifiers

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Operation modifier data is stored with each operation, not with the process or process
group. For example, if a process group is associated with three operations, applying a
modifier to the second operation has no effect on the first or third.

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General Functionality

You cannot save modifiers independently of the operation. You cannot copy or transfer
modifiers from one operation to another.
Modifiers are applied sequentially, without inter-modifier communication: The ending
state of modifier n is the starting state of modifier n+1. Therefore, the toolpath could
change significantly if the same set of modifiers were to be stacked in a different order.
Clicking CAMpalette button Redo preserves existing modifiers, but clicking CAM palette
button DoIt does not; it creates one or more new operations without copying modifiers.
Do not combine a conversion modifier (such as 5-Axis Toolpath Conversion or Convert to
Trochoidal) with any other modifier, except to follow it with Change Feeds and Speeds or
Transform Toolpath.
Do not combine Z Ramp Contour with Z Step Contour, and do not precede either with
Change Feeds and Speeds . However, it is perfectly acceptable to follow Z Ramp Contour (or Z
Step Contour , but never both combined) with Change Feeds and Speeds .
When using Z Step Contour, the Prefer Subs and Cutter Radius Compensation options are
not supported.

Managers for Tools, Processes, and Operations

GibbsCAM2011 provides interfaces that let you see all your tools at once (Tool Manager) or see
all processes in a group (Process Manager), or all operations that have been created (Operations
Manager).

Viewing Tool/Process/Operation Data

In each of the Manager interfaces, you can do any of the following:

Choose which columns to display and in which order.

Sort the display either with a simple click on the column header or by using multi-level sort.

Sort the entire tile list, or find tiles and move them within the list.

Open the corresponding Tool/Process/Operation dialog.

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General Functionality

Isolate a subset of rows.

Print the data.

Dozens of data types are provided. Tool Manager can display up to25columns; Process
Manager, up to32. A brief description is provided for each data type.

Editing Tool/Process/Operation Data

All three managers provide powerful editing capabilities. Clicking the Allow Editing button
highlights all editable fields. You can modify the value in an editable cell, or you can apply a
single value to many selected items at once.
Warning: In Edit mode, a single click can cause far-ranging global changes, and there is no
Undo capability.

25

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

Production Mill, Lathe, and

Mill/Turn
For Mill, Lathe, Mill/Turn, and 5-Axis:Custom drill cycles, such as Variable Peck, can be called
from the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5-Axis Drilling Options tab. As an example, a
set of macros is supplied to illustrate custom drill cycles for Variable Peck. When the support
files (macros and custom MDD) are installed, the functionality is visible to end users as
additional pull-down options among the Entry-Exit Cycle choices, as shown below.

For details on how to download sample packages for custom drill cycles, see Holes and Hole
Features on page20.
For Mill and Mill/Turn:The Holes process provides a new option in the Drill tab. When making
multiple passes over dozens or hundreds of holes, you want to minimize unnecessary moves.
The new checkbox, Reverse Order, lets you reverse the drilling sequence.

Other improvements are Mill-specific or Lathe-specific:

26

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

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Mill:Pocketing
Lathe:B-Axis Turning on page28
Lathe:Groove Cycles on page29
Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling on page29

Mill:Pocketing
For the Roughing process, Mill has several pocketing improvements, including:
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Depth First support for pocketing with Material Only.

Improved Material Only. behavior (scallop cleanup)when Minimum Cut is set to0.
Non-broken finish passes with open sides.
Mixed-shape pocketing.
A new tab, Offset/Trim, gives you finer control over toolpath for offset pocketing
operations. For example, when a pocket has an air wall, you can use Trim to Material
(affecting outside fills and inside voids) to avoid burying the tool in the material.

Offset/Trim Options
Offset from Material

Trim to Material

27

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

Offset from Material

Trim to Material

Lathe:B-Axis Turning
For Lathe machining, the Contour process dialog offers a new tab:B-Axis.

What Is B-Axis Turning?

B-axis turning machines provide features similar to a 5-axis mill machine. A lathe that supports
B-axis turning lets machinists specify vectors on which the tool will rotate, allowing a part to be
cut in a single pass. The two principal benefits of B-axis turning are fewer tool changes and the
ability to cut parts in which there would normally not be enough clearance.

The above image shows how GibbsCAM depicts a B-axis path that uses selected vectors. The
green vector lines with blue arrows mark positions at which the tool holder will rotate, and to
what degree.
For more information, see the Lathe guide.

Effect on Settings in the Contour Tab

Selecting the VaryB-Axis checkbox in the B-Axis tab can affect states and settings in the Contour
tab, as follows:

The Cut Off checkbox is unselected and unavailable.

28

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

The No Drag checkbox is unselected and unavailable.

The Use Auto Clearance checkbox is unselected and unavailable.

Under Contour Style:

The Material Only option is unselected and unavailable.

The Full option is selected, and a value of0 is used for Corner Break.

Unselecting the VaryB-Axis checkbox automatically restores all affected controls in the Contour
tab to their previous states and settings.

Caveats
B-axis toolpath animation is supported by Flash CPRand Simulation but not by CPR.
In B-axis toolpath, collisions between tools and holders are not automatically detected.

Lathe:Groove Cycles
A new Lathe plug-in, Groove Cycle, designed around the Fanuc-style canned cycles for G74 and
G75 output, allows you to cut geometry-independent rectangular grooves. You can choose OD,
ID, or Face (or Back Face for MTM machines) and specify peck depth and stepover.

Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling

Thread Whirling is a machining process where the cutters are mounted on the inside of
a cutting ring or cutting holder rather than the outside of a milling tool.

29

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

depths diagram
Entry Clearance Diameter/Radius
The tool will rapid to this diameter/radius before beginning the threading cuts. The tool will
also return to this value for each new cutting pass.
Exit Clearance Diameter/Radius
The tool will rapid to this value after completing the threading process. The tool will also
move to the next operation at this X value.
In X and In Z
For X - This represents the Xr component of the Run In move. There are several specific
behaviors available. If this is equal to the Z Run In, the entry will be 45 degrees from the
taper slope. A value of zero will be a straight Run In and will continue the taper.
For Z - This is the incremental distance to position to the right of the true thread start. A
value of 0 will start the tool exactly at the thread start. Please note that the Z axis value is
not measured along the taper and only positive values are valid.
Out X and Out Z
For X - This represents the Xr component of the Run Out move. There are several specific
behaviors available. If this is equal to the Z Run In, the entry will be 45 degrees from the
taper slope. A value of zero will be a straight Run Out and will continue the taper.
For Z - This is the incremental distance to position for the tool to over-travel at the left of
the true thread end. A value of 0 will stop the tool exactly at the thread end. Please note that
the Z axis value is not measured along the taper and only positive values are valid.

30

Production Mill, Lathe, and Mill/Turn

Start X and Start Z

These values represent the absolute position of X and Z at the start of the thread.
End X and End Z
These values represent the absolute position of X and Z at the end of the thread.
Positions

Approach
This is the Z approach position. The Whirling tool will rapid to this point in Z before
rapiding to the start position of the toolpath.
Retract
This is the Z retract position. The Whirling tool will rapid to this point in Z after completing
the Thread Whirling process.
Angle Offset

Offset
This checkbox enables Start/End Angle Offset values. This will allow you to set the rotary
axis for a part that needs the start or end of the thread to be oriented to a specific angular
value. This will be output in G-Code, but will not render.
Offset Angle Start
Rotary angle at which to start the process.
Offset Angle End
Rotary angle at which to end the process.
Parameters

Number of Teeth
Number of teeth for the Thread Whirling tool.
Feed per Tooth
Allows the Rotary Axis feed rate to be calculated per tooth. Toggling Constant Feed rate will
override this value.
Constant Feed rate
This will override the Feed per Tooth with a desired feed rate in degrees per minute.
TPI/Pitch
Pitch represents the distance measured in millimeters from one thread to the next. TPI is the
number of threads per inch.
Rotation Speed
This sets the tool spindle speed. The part spindle speed will be controlled by the rotary axis
feed rate.
Coolant
Toggle coolant on or off and a drop-down box with coolant choices. Flood is standard.

31

VoluMill

VoluMill
The GibbsCAMVoluMill product option uses the high-performance VoluMill toolpath engine
developed by Celeritive Technologies to reduce cycle times, extend tool life, and reduce stress
on machine tools.
The VoluMill Solids product option allows you to machine solids, sheets, and facet bodies.
In GibbsCAM2011, improvements in both VoluMill Solids and VoluMill Wireframe include:
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Improved Depth First machining

Improved cutting near islands
New option for Climb milling
Support for Polar & Cylindrical Milling pocketing (formerly known as Rotary Mill
pocketing)
Freeway Linking to reduce cycle time
Reduced processing time on multi-core CPUs

For details, refer to the GibbsCAMVoluMill guide.

32

Solids

Solids
Body Bag
In Solids Import, 2.5DSolids, and SolidSurfacer, the Body Bag now provides a multi-page
interface with options for viewing and arranging the icons in each page. Highlights are
summarized below; for details, refer to the corresponding documentation.
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Body Bag Pages

Body Bag View Settings

Names, IDs, and Creation Method

Automatically generated names for bodies contain more information than previously, and the
body's ID and its creation method are now displayed in the Properties dialog box, and
optionally, in the Body Bag and History.

Body Bag Pages

The Body Bag now provides a multi-page interface. Each page maintains its own settings for
viewing and arranging the icons it contains. Selection sets can include icons in one, some, or all
Body Bag pages, as well as items in the workspace.
You can move icons from one Body Bag page to another by selecting and dragging to another
tab; as the cursor passes over the tab, a preview of the page displays. You can create a new Body
Bag page on the fly by dragging a Body Bag selection to an empty area to the right of the
rightmost tab.
To insert, delete, or rename a Body Bag page, right-click the corresponding tab. A tab name in
italics indicates an empty page. Only empty pages can be deleted.
Context menu option Clean Up Page performs a one-time Auto-Arrange on the current page
without modifying view settings. Context menu option Clean Up Body Bag deletes all empty pages
and performs a Clean Up Page on all pages that remain. Context menu options Select Page and
Deselect Page select or deselect all icons in the page you specify but otherwise preserve the
existing selection set.

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Solids

Body Bag View Settings

To see or modify the view settings of a page in the Body Bag, display the page, right-click the
Body Bag title bar, and select View .

When Large Icons or Small Icons is selected, the page displays each body's icon and name
only.

When Details or Tiles is selected, the page displays each body's icon, name, type (Part, Stock,
or Fixture), chord height, and CS(coordinate system).

If Align to Grid is also selected, icons or tiles are prevented from overlapping.

If Auto-Arrange is also selected, overlapping and empty slots are both prevented.

If Show SolidID is also selected, the body's numeric ID is also displayed.

If Show Solid Creation Method is also selected, the body's most recent creation method is also
displayed, such as Sphere or Union or Slice.

You can use Ctrl+mousewheel to increase or decrease the size of icons across the entire Body
Bag. The result is visible in any page that is set to display Large Icons or Tiles.
not Aligned or Arranged

Arranged

Large Icons

Small Icons

Details

Tiles

34

5-Axis

5-Axis
The 5-Axis module has been updated to take advantage of multi-threading, and now offers
drilling functionality and important new machining strategies for toolpath generation. Toolpath
smoothing and link move smoothing are significantly improved, and a large number of other
enhancements have also been made.
Highlights are summarized below. For details, refer to the 5-Axis guide.

Background Task Management

5-Axis is now multi-threaded; you can now run multiple independent processes simultaneously,
depending on the number of CPU cores under the control of your computer. After you click
DoIt to start computing 5-axis toolpath, a new Task Manager facility allows you to view and
control the tasks as they are processed.

5-Axis Drilling Options

You can now use 5-Axis for drilling, tapping, and pecking, as well as for custom drilling cycles.

35

5-Axis

New Machining Strategies for Toolpath

Generation
In previous releases, 5-axis machining strategy used a surface-based approach to calculating
toolpath. With GibbsCAM2011, we are pleased to make available the following additional
strategies.

Triangle Mesh

Triangle Mesh provides the following toolpath patterns:

Rough:To quickly remove material in planar layers perpendicular to the tool axis.

Parallelcuts :To machine a 3D component using toolpath passes that are parallel to each

other relative to the angle you specify in the XY plane.

ProjectCurves :Allows you to project a 2D curve pattern Radial, Spiral, Offset, or user-

defined onto the triangle mesh to create toolpath.

ConstantZ :To machine a 3Dcomponent using toolpath passes that are parallel to the XY

plane.

Constant Cusp: To create a cut pattern with constant distance between contours; cusps that

are created will have the same height.

Flatlands :To machine true flat areas of a 3D component using toolpath passes that are offset

from the boundary of the flat area.

Pencil:To automatically detect inlying edges and create a single toolpath along them.

Projection:To create line projections on machining surfaces, especially for rotary machining.

Wireframe
Wireframe works without any machining surfaces, using drive curves and orientation lines.

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5-Axis

Swarf Machining
SWARF is an acronym for Side Wall Axial Relief Feed. Swarf Machining is often used for turbine
parts where the goal is to produce the target surface with only one cut, using the entire flute
length of the tool. Tilt cycles control the tool axis orientation.

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Multi-Task Machining

Multi-Task Machining
Also see: Lathe/MTM: Thread Whirling on page29.

Drag Operations Preserve Syncs

The Sync Control dialog now preserves syncs when operations are dragged.

Undo for Sync/Unsync

The Undo (Ctrl-Z) and Redo (Ctrl-Y) actions apply to setting and unsetting syncs in the Sync
Control dialog.

38

Wire EDM

Wire EDM
No-Core Roughing
In the Create No-Core dialog box, a new checkbox now allows you to specify a value for roughing
stock.

Color Configuration
New color configurations options are now available, including user colors for dimensions and
start holes.

39

Wire EDM

40

Macros

Macros
New Macro Documentation:macros.gibbscam.com
We are pleased to make available a new wiki https://macros.GibbsCAM.com containing
complete documentation for all GibbsCAM macro commands. This wiki is updated
continuously as new macro functionality is released.

Custom Drill Cycles

Custom drill cycle macros can be called from the Drill tab of the Holes process and from the 5Axis Drilling Options tab. As an example, a set of macros is supplied to illustrate custom drill
cycles for Variable Peck.

New Macro Commands

A wide variety of macro commands have been added, allowing you to do the following:
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Create fillets and chamfers

Get, set, and select attribute colors
Copy and explode solids
Manipulate tool tiles and control Tool List display
Manipulate process tiles and processes (including utility processes), and control Process
List display
Manipulate operation tiles, operations, and toolpath, and control Op List display
Plunge Rough
Get and set post information
Perform matrix operations such as translate, rotate, scale, invert, normalize, and multiply
Manipulate work groups, coordinate systems, features, the clipboard, part files, and
import files
Exit the GibbsCAM application

For a complete list of macro commands, see https://macros.GibbsCAM.com.

41

CAD Interoperability

CAD Interoperability
Interoperability has been updated for both Add-Ins and Data Exchange:
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Updated libraries support Parasolid v24 and ACIS R21.

Updated file formats include: CATIAv5 R20, Solid Edge ST3v103, Autodesk Inventor2012
as well as AutoCAD2011 and RealDWG2012, NX7.5, KeyCreatorv9.0, Rhinocerosv5.0,
SolidWorks2011, and Creo Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/ENGINEER) Wildfire5.0.
A new standalone installer for the SolidWorks Add-In lets you install the Add-In even on
workstations that do not run GibbsCAM.

Import

version

Export

version

Add-In

version

ACIS

R21

ACIS-SAT

R21

Autodesk
Inventor

2012

Autodesk
Inventor

2012

Creo
Elements/Pro

Wildfirev5.0 CimatronE

10

CATIA v5

R20

DXF

KeyCreator

7.0

Creo
Elements/Pro

Wildfirev5.0 IGES

KeyCreator

8.0

KeyCreator

9.0

DXF

Parasolid

v24

IGES

STEP

(Granitev7) KeyCreator

10.0

KeyCreator

9.0

Mechanical
Desktop

2004

NX

7.5

Mechanical
Desktop

2009

Parasolid

v24

Rhinoceros

3.0

RealDWG

2012

Rhinoceros

4.0

Rhinoceros

5.0

Rhinoceros

5.0

Solid Edge

ST3 v103

Solid Edge

ST3v103

SolidWorks

2011

SolidWorks

2011

STEP

(Granitev7)

VDA-FS
Name changes:

42

CAD Interoperability

Import
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version

Export

version

Pro/ENGINEER:see Creo
Siemens PLM:see NX
Unigraphic/UGS:see NX

43

Add-In

version