Q: When will I be able to have a network license of ESPRIT 98?
A: By the end of Quarter 1 (see Development Plan).
Q: When will simulation from a turn part and from a non-rectangular shape be
available?
A: By the end of Quarter 2 (see Development Plan).
Q: When will custom tool support be available for ESPRIT 98?
A: By the end of Quarter 2 (see Development Plan).
Q: How do you do standard mill, drill, contour, etc., on a solid?
A: In the configuration import/export tab you can set
Parasolid to read in wire frame data along with the solid.
Q: What happened to the unbound function?
A: You can unbound a segment back into a line,
or an arc back into a full circle, by using the Geometry, Keep icon and holding down the
Shift key during selection.
Q: How do I trim and keep like ESPRIT/X? The new commands do not allow me to select
boundaries.
A: When using the Geometry, Keep and Trim icons, you
can manually choose the bounding elements for a segment or arc by holding down the Ctrl
key.
Q: Can I adjust the line thickness in ESPRIT?
A: You can adjust the line thickness by selecting Line
Weight from Options, Configuration, Attributes tab.
Q: Can I select more than one operation in the project manager?
A: You can select multiple operations or tools in the
project manager by using the Ctrl + Shift keys.
Q: How do I change the background color of ESPRIT?
A: The background color can be changed to black or any
other color by going to the Options, Configuration, Attributes tab.
Q: The graphics when I shade or solid simulate do not look correct. What can be
done?
A: It is always a good idea to make sure you are
running the most up to date video card drivers. Right click on the Windows desktop and
pick Properties for video driver information such as manufacturer and current version.
Visit the manufacturer's web site to download new drivers.
Q: I can't find the group function. How do I select features for grouping?
A: Group elements for manipulation by using the Select
icon and then click on an element or make a box around several elements. Any element
partially in the box will be included in the group.
Q: How
do I add features to an existing group?
A: You can add to or remove from a group by
holding down the Ctrl key while selecting or boxing elements.Chains of elements can be
grouped by holding down the Shift key while selecting an element in the chain. Additional
chains can be included in the group by holding Ctrl + Shift while picking an element in a
chain.
Q: How do I draw bound segments and arcs, like I could with bounded mode in
ESPRIT/X?
A: You can switch from making unbound lines and
circles to bound segments and arcs by clicking the BOUND/UNBOUND mode toggle on the status
bar. The Geometry Icons will change to reflect the current mode.
Q: Where are the snap modes like we had in ESPRIT/X?
A: With SNAP mode active on the status bar, snap
locations such as intersections, endpoints and center points can be digitized as reference
locations. The mouse cursor will change to indicate when it is over a snap point. Click
SNAP on the status bar to turn this feature off.
Q: Where is the grid mode function?
A: GRID mode can be turned on and off on the
status bar. When GRID mode is on, grid locations can be selected as reference points. The
grid parameters can be set by selecting Configuration under the Options menu and going to
the Input tab.
Q: How do I know if I am selecting the correct element when digitizing?
A: With HI mode active on the status bar, you will be
prompted for confirmation of all graphical mouse picks. The chosen element will be
highlighted. That element can be accepted with the left mouse button or rejected with the
right mouse button.
Q: How do I turn off the XYZ axes?
A: The XYZ axes can be turned on and off under
the View menu.
Q: How do I position a dimension?
A: When dimensioning between two elements, the
next mouse pick determines whether the dimension is horizontal, vertical or parallel. Move
the mouse cursor around to choose between the different types. The final mouse pick then
determines the location where the dimension is placed.
Q: How do I change dimension properties?
A: The Properties icon on the Remove, Select
toolbar can be used to change the settings of dimension and text note entities. This
includes changing the font settings.
Q: Is there an easy way to trim a two elements into a corner?
A: A fillet radius of 0 on the Fillet/Chamfer
command can be used to trim corners.
Q: When I go to solid mode I cannot see the 2D geometry. Why is this?
A: When in Solid view mode, 2D geometry can
also be viewed by choosing Configuration under the Options menu, going to the Workspace
tab, and checking the box for "Plot 2D Geometry in Solid mode."
Q: How do I load a wireframe along with my IGES or Parasolid file?
A: Settings for loading CAD files such as IGES
and DXF are found on the Import/Export tab on the Options - Configuration dialog.
Q: How many different view windows can I have?
A: You can make as many graphics windows as you
like, all with different viewing angles and scales, by choosing New Window under the
Window menu.
Q: What is a quick way of making 3D geometry?
A: If you choose two points not in the current
UVW plane, the Geometry - Rectangle command will make a 3D box.
Q: How do I create a
view from a plane?
A: When making a New Plane from the Work Planes
dialog, click the "Includes View" button to automatically make a View Plane
looking from the +W direction of that Work Plane towards -W such that +U is to the right
and +V is up. It can then be chosen from the View Planes drop down.
Q: Esprit/X had both a Norm Surf and Norm2 Surf. What happened to them?
A: With the Normal Surface icon you can pick a
base and a drive curve and enter a scale value, or pick a base and two drive curves to
blend together.
Q: How do I extrude an element into an existing surface?
A: To extrude an element into a surface, use
the Draft Surface icon with a draft angle of 0.
Q: How do I simulate or make NC code for just one operation?
A: When in the Project Manager many functions
can be accessed by selecting Operations and Tools with the left mouse button, then
clicking the right mouse button to bring up the menu.
Q: How do I edit my post processor files? How do I turn the debug feature on?
A: The Advanced button on the NC Code dialog
includes options of great assistance when making changes to post machine format (.ASC)
files. The Create Long CNC Code option will list the corresponding EX_ examples that
produced each line of code.
Q: How do I mask elements?
A: The Masks, under the View menu, can be used
to hide and show different types of elements. Changing the Masks and doing a redraw can
make a part easier to visualize.
Q: Can I still type in element labels like I did in ESPRIT/X?
A: Instead of digitizing with the mouse,
graphical elements can be referred to by typing in their label number. The Element Numbers
can be turned on by going to the Masks dialog (Ctrl-M).
Q: How do I create and mask a layer?
A: Layers are user defined masks. They function
just like the Masks, which is under the View menu. New elements are created on the active
layer. The user can choose to hide or show any of the individual layers.
Q: I am defining a leader in dimensioning and I cannot seem to end it.
A: When creating a Leader under Dimensioning,
the left mouse button is used to pick new vertices of the leader. The right mouse button
is used to signify when the leader is finished.
Q: When creating a loft surface how do I control the transition?
A: Intermediate sections of loft surfaces can
be selected more than once by using the Ctrl key after the first selection. Selecting
twice produces a smooth but more heavily weighted transition through that section, while
selecting three times produces a completely sharp transition.
Q: Can I remove geometry with the trim command?
A: If you are in the process of trimming some
elements with the Trim icon and you realize that some elements need to be completely
removed you do not have to pick the Remove icon. You can remove elements with the Trim
command by holding down Shift when selecting the element.
Q: How do I swap a group of selected elements? I really liked the swap command in
ESPRIT/X.
A: You can swap all items in a group selection with
all non-selected items by pressing Ctrl-W.
Q: I hate it when I hit the enter key in a dialog box and it closes the box.
A: The action of the Enter key when in Tool,
Operation and other dialogs is configurable on the Machining tab of the Configuration
dialog. The Enter key can be set to go to the next field on the dialog for faster data
entry or it can be set to OK the dialog.
Q: I
get a very rough looking model when in solid mode or shaded view.
A: The shaded mode resolution can be set on the
Workspace tab of the Configuration dialog.
Q: Can I copy an element to a different layer?
A: You can move and copy objects to different
layers using the ATTRIBUTE Transformation Type on the Copy dialog (Ctrl-C).
Q: Can I use any surface to create the machining pattern for PARAM1 and PARAM2 type
of cuts?
A: When doing PARAM1 or PARAM2 Tool Motion on the Mill
3D Finish Cycle, the tool motion pattern can come from any surface. It does not have to
come from one of the surfaces which will be machined.
Q: How can I cut a fillet made between two surfaces?
A: When creating a constant radius fillet
between two surfaces, turning the Center Line option on will produce a sequence which can
be used to trace the blend with a tool of the same radius. Simply use the 3D Project Cycle
to project that center line sequence back onto the blend.
Q: Are mirror and symmetry the same command?
A: Mirror and symmetry may sometimes give the
same results, but they are not the same thing. Mirror is done through a plane, while
symmetry is about a point or line. Look in a mirror and raise your right hand, your
reflection always raises its left. This is not true with symmetry.
Q: Can I perform 3D milling on a plane other than the XYZ plane?
A: 4th and 5th axis rotary indexing can be
performed with 3D surface machining operations by using the Local Coord. Orient. setting
on the mill 3D operation page dialogs.
Q: How do I adjust the federate on arcs?
A: The federate output on arcs can be adjusted
automatically by turning on the Const. Removal Rate setting.
Q: Why doesn't ESPRIT contain a right mouse button context sensitive?
A: We have designed E98 to be free of right
button click for the first implementation. We wanted to make sure that all the
functionality would be implemented through menus and icons. We wanted to make sure that
users could find everything. Now that we achieved that, we are going to add the context
sensitive right mouse button capabilities. Look for it in future builds, but just know
that it will be implemented in stages.
Q: Why is the background color defaulted to white on installation?
A: We chose white to be more modern and more
compatible with mainstream CAD software such as Solid Edge or SolidWorks. It can be
changed in the configuration to whatever color you like.
Q: I undocked all of my toolbars and now the screen is a mess. How do I reset the
toolbars back to the way they were when I installed the software?
A: The "Use Default Workspace Settings"
check box on the Workspace tab of the Configuration dialog will reset the toolbar
locations to their installation defaults.
Q: My Geometry toolbar always has a Segment 2 icon even when I am in BOUND mode.
How do I make an unbound line from two reference elements?
A: In order to make unbound lines instead of segments
from two reference elements, go to the Input tab of the Configuration dialog and turn off
"Line 2 always bounded". The Line 2 command will then obey the BOUND/UNBOUND
mode setting on the status bar.
Q: Can
I used my post processors that I wrote for ESPRIT/X in ESPRIT98?
A: Post Processor .ASC files from the ESPRIT/X
product are completely compatible with ESPRIT98. You can browse to your ESPRIT/X posts
right from the NC Code dialog, or simply copy all of the .ASC files from your
ESPRIT/X\Post folder to the ESPRIT_User\Post_Files folder in ESPRIT98.
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