Maximizing Efficiency in Mastercam: 6 Pro Tips

With a third video, its officially a trilogy. Only 6 tips this time, but its about quality not quantity, right?
First up we're looking at dragging and dropping files onto Mastercam to perform a File Open or a File Merge. File Open, simply drag the file from Windows File Explorer, and drop it onto the graphics area in Mastercam. The only difference to perform a File Merge, is to hold down the Control key while doing this.
Second, minimizing and maximizing the ribbon bar. You can use the arrow way off on the right side of the ribbon bar to minimize and maximize, but you can also just double click on a menu item to quickly perform either of these actions.
Vector selection is the often forgotten selection method. Here, you'll hold down the ALT key while drawing a line over the items you wish to select. This is very useful in selecting intricate items or oddly shaped features.
Next, level importing and exporting. We can import and export through onscreen menus, but we can also use a drag and drop method as was used in the File Open tip. Here, we would be dragging and dropping a CSV file onto the Levels Manager. A nice thing with these CSV files, you can also edit them in Excel for added functionality.
A very quick tip here, the spacebar. This can be used to launch the last function used. This works with toolpaths, geometry functions, translation operations, etc.
Last, Temporary Midpoints. These can be used to avoid having to create temporary geometry just to get a selectable mid point. Hover over an item until you see a green + appear, hover over a second item until another green + appears, then, automatically, a red + exactly between the two green +'s will appear. This red + can be selected, and once selected all temporary points will disappear.
Stay tuned as I've still got a good list to cover in future videos.
0:00 Intro
0:17 File Open and File Merge by Drag and Drop
1:04 Double Click to Minimize or Maximize the Ribbon
1:28 Alt Click Geometry Selection
3:16 Level Import and Export
4:43 Space Bar to Repeat Last Function
5:30 Temporary Midpoints
6:45 Outro
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[@thebonermaker]

alt + click would have saved at least 400 hours of my life. thank you!!!!!!!!

[@CamInstructor]

lol. It is a good one

[@gillisdebilio7086]

Nice! One quick lesson video idea, what is your workflow for programming mirrored left and right parts. And post every thing at once, program 1 for the left in g54, program 2 for the right in g55, and program 3 for both parts at once. I have no problem doing it, but wich way is best? Mirror the solid and doing twice the work? mirror the toolpath, reverse side and chain on every single toolpath. Is there a way to only edit the right part toolpath and have changed simultanelsy on the left part?

[@cncmanufacturingptyltd5189]

Awesome

[@CamInstructor]

Thanks!

[@ipadize]

Tip #7: always CTRL + S after each step

[@CamInstructor]

lol for sure. Autosave was going to be a future tip but building that habit is a good one as well!

[@agg42]

Alt-click seems to have a bug. If "Enable ribbon access keys" is enabled, sometimes alt-click selections won't be selected.

[@sebastiantaylor2600]

We must be careful with Spacebar because if you use CTRL+Z you can accidentally delete something that you don't want it and even you don't realize.

[@leocubiasmusiclifestyle7460]

Hi everyone, I’m a complete beginner and keep making the same mistake of moving the greed and keep losing it , so I wonder if there’s a way to bring it back to the center or point of origin ? … thank you ahead of time

[@douglasholloway4411]

How can we merge a file WITH cutterpath?

[@CamInstructor]

Using the Merge function, you cannot get toolpaths. You can use the Import function in the toolpaths manager though.
I'll cover something like this in the next video, but if you drag and drop your Mastercam file that contains the toolpaths you want onto the Toolpaths Manager, you'll get the Import Toolpath Dialog. Or, you can just right click in the Toolpaths Manager and select Import.

[@pozalujstapodpishus3062]

клевые трюки, не знал...

[@CamInstructor]

Glad I could show something useful

[@m.j.khnowledge]

អរគុណសំរាប់វីដេអូ

[@olalatv5205]

Alt + click. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@CamInstructor]

It is handy!