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Basic 2D Design PDF
Basic 2D Design PDF
Basic 2D Design PDF
Basic 2D Design
December 2011
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1
X Tutorial Goals................................................................................................. 1
General Tutorial Requirements ....................................................................... 2
1. Creating Lines and Arcs........................................................ 3
X Lesson Goals ................................................................................................. 3
X Exercise 1: Drawing Vertical Lines........................................................ 3
X Exercise 2: Drawing Horizontal Lines .................................................... 7
X Exercise 3: Drawing Angled Lines and Circles ...................................... 8
X Exercise 4: Trimming the Outer Contour ............................................. 10
2. Creating Drill Holes ............................................................. 13
X Lesson Goals ............................................................................................... 13
X Exercise 1: Drawing the First Drill Hole ............................................... 13
X Exercise 2: Creating Additional Holes ................................................. 15
3. Modifying Geometry ........................................................... 17
X Lesson Goals ............................................................................................... 17
X Exercise 1: Offsetting the Outer Contour............................................. 17
X Exercise 2: Adding Tangent Lines ....................................................... 19
X Exercise 3: Trimming the Inner Contour .............................................. 21
X Exercise 4: Mirroring the Drill Holes.................................................... 22
X Exercise 5: Trimming the Mirrored Geometry ..................................... 24
X Exercise 6: Adding Fillets.................................................................... 26
4. Adding a Slot....................................................................... 29
X Lesson Goals ............................................................................................... 29
IV • BASIC 2D DESIGN
Mastercam provides many functions for creating and editing your part geometry,
from simple 2D wireframe to complex 3D surface models. The Basic 2D Design
module focuses on teaching you the 2D wireframe CAD tools used to draw the
following part.
Tutorial Goals
Draw basic geometry such as lines, arcs, and fillets.
Set and change entity attributes.
Select and chain geometry.
Use AutoCursor and Visual Cues.
Transform geometry.
Trim geometry.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
LESSON 1
Lines and arcs are some of the most standard geometry used in 2D parts. This lesson
introduces you to some of Mastercam’s line and arc creation methods as you begin
drawing the outer shape of the tutorial part.
Lesson Goals
Draw lines and arcs.
Work with live entities.
Trim geometry.
c Click OK.
3 Press [F9] to display the XY axes in the graphics window.
The coordinate axes show the origin and the part orientation to help you
visualize the part in 3D space.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
CREATING LINES AND ARCS • 5
Ribbon bars display based on what function you are using. Each ribbon bar
includes options for the specific task you are doing. The Line ribbon bar has
options for creating a line by selecting two endpoints.
TIP: You can click and drag the yellow prompt window to any position.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
6 • DRAWING VERTICAL LINES
BASIC 2D DESIGN
CREATING LINES AND ARCS • 7
TIP: The right-click menu has many functions that are used often. You
can customize this menu to display the functions you use most by
choosing Settings, Customize and changing the settings on the Drop
downs/Right mouse button menu tab. For more information on how to
do this, click the Help button on the Customize dialog box.
This locks the value, which is useful when you want to create multiple lines
with the same length. The field also turns red to indicate that it is locked.
2 Click the Horizontal button. The
button remains pressed in. This
means that the next line you draw
will be horizontal.
3 Move your cursor to the top
endpoint of the first line. The
AutoCursor highlights the line and
the Visual Cue changes to indicate
an endpoint.
4 Click the endpoint. Because your
direction and length are fixed, you
only have two options - to the left or
right of the endpoint. Move your
cursor left and right to see the two
possible lines.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
8 • DRAWING ANGLED LINES AND CIRCLES
Note: Make sure that the Visual Cue indicates the origin, not the line
endpoint.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
CREATING LINES AND ARCS • 9
TIP: You can also access the menu bar using the keyboard. Press [Alt] to
display the shortcut keys for each menu option. For example, you could
press Alt, C, L, A to access the Create Line Parallel option.
10 To add an arc to the end of the part, choose Create, Arc, Circle Edge Point.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
10 • TRIMMING THE OUTER CONTOUR
BASIC 2D DESIGN
CREATING LINES AND ARCS • 11
TIP: If the result does not look correct, choose Edit, Undo to remove the
trimming, and try selecting the geometry again.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
12 • TRIMMING THE OUTER CONTOUR
8 Type OUTER_CONTOUR.MCX-6 in the File Name field and click OK to save the
file.
Note: For more information on saving files, refer to the Mastercam Help.
Now that you have created the basic outline of your part, you will add drill holes in
the next lesson.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
LESSON 2
Mastercam makes it easy to quickly add arcs to your part. This lesson focuses on
additional methods for drawing circles that can later be used as drill holes.
Lesson Goals
Set entity attributes.
Use relative positioning.
Work with AutoCursor.
The FastPoint field lets you type in point coordinates with or without the
corresponding coordinate letters (X, Y, Z).
TIP: You can also enter fractions and formulas in the FastPoint field.
5 Type 10, 10 for the first circle center point and press [Enter].
BASIC 2D DESIGN
CREATING DRILL HOLES • 15
TIP: You can position new points relative to any existing geometry by
holding the [Shift] key and clicking an existing point.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
16 • CREATING ADDITIONAL HOLES
Two of the circles you completed will be used as drill holes and the other two will be
used in the next lesson to create the inner shape of the part.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
LESSON 3
Modifying Geometry
3
Once you have your construction geometry, Mastercam provides many tools for
editing and trimming the individual pieces into your final part shape. In this lesson,
you use some of these tools, along with some of Mastercam’s geometry selection
methods.
Lesson Goals
Offset and mirror geometry.
Use General Selection.
Use the data entry calculator and the MRU toolbar.
Delete duplicate geometry.
Create fillets.
This function uses chaining, which lets you select one or more entities
linked together by adjoining endpoints. Chaining is different from other
selection methods because it associates order and direction with the
selected entities. For more information, click the Help button on the
Chaining dialog box.
18 • OFFSETTING THE OUTER CONTOUR
BASIC 2D DESIGN
MODIFYING GEOMETRY • 19
BASIC 2D DESIGN
20 • ADDING TANGENT LINES
BASIC 2D DESIGN
MODIFYING GEOMETRY • 21
This function allows you to select the entity you want to trim, and then
select the location you want to trim to.
3 Click the left outer circle as shown
at right.
4 Click the top tangent line.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
22 • MIRRORING THE DRILL HOLES
BASIC 2D DESIGN
MODIFYING GEOMETRY • 23
2 On the General Selection ribbon bar, make sure that the Entity selection
drop-down is set to In.
This selects only entities that lie completely in your selection window.
3 Press [Page Down] a few time to provide space in the graphics window for
selection.
4 To select the area of the part that
you just created, click and hold the
mouse button above and to the left
of the left drill hole.
5 Drag your mouse down and to the
right to draw a selection rectangle.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
24 • TRIMMING THE MIRRORED GEOMETRY
Note: All fields that take number values have a built-in calculator that
accepts formulas, math equations, and other units of measurement. For
more on this function, type calculator on the Index tab in Mastercam Help.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
MODIFYING GEOMETRY • 25
BASIC 2D DESIGN
26 • ADDING FILLETS
Duplicate entities can make files larger than necessary and make chaining
more difficult.
TIP: You can also click the toolbar
button to use this function. Click the
drop-down arrow next to the button
and select Delete Duplicates.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
MODIFYING GEOMETRY • 27
BASIC 2D DESIGN
28 • ADDING FILLETS
BASIC 2D DESIGN
LESSON 4
Adding a Slot
4
The final section of the tutorial part is a slot on the rounded end. In this lesson, you
will draw the slot and change the color and level of the resulting geometry.
Lesson Goals
Offset arcs.
Change entity attributes.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
ADDING A SLOT • 31
3 Click the line endpoints at the open end of the slot. Mastercam gives you
two possible arcs using the selected endpoints and radius.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
32 • CHANGING THE SLOT’S COLOR AND LEVEL
TIP: The Visual Cue with the red mouse button indicates that if
you right-click on an option in the drop-down list, you lock General
Selection into that selection method. For more information, refer to
Mastercam Help.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
ADDING A SLOT • 33
BASIC 2D DESIGN
34 • MASTERCAM RESOURCES
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the Basic 2D Design tutorial. Now that you
have mastered the skills in this tutorial, explore Mastercam’s other features and func-
tions. Additional tutorials may be available in this or other series.
This is a module of the Mastercam Getting Started Tutorial Series. The series intro-
duces general Mastercam functions and teaches basic skills for getting started with
Mastercam. Other tutorial series include:
Focus Series: Focuses on a specific Mastercam feature—for example, Setup
Sheets or FBM Drill, and teaches basic and advanced skills.
Exploring Series: Explores a single Mastercam product—for example
Mastercam® for SolidWorks® or Mastercam Swiss Expert, and teaches in-
depth skills for working with the product.
The Mastercam tutorial series is in continual development, and we will add modules
as we complete them. For information and availability or for further training, please
contact your local Mastercam Reseller.
Mastercam Resources
Enhance your Mastercam experience by using the following resources:
Mastercam Help—Access Mastercam Help by selecting Help, Contents from
Mastercam’s menu bar or by pressing [Alt+H] on your keyboard. Also, most
dialog boxes and ribbon bars feature a Help buttonthat opens Mastercam
Help directly to related information.
Mastercam Reseller—Your local Mastercam Reseller can help with most
questions about Mastercam.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
ADDING A SLOT • 35
BASIC 2D DESIGN
36 • MASTERCAM DOCUMENTATION
Mastercam Documentation
Mastercam installs the following documents in the \Documentation folder of your
Mastercam installation:
Mastercam X6 Quick Start
Mastercam X6 Administrator Guide
Mastercam X6 Transition Guide
Mastercam X6 Quick Reference Card
Mastercam X6 File Location Card
Mastercam X6 Post Debugger User’s Guide
Contact Us
For questions about this or other Mastercam documentation, contact the Technical
Documentation department by email at techdocs@mastercam.com.
BASIC 2D DESIGN
Attention! Updates may be available.
Go to Mastercam.com/Support for the latest downloads.