Preferred Fusion G-code editor?

[Garwood]

I hated everything about Fusion, I was getting nowhere trying to learn it via terrible, napworthy video tutorials. I found out my neighbors son is a whiz with it so I offered to pay him for some lessons.

100% worth it. After a couple hours, I don't hate Fusion now. The shit I thought was really, really dumb makes a lot of sense now.

After 15 years, several thousand part drawings in 2D using old Mastercam I have officially entered modern times and modeled my first parts, correctly using all three dimensions lol.

I got some lathe code. Looks like it's going to work right.

I have been using DNC4U for a couple years. Not bad. The comms side of it is wonderful. The editor kinda sucks compared to the Cimco I used to use when I started out and Cimco was free.

What are you guys using to edit/ manage code with Fusion?

 

[Vancbiker]

How much editing are you having to do? IMO, if you need to do much editing on your CAM generated code, you need to improve your post.

 

[Garwood]

How much editing are you having to do? IMO, if you need to do much editing on your CAM generated code, you need to improve your post.

That's probably true? I don't know?

I have always used a G-code editor to hand tweak programs from mastercam when I need lots of parts. I also have a few dozen different product categories with numerous sub parts and have always organized my NC code in the folders with my part files so I can find the stuff.

The guy teaching me fusion has never used it for machining anything so maybe I'm missing something? He uses Solidworks and Esprit for his day job. All I have is a dialog box with code in it when I post a program. Maybe it's a me problem. Not sure.

 

[Mud]

Autodesk supplies Visual Studio Code for editing the posts, and it's set to automatically open the generated code when you generate it. There's a box in the post dialog menu to check for "open in editor". I find it decent for looking at the code, and it's good at find/replace etc. I haven't found how to print from it yet so I dump it into Notepad if I need to print something.

I have 2 mill posts made to work perfectly for my purposes so far, post and download and run. One is a wierd-assed Grundig control on a Deckel that needs the drill cycles posted as subs at the bottom of the file, and the tool specs at the top to load into the control, and AD helped me get it right. ( have not done 4 axis yet - that remains to be handled). I'd expect you to be able to do the same for a lathe except for repeats for a bar puller or something like that.

Congrats for getting modeling figured out, I find it completely foreign to what I'm used to and I struggle when I need to use it..

 

[Vancbiker]

Though I started programming several years before PC based CAM started to appear, I’ve long ago become a CAM convert for almost all mill programming. I’ve never used CAM for turning as the programs are just to simple to bother with it.

IMO, one needs their posts to be “perfect”. While maybe not as efficient as hand written code, posted code has to run with no errors or editing beyond maybe inserting a program number needed. Takes a good while to validate a post and it’s not something to take lightly.

Personally, my goal for my system is that if a program runs in simulation without any WTF moves, the code will run without any WTF moves. In 3 axes this isn’t too hard to do. Add one rotary axis and the work and testing doubles.

I use DNC4U and for the amount of editing I do, it seems on a par with other editors I have used. Never used Cimco tho.

 

[Barbter]

Yes, you shouldn't need to edit anything....but sometimes....!
I ran mastercam edit free - (after verifying checking to cad model), post and then I'd run it through NCPlot. This was as an independent double check and would easily show any Z moves that shouldn't be there LoL
This is a backplotter, but also an editor if you need to and it handles sub progs and macros.
To transfer to machines - I used easydnc.

For file compare - I'd use Beyond compare, it;s the best file compare prog that was out there (maybe still out there).

@Mhajicek Whether Matt knows more as I know he used it too

Ref cimco - if you still have it why not still use it? It's very capable

 

[AJ H]

Don’t have to edit much, just use notepad when I do. This is going to change your life when you get into 3D milling.

 

[DavidScott]

I use Notepad with Consolas font so I can tell the difference between Os and 0s, the 0s have a line through them. While my posted code doesn't need editing, when programming for production I always program the minimum number of parts, 1-4, then edit it so the work is done with subs and the main generally just calls tool changes and subs.

Fusion will open the code in the editor of your choice, which you can set in Preferences.

 

[Mhajicek]

Yes, you shouldn't need to edit anything....but sometimes....!
I ran mastercam edit free - (after verifying checking to cad model), post and then I'd run it through NCPlot. This was as an independent double check and would easily show any Z moves that shouldn't be there LoL
This is a backplotter, but also an editor if you need to and it handles sub progs and macros.
To transfer to machines - I used easydnc.

For file compare - I'd use Beyond compare, it;s the best file compare prog that was out there (maybe still out there).

@Mhajicek Whether Matt knows more as I know he used it too

Ref cimco - if you still have it why not still use it? It's very capable

Beyond Compare and NCPlot are awesome.

I use Beyond Compare to compare NC file versions, and to bring any hand edits (I haven't added my break check routine to the post yet) into the new version. I also use it to backup my whole CNC directory to a thumb drive; it will show you what files are new, which are missing, and which have changed, then if you want you can just click on the changed file to see what changed (if it's a text file, like an NC.) Then when you tell it to update, it only copies what's different, instead of wasting time overwriting identical files.

I just used NCPlot last night for an op I'm going to run today. I used Mastercam's Transform operation to make the program run T1 on G54, then on G55, then on G56, then T2 on G54 etc. Since I haven't done that in forever, I brought the NC file up in NCPlot, set my work offsets 6" apart, and ran the program. It showed me that everything worked as intended, before I load it on the machine.

As far as loading files on the machine, I just sneakernet them on a thumb drive. But back when I was using serial cables, I'd use Teraterm Pro. It's freeware, fits on a floppy disk, and very simple to use. I've also used it to capture DPRINT outputs from in machine probing.

 

[Mud]

Beyond Compare

Thank you!

 

[Barbter]

Beyond Compare and NCPlot are awesome.

I use Beyond Compare to compare NC file versions, and to bring any hand edits (I haven't added my break check routine to the post yet) into the new version. I also use it to backup my whole CNC directory to a thumb drive; it will show you what files are new, which are missing, and which have changed, then if you want you can just click on the changed file to see what changed (if it's a text file, like an NC.) Then when you tell it to update, it only copies what's different, instead of wasting time overwriting identical files.

I just used NCPlot last night for an op I'm going to run today. I used Mastercam's Transform operation to make the program run T1 on G54, then on G55, then on G56, then T2 on G54 etc. Since I haven't done that in forever, I brought the NC file up in NCPlot, set my work offsets 6" apart, and ran the program. It showed me that everything worked as intended, before I load it on the machine.

As far as loading files on the machine, I just sneakernet them on a thumb drive. But back when I was using serial cables, I'd use Teraterm Pro. It's freeware, fits on a floppy disk, and very simple to use. I've also used it to capture DPRINT outputs from in machine probing.

I'd never used it for back up - every day's a school day!

 

[empower]

I hated everything about Fusion, I was getting nowhere trying to learn it via terrible, napworthy video tutorials. I found out my neighbors son is a whiz with it so I offered to pay him for some lessons.

100% worth it. After a couple hours, I don't hate Fusion now. The shit I thought was really, really dumb makes a lot of sense now.

After 15 years, several thousand part drawings in 2D using old Mastercam I have officially entered modern times and modeled my first parts, correctly using all three dimensions lol.

I got some lathe code. Looks like it's going to work right.

I have been using DNC4U for a couple years. Not bad. The comms side of it is wonderful. The editor kinda sucks compared to the Cimco I used to use when I started out and Cimco was free.

What are you guys using to edit/ manage code with Fusion?

i actually really like mastercam's editor, probably the best thing about that piece of shit software! lol

 

[Mike1974]

i actually really like mastercam's editor, probably the best thing about that piece of shit software! lol

just stop please. everyone knows you hate MCX, move on!

 

[Mike1974]

The posts I had were generated and opened in Cimco, great program IMO. ALso, notepadd++ is a free download and beats the pants off 'regular' notepad!

 

[empower]

just stop please. everyone knows you hate MCX, move on!

relax bud, i'm not pissing in your cereal.