What's new in Mastercam X2?

Mastercam X2 adds a wide variety of powerful new tools to the Mastercam X CAD/CAM family. The following list highlights many of these items. Some were pre-released to Maintenance customers, others are just completed, and all are specifically designed to increase your productivity.

CAD Enhancements

  • New “smart” extension for trimmed surfaces.
  • Support for SolidEdge V19, AutoCAD 2007, and SolidWorks 2007.
  • Improved selection of multiple solids.
  • Quick and easy tool boundary silhouette creation from solids or surfaces.
  • Undo and Redo of solids creation/transformation.
  • Unlimited undo.

Engineering Change Recognition

  • File tracking for quick notification of changes.
  • CAD file “change recognition” for easy reprogramming of edited parts.

New Toolpaths

  • New suite of high speed toolpaths with holder gouge checking.
    • Core roughing, including trochoidal motion.
    • Area clearance.
    • Waterline.
    • Scallop, include new “inside to outside” option.
    • Horizontal Area
    • Raster
    • Pencil
    • Spiral
    • Radial
    • Rest roughing (includes stock model capability).
  • Rest Material feature included in all high speed toolpaths except horizontal.
  • New “rib cutting” 3D toolpath function
  • Completely new suite of 5-axis toolpaths with specialized programming tools for a variety of common projects.
  • When programming a 5-axis toolpath and selecting Compensate to Surfaces, you now have the option of selecting a surface or set of surfaces in the file or selecting an external CAD file (including STL).
  • New multi-pass rough and finish capability in thread milling.

Programming Enhancements

  • Totally redesigned ATP (Automatic Toolpathing).
  • Faster re-processing of existing high speed toolpaths.
  • Completely redesigned Backplot utility.
  • New Backplot options for viewing toolpaths.
  • Cutter comp activated above the part.
  • Collision protection of tool shank, arbor and holder.
  • Robust tool vector control.
  • New toolpath editor.
  • New high speed toolpath dialog allows users to change strategies without having to re-select geometry.
  • Improved aggregate machining.
  • New toolpath display options in Toolpath Manager.
  • Wirepath editor added in Mastercam Wire.
  • A new option that will allow users to manually set feeds and speeds and never have them automatically reset because they changed tools, material, or default files.

Nesting Enhancements

  • Speed improvements.
  • Improved nesting report to move from a text based file to a PDF report, with graphics
  • General improvements in overall nesting.

Other highlights

  • Demonstration videos for many new functions.
  • Also included:
  • Several new specialized design and machining techniques added to Mastercam Art.
    • Art Manager that handles models with a live history tree.
    • New Celtic Weave and Pattern on Contour (Pearling) art surface creation.
    • New predesigned textures, randomized textures, and custom textures.
    • Create art base surfaces from an unwrapped cylinder.
    • Cylinder milling with a true spiral cut, leaving no seam.
    • Extensive Art tutorials and an introductory Art video.
  • Rest Material feature New Quick Mask options.
  • New AutoCursor functionality to allow faster user input.
  • Auto incrementing backup file creation.
  • New project directory function.
  • New hot keys introduced for chaining.
  • New “Setdirs” functionality to help you manage projects.
  • Improved file saving and opening.
  • More interface modality options.
  • Support for Windows XP themes.