Delcam - ArtCAM Pro 2009 TrainingCourse EN - 2008 PDF

ArtCAM Pro 2009
Training Course
Delcam plc,
Talbot Way, Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham, B10 0HJ.
www.delcam.com
Important Notice
This document is supplied as part of a Delcam Training Course. It is not intended to be

distance-learning material: rather as an aid for Tutors when presenting material to course
delegates and as a subsequent aid memoir to those delegates.
Delcam does not accept responsibility for any personal belongings / valuables whilst on the
premises. Delegates are advised to keep their belongings on their person at all times.
Delcam plc. has no control over the use of the software described in this document and
cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage howsoever caused as a result of using
the software. Users are advised that all results from the software are checked by a competent
person in accordance with good quality control procedures.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and may be
used only in accordance with the terms of such license.
Copyright 2008 Delcam plc. All rights reserved
UK Training Centre UK Customer Support

Tel: 0121 683 1050 Tel: 0121 683 1010
Fax 0121 7665511 Fax: 0121 7665542
ArtCAM Contents
ArtCAM Pro 2009 Contents
Chapter Page No.
1. Introduction 1-1 to 1-9
2. Generating Vectors 2-1 to 2-15
3. Vector Editing 3-1 to 3-18
4. Generating a Relief 4-1 to 4-24
5. Pictures 5-1 to 5-12
6 3D Blend and Fade Relief 6-1 to 6- 8
7. Extrude, Spin, Turn, and Two Rail Sweep Reliefs 7-1 to 7-25
8. Weaves 8-1 to 8-10
9. 3D Clipart and Texturing 9-1 to 9-14
10. Relief Layers 10-1 to 10-6
11. Relief Editing 11-1 to 11-16
12. Toolpath Options 12-1 to 12-2
13. Z Level Roughing 13-1 to 13-10
14. Machine Relief and 3D Rest 14-1 to 14-8
15. 3D Cut Out Machining 15-1 to 15-6
16. Feature Machining 16-1 to 16-8
17. Post Processing Toolpaths 17-1 to 17-4
18. Toolpath Templates 18-1 to 18-2
Continued on next page
Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1

Contents ArtCAM Pro
19. 2D Vector Machining 19-1 to 19-11
20. Engraving and Scribe Lines 20-1 to 20-5
21. Drilling 21-1 to 21-5
22. Projects 22-1 to 22-13
Appendix
Font Creation
Machining Inlays
Multiple Plates
Nesting Vectors
Toolpath Panelling
Keyboard Shortcuts
2 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

ArtCAM 1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Introduction
ArtCAM Pro allows complex Reliefs (ArtCAM 3D models) to be created quickly and easily
from 2D vectors (ArtCAM Wireframe) or bitmaps (Image files). These vectors and
bitmaps can be generated within ArtCAM or imported from other systems. ArtCAM can
also import 3D Surface data, which is translated on entry as a Relief model.
ArtCAM Pro contains tools for editing and/or combining Reliefs. Once a Relief has been
created 3D toolpaths are easily generated for roughing, finishing and engraving. The
toolpaths can be simulated to allow complete visualisation of the product before manufacture.
2D Toolpaths can also be created based on 2D Vectors.
In the Delcam training department ArtCAM Training Course files to be used in conjunction
with the course notes are stored in: D:/users/training/ArtCAM_Data.
Starting ArtCAM Pro
Double click the ArtCAM icon on the screen with the left mouse button.
Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1.1

1. Introduction ArtCAM
The ArtCAM user interface will appear as shown above. To start working in ArtCAM the
user must first for simple components, create a New Model or for more complex assemblies,
a New Project. Projects will be covered later at a more advanced stage of the training course.
Select Create New Model .
A New Model must have:
A defined area in Y and X to work in;

An origin (datum) position;
A resolution (the total number of squares within the working area). Each square
defined by the resolution will either, stay put or extrude up or down to produce a tiny
part of the 3D Relief form.
When working with bitmaps the resolution is inherited from the imported image file, as a
result it is important to use as higher quality image as possible.
Resolution
The dragon model shows the 2D view of the model broken up into a number of squares
(pixels). Each square is given a height in ArtCAM dependent upon the command used. The
first relief uses a low resolution, which means a loss of fine detail in the resulting 3D Relief.
1.2 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

If a high resolution is applied, the model is broken into more pixels, which is in turn reflected
in the definition and quality of the Relief model.
Set the Height and Width as 100 and the resolution as 796 x 796 points.
Select OK.
Menu Bar
2D View
Assistant
Layers
ArtCAM opens up displaying the 2D view, with the Relief displayed in the 3D View. You
can toggle the views by pressing the F2 or F3 shortcut key. ArtCAM commands are accessed
from the Menu Bar options or direct from the Assistant area.
Menu Bar
At the top of the Main window, there is a Menu Bar.

Clicking on a menu item opens a pull-down menu that contains submenus and commands. If a
menu item does not apply to the currently active view it will be greyed out.
Sub menus are indicated and selected via the arrow at the right hand side (where applicable).
You can see in the image below the top part of the Vectors menu as an example.
ArtCAM Assistant
The ArtCAM Assistant gives the most information and help. Information can be hidden or
shown by clicking the arrows up or down .
Model Information - this shows the actual size of the Artwork

and height of the Relief.
File - these options are applied when creating new, or opening

existing ArtCAM models.
Model - this controls the editing of the Model attributes and

also includes Lights and Materials for shading the Relief.
Bitmap Tools - these bitmap commands work with colours,

directly on the defined resolution.
Vector Tools the Vectors are flat 2D lines, independent of

resolution. These commands control the creation of the Vectors.
Position, Combine, Trim Vectors - these are the tools to

modify Vectors.
Relief Tools - these are the tools for generating the Relief.
Tabs - give access to other pages.

Flyout menus
Some menu options are hidden within a fly out menu to save space. They are accessed via an
arrow located to the right of an existing icon. To lock them in position, click the pin at the end
of the fly out menu.
pin
Fly out menus will change dependant upon the last command you used in the menu. For
example, if you select a star, then the star moves to the left side of the menu, so when the fly -
out is closed, the star icon is the one shown.
To hide a fly out menu reselect the pin.
2D and 3D Views
If required the 2D and 3D views can be shown side by side by selecting either Tile Vertically
or Tile Horizontally from the Window menu.
Select Window - Tile Vertically .
The 2D view is required when working

on the Bitmaps, Vectors, and applying
them to create the ongoing Relief
model.
The 3D view is required for a more
realistic view of the Relief model as
well as the Simulation of the
Toolpaths. F2 and F3 are shortcut keys
used to switch between the 2D view
(F2) and the 3D view (F3).

Status Bar
The Status Bar is at the bottom of the main window.
As the cursor moves over the 2D or 3D Views, the X, Y, Z co-ordinates of the current cursor
position are displayed in the Status Bar. If a Vector is selected, the current Width and
Height are also displayed here. If the cursor passes over a Relief model then the current Z
height of the Model at that position will be displayed.
Layers Assistant
The Layers Assistant contains 3 different types of Layer
categories that the user is able to assign Vectors, Bitmaps,
and Reliefs to. This is to assist selection or temporary visual
removal of entities displayed that are currently not required
and are in the way.
If required, the Layers Assistant can be switched on and

off using the shortcut key F7. This will provide a larger area
for the graphics.
Help
By selecting Help - Index from the top Menu bar (or by
pressing the F1 shortcut key) a Help Page will open over
the graphics area.
A more direct form of Help is obtained while working in a form by clicking on the ? in the
top right corner. This expands the form with detailed explanation of each available option.
To exit the expanded help form click the ? again.

Some of the help options within a form include a video clip icon which if clicked
allows the user to observe the command as used in combat.
Saving and Closing Down the ArtCAM session
Select File - Close Model.

Select the No tab in the Would you like to save your changes? dialog box.
The ArtCAM model is now closed.
ArtCAM Data Storage and Export

An ArtCAM Model will contain all entities created within the session (Bitmaps, Vectors,
Reliefs and Machining data). All will be exported as a file which is identifiable by having a
.art extension.
It is also possible to export specific entity types from the model independently from the whole
ArtCAM Model. These include:
Vectors (.eps .dxf .dgk .pic);

Reliefs (.rlf);
Triangle Models (.stl .dmt);
Machining Output (.tap).
For more advanced applications where it is required to create an assembled group of separate
Relief models an ArtCAM Project is first opened in which several ArtCAM Models can be
created and combined as required for an assembled item. When saved, the ArtCAM Project
is identifiable by a .3dp extension. To enable the Reliefs to co-exist together, the individual
components are converted within the Assembly as Triangle Mesh models.

Mouse buttons application

Each of the three mouse buttons performs a different operation in ArtCAM Pro 3D View
(F3). By using the ALT, Ctrl or Shift key on your keyboard, these operations can be
extended as the following details explain.
Left mouse button: Picking and selecting
This button is used for selecting items off the main pull down
menus, inputting data and selecting parts of the model.
Middle mouse button or wheel: Dynamics
Zooming :
Hold down the CTRL key and button/wheel and

move the mouse up and down to zoom in and out of the view.
Hold down the CTRL, Shift Key and button/wheel to select a
framed area to zoom into.
You can Zoom also in the 2D View.
Panning :
Hold down the SHIFT key with the button/wheel

moving the mouse, to move the view across the component.
Rotating :
Hold down the middle button/wheel and move the

mouse. A tracker ball appears at the centre of rotation, as does
the view orientation axis in the bottom left corner of the screen.
If View Spinning is switched on (Tools - Options - Views) the
view will spin around until the user executes a further mouse
click.

ArtCAM 2. Generating Vectors
2. Generating Vectors
Overview
Vectors are mathematically defined shapes consisting of a series of points (nodes), which are
connected by lines, arcs or curves (spans) to form the overall shape.
They can be:
Generated directly within ArtCAM by using the Vector Tools in the Assistant page;
Rectangles, Squares, Circles, Polylines, Ellipses, Polygons, Stars or Text that can
be edited if necessary to generate the final vectors to create a Relief from;
Imported from another drawing package, using the File Import menu option, or
copied and pasted from another package using the standard Windows commands.
Mobile Phone Cover Exercise

In the following exercise you will generate a Mobile Phone Cover using the Vector Tools.
Below is a drawing of the item including basic dimensions, so that you can get an idea of how
the final product should look before working through the step by step instructions.

2. Generating Vectors ArtCAM
Select Create Rectangle .

Select the option Rectangle.
Enter a Width of 50mm, a Height of 120mm, a Corner Radii of 3mm and a
Centre Point of X 0 and Y 0.
Select Create.
Youve generated the main shape of the cover.
Change the Width to 40mm, Height to 30mm, Corner Radii to 1mm and the
Centre Point to X0 and Y20.
Select Close.
The second Rectangle will represent the display window.
Select Create Ellipse .

Enter a Start Point of X 14 Y 50 with a Height of 7mm, Width of 10mm
and an Angle of 140 degrees.

Select Create and then Close.
You will Block/Copy this Ellipse to build the remainder of the key
vectors.
With the Ellipse selected, click on the Block Copy / Rotate icon from
Vector Tools area on the Assistants page.
The Block and Rotate Copy allows you to create a block

copy in X and Y or a rotated copy.
The distances can be set as an offset value or by a gap

value between each item.
Select Block Copy and Distances are offsets options.

Select an X Offset of 14mm, with Number of Columns as 3.
Select a Y Offset of 10mm, with Number of Rows as 4.
Select Apply and then Close.

Youve generated the main button positions.

You will create next the option button.
This is a combined design of two circles merged together.
Select Create Circle .

Set the Circle Centre as X0 Y4, Radius as 4mm and select Create.
Change the Circle Centre to X0 Y8, select Create and then Close.
You will now merge these two Circles together.
Select both circles and select the Weld button from the Position,
Combine, Trim Vectors area on the Assistants page.

By merging the two Circle vectors youve generated a new single vector.
Note: The Weld command only works on two selected

closed vectors.
Zoom in to see the vector more clearly.

With the new vector selected, select Node Editing .
Hover the mouse over a black node, press the right mouse button and from the
side menu select Smooth Point (or press S on the keyboard).
Press N to return to Select mode and click away from the vector.
Select Create Polygon .

Enter No. of Sides to be 3, Angle 0, Polygon Centre at X 14, Y 2 with a
Radius of 4mm.

You will Offset this Triangle with a radius to produce the

desired Relief.
With the Triangle vector selected, select Offset Vector(s) .

Select an Offset Distance of 1mm, Offset Direction as Outwards, Offset
Corners as Radiused, Offset and then Close.
You can offset vectors inwards, outwards or both and you can
at the junction between straight lines give a Chamfer or
Radius.
The new vector is Radiused at the corners.
Select the inner vector and press Delete on the keyboard.

Select the new vector and select Mirror Vectors .

The Mirror Vectors page appears in the Assistant. This

allows you to mirror the selected vectors about
themselves or a selected line.
Note: You must select the mirror line first before

applying the Mirror Vectors - About Line option.
Select Copy the Original Vectors (Ctrl), select Bottom and then Close.
Youve copied and mirrored the vector. You will move the new
vector downwards. It can be nudged using the down arrow or
moved by a value using the Transform Vectors command.
Select Transform Vectors (or hit T twice on the keyboard).

Enter Move Y as 1, select Apply and Close.
Select both Triangular vectors and select the Group button .
The two items can now be treated as one.

Select Create Polyline .

You can generate Polylines by entering absolute co-

ordinates in the X and Y area, by angles and line length, as
relative co-ordinates using the dx and dy (distance from last
point) or by clicking with the cursor.
Note: Polylines can also be created dynamically in the graphics area either by holding down
the left mouse key while freehand sketching a curve, or by using the left mouse key to click
individual points along the required route.
Select Add (enters a point at 0 0).

Enter 30 in dy (30mm in Y direction), select Add and then Close.
You will use the Polyline for mirroring the triangular buttons
across the component.
Select the Polyline and shift select the group.

Select the Mirror button .
Select Copy the Original Vector, select About Line and then Close.
Delete the Polyline.

Select Create Vector Text .
Any additional fonts loaded onto the computer will be

recognised ArtCAM, as well as the standard fonts.
Select Font as Arial, Script as Western and Size as 3mm.

Click at the bottom of the 2D View and type ARTCAM VECTOR TEXT.
Select Done.
You will Wrap this Text around the outer vector, with the
text inside, using the Wrap text round a curve option.

Select Wrap text round a curve .

Select the Text and shift select the outer
vector and press Select in the Text on a Curve
page.
The Text on a Curve page appears, which allows you

to align an existing Text Vector to a Curve Vector.
Text Position includes options that control the relative,

position of the text across the curve.
Text on other side puts it on the other side of the curve.
Text Alignment includes options that control the flow

of the text along the curve.
Text Spacing allows you to vary the spacing between

the individual characters.
Editing Style allows you to set individual Words or

Letters to be repositioned around the curve independently.
Select the option Specify and enter 1mm.

Select the option Text on other side.
Select the option Single Words.
Move the text using the cursor to align on the three sides and select OK.
The Text is now wrapped.

Select Create Polyline and in the form select the option Draw smooth
polylines.
Left click 5 suitably positioned points to create a Smooth Polyline similar to the
one shown below and select Close.
You will use this Polyline to paste vectors along.
From the Vector Tools area, select Create Stars .

Enter No. of Points as 5, Star Centre as X 28, Y 62, Radius of first Points as
4.5mm and Radius of second Points as 2mm.

Select the Star vector and shift select the sketched Polyline.
From the Vector Tools area, select Paste along Curve .

The vector is pasted incrementally along the curve either

by dividing the curve equally (Specify Number), or by a
fixed distance, leaving any surplus at the end of the curve
(Specify Distance).
Select Specify Number and enter Number of Copies as 5.

Select Paste and Close.
Delete the original Star vector and the sketched Polyline.
Select File - Save As, browse:

\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs and enter as File name - training-
phone-cover.

Exercise A
Open a New Model of Height 150mm and Width 100mm.
Generate the vectors for this Apple Juice Model, using your own values.
Select File - Save As and save the model with the File name as apple in:
\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs.
Exercise B
Open a New Model of Height 60mm and Width 40mm.
Generate the vectors for this Locket.
Save the model AS:\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs\locket.

ArtCAM 3. Vector Editing
3. Vector Editing
Vector Editing
The following chapter will introduce several Vector Editing options.
Shield Design Exercise

Create a New Model with a Height of 20mm, Width of 20mm and a resolution of
1002 x 1002 points.
Set the Origin to the middle and select OK.
Note:
You can move the origin position by using the option Set Model Position .
This allows you to position the zero datum to the Centre, one of the 4 corners or a typed
coordinate position.
Vector input by snapping to a Grid
Select Bitmaps Views - Snap Grid Settings
Grids provide snap points to assist in dynamically defining vector

points. They are available from the Bitmaps - Views pulldown
menu.
The selected grid spacing value is mainly dependent on the size and
complexity of the component to be produced.
Select the options Draw Snap Grid and Snap to Grid.

Set the Grid Spacing to 1 and select OK.

3. Vector Editing ArtCAM
Snap to the same Grid points as shown in the image below.
Note: The best position to Snap in a vector point is just to the

lower, left of a Grid point.
Select File - Save As:

D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs\train-shield.
Select Bitmaps Views - Snap Grid Settings
Switch off both Draw Snap Grid and Snap to Grid before selecting OK.
Select Fillet vector with an arc .
The Fillet is generated at a node point or from two

Polylines that would intersect.
Enter a Fillet Radius of 5mm and select either side of the bottom point to
generate the fillet.
Change the Fillet Radius to 1mm and create a Fillet at the top two corners.
Change the Fillet Radius to 2.5mm and create a Fillet at the last two corners.
The main shield vector is as shown.
Select Close.

With the vector selected, select Offset Vector .

Set an Offset Distance of 0.5mm, select Inwards and Radiused.
Select Offset, followed by Close.
Vector input by snapping to Guidelines
Youve created a constant Offset. For the middle part, instead of

using Grid lines, Guidelines, you will input actual values.
Guidelines are pulled from within the rulers located around the
border of the model. For accurate positioning they can be snapped
direct to Grid points or if the Grid is switched off once created they
can be precisely positioned via a Position Guide form.
Hold the left mouse button down within the top ruler and drag down a horizontal
Guideline.
Release the left mouse button, when it is near to the centre of the model (0 on
the vertical ruler).
Right mouse click on the Guideline.
You will accurately position a selected Guideline

by inputting a suitable value in the New position
field before selecting Apply.
Note: A selected Guideline can also be Deleted

via this form.
You can insert new Guidelines using the options in

the lower half of the form.
Enter a New Position of 0 and select Apply.

Generate a vertical Guideline at 0 by dragging it from within the left ruler.
There are now two Guidelines in the model. You can snap them onto
when creating or moving vectors or nodes.
You can show or hide these Guidelines by clicking on the Guidelines

icon.
This is at the top left hand corner of the rulers.


Snap on the Guidelines to create horizontal and vertical centrelines.
Pick the top left corner icon in the 2D View to switch off Show Guidelines.
The two new Polylines will be used to create Offset Copies by setting the on Both Sides
(Ridge) option.
Offset the horizontal Line vector both sides by 0.5mm selecting the Both Sides
(Ridge) option.
Offset the vertical Line vector both sides by 0.4mm.
Delete the original Polylines (if the Delete original vectors option was not set
during the offset operations).
Select Trim vector to intersections and trim the Polylines to fit within the
shield.
The completed vectors for the shield design are as

shown.
Select File - Save (Ctrl+S).


Vector Layers
Vector Layers provide a more ordered method of controlling the selection and display of
selected groups of vectors. In default mode ArtCAM Pro assigns all vectors produced to
a layer named Default Layer (which cannot be renamed or deleted). Any additional Vector
Layers can be Renamed, Deleted and Merged together. As new Layers are created specific
group of vectors are assigned to them as required.
Phone Cover Exercise

Open the model training-phone-cover.art from
D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs.
You will move parts of this model to other Layers. You will also import
new vectors will into other Layers.
Vector Layers are controlled by this toolbar. The

current layer is highlighted and any generated or
imported vectors will be displayed, providing the layer
in switched on (light bulb).
The active sheet control is used with the nesting command.
Select the stars vector group.
Layers need to be generated before vectors can be placed

into them. It is good practise to give the layer a sensible
name.

Select New on the Layers toolbar .
Vector Layer 1 appears allowing you to change

the name, by double-clicking on the name.
Double click on Vector Layer 1, overwrite as stars and select the green tick to
confirm.
The new level is now named and switched on.
Right mouse click on the selected star vector group and pick Move to Layer >
stars.
Switch off the Layer stars by clicking the light bulb.
The star vectors are now hidden. The other vectors on the
default level are still displayed.
Note: When a Layer is current any vectors that are pasted are
automatically placed on that layer.
Create a new Layer and change the name to buttons.

Create a new Layer and change the name to holes.
Select the 12 Ellipse vectors.
These selected vectors will be placed on another Layer.
Note: Layers can have the snapping facility switched on or off.

For example if you had vectors close together and wanted to be
sure you snapped to the correct vector on a layers, then you
would switch snap off for all the other layers.

Right mouse click on the selected button vector group and pick Move to Layer
> buttons.
Select the other shaped vectors as shown.
These selected vectors will be placed on another Layer.
Note: Layers can be locked, so any vectors on that layer cannot

be moved until the layer is unlocked.
Right mouse click on the selected vector group and pick Move to Layer > holes.
Switch off the Default Layer, leaving on the layer stars and holes.
Make current the Layer called holes.
The vectors displayed are going to be combined into the one

current layer Merged Layer 1.
Select Merge Visible .
A new Layer called Merged Layer 1 has been

created with the visible data combined. The vectors
on the layers can be coloured for identification.
Select the black spot to the left of the Layer

name Merged Layer 1.

The colour form appears. This allows you to select the colour for the vectors on that layer.
Select a light green and select OK.

Switch on all the Layers using the Toggle All Visibility .
All the vectors on this layer are now shown as green. Imported vectors are automatically put
on the current layer.
Make the Layer called Default layer current (by highlighting it).
Select Open .
From ArtCAM Data, select the file tel-insert.eps and select Open.
Youve placed the saved vectors onto the current Layer. When
they are input, they are placed at the same location they were
saved in, so if the model size has changed you may need to
zoom in or out to find them.
The vectors are imported as a group, so to use them they need

to be ungrouped.
To save vectors, select the vectors you want and from the file
menu select Export.
Select File - Save.


Node Editing
Vectors are made up of nodes. To change a vector, the nodes are changed as the following
example shows.
Enamel-Pin Exercise
Create a New Model with a Width of 60mm and Height of 20mm.
Create a Guideline at X 0 and Y 0.

Untick the Draw smooth polylines option.
Enter X as 25mm, Y as 1mm and select Add.
Enter dx as 35 and select Add.
Select Close.
Enter X as 25mm, Y as 1mm and select Add.
Enter dx as 35 and select Add.
Select Close.
You will join these two vectors

together with either an arc, straight
line or by moving the end points.
Select both vectors.

Select Join Vectors With A Curve .
Youve joined the two vectors

together to make a new vector.
You will close the open vector.
Select the new vector.

Select Close vector with a line .
The vector has been closed. You

will now modify an Ellipse to
produce a leaf shape.
Select Create Ellipse .

Enter a Start Point of X -4mm Y 4mm, an Ellipse Height of 3mm and a Ellipse
Width of 12mm with an Angle of 340 degrees.
Select Create, followed by Close.

Select Node Editing .
By pressing N on the keyboard on a selected vector,

you will switch between Node Editing mode and
Select Vectors mode.
You will open up the Ellipse halfway by removing

spans using the right mouse button menu.
The part of the vector between two node points

is called a span. If a span was removed, the
vector will become open.
In Node Editing mode, if you move your

mouse over a node point and click the right
mouse button a different set of menus
appears.
Right mouse click over the right bottom span of the Ellipse and select Remove
Span from the menu.
The Ellipse vector is opened at the required area.

Youll need to delete the other lower span.
Right mouse click over the left bottom span of the Ellipse and select Remove
Span from menu.
Only half of the original Ellipse remains. You will close

this half Ellipse with a line in the Select Vectors mode.

Select Select Vectors .

With the vector selected, select Close Vector with a Line .
The vector is now closed. You will now create a

Polyline to mirror the vector around.

Enter X as 10.3mm, Y as 1.5mm and select Add.
Enter X as 3.6mm, Y as 6.6mm and select Add, followed by Close.
Select the Polyline, the leaf shape and select Mirror Vectors .
Tick the Copy the Original Vectors option and select About Line.
Select Close.
Select the Polyline and select Cut .
The leaf shape has been generated. Youll need to copy it

to the other side.

Snap to the horizontal Guideline to create a line across the whole model.
Select the horizontal vector and the leaf shapes.
Select Mirror Vectors .
Select Copy the Original Vectors and the About Line option.

Select the Create Circles .

Set the Circle Centre as X 10mm Y 0, select Radius and enter 1.5mm.
Deselect Create with arcs, followed by Create.
Set the Circle Centre as X 16mm Y 0, select Radius and enter 6mm.
Select Create followed by Close.
You will subtract the smaller circle from the larger circle.
Select the larger circle and then shift select the smaller circle.
Select Subtract vectors .
Select Node mode .
Move the mouse over the top marked area and

from the right mouse menu select Insert a point.
Move the mouse over the bottom marked area

and from the right mouse menu select Insert a
point.
The addition of these extra node points will allow you to

move the node point in between the new points and it will
only stretch the vector within that region.
Select the middle node.

Drag the point along the horizontal vector and
release the mouse at a suitable position as shown
in the image on the next page.
Delete the horizontal vector.

The design has been changed.
The two control points can be dragged to produce a more realistic

curve.
Select each control point and move around as shown in the image below.
The shape is complete. Youll have to create another Polyline

to build the inner part, using the smooth option.
Select Vectors .
Select Draw smooth polylines.
Select several points on the model to make the shape as shown.
Click on the start point to finish off the vector.
Select Close.
The last point is not smoothed when it is joined. You can

smooth it in the Node Editing mode.
When you are in the Node Editing mode the smooth point
shows as blue and a non-smooth point shows as black.
You can now Offset all of the vectors.
Select Select Vectors .

Stretch a box over all of the vectors.

Select Offset Vectors .
Select an Offset Distance as 1mm, Offset Direction as Outwards/Right and
Offset Corners as Radiused.
Select Offset, followed by Close.
The design has now been finished.
You can fill in the closed vectors with bitmap colour to give an idea of what the design will
look like before the Relief is made.
Select the new offset vector and select the gold coloured square at the bottom of
the 2D View with the left mouse button.
Select Flood Fill Vectors .
The whole inside of the vector is

filled with the colour. The colour is
a bitmap. You can select other
vectors and fill them in to overwrite
the colour.
Select the leaf and stalk vectors and select the green coloured square at the
bottom of the 2D View.
Select the petal vectors and select the red coloured square at the bottom of the
2D View.
If the vectors were altered, the colours

need to be recreated.

Select File - Save As with the File name - train-flower:

Selected Node Editing

When a node is selected it turns red and can be moved dynamically. Shift and select allows
the user to select several nodes in a curve, ctrl and select allows the user to pick individual
nodes, to be moved simultaneously.
Selecting X on the keyboard edits the selected points with the X coordinate of the last node.
Selecting Y on the keyboard edits the selected points with the Y coordinate of the last node.
Vector Clipping and Slicing
Vector Clipping is used to trim a group of vectors within a defined vector.

Vector Slicing is used to split a vector across a selected cutting vector.
Vector Clipping Exercise

Create the following vectors in a New Model of size 100 x 100 and Origin at the
centre.
The sizes do not really matter as long as there are a few stars
within the pentagon.

Select Vector Clipping .
The vector clipping form appears with instruction on how to use the command and the
different results available with the options given.
Select the Polygon and then shift select all of the other vectors (can drag a box).
Select Clipping Direction as Inside and Overlaping Vectors as Trim.
Select Clip Vectors.
The stars that are whole within the polygon are

retained and those that cross the polygon are
trimmed back as shown.
Try out the above example using the other Overlapping Vectors options.

Vector Slicing Exercise

In a New Model of size 100 x 100 and Origin at the centre sketch the following
vectors.
Shift - Select both the closed vectors followed by the open (slicing) vector.
Select Slice Selected Vectors .
The Vector Slice page appears displaying the options available.

The Use last selected vector option is only available when
more than one vector is selected. Otherwise it will be greyed
out.
Select the options Close and Use last selected vector.

Select Slice Vectors.
Nudge the two new vectors up and down using the keyboard up and down arrow
keys to see the result.
The vectors have been sliced and rejoined.
Experiment with the other Options.

ArtCAM 4. Generating a Relief
4. Generating a Relief
Relief
A Relief is the ArtCAM 3D model created either from vectors, bitmaps, imported CAD
surface models or existing stored Reliefs. One set of options operates by building a Relief
from one or more closed vectors using the Shape Editor. Double clicking on the selected
vector/s or pressing the F12 shortcut key will open the Shape Editor form.
There are three main 3D forms: Domes, Pyramids and Flat

Planes. By selecting one of the 3D Relief icons the
relevant options become active in the form. The Relief form
can only occur within the defined model area and is
effectively formed by the individual bitmap squares
(Resolution) moving up or down in Z. The Shape Editor
is the original method for creating a Relief. As ArtCAM
has evolved, a selection of more specialised and advanced
options have been added to the Relief Tools area of the
Assistant.
There are 6 options to control how the Relief is combined with the existing ArtCAM model.
These comprise Add, Subtract, Merge High, Merge Low, Zero and Zero Rest.
The 2D View shows the Dome Relief already made from a

Circle vector and the Rectangle selected for the new Relief.
Add ADD
This method Adds the new Relief on top of
the current Relief, producing the result as
shown right.
In this case a Plane of a Start Height of

1mm was added to the Relief.
Subtract
This method Removes the new Relief SUBTRACT
from the current Relief, giving the

following effect.
Issue ArtCAMPro 2009 4.1

4. Generating a Relief ArtCAM
1mm was subtracted from the Relief.

ZERO
Zero
By applying Zero, the Relief inside the
vector will have Z height of Zero.
MERGE HIGH
Merge High
The new Relief is Merged along Z
through the existing Relief.

1mm has been Merged High through the
Dome.
MERGE LOW
Merge Low
The new Relief is Merged through the
existing Relief and any of the original
model form above it is removed.
In this case a Plane of a Start Height of 1mm was Merged Low through the Dome.
ZERO REST
Zero Rest
The new Relief is flattened to the Zero plane
outside of the vector area.
Note: with this option it does not matter what Relief shape was chosen, the area outside the
2D rectangle area was zeroed.
Reliefs are displayed in the 3D View and can be Exported from ArtCAM as individual (.rlf)
file.
The smoothness of a Relief is dependant on the Resolution. An option exists at the top of
the 2D View to display the Relief as a shaded image. This shaded image can if required be
used to create a bitmap, which in turn can be modified to exhibit photo realistic colours on
the 3D Relief model.

Anchor Exercise
Open the model anchor.art from: D:/users/training/ArtCAM Data.
The model contains the vectors as shown left.
Select the outer bar vector of the anchor as shown.
Double left mouse click on the vector to bring up the Shape Editor.
A Flat Plane shape has been selected with a Start

Height of 0.5. The Start Height indicates the very
top Z level of the Flat Plane.
Select Add, Close and press F3.

Switch off the Draw Zero Plane.

The bar is produced as shown. If you place the mouse

on the Relief, the Z height at that point (0.5) will be
displayed in the information box at the lower right of
the graphics area.
Press F2.
De-select the bar vector.
Hold down shift and select the two vectors inside the bar.
The Relief will be generated inside the two

selected vectors.
Right mouse click and select Shape Editor from the menu.
Select the Dome option.
Youve assigned a Dome shape to the selected

vectors with a Start Angle of 45 degrees and No
Limit with regard to overall height. This means
that the Dome shape will initially start to rise at 45
degrees and gradually level out naturally as it
passes across the vector area.
Change the Start Height to 0, select Add followed by Close.

Press F3.
Youve added the extra detail to the Relief.

Press F2 to display the 2D View.

Select the main anchor vector.
This vector will be merged into the bar vector.
Select Merge High, followed by Close.
Youve assigned a Pyramid shape to the vector,

with an Angle of 65 degrees. The overall height is
constrained to be Flat at a Height of 0.75mm by the
Limit to Height option.
Select F3.
The main anchor shape is now combined with the

bar.
Press F2 and select the hook vectors.

You will combine these vectors with the current Relief.
Youve assigned these vectors have relatively

shallow Angle of 30 degrees, but the new Dome
Relief shape will include an initial vertical wall as
specified by a Start Height of 0.75mm.
Press F3.
Youve now added the hooks.
Press F2 and select the ring vectors.

Youve assigned the hook vector with a Dome

shape with a relatively steep Angle of 65 degrees,
and an initial Start Height of 0.5mm.
Press F3.
Spin the view of the Relief around by holding down the left mouse button.
Select File - Save As naming the model as training-anchor in:
D:\users\Training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs.
Select File Close Model.

Tin Lid Exercise
Open the model tintop.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

Select Toggle All Visibility from the Bitmaps layer menu.
This switches off the bitmap so that any vectors can be seen more clearly and as a result will
be easier to select.
These vectors were previously generated in the

imported ArtCAM and are all closed. They will
be used to produce a Relief model of a tin lid,
which will be shaded using the inherent model,
bitmap colours.
Select the outer circle vector.

Select the Shape Editor.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 60 degrees, a Start Height of 5mm, with
Limit To Height set with a value of 1mm.
Select Add and then press F3 (3D View).
The Relief (overall height 6) is created as shown.

A fillet runs around the outside, which blends
flush with the flat top form but forms a tangency
with the sidewall at a Start Height of 5mm.

Select F2 (2D View).

Select both of the leaf vectors.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of -8 degrees, a Start Height of 0.5mm and
with No Limit set.
Youve added the leaf shape on the top at a start

height of 0.5mm, which has then been scooped out
by a negative angle to produce the inverted leaf
shape shown.
Press F2 (2D View).

Select both of the leaf vein vectors.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 10 degrees, a Start Height of 0, with No
Limit set.
If you zoom into one of the leaves, you can see

that by adding the vein Relief it follows the
shallow shape of the leaf.
Press F2 (2D View).

Select the petal to the left of the highest petal to select the lower group.


Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 15 degrees, a Start Height of 6.5 mm,
with Scale to Height set with a value of 1mm.
Select Merge High and then press F3 (3D View).
After applying Merge High, the Start Height

value is the actual height from the Z0 of the
Relief. By setting the value higher than the
leaves, the petal forms are raised above.
Press F2 (2D View).

Select the highest petal to select the higher group.
Scale to Height set with a value of 1mm.
Select Merge High and then F3 (3D View).
This petal group is higher than the other group, so

that the petals in the front are full petals and the
petals below are only partial petals.
Press F2 (2D View).

Select the small circle vector (in the centre of the flower).
No Limit set.
Select Merge High and then F3 (3D View).
The centre of the flower has been merged into the petals.
You will now add the Text.

Press F2 (2D View).

Select both of the text vectors.
Select a Pyramid Shape with an Angle of 45 degrees, a Start Height of 6mm,
with Limit to height set with a value of 0.2mm.
Press Merge High and then F3 (3D View).
The Text has been produced with a chamfered edge and a

flat top making it stand out.
The Relief can be shown in alternative shaded colours or

the same as the 2D Bitmap colours.
From the Assistants page - Model, select Lights and Material .
In the Shading Setup or Material areas select a down arrow (to the right of a current
settings tab) and select an alternative. (Note: the selection in the Material category or
adjustment to a slider will only update on clicking Apply).
You can now observe the change in style on the Relief to reflect the 2D bitmap colour
scheme.
The Relief is overlaid with the same colour scheme as

the 2D Bitmap (This will override the settings in
Shading Setup)
You can shade the whole Relief from a choice of colour

schemes located in the Shading Setup or Material pull
down menus.
Issue ArtCAMPro 2009

4.11
Select File - Save As and enter a File name as train-tid-lid in:

In ArtCAM you can use a selected vector to distort the final Relief, allowing you to
interactively shape the final Relief.
Press F2 (2D View).

Select the Circle vector.
Select Relief Envelope Distortion .
The Relief Envelope Distortion page appears. Also the

selected vector is displayed within a special, gridded
vector box (called the Envelope) with Nodes at the
corners.
You can move the Nodes around with a view to stretching

and squeezing the Relief.
You can add additional Nodes and the Envelope vector

can be edited by using normal vector commands.
When a Relief is distorted, the Z height can be altered, if

required or kept the same.
The ability to Use existing curve(s) is available as shown.
Finally, to accept the final Envelope distortion select

Finish otherwise Cancel will revert the Relief back to its
original shape.
You can clearly see the Grid in the 2D View. You can also
move individual Nodes around and change the angles.

Select the option Replace Original Relief.

Select Create Vector Outline and set Relief Z Height Scaling as Average Scale
at 100% (a Rectangular vector appears as the outer limit).
Select in the page to access Node Editing.
Place the mouse in the middle of the top span and select I to Insert a new point.
Select the new point and move it down in the Y until it is halfway down the text
letter l.
Move the left angle node down.

Select the right span across the top and press L to convert to a line.
Move the bottom left angle node until it snaps on the letter e.
Move the bottom right angle node until it snaps on the letter d.
You can see the new shape of the Relief in outline.
Select Add, Paste to recreate the Relief and Finish to accept.

Press F3.
From the Assistant Model Lights and Material, select as Shading Setup 24ct
Polished Gold.

4.13
Youve distorted the Relief.
Select Done to exit the Lights and Materials page.

Press F2.
Select Preview Relief Layer .
When the Relief is changed the Greyscale view is

automatically updated. By switching the Relief
Layer view on, it is clearly different from the
original design.
To keep the Z height the same the option Keep

Current Z would be applied.
Pyramid Exercise
Create a New Model of

size 100 x 100.
Create suitable vectors as
shown left and construct a
Relief Based on the
illustration on the right.

Teddy Bear Exercise

This example takes the user through the creation of a Teddy bear Relief model mainly using
the Shape Editor in addition to the specialised Angled plane and ISO-Form lettering Relief
options.
Select File - Open File and load in the existing ArtCAM model file Teddy.art,
from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
Select the body vector using the left mouse button.
Double click the selected vector.

Select a Dome shape, with an Angle of 45 degrees with No Limit and select the
Add button.
Select Close.
Select the 3D View using F3.
Select Draw Zero Plane at the top of the 3D View window to toggle the
display of the Relief form at Z0.
Select Low Detail .

4.15
This will speed up the refresh rate when displaying the Relief in the 3D View but will result
in the surface shape appearing visually rough.
Press the F2 key to display the 2D View.

Using the left mouse button, select the outer ears vectors, then hold down the
Shift key and select the inner ears vectors.
Double click and select a Dome shape with No Limit, an Angle of 45 degrees with
a Start Height of 0.5 and select Add.
ArtCAM generates a shape for the area between the

selected vectors.
De-select the vectors in the 2D View and select the inner ears vectors.
Double click the selected group and select the Reset button.
Select a Flat Plane with a Start Height of 0.5 and select Merge High.
Youve merged the inner ears with the outer edge.
Select the arm vectors.
If the arms were added to the body, then a bulge would

appear where the shape is added on the top of the body
Relief. The arms need to be Merged High.

Select a Dome shape, with an Angle of 45 degrees with No Limit and select the
Merge High button.
The arms are generated.
Select the face vector.
You will enter a higher angle to build a rounded appearance

for the face. The face will be merged into the current Relief.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 60 degrees with No Limit and select
Merge High.
Youve added the face. The higher Dome

angle makes the face higher and rounder.
Select the circle vector.
If a Dome shape is added on top of the Relief, it will

follow the shape of the Relief to produce a rounded
belly. Using Add if a high angle was used the effect
would be more pronounced as there is already a curve
on the Relief.

4.17
Select a Dome shape of 15 degrees with a Start Height of 0, No limit and select
Add.
Youve added the belly.
Select the feet vectors.
The Relief for the feet vectors will be generated using an

angle plane. This will slope the feet at a specified angle
making the toes point forwards and the heels lean back.
Access Relief Tools on the Assistants page.
Creating an Angled Plane and other Relief operations such

as Smoothing are available from this part of the Assistant.
You can generate an Angled Plane on the whole Relief or
within selected vectors.
Select Create Angled Plane .

Select ? to display the Help.
A minimum of two points must be selected to generate an Angled

Plane at a fixed angle to the XY axes. You can use a maximum of three
points for a plane aligned to a compound angle to the XYZ axes.
These points are often initially positioned in X and Y by snapping to

vectors. Once youve picked all three points, then the Z heights of the
points can be edited in the page.
Once youve defined the Angled Plane correctly in the page, the
resultant Relief is generated with Add, Subtract, Highest or Lowest.

Select the Set Third Point option, followed by Start under the Use Cursor To
Select Points field.
Select the bottom point of the left vector with the mouse.
After selecting Start, the First Point is expected to be

selected (this is the bottom point of the plane). While you
move the mouse over the vector it changes to a target
symbol. The Second Point is at the top of the vector.
Select the top of the vector with the mouse.
A dotted line shows the distance from the first point to the
second point. The Third point is midway between the
two vectors.
Select the centre of the vectors (centre located symbol is:- )
Now all three plane positions have been captured, the Z

value for each position becomes available.
Set the First Point on Plane as 1.5mm, Second Point on Plane as 3.5mm and
Third Point on Plane as 2.75mm.
Select Highest, followed by Create.
The Angled Plane gives the feet a slightly

pointed look. You can still add further Relief
onto these areas.
Select Close and double click on the feet vectors.

Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 15 degrees, No Limit and select Add.

4.19
Youve added a Dome shape to the

angled feet.
Select the snout and the paw print grouped vectors.
These will have the same shape so can be created at the

same time.
Select the eyes and nose vectors.
To complete the Teddy, you will smooth

the Relief to soften the edges between each
shape.
Select Smooth Relief on the Relief Tools area .

This form displays the Smooth Relief options.
Select Whole Layer, enter the number of Smoothing Passes as 5 and select
Apply.
Select the Relief Detail as High Detail (you can set it at the top of the 3D View
window).
The Teddy Relief is smoothed around the

previously sharp edges.
Constant Height Letters

Constant Height Letters have a constant height set by the user, whereas text created using
the Shape Editor can result in thin parts of the letters being lower than the rest of the Relief.
Lettering will be added to the teddys tummy, using Constant Height Letters. The
Greyscale view of the Relief helps visualisation in the 2D View.
In the 2D View switch off Preview Relief Layer to display the inherent bitmap
image.
The higher the Relief the whiter it appears. This gives you a
better picture of the shape of the Relief from the 2D View.

4.21
Select Create Vector Text and set the Font as Times New Roman and a
Size of 2mm.
Select a suitable location point on the belly and type the text TED.
With the Text highlighted, select Constant Height Letters under the Relief
Tools area.
The following form appears.
Give the letters a Top Height of 0.25mm and a Bottom Height of 0.25mm.
Select Circular Cross Section, followed by Add and OK.
If you check closer the letters, youll see that all

the text is at a Constant Height.
Save the model As train-ted at:


Exercise 1
Open the model training-phone-cover.art from:

D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs
Build a Relief model from the stored vectors.
Exercise 2
Create a New Model with a Width of 30mm and a Height of 60mm.

Import the vector data angel.eps from ArtCAM Data.
Create a Relief from the closed vectors.

Save and Close the model.

4.23
ArtCAM 5. Pictures
5. Pictures
Introduction
Coloured Pictures can be generated or edited within ArtCAM using the Bitmap toolbar or
they can also be imported using any of the following formats bmp, .tif, .pcx, .gif, and .jpg.
The coloured areas of a Picture can be used directly with the Shape Editor to create a Relief
instead of using vectors. As with vectors the enclosed coloured area is formed of tiny
squares, which are given a height. In this case the smoothness of the Relief is directly,
dependant on the resolution of the picture. Where coloured areas are used the smoothness of
the Relief is not improved by changing the model resolution, as the number of bitmap
squares is inherent in the picture.
ArtCAM can also generate vectors around a selected colour. The vectors can in turn be
smoothed using such techniques as splining and Node Editing after which the actual model
resolution is used to control the smoothness of the Relief. ArtCAM has the power to
temporarily link colours together, which enables the user to combine different coloured areas,
without changing the original picture. This is called Colour Linking.
Colour linking - Spider Coin Exercise

In this exercise a bitmap has already been opened, modified and saved as an ArtCAM model.
Select File - Open.

Load in the model Train-spider.art from: D:\users\trainingArtCAM Data.
The picture is made up of several colours,

displayed at the bottom of the 2D View.
Similar to vectors, you can assign each

colour a shape. Colours can be
temporarily combined using Colour
Linking. This is a temporary way of
creating larger areas of similar colour that
does not permanently change the original
picture.

5. Pictures ArtCAM
Click with the left mouse button on the yellow square at the bottom of the 2D
View.
Youve assigned yellow to be the Primary colour.
Select the white square using the right mouse button. This is now assigned as
the secondary colour.
From the top pull down menu, select Bitmaps Colour - Link All Colours.
This will temporarily change all colours used, except the Secondary (white) to yellow as
shown with a link all of the original coloured squares in the 2D View. The main area of the
coin (yellow) can now be raised as one unit.
Double click with the left mouse button the yellow colour in the 2D View.
In the Shape Editor, select a Flat shape with a Height of 1.5mm, followed by
Add. Select Close.
Youve generated the coin shape. To produce the Rim, the colours need to be unlinked and
then re-linked to include only the purple text.
From the top pull down menu, select Bitmaps Colour - Reset All Links.
Double right mouse click on the dark purple square at the bottom of the 2D
View.
Note: there are more coloured boxes (including the dark purple one) below the
top row. Access them by using the slider to the right of the palette.
Double clicking with the right mouse button makes the colour become the secondary and
links it to the primary. So in this case the dark purple text becomes yellow.
Primary
Secondary
Double left mouse click on the yellow colour in the 2D View.

In the Shape Editor, select a Flat shape with a Height of 2mm, followed by
Merge High. Select Close.

ArtCAM 5. Pictures
From the top menu select Reset All Links.

Double left mouse click on the dark purple colour in the 2D View and the
Shape Editor will display it.
In the Shape Editor, select a Pyramid shape with an Angle of 25 degrees,

Start Height of 0, followed by Add. Select Close.
The text is cut into the rim as a V shape.
Double left mouse click on the dark green colour in the 2D View.
In the Shape Editor, select a Dome shape with an Angle of 10 degrees, Start
Height of 0, followed by Add.
Select Close.

5. Pictures ArtCAM
The Relief now includes curved indentations between

the web detail and the spider outline. You will now
add the actual spider and web detail to the Relief.
For a realistic spider effect the colours

need to be added in order and a little bit of
colour linking as the light blue area
shown as (3) belongs to both the black
main head as well as the blue antennae.
Double left mouse click on the colour 1 in the 2D View.

Height of 0, followed by Add. Select Close.
Double left mouse click on the colour 2 in the 2D View.
The black is linked with the light blue to provide an area for the whole of the head.
Double left mouse click on the black area in the 2D View to assign as the
primary.
Double right mouse click on the light blue square at the bottom of the 2D
View to link it to the primary black colour.
In the Shape Editor, select a Dome shape with a Start Height of 0, an Angle
of 30 degrees, followed by Add. Select Close.
From the top menu bar, select Reset All Links.
Link the dark blue with the light blue, to make all of the antennae area have the same
colour.
Double left mouse click on the dark blue area in the 2D View.

ArtCAM 5. Pictures
Double right mouse click on the light blue square at the bottom of the 2D
View.
From the top menu select Reset All Links.
Youve generated the body of the spider. Next

you will create the legs.
Double left mouse click on the area labelled 4 in the 2D View.

Repeat the process for areas labelled 5, 6, 7 and the pink area (webbing).
The coin is now complete.
Select File - Save As coin in:


5. Pictures ArtCAM
Bitmap to Vector - Toucan Link Exercise
Colour linking can be used to highlight areas to obtain vectors, using the Bitmap To
Vector feature on the Bitmap Tools area. It allows you to calculate the vector
boundary of the primary colour in the bitmap image.
The following exercise will show the application of this feature.
Select File Open Existing Model .

Select the folder: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
Select Files of type to be Bitmap Files (*.gif).
Select the file toucan.gif, followed by Open.
Leave the Set Model Size dimensions as default and select OK.
Left mouse click on the first green colour in the colour palette.
Double right mouse click on the next 5 green colours.
Double right mouse click on the red and yellow colours.
The toucan is now surrounded by a single green colour.
For the body part of the toucan, the feet and the red
beak are not required, so they will be linked to the green.
You will create a vector from the boundary of the

Primary colour.
From the Bitmap Tools area, select Bitmap To Vector .

Enter a Pixel Tolerance of 1, select the option Keep Lines and enter a Min
Pixel Length of 5 and select Create Boundary.
Select Create Vectors, followed by Close.
Select Bitmap on/off from the top 2D View controls.
You can see the vectors showing the outline of the

toucan and the border. You can smooth the body vector
to suit.

ArtCAM 5. Pictures
Delete the square outside vector. Double left mouse click the bird vector to
open the Shape Editor.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 45 degrees, followed by Add. Select
Close.
Select Reset All Links.
Select the yellow colour using the left mouse button.
Select Bitmap To Vector , followed by Create Vectors.
Select the red colour using the left mouse button.
Select Bitmap To Vector , followed by Create Vectors.
Select Bitmap on/off from the top 2D controls.

Select the toes and beak vectors.
Select a Dome shape with an Angle of 45 degrees, followed by Add. Select
Close.
Press F3 on the keyboard.
You will generate the eye shape by subtracting

the white coloured area. You will create the
wing using the add combine option.
Press F2.
Double left mouse click the white colour.
Select a Flat shape with a Start Height of 0.5mm and select Subtract.
Select bitmap on/off from the top 2D View controls.
Select the blue colour at the bottom of the wing with the left mouse button.
Double click the dark blue colour for the top part of the wing with the right
mouse button.
Double left mouse click the blue wing colour and set a Dome shape with an
Angle of 25 degrees.
Select Add, followed by Close.

5. Pictures ArtCAM
The finished Relief should look like the image below.
Note: For pictures with many colours in, you can use the Reduce Number option from the
Bitmap - Colour pull down menu.

ArtCAM 5. Pictures
Create Relief Layer from Bitmap Layer

ArtCAM can create a Relief layer from an Imported Image.
Select File - Open.

Select the folder: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
Select Files of type to be Bitmap Files (*.gif).
Select the file HillmanImp.gif, followed by Open.
Leave the dimensions as default and select OK.
If can use the option Scanned d.p.i. (dots per inch) which allows you to decrease/increase the
resolution of the bitmap.
From the Bitmaps layer tab, select Create Relief from Image .
Enter a New Height of 1mm.
Select OK.
View the new Relief in the 3D View window.
This new scale will limit the height of the Relief generated where the light areas will be at the
highest level and dark areas at the lowest. As the height varies between Z0 and Z1, the Relief
will not provide a true perspective representation of the car. On the other hand the shallow
background detail such as the trees and grass etc should be ideal. The car must be defined
separately using Polyline Vectors around the key features displayed on the Bitmap. The
newly defined Vectors can then be used to locally create Reliefs, replacing the original model
areas with a more realistic perspective representation.

5. Pictures ArtCAM

ArtCAM 5. Pictures
Create Bitmap Layer from Relief Layer

ArtCAM can quickly create a new Bitmap layer containing a greyscale image of the relief.
Select File New Model

Enter a Width and Height of 50mm and a resolution of 976 points. Select
OK.
Select File Save As Lady in:
From the Reliefs layer tab, select Open.
Import the Relief model LadyJustice.rlf from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM

Data.
Select Preview Relief Layer or F3 to view the loaded Relief.
With the new layer highlighted, select Create Greyscale Bitmap .

5. Pictures ArtCAM
A Greyscale image is created of the LadyJustice Relief and placed on a New bitmap layer
(assigned with the same name as the original Relief).
Exercise
Use the available colours to create an outline vector of the LadyJustice.

ArtCAM 6. 3D Blend and Fade Relief
6. 3D Blend and Fade Relief

Overview
The 3D Blend creates the Relief form either inside a closed vector or between two closed
vectors. The height and shape across the void is controlled by a series of standard, cross
sectional forms or a user defined Z modulation curve.
Star Exercise
Open the model star-blend.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCam Data.
This model contains various vectors to demonstrate the 3D

Blend Relief options.
In the Relief Tools area, select Create 3D Blend .
The 3D Blend assistant page appears providing a comprehensive

range of the options. The 3D blend Relief is either generated
from a single vector to a central or user defined point, or across
to an inner vector using one of the Profile types, displayed in
the page.
The final shape of the Relief is controlled by a combination of

the type of Profile and Height definitions selected.
The above options combined with Add, Subtract, Highest and

Lowest, provides you very powerful commands.

6. 3D Blend and Fade Relief ArtCAM
Select the Star vector and shift and select the Circle as well.
Select the Linear Profile option.
Enter a Border Height of 0 and an Inner Height of 5mm.
Select Inner Vector Edge and select the option Fill Inner Vector.
Select Highest, followed by Create Blend.
Press F3.
The Relief has a Linear blend from

the outer to the inner vector. It then
continues at constant height (5mm)
across the area inside the inner
vector.
Select Undo (Ctrl + Z).

With the vectors still selected and the 3D blend page open; deselect the option Fill
Inner Vector Edge.
Press F3.
This time youve left the area on the

Relief inside the inner vector open.

With the vectors still selected and the 3D Blend page open, select the Profile
option Smooth.
Select the option Fill Inner Vector Edge.
Press F3.

Youve created a smooth Relief

from the outer to the inner
vector. It then continues at
constant height (5mm) across the
area inside the inner vector.

Select the outer star vector only with the Linear Profile option selected.
Select the option Select Point With Cursor and enter X0 and Y10.
The Relief is produced with an offset vector

blend producing an offset centred star
shape.
The next part of the chapter will compare the addition of different cross sectional, Selected
Vectors numbered 1 to 3 as shown below.
Each vector will produce a different shape when scaled across the relief to the defined
heights. The Selected Vector is always picked last.

Select the outer followed by the inner vector and with the 3D Blend page open,
select the Profile option Selected Vector.
Hold shift and select the cross section vector 1 from the 2D View window.
In Blend from Border to: set Inner Vector Edge and tick the box Fill Inner
Vector.
Youve created a new Relief from a cross section,

vector 1 scaled between the inner and outer
vectors. It then continues at constant height
(5mm) across the area inside the inner vector.

Select the star vector, shift select the circle vector and then the cross section,
vector 2.
The new Relief has been produced as the

scaled vector 2 between the inner and outer
vectors. It then continues at constant height
(5mm) across the area inside the inner
vector.

Select the star vector and shift select the cross section, vector 3.
Select Middle of Border Vector.
The shape of the Relief is controlled by cross

sectional, vector 3 running from the outer
star vector inwards as well as from the
centre outwards. The maximum height
(5mm) occurs exactly half way between the
outer star vector and the centre.

Fade Relief
This command will reduce a relief down by a percentage (100% is down to zero) within a
specified area.
Shoe Sole Exercise
Open the model shoe-tread.art from: D:\users\trainingArtCam Data.
This shoe sole Relief was generated

from vectors, created by opening a
picture file. The sole needs to be faded
to generate a better design.
Select the 2D View.

From the Assistants page, select Fade Relief .
Fade Strength can be set anywhere from 1 to 100%, with

100% being faded down to 0 and 50 % down to half the
current height in Z.
The reverse option allows you to fade upwards instead of

downwards.
Linear Fade, with fade the whole relief between the start
and end of a line.
Radial Fade will produce a radial fade from a central

position.
Between Boundaries will limit the fade area between two

selected vectors.

With the Fade Strength at 100% and Linear selected, select Start.
Using the cursor, select the two points (1 and then 2) as shown.
The start position shows where the Fade is going to start

and the second position where it is going to end.
Select Create.
Press F3.
Youve faded the toe region. The X and Y

values are kept even when you undo, to allow
you to try different options.
The Fade is parallel to the line, so if you pick

angled points, you get an angled fade.
Change the Fade Strength to 50%.

Select Start.
Using the cursor, select the two points (1 and then 2) as shown.
Select Create.

Youve given a sloped edge to the heel

area.
You can use the radial option.
Select the 2D View.

Select the option Radial with a Fade Strength of 25%.
Select the oval vector (marked as 1).
Select the option Select Centre and pick the oval centre (marked as 2).
Select Create.
With the Radial option, you must use a selected vector

to define the Fade area.
As the edge of the selected vector is where it Fades

down to, the result may not be what is expected. To
change the effect so that it fades from the edge down to
the centre of the oval, the Reverse option is used.
Select Undo.
Select Reverse, followed by Create.
Youve faded the Relief from the border down to the

centre of the oval.
The between boundaries option is going to be used to

create a defined Fade.

Select the option Between Boundaries, the shaped vector (marked 1) and the oval
vector (marked as 2). Leave Reverse ticked.
You will fade the area between these two boundaries.
Select Create, followed by Close.
The shoe sole design is complete.

ArtCAM 7. Extrude, Spin, Turn, Two Rail
7. Extrude, Spin, Turn and Two

Rail Sweep
Overview
Extrude, Spin,Turn and Two Rail Sweep are commands that create Reliefs as cross
sections along Vectors.
Extrude Relief
An Extruded Relief is produced using two or more vectors. The Relief is produced as a
swept form of the Start Profile vector along the Drive Curve vector. If you use different
End Profile vector, the Relief will change shape from one end to the other.
Extrude Relief Exercise
Create a New Model with Width and Height of 25 mm, resolution of 1078 x
1078 points and origin in the centre.
For this example the Drive Curve vector is made from creating a circle and removing some
Nodes. The Drive Curve vector must be a single vector.
Create a Circle of Radius 7mm at X0 Y0.

Select N and remove the lower spans.
The Drive Curve vector determines the location of

the Relief.
You first need to generate the Start and End

Profiles. These will define the sectional form along
the Relief.
Issue ArtCAM Pro2009 7.1

7. Extrude, Spin, Turn, Two Rail ArtCAM
Create a Rectangle of Width 4mm, Height 2mm and Corner Radii 0 at X-8 Y-4.
Select R and remove the lower span.
This rectangle will be the Start Profile (section).

The vector is the exact size that is required and can
be located anywhere on the 2D View.
The Start Profile vector has to be a single vector,

(not Grouped).
Select Extrude from the Assistants page, Relief Tools area.
The Extrude page provides the options for the user to create the
required Extruded Relief shape.
Select the Drive Curve vector with the left mouse button, followed by Select.
The Drive Curve vector is highlighted.

The Green square indicates the Start of the Curve,
where the Start Profile will be located.
The small lines running off the curve indicate which
side of the vector the sectional profiles will be
extruded along.
Leave all options on the Drive Curve area of the page deselected.
Select the Rectangular vector with the left mouse button, followed by Select.

The Start Profile vector is highlighted.

The Green square indicates the Start of the section.
The small lines running off the curve indicate whether the
Relief would be positive (ticks inside) or negative (ticks
outside). For this exercise, youll need a positive Relief.
Select Move anchor point to other end and Invert Curve in Z.
The vector is updated immediately with the Start point on the

left hand side and the ticks facing inwards.
This page is for selecting an End Profile of a

different shape to the Start Profile (if required).
By default the End Profile is the same as the
Start Profile. If an End Profile is required, the
Use separate end profile field must be selected
to provide access to the required selection
options.
This area of the page enables you to include a Z

modulation Vector. This controls the Relief
Height along the Drive Curve.
This page is for selecting the method to be

used to combine the shape with the existing
Relief.

Select Add, followed by Calculate.

Select Close.
Switch on the Greyscale view from the top of the 2D View.
The Relief has been generated inside the arc selected.
The Relief has been generated.

You will Reset it and create a new End Profile
vector.
From the Relief Tools area, select Reset Relief .

Press F2.
Create a Circle of Radius 2 at X 0 Y0.
Select N and remove the lower spans.
Youll use this smaller semi circle as the End Profile

vector.
From the Relief Tools area, select Extrude.

Select the Drive Curve vector with the left mouse button.
On the Drive Curve area, select Select.

The vector is highlighted as before.
Select the Use as centreline option.
The small lines are now displayed both sides, which

will result in the Relief being generated central to the
Drive Curve.
Select the Rectangle vector with the left mouse button.

On the Start Profile area, select Select.
Select Use separate end profile.
Select the small semi-circle vector with the left mouse button.
On the End Profile area, select Select.
The start point is on the bottom left and the small lines
are inside (the same as the Rectangular vector). This
means that the Extrude will flow between each profile
without twisting or turning upside down half way
through.
In the Combine area, select Add, followed by Calculate.

Select Close.
The Relief has been generated centrally across the

Drive Curve vector.
Press F3 to dislpay the 3D View.
You will Reset this Relief and create a new Z

modulation vector to include in the next
example.

Select Reset Relief .

Press F2.
The Z modulation vector will override any heights associated with the Start or End Profile
vectors. This vector proportionally changes the Relief height along the whole length of the
Drive Curve.
From the Bitmap menu, select Snap Grid Settings and enter a Grid Spacing of
1mm with the Draw Snap Grid and Snap To Grid both selected.
Use Polyline to create a modulation vector by snapping to the grid points.
This vector will be used as the modulation vector.
Select Extrude on the Relief Tools area.

Select the Drive Curve vector with the left mouse button.
In the Drive Curve area click Select.
Select the option Use as centreline.
Select the Rectangle vector with the left mouse button.
In the Start Profile area, select Select.
Select Use separate end profile.
Select the small semi-circle vector with the left mouse button.
Select Use Z modulation profile.
Select the new Polyline vector with the left mouse button.
In the Z Modulation area, select Select.
The Z modulation vector is selected. The

start point is on the left hand side and the ticks
are inside, indicating a positive Relief.
Select Add, followed by Calculate and Close the page.
The Relief has been generated either side of the

Drive Curve vector and looks similar to the
previous Relief.

Select F3 to select the 3D View.
The Relief is generated and you can clearly see

the effect of the Z modulation vector.
You will Reset this Relief and the Z

modulation vector will be used as Start
Profile. You will delete all other vectors and
create a new Drive Curve vector.

Press F2.
From the 2D View menu, select Snap Grid Settings and deselect Draw to Grid
and Snap to grid.
Delete all vectors apart from the z modulation vector.
Create a Polygon of 5 sides of Radius 4.5mm at X 0 Y-1.
Youll use the pentagon as the Drive Curve with the

Relief being generated on the outside. The option
Create square corners on the Drive Curve keeps
the Relief sharp, otherwise it would round off the
corners.
Select Extrude .
Select the Drive Curve Pentagon vector with the left mouse button.
On the Drive Curve area and select Select.
Select the option Create square corners.
Make sure the small lines are displayed on the outside of the vector.
Select the original, open vector with the left mouse button.
Make sure the small lines are displayed on the inside of the vector.
Select Add, followed by Calculate.

Select Close.

The relief has been generated outside of the Drive Curve vector.
The Relief is generated with the inside of the

Pentagon shape.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as training-extrude and save it in:
D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAM-Jobs.

Spin Relief
A Spin Relief is produced, by spinning a single Cross Sectional vector around its own start
point.
Spin Exercise
Create a New Model with a Width and Height of 25mm, a resolution of 1078 x
From Bitmaps - Views pulldown menu, select Snap Grid Settings and enter a
Grid Spacing of 1mm with the Snap To Grid selected.
Select Create Polyline to create a vector by snapping to the grid points.
The Polyline will be spun around its own start point

(shown as a green square) to generate a Relief. The
Polyline or Start Profile determines the actual size of
the model and has to be a single joined vector.
Select Spin from the Relief Tools area.

Select the snapped vector with the left mouse button.
On the Extrude page, select Select.
The vector is selected. The start point green square is on the left hand side and the small lines
are pointing inside, indicating a positive Relief.

Select Add, followed by Calculate. Select Close.

Switch on the Greyscale view from the top of the 2D View window.
It will be observed that the Relief has been formed by the

section vector being spun around its own start point.
Press F3.
The 3D View shows the full relief. The next relief will be
spun around a partial angle.

Press F2.
Delete the old Polyline.
Use Create Polyline to create a vector by snapping to the grid points.
This vector has a large flat area on the left. When this is spun, this will appear as a hole in the
middle.
Select Spin .
The vector is selected. The start point

(green square) is on the left hand side
and the ticks are inside, indicating a
positive Relief.

Deselect Sweep through 360 degrees.

Enter a Start Angle of 60 degrees, an End Angle of 120 degrees and set
Clockwise.
From the Greyscale view you can see that there is no

Relief produced where the line is on the zero height
for the section.
Press F3.
The Relief is created using the Start and

Finish Angles to limit the extent of the form.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as training-spin and save it in:

Turn Relief
The Turn command takes a vector and rotates it over itself to generate a Relief.
The axis of rotation is defined along the line between the start and end points of the vector.
Turn Exercise
To generate a Turn Relief a vector needs to be generated first.
Create a New Model with a Width and Height of 25mm, a resolution of 1078 x
From Bitmaps - Views pulldown menu, select Snap Grid Settings and enter a
Grid Spacing of 1mm with the Snap To Grid selected.
Select Create Polyline to create a vector by snapping to the grid points.
This single vector will be turned about the Y axis.
The centre for the model to be turned around shown as a thick

centre-line is automatically taken as a straight line between the
Start and End Node of the vector.
Select Turn , from the Relief Tools area.
The Turn page provides an option for vector selection

(Profile), Z Scale Factor for the Z Height and Combine
Relief creation method.


Select Select.
With the vector selected the small lines appear. There are no options to
change the ticks, so whether or not they are on the inside or outside does
not matter.
If Add is used you will get a positive Relief and with Subtract a negative
Relief.

Switch on the Greyscale view from the top of the 2D window.
The Relief is turned out of the page.
Press F3.
The Relief has been turned with the heights to

match the full width of the section (selected
vector) in Z.
To produce a flatter shape, the scaling factor

can be reduced to any value less than 1.


Press F2.
Select Turn .
Select the vector with the left mouse button.
Select Select.
Enter a Z Scale Factor of 0.5.
The Relief is turned out of the page and looks exactly the
same in the X and Y.
Press F3
The Relief is flatter in Z giving an

oval appearance.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as training-turn and save it in:

Two Rail Sweep

The Two Rail Sweep provides the user with a powerful Relief creation tool with a
variety of controlling options. The basic principle is to one or more scale sectional
vector forms between two Drive Curve vectors.
Open the model 2Rail-Xtra.art from ArtCAM Data.

Select and maximise the 2D view.
Select the Outer Drive Rail vector and shift select the Inner Drive Rail vector
followed by the Cross Section vector.
Select Two Rail Sweep .

Fill in the page exactly as shown in the image below and select the options Sweep
between spans and Scale Height with Width.
Select Add, followed by Calculate (do not Close the page).

Press F3 to change to the 3D View.

Select a View Along Y to observe the scaling of the height along the Relief
relative to the width between the Drive Rails.
Select Undo (Ctrl+Z).

Deselect the option Scale Height with Width and select Calculate.
Select View Along Y to observe the constant height of the Cross Section
vector applied along the full length of the Relief.
Close the Two Rail Sweep page.

Press F2 and select Create Polyline .
In the Polyline Creation page, Add these X Y positions: -25 0 -25 5 0 10 0 0
in turn to create the vector showed below.
It is essential that the Z Control vector end

points lie exactly on the same Y position.
This is achieved here with 2 lines, one at
each end, linking the angled part of the
vector to a common Y value.
Note: the Z control vector operates from

left to right irrespective of its actual
direction.

In the Two Rail Sweep page, select the same Outer, Inner and Cross Section
vectors exactly as before.
Select the above new vector.
Select the Z Control Vector button with the option Vector Controls Exact
Height deselected.
Select the options Sweep between spans and Scale Height with Width.
Select Add, followed by Calculate (do not Close the page).
Press F3.

The Two Rail Sweep is calculated as a combination of the width between the Drive Rails
and the linear drop along Z Control Vector. In this case at one end the Cross Section of
original height 2.5 has been adjusted to a height of 3.541 based on the width across the Drive
Rails. The Z Control Vector reduces the remaining values by a proportional linear value in
addition to the adjustment caused by the varying width between the Drive Rails up to the
other end (adjusted height 1.832).
Select Isometric View and move the cursor over the model, dwelling over the
positions (shown arrowed below).
The coordinate information displayed at the bottom right of the graphics area will update
accordingly providing the user with the X Y and more importantly the Z height of the model
at the cursor position.

In the Two Rail Sweep page keep all settings the same apart from switching off
Scale Height with Width (no tick visible).
Select Calculate (do not Close the page).
This time Two Rail Sweep is

calculated purely based on the
linear drop along Z Control
Vector, the width between the
Drive Rails having no
influence on the height
whatsoever.

positions at the top - centre of the ends.
You can see the maximum Z heights displayed to the bottom right of the graphics area. This
time the Z values should be in the region of 1.25 and 2.5mm.

In the Two Rail Sweep page keep all settings the same apart from switching on
Vector Controls Exact Height (tick visible).
Note that the options Scale Height with Width and Scale Final Height are now unavailable
(greyed out).
Select Calculate and then Close.

Press F3.
This time Two Rail Sweep is

calculated based on the actual
height along the Z Control
Vector, not the height difference
between the start and end as in
the previous example.
Again the width between the
Drive Rails has no influence on
the height whatsoever.
positions at the top - centre of the ends.
You can see the maximum Z heights displayed to the bottom right of the graphics area. This
time the Z values should be in the region of 5 and 10 (exact heights of the ends of the Z
Control Vector).

Positioning of Cross Sectional forms

It is possible to define a different cross section as required at any chosen position along the
drive curve. It is also possible to select the exact position to locate cross sectional vector
forms on the individual drive rails.

Create a 2 radius fillet on the top left and a 5 radius fillet at the top right corner of
the Polyline created earlier.
RAD 5
RAD 2 The linear vectors spanning between the

Drive Curve vectors will be used as
markers to position the Cross Sectional
vectors.

In the Two Rail Sweep page select the same Outer and Inner Drive Rails as
before.
Ensure that only the new 3 sided vector is selected and in the Two Rail Sweep
page, select the Add Cross Section button.
3 sided vector

This vector form is inserted as section number 1 as labelled on the Drive Rails.
Ensure that only the new semi-circular vector is selected and in the Two Rail
Sweep page select the Add Cross Section button a total of three times.
This vector form is inserted as section numbers 2 3 and 4 as labelled on the Drive Rails.
Note that the numbered positions of the Cross Sectional forms do not align to the span lines.
Ensure that only the new 3 sided vector is selected and in the Two Rail Sweep
page select on the Add Cross Section button.

This vector form is inserted as section number 5 as labelled at the end of the Drive Rails.
When 3 or more Cross Sectional vectors are input, the ends are positioned equidistant along
the Drive Rail vectors. Once specified the end points of the Cross Sectional vectors can, if
required, be repositioned on the Drive Rail vectors.
Zoom into the area around sections 2 3 and 4 on the Drive Rails.
Select the word Position adjacent to Cross Section 2 in the table on the page (the
word Position changes to 1st Rail in red text).
Select the end of the span crossing the Two Rails, first on the Outer rail (the word
Position changes to 2nd Rail in blue text) followed by the Inner rail.
Repeat the process to align Cross Sections 3 and 4 to the ends of the other
remaining marker spans.

The cross sectional forms

are now exactly in
alignment to the marker
spans.
In the Combine section of the Two Rail Sweep page, select Add, followed by
Calculate and then Close.
Press F3.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as training-tworailsweep and save it in:


ArtCAM 8. Weaves
8. Weaves
Weave Relief
A Weave Relief is generated from a series of overlapping vectors and a Section vector,
using the Weave Wizard.
Weave Exercise 1
Create a New Model with Width and Height of 25mm, resolution of 1078 x 1078
points and origin in the centre.
Create three vectors for the Drive Curves and a small vector for the Cross
Section, as shown in the image below.
You will use the overlapping vectors as the centrelines for the Drive Curve.
The smaller vector will be the Cross Section of the Weave pattern and must be an Open
vector. The small vectors section is actual size.

8. Weaves ArtCAM
Shift select the Drive Curve vectors and the Cross Section vector last.
The vectors turn pink as they are selected and a box appears around the extents of the vectors
to show that they are selected.
Select Weave Wizard .

Leave the options as they are and select OK.
ArtCAM creates the weave pattern at the places

where the vectors crossover each other.
The direction of the vectors determines which vector

goes under or over the others.
Length of Crossover determines the length of the

weave that will be lowered or raised at the crossover
point. This is usually Relative to Cross Section.
% Depth of underpass and % Height of overpass

allow you to determine the percentage that the height
of the weave Cross Section is lowered or raised at the
crossovers.
The Corner Shape can be Round or Square, and the
relief is combined in the same manner.
Press F3.
ArtCAM generates the weave pattern:

ArtCAM 8. Weaves
Weave Exercise 2
Create the following vectors, including the small half Ellipse cross section
vector.
If the cross section is to big the weave will

cross over itself.

Select Relative to cross section and enter a value of 1.5mm, select Square,
followed by OK.
With square corners set the Weave has

sharp edges, rather than rounded.

8. Weaves ArtCAM
Weave Pattern Exercise
Create a New Model of Height 100mm and Width 100mm with a resolution of
800 x 800 points and the origin in the centre of the model.
From Bitmaps Views Snap Grid Settings, enter a Grid Spacing distance of
2mm and select Draw Snap Grid and Snap To Grid.
Create a vertical guide line at 0.
Create a horizontal guide line at 0.
Create the vectors shown in the top right hand corner.
This weave is of an angular design and

therefore the option square will be used
when generating the weave.
Once youve generated it, the weave

will be copied using the merge mirror
command.
Select the Rectangle vectors and then the small Section last.
Fill in the values as shown and select OK.

ArtCAM 8. Weaves
The weave is produced and needs to be mirrored

to the other sides.
Select Relief Mirror Merge .
This feature works around the centre of the model.
Select Right over left.

Select Top over bottom, followed by Close.
The finished Relief is complete.

8. Weaves ArtCAM
Fruit Plate Exercise
Open the model fruits-on-plate.art, from the ArtCAM Data folder.
These vectors will be turned into a plate relief, using swept profiles.
Select the pineapple Dome vector and generate an Added Dome Relief with an
Angle of 45 degrees, Start Height of 0.4mm and with No Limit selected. Select
Close.
Press F3.
Use the diamond vectors and generate an Added Pyramid Relief with an Angle
of 25 degrees, Start Height of 0 and with No Limit selected. Select Close.
The generated Relief goes over the edge of the

pineapple. To remove the excess Relief is to
Flatten the area outside of the vector by using
Zero Rest.
Double click the round pineapple vector and select Zero Rest. Select Close.

ArtCAM 8. Weaves
Use the left middle leaf vector and generate an Added Dome Relief with an
Angle of 45 degrees, Start Height of 0.1mm with No Limit selected. Select
Close.
Use the right middle leaf vector and generate a Highest Dome Relief with an
Angle of 45 degrees, Start Height of 0.2mm with No Limit selected. Select
Close.
Use the outer leaf vectors and generate a Highest Dome Relief with an Angle of
45 degrees, Start Height of 0.4mm with Limit to Height at 1mm. Select Close.
Select the three vectors for the banana and generate an Added Two Rail Sweep
Relief .
Select Close.

8. Weaves ArtCAM
Generate an Extruded Relief using the line as a Drive Curve, the arch as the
first section and the angle as the end section. Select Highest.
Select the pear shape vector and generate an Added Turn Relief .
Select the stalk vector and generate a Highest Turn Relief.
Use the leaf vectors and section to generate a Highest Two Rail Sweep Relief
.

ArtCAM 8. Weaves
From the Polyline vector, Add a Spin Relief , with the option Invert curve in
Z selected.
Select the grouped chain design of vectors and then the nearby small vector, as
shown below.
Add a Weave Relief with the following values and select OK.
Select the Text fruit and generate an Added Pyramid Relief with No limit at a
Start Height of 0 and an Angle of 60 degrees.

8. Weaves ArtCAM
Press F3, to view the final Relief.

ArtCAM 9. 3D Clipart and Texturing
9. 3D Clipart and Texturing

3D Clipart
The 3D Clipart dialog box opens when the user imports an existing externally stored Relief
using the Paste Relief from A File option. The 3D Clipart form enables the Relief to be
scaled, re-positioned, re-orientated, copied, etc. Before being combined into the current
model.
Lady Exercise
From the Assistants page, select Open File .

Open the model Pend_frm from: D:\users\trainingArtCAM Data.
Note: Check that the choice in Files of type filter includes .rlf extensions
Select the 2D View.
On loading the Relief, ArtCAM automatically generates both a

Bitmap (colour) and Greyscale representation in the 2D view.
The model size and resolution is the same as the imported Relief
before it was originally exported from ArtCAM as a .rlf file.
Select Paste Relief From A File on the Relief Tools area.

Browse and select the file Lady.rlf from the D:\users\trainingArtCAM Data
directory and select the Open tab.
The 3D Clipart form and a vector outline of the clipart appear in the 2D View.
A Preview of the Relief is displayed as a vector outline,

and is currently too large. It will be transformed, sized and
positioned, using the 3D clipart form before being Pasted
onto the existing model.
Select the Scale tab.

9. 3D Clipart and Texturing ArtCAM
Enter the New Scale as 30%.
The Relief could also be scaled manually by

dragging the corner handles of the relief
vector, with shift held down to maintain the
proportion.
Now the vector (and associated relief) can be

moved to the centre of the pendant.
Select Apply.
Move the cursor on the vector outline so that Move Cursor appears.
Select the Left mouse button and move the mouse to drag the Relief.
Release the button when the vector is suitably positioned.
Now that the Clipart is suitably positioned, the inherent Z

Range value can be altered to provide independent control to the
final Z height of the new Relief.
The Clipart summary shows the vector Relief height as nearly

2.6mm with the current Relief at nearly 0.7mm.
Click the Size page on the 3D Clipart dialog box.

Input a value of 0.5 in the Z Range box to control the new Relief height and select
Apply.
Click the Mode tab on the 3D Clipart dialog box.

Check that the Add mode is selected, click the Paste button, and then Close the
form.
The new Relief has been added to the original pendant adding an additional height value of
0.5mm to the model.
Texture Relief
Texture is required between the head and the outer frame. To define this area, a vector can be
created around the central mid-grey coloured area. There is already an exiting vector around
the profile of the head, created during the last clipart operation. The Texturing will be
created between the two vectors.
In the Model area of the Assistants page select Greyscale from Composite
Relief , to create a Bitmap from the Greyscale View.
In the Bitmap view, double click within the grey colour are to be textured and
assign to Primary.
The grey colour also applies to other tiny areas and as a result
several additional vectors are created, but these can just be
ignored.

Select Close on the Shape Editor.

Select Bitmap To Vector .
Select Create Vectors.
Select the new outer vector and shift select the inner face vector.
Select the Texture Relief .
The Texture Relief dialog appears:
This dialog box allows the selection of several pre-

set texture shapes including Sphere, Ellipse, Cone,
Pyramid and Weave.
Other options provide the user with Sizing and

Scaling capabilities to adjust the Texture exactly to
the desired form.
The From File option enables a user defined Relief

to be imported for use as a Texture.
If selected, Blend Edges allows the input of a fading

distance from the vector into the Relief area from
zero to the full Texture - Z Height.
Select the Pyramid shape, enter the Size as 0.5mm, the Truncation as 50% the Z
Height as 0.1mm and select the option Blend Edges, entering a value of 5mm and
select Add.
Press F3.

Without closing the above form, enter a Weave of Size 3mm, a Z Height of
0.5mm and a Bar Width of 50%.
Press F3.
Select a different Texture Relief style at your choice, followed by Subtract and
then Close.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as lady head pendant and save it in:

Paste Relief Along Vector

Paste Relief Along Vector on the Relief Tools allows several copies of the 3D Clipart to be
pasted along a selected vector.
Fork Exercise
Open the model fork.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
This model contains the vectors to generate the fork shape. It also
contains some additional vectors along which a Jewel Relief will be
pasted for the finer detail.

Select the fork vector and generate an Added Dome profile with an Angle of 90
degrees and with a Limit To Height of 1.5mm.
Select the bottom vector of the decal.
This decal is added onto the main flat fork shape.
Generate an Added Dome profile with an Angle of 30 degrees.

Select the two side curled vectors.
Define a Dome profile with a Start Height of 1.5mm, an Angle of 30 degrees and
select Merge High.

Select the oval vector and define a Dome profile with a Start Height of 1.5mm,
Angle of 30 degrees and Merge High.
Select the vector around the decal shown in the image below.
You will Paste a Relief along the middle of the selected

vector. The Relief can be Scaled and Moved, before it is
Pasted.
Select Paste Relief Along Vector .

Select the Relief Jewel.rlf from the ArtCAM Data folder.
The vector outline appears in the

2D View and the Paste along a
curve page appears in the
Assistant along with the 3D
Clipart dialog box in the
graphics area. The 3D Clipart
box is not used in this case as the
Mode is already set to Add. It
must remain open until the Paste
along a curve process is
completed.
The Paste along a curve page appears in the Assistant:

First select the vector that the clipart form is to be pasted
along.
The Spacing setting in the Assistant page allows you to

define the space between adjacent copies of the clipart.
100% means they will be next to each other, less than 100
means they will overlap, and greater than 100 means there
will be a gap.
The Start size and Finish size define the sizes of the Relief at
the start and end of the curve. By making the sizes different,
ArtCAM will scale the clipart automatically from one size to

the other.
In the Paste along a curve page, set Spacing as 300%, Start and End size as
10% and select Adjust to fit exactly.
Select Paste.
Do not close either the Paste along a curve or the 3D Clipart dialog boxes.
The vectors indicate where the new Reliefs have been added to the
original Relief.
Select the vertical vector in the middle of the fork.

Use the Jewel Relief, Paste along the vector and add a Spacing of 200%, a Start
size of 10 % and an End size of 20%.

The fancy details have all been added. The curvature for the fork now
needs to be added into the relief.
Close the Paste along a curve and 3D Clipart dialog boxes.

Generate an Extruded Relief, using the Horizontal vector as centre-line.
Use the Vertical shaped vector as the Start Profile vector.
Select the Invert curve in z option.
Select Add, Calculate and then Close.
This will Add the Z profile to the current fork shape relief.
Alternatively the fork shape could be Saved as a Relief (.rlf file). The
Relief can be Reset and the Extruded Relief can be generated as the first
stage of a new relief. The fork .rlf file can then be imported via the Load
Relief option and subsequently Added or Subtracted from the shape.
Press F3.

Motif Exercise
Use the File menu to Close any projects that you are working on.
Create a New Model with a Height of 25mm and a Width of 50mm.
Select Paste Relief From A File and open the Relief Leaves.rlf from
D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
Select the Rotate tab on the 3D Clipart dialog.

Enter in the Rotate by angle field an Angle of -40 degrees and select Apply.
Select the Mode tab, followed by Add and then Paste.
The vector rotates to reflect the change in Angle.
When the Paste box is selected, the new Relief is combined

with the current model and the form remains open by default
in anticipation of further pasting operation.
In the Rotate tab, select the Horizontal button.

Switch to the Move tab and set the Move X origin by field to 25. Select Apply
followed by Paste.
Select Paste and then Close.

In the 2D View delete both vector shapes.

Select Reliefs - Import from the top menu bar and import Flower.rlf from the
ArtCAM Data folder
Select the Scale tab on the 3D Clipart dialog and set the the New scale % field to
60%. Select Apply.
In the 2D View, select and drag the vector outline of the flower between the
leaves, as shown in the image below.
On the Mode tab, select a Start Height of 0.5mm and the Mode as Merge
Highest.
Click Paste and then Close.
Select Smooth Relief and enter 1 in the Smoothing Passes field.

Exercise
Select Create New Model.

Select Reliefs Import from the top menu bar and Paste the Relief Motif.rlf
from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data three times onto the plate to generate the
following effect.
Note: On the ArtCAM CD there is a large folder called Clipart, which contains a variety of
reliefs broken into separate categories. The whole folder can be copied onto your computer or
the reliefs can be copied from the CD as and when required.

Relief Wrapping
When a Relief is added onto a surface it is normally projected down the Z-axis. A Relief can
also be wrapped onto a surface within the 3D Clipart or Vectors can be wrapped onto the
surface. The process of Wrapping will bend the Relief to wrap around the model without
changing its overall size.
In the above diagram the vector A is wrapped onto the relief B.
On the left hand side, the vector is not wrapped but is simply projected down Z and
therefore the finished vector C is distorted as it goes over the curve.
On the Right hand side the vector is wrapped to produce vector D, which retains the same
dimensions along the 3D surface as the original 2D vector.
In ArtCAM in addition to projecting down Z it is possible to wrap radially, such as around a

sphere, or cylindrically, like a tube in the X or Y direction.
Wrapping Exercise
Create a New Model of size X 100 and Y 100 with the origin in the Centre and a
resolution of 860 x 860 points.
Create a Circle of Diameter 80mm with the Centre at X0 Y0.
Remove the left half of the circle.
Create a Turn Relief with a Z Scale Factor of 1.
This hemisphere Relief will have another Relief pasted onto

it, by initially using the default, Wrap - Project option and
then the Wrap - Radial option.

Select Paste Relief From A File to Paste the Relief dolphin.rlf from
Select the Scale tab on the 3D Clipart dialog and set a New Scale % of 125%.
Select Apply, followed by Paste.
Select the 3D View to view the Relief.
The default option, project down Z

when applied to a very rounded shape,
such as this Sphere has caused the
resulting relief to be elongated as it is
projected onto a steep area. It is
especially noticeable on the tail area.

On the 3D Clipart dialog, select the Wrap tab.
There are four types of

Wrapping - Project (default),
Radially (for Sphere shapes),
Wrap X and Wrap Y. The
Wrap Origin can also be set.
Select Radial, followed by Paste and then Close.
The dolphin is scaled in such a way as to

make it look as though it has been
wrapped around the spherical surface, as
opposed to simply being projected down
Z.
Close the ArtCAM model without saving.

ArtCAM 10. Relief Layers
10. Relief Layers

Introduction
An individual Relief operation can be assigned to a Relief Layer. This provides the ability to
create a model in which the user can switch the Relief components to exhibit different design
variants.
Relief layers are controlled by the Relief toolbar.

This can be switched on or off by pressing F7 on the
keyboard.
Lid Exercise
Create a New Model 100 x 100 with resolution 796 x 796 points and Origin in
the Centre of the model.
Create a vector Square of Height 65mm at the origin with a Corner Radius of
10mm.
Press F12 and select a Dome shape with an Angle of 90 degrees, Start Height of
5mm, Limit to height with a Height of 3mm. Select Add, followed by Close.
The new Relief is automatically assigned to

the default Relief Layer. A Relief Layer can
be switched off as required by clicking the
light bulb icon. Any Relief operations
assigned to a Relief Layer that is switched off
will be temporarily removed from the model.
Create a New Relief Layer by selecting New .

Make the Relief Layer current by highlighting the Layer.
Switch off the default Relief Layer.

10. Relief Layers ArtCAM
If a new Relief is created it will automatically be generated on the selected Relief Layer 1.
Generate a Star vector with 5 points, at the origin, First Radius of 20mm and
Second Radius of 8mm.
Press F12 and select a Pyramid shape with an Angle of 25 degrees, Start Height
of 0 with No Limit selected. Select Add and then Close.
The second Relief can be combined with the first Relief

by clicking the Combine options in the Relief
Layer toolbar they are Add, Subtract, Merge High,
Merge Low and Multiply.
Switch on and make current Relief Layer.

Select the combine options in Relief Layer 1.
Each time the combine icon is selected, the icon changes as a different option is selected and
the relief is automatically updated.
This is a result of Adding the Relief on Layer 1

to the default Relief Layer.
Create a New Relief Layer .

Make the Relief Layer 2 current.
Switch off Relief Layer and Relief Layer 1.
A new Relief of a textured area is made can be made.

Create a vector Square of Height 55mm at the Origin with a Corner Radius of
5mm with Invert Corners option selected.
Select Texture Relief .

Select the option Selected Vector, Ellipse of Size 1, Horizontal 100%, Z height
0.5mm, Spacing X and Y as 100% and Overlap (O%) as 50%. Select Blend
Edges as 5mm.
Press F3.
You can combine this Textured Relief with the other

Relief Layers.
Switch on and make current Relief Layer.

Select the Combine options in Relief Layer 2.
In this case, the Textured Relief has been

Subtracted from the current Relief.
You can Paste a saved Relief into the current Relief

Layer.
Create a New Relief Layer .

Make the New Relief Layer 3 current.
Switch off Relief Layer, Layer 1 and Layer 2.
Select Paste Relief from file and select dolphin.rlf from

Select Paste, followed by Close.
This Relief can also be combined with the

other Relief Layers.
Switch on the Relief Layer and the Relief Layer 2.

Select the Combine options in Relief Layer 2 and Relief Layer 3.
This is a result of Subtracting Relief Layer 2 and Adding Layer 3 to the current Layer.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as relief-layers and save it in:
As well as being a Front Relief, there is also a Back Relief option. This is used when making
a complete .stl model or just for viewing purposes.
Switch on only Relief Layer 3 and select Duplicate .
An exact copy of the selected layer is put on a New Relief Layer called Relief Layer 4
Copy. This can be switched to the Back Relief by using the command switch slides.
Select Transfer Opposite Side .
Switch on the Back Relief .

Select Relief Layer 3 Copy and make it current.
Select Invert Relief Z only .
The Relief is inverted. The Back Relief can be used

to make a 3D model.

Select Create Triangle Mesh .

Select the option Close with Back Relief, followed by Create Triangles.
Select Close.
Press F3.
If you rotate the Triangle Mesh, the dolphin is displayed.

The volume and weight is also given. This Triangle Mesh
can be saved outside of ArtCAM using Save Triangles.
When the command is closed the Triangle Mesh will

disappear.
Delete Relief Layer 3 Copy and switch to the Front Relief.

Switch on Relief Layer and Relief Layer 3.
Select File - Save As, enter the File name as lid-dolphin and save it in:
Switch to the Back Relief.
Make the Back Relief Layer current.
Load in the Saved Relief lid-dolphin and select Paste.
Invert the Relief.
Create a new Triangle Mesh.

A box shaped mesh is produced.
Select File Save.


ArtCAM 11. Relief Editing
11. Relief Editing

Overview
There are several ArtCAM options available to directly edit a Relief model.
Lizard Relief Exercise
Open the model Lizard.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

Select File - Save As and save the model with the File name training-lizard in:
D:\user\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs.
The overall height of this lizard can be

reduced by using the Scale Relief
Height function. The option, Preserve
Detail if selected will take longer to
process but will retain features which
otherwise may be erased with a
general scaling.
In the Assistant - Project Information note the currently displayed Relief - Max.
(Z 38.372).
Select Scale Relief Height .
The Scale Relief Height button enables height

adjustment over the entire Relief, the selected Vector,
or the selected Colour.
The current height of the model is displayed in New
Height is then amended to the desired height.
If ticked, Preserve Detail along with suitable values
will identify small features on the relief and scale them
locally before merging them with the detail on the top.
This is necessary to prevent fine detail being lost
during the overall scaling process.
Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 11. 1

11. Relief Editing ArtCAM
Enter a New Height of 35mm, leave Preserve Detail unchecked and select OK.
Press F3.
The lizard Relief now has a Maximum

Height of 35mm. You can invert it
negatively for generating a mould. Generally,
the Relief is saved before inverting.
Select File Save As and save the Relief with the File name - lizard-top.rlf in:
Select Invert Relief Z Only in the Relief Tools area.
The lizard Relief is inverted, producing a

negative image. The Relief can be inverted,
again returning it to its original state.
Select Invert Relief Z Only and then select Invert Relief - Male/Female .
The lizard is inverted and also mirrored.

It can be inverted, again returning it to its
original state.
Select Invert Relief - Male/Female .

Select Offset Relief .

The Offset Relief button allows you to Offset the Relief

by a certain distance either Inwards or Outwards.
Select OK on an Offset Distance of 1mm (The Relief is now 36mm high).
A Draft Angle can be added to the Relief. This command is found on the pull down Reliefs
menu.
From the Reliefs pull down menu select Add Draft.
The Add Draft Angle dialog box appears and a

suitable Draft Angle in Degrees value is entered.
Enter a Draft Angle of 45 degrees; select Apply, followed by Finish.
The large Draft Angle exaggerates the effect

of adding draft onto the Relief.

Sculpting
Sculpting is used on 3D Reliefs to locally add, remove or smooth the model by dynamically
using the mouse in the 3D View.
Select Sculpting in the Relief Tools area.
A temporary Relief is produced which will change while

Sculpting. The 3D View is maximised and the Interactive
Sculpting page in the Assistant appears.
Smooth allows selective smoothing of the Relief

as opposed to the generalised effect of the Smooth Relief
feature on the Relief Tools area.
Smudge takes a copy of the Relief under the brush,

and allows it to be dragged to another position.
Deposit adds material to the Relief.
Carve removes material from the Relief.
Eraser its a selective undo for any part of the

Relief during an active session of Interactive Sculpting.
Clone - allows cloning certain areas of the

composite Relief.
Each action has options for Brush Diameter, Strength

and Smoothness and different options will be available
depending on the action chosen.
At any time the changes can be made permanent by

selecting Apply to update the original Relief.
The Revert option cancels the current Sculpting operations back to when Apply was last
selected. It is the same as Cancel except the page remains open.
The Cancel option has the same effect as Revert but automatically exits the form ignoring all
changes since the last time Apply was selected.
The Finish option exits Sculpting mode and applies all changes.

Sculpting exercise
This example will show you how to create an entire scene using the Scultping tools
available in ArtCAM.
Select Create New Model .

Enter the values as shown in the image below.
Open mountains.rlf from the Reliefs layer toolbar .

Delete the relief layer called Relief Layer.
Open dirt-dry cracked.jpg from the Bitmaps layer toolbar .
Select Create Relief From Image .
Enter a New Height of 2.54mm.
Open sand.jpg from the Bitmaps layer toolbar .
Select Create Relief From Image and enter a New Height of 2.54mm.
Select the mountains relief layer to make it active.
Select Toggle Visibility for the other two relief layers to hide them from the 3D
View.
Select Create GreyScale Bitmap of the mountains relief layer.
Select yellow in the colour palette.
Select Colour Shade from the top of the 3D toolbar.
Select Sculpting from the Relief Tools area.

Select the sculpting tool Carve .

Select dirt-dry cracked from the Tool Settings pull down menu.
Select a Diameter of 100mm, Strength of 10% and Smoothness of 100%.
Select the Sculpt excluding colour option.
If you hover over the relief you should see the dirt-dry cracked image showing through the
cursor.
Click with your left mouse button, let go, and move to the next location carving
over the entire mountain range.
Note: This technique will carve an imprint of the dirt on the mountains.
Once finished click the Revert button to try a different relief select Yes when
asked about losing changes.
Select the sculpting tool Deposit .

Select sand from the Tool Settings pull down menu.
Using the same sculpting technique as above add the sand texture to the mountain
range.
Select Finish to apply the changes.
Toggle the Colour Shade to see the results.
Open tree.rlf from the Reliefs layer toolbar.
Select the mountains relief layer to make it active.
Select Toggle Visibility for the tree relief layer.
Select Sculpting .

Select tree from the Tool Settings pull down menu.
Select Ignore for the Colour Usage.
Select Merge for the Relief Combine Mode.

Click to add a tree in front of the mountains.

Continue this process to create an entire row of trees along the mountains.
Try to use different Diameters, Strengths and Smoothness values to add depth.

Open grass.jpg and set scaling to Fill.
Select Create Relief From Image and enter a New Height of 1.27mm.
Select the mountains relief layer and then Create GreyScale Bitmap .
Select the grass relief layer.
Toggle the Colour Shade on, in the 3D View.
Select Sculpting .
Select the sculpting tool Erase .


Hold down the Shift key down and remove all areas of grass above the bottom
mountain edge.
Note: Use the greyscale image as a guide.
These areas have now been reset to the Zero Plane.

Make sure the sculpted relief layer with the mountains and trees is on.
Change the combine mode for the grass layer to Merge High.
Toggle off the Colour Shade to verify the results.
Select Merge Visible .
Open PinkSilk.bmp with the option scale to Fill set.
Select Create Relief From Image and enter a Height of 12.7mm.
Select the PinkSilk relief layer.
Select Smooth Relief .
Select Whole Layer and enter 10 Smoothing Passes.
Select the mountains as bitmap layer and the Merged Layer as relief layer.
Select Toggle Visibility for the PinkSilk relief layer.
Toggle on Colour Shade in the 3D View.
Select Sculpting .

Leave the Tool Settings pull down menu set to None.
Select PinkSilk from the Mask Settings pull down menu.
Hold the left mouse button down and move back and forth over the grass area
working from the bottom to top.
Note: This will add height to the grass by pushing the silk relief under it.

When you get near the tree line adjust the Strength to 5% to avoid damaging this
area.
Select Import reliefs from a relief clipart library .
Select Animals under Libraries.
Select Deer and Scale it to 50%, position it at the left side of the grass, set a Start
Height of 5.08 mm and select Merge Highest.
Toggle Colour Shade back on.

Select Sculpting .
Select the sculpting tool Clone .

Hover over the Deers head and right mouse click.
Move to the right grassy area.
Hold the left mouse button down and replace the first Deer and right mouse click.
Hold the left mouse button and replace the first Deer with the surrounding texture.
Note: You may need to re-clone areas to remove the entire Deer.


Face Wizard
The Face Wizard simplifies the side profile of a face picture file to be used for generating a
3D Relief. Ideally, the picture should have a clear background and generally be of good
quality. The Face Wizard will guides the user through this process, finishing up in Sculpting
mode to allow fine changes to be made.
Face Wizard Hints

The Face Wizard automatically produces a face, but manual Sculpting Smoothing and
Smudging can be used to produce a more defined image. Once the Relief is produced you can
use sculpting many times to generate the desired image.
To start the Face Wizard, you must be aware of the following details:
1. Photo must be well lit to show up the detail.

2. Resolution needs to be at least 4MB pixels.
3. When picking Nape of neck, pick under the hair if the hair is long.
4. Ears generate an angled plane and merge high. Smooth over the join.
5. Glasses sketch in vector, use angled plane and get the height merged just below the
overall height.
Face Wizard exercise

From Other Features select Face Wizard .
Select Open Photo , then open woman.jpg from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM
Data.

The Step 2 of the Face Wizard appears in the Assistant and the picture is loaded into
ArtCAM, automatically creating a model.
As shown in the Assistant a Polyline needs to be created to

select the area where the Relief is to be generated. A saved
polyline can be imported, if required.
Note: When creating the Polyline, make sure you pick just
inside the face because any part of the background can
produce a spike at the edge of the Relief.
Select Create Polyline.

Click around the head, as shown.
At the creation stage, it does not matter if you make

a mistake when clicking as the Polyline can be
changed after creation by using Node editing.
Select Close Vector - Move End Points .

Select Create Polyline Tool.

Press N (Node Editing) on the keyboard.

Make any final adjustments to your Polyline.
Select Next.
Step Three of the Face Wizard appears and indicates

where to pick the two locating points for this command.
This tells ArtCAM which way the relief if facing (to the left
or right) and also where the features are.
Select the two points as indicated in red by the Face Wizard, followed by Next.
Step Four allows you to set the actual Relief and Model
Dimensions, which may be different to the initial picture. In
this case the picture has come in at around 500mm square.

Under Head Dimensions, accept the Width and Height values.

Under Model Dimensions, change the Width and Height to be 120.
Select Next.
The model is automatically generated and ArtCAM automatically opens up the sculpted
option with the 2D picture shown on top for clarity.
There are no fixed methods

for smoothing this relief,
however it is usually
advisable to treat the hair and
face with different sculpting
tools as the face generally
needs to be smoother than the
hair.
Select a Smooth option with a Diameter of 70mm.

Select a Combine Mode as Raise Only.
Smooth over the face area.
When Sculpting the control button can be used with the left
mouse button to rotate the Relief around. This allows you to
see the Relief from different angles to check the Smoothing.
Smudging is another good tool, which can be used for

defining areas such as the cheek bones.
Select Smudge with a Diameter of 100mm and Smudge the cheek area.
Select Smooth, Diameter of 50mm, Strength of 25% and Smooth the hair.
The Sculpting needs to be saved by pressing Apply and then

Finish. If you want to start again, just select Revert.

Select Apply, followed by Finish.
Save the Relief in: D:\users\training\Coursework\ArtCamPro-Jobs with the

name - sidelady.rlf.
Exercise
Generate a Relief of the picture man.jpg.
Relief Distortion
Relief Envelope Distortion can be used with another Relief (in this case a textured square) to
create dramatic effects.
Fish Exercise
Open the model fish-scales.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
The Relief includes a fish shape created by the Two Rail Sweep relief tool, and a Textured
plane. We can add the textured plane to the fish shape, using the Relief Envelope Distortion
feature.

Select the Rectangular vector.

Select Relief Envelope Distortion from the Relief Tools area.
The Relief Envelope Distortion page appears. Also the selected

vector is displayed within a gridded box (called the envelope) with
nodes at the corners.
Select Keep original relief.

Select Use existing curve(s).
Select Wrap between 2 curves.
The selected area can be mapped along a single curve or

mapped between two (like a two rail sweep.
Note: If two curves are chosen there must be a gap at the end
of each curve to leave space for the distortion.
Select the Select Top Curve option and the top vector of the fish.
Select the Select Bottom Curve and the bottom vector of the fish.

Youve selected the two curves.
In the Number of copies field select the option One - Stretch To Fit and Apply.
Select Add, followed by Paste and Finish.
The Relief is wrapped on to the

fish shape being compressed
between narrow sections and
expanded between the large
areas, giving it a visually
exaggerated 3D effect.
Copy Relief with Relief Envelope Distortion

There is a new option on the Edit pull down menu called Copy Relief. This option allows a
selected area of a Relief to be copied and pasted into a new model via Relief Envelope
Distortion, where repositioning, scaling, and controlled distortion can be applied before
committing it as part of the Relief.
For this exercise, two sessions of ArtCAM will be used.
Open the model grapes.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

Switch on the 2D Greyscale View.
A Relief of a branch, two

bunches of grapes and a
leaf is seen. There is also a
group of vectors around
each particular part of the
relief.

Select the large rectangular vector.

From the Edit pull down menu, select Copy Relief.
A new session of ArtCAM needs to be opened, so you can easily switch between the two.
Open a New session of ArtCAM.

Create a New Model with Width and Height of 120mm, origin in the centre and
a resolution of 860 x 860 points.
Create an Ellipse of Height 90mm, Width of 60mm with the Centre at X0 Y0
and Close the page.
Select Edit - Paste.
ArtCAM pastes in the Relief as a template for the Relief Envelope Distortion and opens up
the page in the Assistant.
In the Relief Envelope Distortion page, select Use existing curve(s).

Select the Wrap along single curve option and from its pull down menu, select the
option Right.
Select the Specify envelope width option and enter a Width of 8mm.
Select the Ellipse vector and in the page select Select Curve.
Select Many - Specify number of copies and enter a value of 10 Copies.
Select Apply.
The grey lines appear around the vector to indicate the area
where the Relief is to be implanted.

Select Add, followed by Paste and Finish.
The grapes have been wrapped around and match perfectly

around the closed vector.
Exercise
Save the Grape vectors in a New Vector Layer, edit them till
you get a similar shape as shown in the centre of the image on
the right and create a Relief from that final shape.
Note: In the Relief Envelope Distortion use
and dynamically position and orientate the vector before selecting

Paste.

ArtCAM 12. Toolpath Options
12. The Toolpath Options

Intoduction
ArtCAM can produce a variety of machining strategies on the Relief. The machining set up
and strategy commands are accessed from the Toolpaths tab located below the Assistant
area. The toolpaths that are generated are stored within the ArtCAM model and can easily be
edited. To drive a specific machine tool one or more toolpaths are output as a post-processed
file translated to the format of the relevant controller.
Relief Machining Process
Define Material Setup relative to the Relief.

Generate the required toolpaths.
Simulate the toolpaths to visualise the strategies used.
Save the ArtCAM model to include the toolpaths.
Output the post-processed toolpaths in the required Machine Tool format.
Toolpaths page
The Toolpaths page is segregated into four main categories - Toolpath Operations, 2D
Toolpaths, 3D Toolpaths and Toolpath Simulation.
When a toolpath is created it will be displayed in the upper area

and the toolpath name listed at the top of the Toolpaths page.
The Toolpath Names can be selected for Toolpath Simulation,
Toolpath Operations or to re-open and edit the strategy.
The 2D Toolpaths section contains commands to generate 2D

Toolpaths directly from Vectors.
The 3D Toolpath section contains commands to generate the

toolpaths over the 3D Relief.
The Toolpath Simulation section provides controls for viewing

toolpath animation and material removal.

12. Toolpath Options ArtCAM Pro
Note: It may be required to modify the origin of the model to a position more appropriate as a
machining origin. This is achieved by inputting suitable X Y Z values in the
Assistant - Model - Set Model Position dialog box .

ArtCAM 13. Z Level Rough Machining
13. Z level Roughing

Z Level Roughing (Raster) Exercise
The following example takes the user through the creation of a Toolpath using Z Level
(Raster) Roughing on the ArtCAM Relief (teddy bear).
Select Open Existing Model .

From: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data, select the model machine-ted.
Select File - Save As and save the model as train-machine-ted in:
The following Relief appears in the 3D View

window.
Before creating any toolpaths, youve got to define

the Material Setup. You must decide on a suitable
Z position for the Relief within the material.
The X Y dimensions of the material are the same as
the model.
Select F3 to display the 3D View.

Select the Toolpaths tab.
From Toolpaths Operation area, select Material Setup.
Enter a Material Thickness of 6mm.
Set a Top Offset of 0.25mm.
Ensure that the Material Z Zero is set to the top.
Select OK.
The Material Thickness allows you

to input the thickness of the material
to be machined. The current relief
height is also displayed (5.115). As
the Material Thickness is greater
than the Relief Thickness, a value for
top or bottom offset can be entered.
This allows the user to position the
Relief within the material as required.
The Material Z Zero (machining

datum) is also set either at the top or
bottom of the block.

13. Z Level Rough Machining ArtCAM
The material is displayed around the Relief

in the 3D View.
The machining origin is displayed by

switching on the Origin icon located at
the top of the 3D Window.
From the 3D Toolpaths area, select Z Level Roughing .
The Z Level Roughing page appears.
As with all the Assistant pages the Show Help button can be
clicked to show or remove the help from the page.
Z Level Roughing will remove the excess material from

around the Relief up to the specified Material Allowance and
Tolerance values. For efficiency a relatively large tool is
generally used for this operation. Z Level Roughing splits the
Material into Z Slices and performs the selected Area
Clearance strategy (Raster or Offset) on each one.

In the Area to Machine options, select Composite Relief.

Select Select next to Roughing Tool to access the standard Tool Database.
The default Tool Database contains a large

selection of tools and associated parameters
for a variety of materials. The selection can be
modified, deleted, or added to by the user as
required.
You can also have access to the Tool

Database by selecting the icon in the
Toolpath Operations.
To select a tool group, select the + in front of the name.
Browse Metric tools, Steel, Roughing and 2D Finishing and then select End Mill
6mm.
When a tool is selected (highlighted) in the left

hand window, the tool data and description is
displayed on the right-hand side of the form.
Individual tools can be modified as required by

clicking the Edit tab on the right hand side of
the form.
Select Select.
Select the down arrow on the End Mill 6mm bar.
The tool values are shown. Changing values in this form

do no affect the original tool stored in the database.
The Stepover is the distance between passes.

The Stepdown is the incremental depth of cut.
A Tool number is essential if the outputting to a machine

tool fitted with an automatic tool changer.
Enter a Stepover of 4mm.

Enter a Stepdown of 1mm (this will be used for calculating the Z Slices).

Leave the Feed Rate at 15mm/sec, Plunge Rate at 4mm/sec, Spindle at 15000
r.pm. and Tool Number as 1.
The Feed Rate, Plunge Rate and Spindle Speed are based on the tool manufacturer
recommendations but may need to be fine tuned to suit the machine tool, and material used
and how rigidly it is clamped down.
A unique Tool Number value must be input if the toolpath is for a machine tool with an
automatic tool changer. If not, the value can be left as 1.
Leave Add Ramping Moves unset .
Ramping Moves are applied to avoid plunging, especially where harder materials are being
machined. If Add Ramping Moves the user has access to a selection of ramping options to
control the Angle, Length, and incremental Height of ramp moves.
The Material has already been defined hence there is no need to open Setup.
The Material and Relief information are loaded into the

page.
It is possible to specify initial and final heights for the Z

Slices between which the Step Down value applies. Any
values entered are absolute relative to Z Zero, which in
this case is the Top.
Leave the Start/Surface Z at 0 (this is the initial height from where the first Step
Down value will be subtracted).
Set the Material Allowance to 0.5mm.
The Material Allowance is the specified thickness of

material that is left on over the actual relief when the
toolpath is created.
The Last Slice Z defaults to the height of the Material Allowance above Relief
base level. This value can be modified upwards to leave more material on the base
level if required.
Select Apply.
On clicking the Apply the number of Z slices are

calculated, based on the tool Stepdown and the Thickness
of each slice.

Select the down arrow on the Machine Safe Z bar.

Set Safe Z at 15 and the Home Position as X0 Y0 Z15.
Safe Z is the user defined height in Z above the material where the tool can safely perform
rapid moves to and from plunge positions.
Note: do not forget to consider the heights of clamping and fixture components, if applicable.
The tool Home Position defines the Start (1st move) and End (last move) of the toolpath. It
is not permitted for the selected Z value that is less than the Safe Z value.
Set the Tolerance value to 0.1
Tolerance determines how accurately a cutter path

follows the true shape of the relief, the actual value
being the maximum permissible deviation from the
relief form.
The next stage is to select a suitable Strategy from either Raster or Offset.
Raster Roughing
With the Raster strategy, the tool moves across

the Z Slices in parallel, straight line moves
separated by the Stepover distance. The
toolpath is automatically limited away from the
relief by the tool radius plus the Material
Allowance, as shown.
The Raster process on its own tends to leave

steps around the Relief. If required these can be
removed by applying a Profile Pass either
before (First) or after (Last) the Raster moves.

Offset Roughing
With the Offset strategy, the tool moves are
offset inwards from the shape of the
Complete Relief or limiting Vector, and
outwards from the shape of the Relief
contour. Individual tracks are separated by the
Step over distance.
In this example the Z Slices will be machined using a Raster

strategy without the addition of a Profile Pass.
The default Angle: 0 (along X) for the Raster strategy can

be changed if required.
Set the Strategy as Raster, Angle 0 with Profile Pass set to None and enter EM6-
Roughing for the toolpath name.
Select Now and then Close.
The Toolpath can be calculated Now or Later. When the

option Later is chosen it will save the uncalculated
toolpath until the Batch Calculate option is selected
from the toolpaths menu.
Several unprocessed Toolpaths could be Batched ready to be calculated at a later time.
The generated Toolpath components are

colour coded to assist with both
visualisation and identification for post-
processing.
Cutting Feed Rate moves are Red, Safe Z
rapid moves are Dark Blue, and
Plunge/Ramp moves are Pale Blue.
The Toolpath appears as selected at the top of the

Toolpaths page. The Toolpath can be shown or hidden
by ticking or unticking the relevant Show in - 3D box.

The Objects To Draw icon at the top of the 3D View opens a form in which the user can
select which entities are to visible.
Click Objects To Draw on the 3D View Toolbar.
You can toggle between different objects by clicking

on them and by selecting Apply to display the
selected items in the 3D View.
Select only the Roughing toolpath and select Apply.
The Toolpath is now the only

displayed item.
Select all objects, followed by Apply.

Select File and then Save.
The Toolpaths will be saved in the ArtCAM model.
If you need to modify a Toolpath the machining form is re-opened by double left clicking on
the named Toolpath in the top area.
You can then change the parameters etc but if a new, separate Toolpath is required, edit the
Name to be different from the original.
The edited settings are then Calculated to process the changes as the original or new
Toolpath.

Simulating the Toolpaths

Toolpath movement and material removal can be Simulated in the ArtCAM 3D View.
Select the Roughing Toolpath.
Click on the name roughing from the list so that it is

highlighted (selected).
From the Toolpath Simulation area, select Simulate Toolpath Fast .
The following form will be displayed:
Relief Dimensions: shows the overall

dimensions of the relief.
Simulation Block Dimensions: gives the size of
the block. This should be at least as big as the
minimum and maximum height of the relief plus
any height (or depth) of the engraving features.
Simulation Relief Resolution: specifies the
quality of the image that you require. Obviously
the lower the resolution the greater the speed of
calculation.
Select Standard from the Simulation Relief Resolution area.

Use the other default settings and select Simulate Toolpath.
A virtual model of material removal is displayed

as controlled from the Toolpath Simulation
dialog. This is what the end result will look like
on the actual machine tool.
The result is a 3D model of the part machined component which also within graphics
limitations will indicate the standard of surface finish.
Select Delete Simulation .

Select File - Close.
Note: the ArtCAM model has already been Saved prior to the toolpath simulation.

Z Level Roughing (Offset) Exercise

The following example takes you through the creation of a toolpath using Z Level (Offset)
Roughing on a previously saved ArtCAM Relief model.

From: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data, select the model flowers.art.
Select File - Save As and save the model as rough-machine-flowers in:
Select Z Level Roughing .

Select Composite Relief.
Click the Selectbutton on Roughing Tool to access the standard Tool Database.
Select Metric tools, Steel, Roughing and 2D Finishing and then End Mill 6mm.
Press Select.
Select the down arrow on the End Mill 6mm bar.
Enter a Stepover of 5mm.
Set the Stepdown to 1mm.
Leave Feed Rate at 42mm/sec, Plunge Rate at 13mm/sec, Spindle at 15000
r.p.m and Tool Number as 1.
Leave Add Ramping Moves unset.
On Material, select Setup.
Enter a Material Thickness of 10mm.
Set a Top Offset of 0.25mm.
Ensure that the Material Z Zero is set to the top.
Select OK.
Leave the Start/Surface Z at 0.
Set the Material Allowance to 0.5. Leave the values in Last Slice Z and select
Apply.

Set Safe Z at 15mm and the Home Position as X0 Y 0 Z 15.

Keep the Tolerance at 0.01mm.
Leave the Strategy options as Offset, Cut direction as Climb with Start From
set to Outside and enter roughing for the Toolpath name.
Select Now, followed by Close.
The Offset Toolpath means the

toolpath is offset around the Relief.
Select Simulate Toolpath Fast .
The simulation visually, shows

the effect of the toolpath
Select File - Save.


ArtCAM 14. Machine Relief & 3D Rest
14. Machine Relief & 3D Rest

Overview
These provide Finishing Strategies, which project a Toolpath over the surface Relief while
adjusting for tool geometry and settings.
3D Machining Exercise
The following example takes the user through the creation of semi-finishing and finishing
toolpaths as a continuation to the Z Level Roughing created in the previous chapter.
Open the model Train-machine-ted created earlier from:

D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs\Train-machine-ted.
The existing Relief appears in the

3D View window.
Press F3 to open the 3D View and select the Toolpaths tab.
There is already a Z Level Roughing toolpath that was saved earlier in the ArtCAM model.
The Material Setup and basic Machining setup are already defined based on the Z Level
Roughing toolpath already saved in the ArtCAM model.

14. Machine Relief & 3D Rest ArtCAM
Semi Finishing (Raster) Toolpath

The Machine Relief option will be applied to create a semi-finishing toolpath using a
Raster strategy with a material Allowance of 0.25mm. The idea is to take a heavy cut over
the Relief mainly to remove the steps left by the previous roughing out operation.
Select Machine Relief from the 3D Toolpaths area.
This machining page includes several options enabling the

user to control and fine tune the required toolpaths.
Area To Machine this either applies to the Composite

Relief, the area within the Selected Vector or an
Automatic Boundary.
Strategy - there are six basic strategy options:
Raster - creates the strategy along one direction.

Raster in X and Y - repeats the strategy at 90 degrees.
Spiral - creates a spiral strategy limited by the model.
Spiral in a box - creates a spiral strategy trimmed to the
model.
3D Offset - follows the outer contour offsetting the
toolpath with a Stepover relative to the 3D form.
3D Offset Spiral - same as 3D Offset but creates a spiral
instead of a stepped offset.
Raster Angle you can enter a different Angle for the

direction of the toolpath (default 0 degrees = along X).
Do Multiple Z Passes - if a hard material is to be

machined, instead of applying one heavy cut to full depth,
it can be slowly taken off in stages by repeating the
strategy downwards from a defined height by applying Do
Multiple Z Passes.
The Material and Machine Safe Z have already been set

up for this model earlier while creating the roughing
toolpaths.
Select Composite Relief and a Raster strategy with a Raster Angle of 45 degrees,
Allowance of 0.25mm and Tolerance of 0.1mm.
In the Tool area, select the Select button to access the Tool database.
Select a Ball Nose 3mm from Aluminium 3D Finishing.
A Ball Nosed tool is normally used for finishing to track over the 3D model form more
effectively.

Edit the Stepover to 0.5mm and leave Do MultipleZ Passes unticked.

Enter the toolpath name BN3-SemiFinish.
The semi-finishing toolpath is as shown with a relatively large Stepover set at a 45 degrees
Angle for a more consistent finish over the whole of the Relief. A final Stepover will be
applied in the finishing operation that follows next.
The 3mm Ball Nose tool has created a semi-finished form with a 0.25 mm thickness on the
Relief. The advantage of running a Semi Finishing toolpath is that it removes the steps left
by the Z Level Roughing, leaving a more consistent material removal rate for the final
finishing operations.
Select File - Save to update the ArtCAM model.

Finishing (3D Offset) Toolpath

For the initial finishing, the same 3mm Ball Nose tool will be used, but this time using 3D
Offset Spiral with a smaller Stepover and an Allowance of 0. A vector will be used to limit
the extent of the toolpath to be over the 3D Relief form and not the flat base area. It will still
leave excess material on internal corners but these will be picked out locally, later on with a
smaller Ball Nosed tool. Generally the bigger the tool the faster the machining process.
Press F2.
Select the Assistant tab.
Switch off the Preview Relief Layer icon on the 2D View top toolbar.
If a bitmap is displayed switch off the twin light bulbs in Bitmaps (Layers) to the
right of the graphics area.
The vector for the outside of the Relief form will be offset to allow for the tool radius and a
bit of overlap across the base area.
Select the vector enclosing the Relief form.

Select Offset Vector(s) , set an Offset Distance of 2mm, the Offset Direction
as Outwards and the Offset Corners as Radiused. Select Offset, followed by
Close.
Select the new offset vector.

Select and double click on the stored BN3-SemiFinish toolpath to open the
Machine Relief page to enable editing of the settings and parameters.

Select the option Selected Vector with a 3D Offset Spiral strategy with an
Allowance of 0.0 and Tolerance of 0.01mm.
In the Tools area, select the downward chevron and enter a Stepover of 0.05mm.
Name the toolpath as BN3-Finish.
Select Simulate All Toolpaths .
The complete machining process is simulated.

Note the finer finish over the Relief form to where the last finishing toolpath has been
confined.

Note: the final finishing toolpath creation using the 3mm Ball Nose tool has been limited to
within the Selected Vector.
Select File - Save but do not close the model as work will continue to create further
toolpaths in the next section.
3D Rest Machining Exercise

3D Rest Machining creates closed vectors around areas of the Relief that are out of reach to
the tooling geometry of previously created toolpaths. A further Machine Relief toolpath
using a smaller tool can then be applied within the vector area to locally pick out the
remaining detail. The calculation of the Rest Machining vectors uses the simulation model
of the previous toolpaths.
Select the offset relief form vector used to limit the final Finishing toolpath
named BN3-Finish.
In the 3D Toolpaths area select 3D Rest Machining strategy.
It is only necessary to create Rest boundary vectors over

the Relief form area (not the flat base area).
Select the option Area under selected vectors.

Select the option Simulating the last toolpath.
Enter a Cusp Tolerance value of 0.05mm.

Keep the default Layer name, Rest Machining.

Select Create Boundaries.
New vectors will be created, as shown left and assigned to

a new Layer with the name Rest Machining.
In the Vectors part of the Layer options switch off the Layer named Default
Layer by selecting the adjacent light bulb icon.
With the Rest Machining vectors selected, select Offset Vector(s) .
Enter an Offset Distance value of 0.2mm, select the Outwards/Right, Radiused

and Delete original vectors options. Select Offset, followed by Close.

The Offset - Rest boundary will allow the new finishing toolpath to blend more smoothly
over the form previously finished with the 3mm Ball Nose tool.
It will be easier to use a copy of the previous finishing toolpath as the basis for the new Rest
finishing strategy.
Select and double click on the stored BN3-Finish toolpath to open the Machine
Relief form to enable editing of the settings and parameters.
All of the parameters and settings will remain the same for the new toolpath apart from the
Tool selection and the toolpath Name.
In the Tool database, select a 0.5mm Ball Nose tool.

Name the Toolpath BN0.5-Finish.
Select Simulate Fast .
The last toolpath is simulated which will produce sharper detail in the corners which were
previously inaccessible to the 3mm Ball Nose tool.
Select File- Save (to update the model train-machine-ted).


Exercise:
Select File - Open and load in the model rough-machine-flowers from

Apply suitable toolpaths to machine this component.

ArtCAM 15. 3D Cut Out Machining
15. 3D Cut Out Machining

Overview
This strategy follows the shape of the selected vectors and automatically compensates for tool
radius and material Allowance.
Note: This strategy does not collision check to the actual Relief and as a result material
Allowance does not apply down Z.

From D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data, select the model brooch_new.art.
This Relief exists both above and below Z0,

as displayed at the top of the Assistant
page.
The outside form of the model will be profile machined in stages with the 3D Cut Out
machining strategy.

Select the 2D View and select the Outer vector.
The 3D Cut Out command is intended for profiling

around the component form or the inside of a pocket.
In the 3D Toolpaths area select 3D Cut Out .

15. 3D Cut Out Machining ArtCAM
3D Cut Out uses vectors as the basis for creating a stacked toolpath offsetting either
Outside or Inside for the tool geometry and machining Allowance.
Note: the Relief is not directly involved.
Select the Profile Side as Outside.

Enter a Surface Z distance of 0 and a Finish Z distance of -13mm.
Enter a Safe Z distance of 10 and a Home Position of X0 Y0 Z10.
Select a 3mm End Mill and override the Stepdown as 1mm.
Select Climb Mill as Cut Direction.
Enter the toolpath Name as EM3-3DCutout and select Now.
The toolpath has been generated at Z heights

calculated using the tool stepdown.

Lead in/Out Moves

To provide a smoother tool move onto the component profile it is possible to apply a circular
lead move on and off the toolpath.
Select Add Lead In/Out Moves.
The Add Lead In/Out Moves form provides two main options,
Linear or Circular Arc.
Enter a Distance of 5mm, select Circular Arc with a Radius of 5mm.

Press F2.
Youve added a smooth Lead In and Lead Out.
Next youll add a Ramping Move to instruct the tool to

ramp down in a zig-zag motion during the Lead In move.
Ramping is used for tools that do not cut at the base but
only around the edges.
Double left mouse click on the toolpath Name from the top of the toolpaths
page.
Select Add Ramping Moves.
Set the values as shown and select Now. Select Close.
The Add Ramping Moves options are displayed.

The light blue moves on the toolpath are

ramping moves onto the profile passes. These
only apply to the Lead In moves. At the end of
the Lead out the tool finishes with a rapid
retract to Safe Z followed by a rapid move to
the Home Position.
Ramping is essential in cases where a non-

plunging tool is being used.
Press F3.
Select File- Save As, enter the File name as BroochMachineTraining in
Creating Bridges
In some applications it is required to profile around a component within a block of material
leaving location lugs to keep it in position until such time as it is required to break it free.
To create suitable location lugs settings from the Bridges form is applied from the Proflile
Options.

In the 2D View select the toolpath profile, as shown in the image below.
In the 2D Toolpaths area select Profile Options Bridges.

Select Add Bridges to Profiles Constant Number with Number 4.
Input a Bridge Length of 5 and a Bridge Thickness of 3 with 3D Bridges
select.
Select the Create Bridges tab.
The four Bridges added to the 3D Cut Out

toolpath will act as location lugs.
Note: You can also edit a Bridge Length

dynamically by dragging on a square marker at
the end of a Bridge preview.

Select Close to exit the Profile Options.

Press F3.
In the case the 4 Bridges are formed with a

triangular movement in the Z Plane.
If 3D Bridges is unticked then the Bridges are

formed with a rectangular movement in the Z
Plane.
Select Reset Simulation .

Select Toolpath Fast .
Save and Close the ArtCAM model.

ArtCAM 16. Feature Machining
16. Feature Machining

Introduction
Feature Machining is a 3D Engraving strategy, where the actual thickness over areas of the
Relief are controlled within vectors. There are three types of Feature, Raised, Recessed, or
Centre Line. The type is defined using the options in the Feature Machining page. Only
toolpaths that are created after the Feature Machining has been performed will comply with
the thickness attributes of Feature vectors.
Feature Machining Exercise

You will import a vector to apply a Turn Relief shape. Then you will generate a set of three
Vector Text items to demonstrate the different types of Feature Machining.
Create a New Model with Height and Width of 100mm, a resolution of

1028x1028 points and Origin in the centre.
From the top menu select Vectors - Import.
In the resultant dialog box, browse to: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data, select
the file feature-bottle.eps, followed by Open.
The vector is imported into the new model and remains

selected.
You will use this vector to create a Turn Relief with a

Z scaling Factor of 0.5, to create a flatter design.
Select Turn from the Relief Tools area.

Select the vector, enter a Z Scale Factor of 0.5, select Add followed by
Calculate.

16. Feature Machining ArtCAM
The Relief is now complete. You will

now create the vectors and convert them
into Features.
In this case Text vectors will be used as

the basis for the Features.
Select the 2D View and at the top switch on Preview Relief View.
Create Vector Text using Font Times New Roman, Size - 12mm with a
Character spacing of 65% of the text TEXT.
Position near the top of the bottle as shown in the image below.
Use Block Copy/Rotate to create three copies incrementally offset by Y-
15 down the bottle as shown.
Each of these three Text Vectors will be

converted to a different type of Feature,
(Raised, Recessed, or Centreline) which in
turn will be machined using Feature
Machining.
The heights or depths of Features are

measured incrementally from the Relief
surface.
Note: A Feature could also be created from

a group of vectors.
Select the top text.

From the Toolpaths tab, select Feature Machining in the 3D Toolpaths
area.
16.2 Issue ArtCAM Pro2009

The Feature Machining page will appear.
The Feature Height option will automatically allow for the

specified amount of material to be left on within the defined
Feature area.
A value in Feature Allowance will cause an additional

amount of material to be left around the edge of the feature.
FEATURE ALLLOWANCE
The Allowance value is an additional amount of stock on

top of the defined Feature Height.
Select the option Raised Feature.

Enter a Feature Height of 1mm and select Vector at Top Edge and Sharpen
at Bottom options.
Enter a Feature Allowance of 1.4142 and select Clear inner islands and Use
constant allowance around vector options.
Select the option Area Clear with an Overcut Distance of 3.5mm.
Select as Feature Tool a 3mm Ball Nose.
Enter a Safe Z distance of 21mm.
Select Material Setup and set the Material Thickness as 25mm, Z Zero at the
top and a Top Offset value of 1mm.
Name the toolpath as Raised-3BN.

Press F3.
The area inside the Feature has been
defined with a Raised offset of 1mm
above the existing Relief. The Feature
is represented internally in ArtCAM
and the effect will only be visible after
the toolpath has been created and
simulated.
Note, only toolpaths created after the Feature Machining operation will respect the settings
of a Feature vector. As a result of this the main finishing toolpath will be created next and
then manually moved to the top of the list of created toolpaths. This will result in the to
surface of the above text being an exact 1mm offset above the actual relief (It is currently
flush with the top of the material block as shown above).
Select Machine Relief on the 3D Toolpaths area.

Select Composite Relief with a Raster strategy, Allowance of 0 and a
Tolerance of 0.01mm.
Select a Ball Nose 6mm tool and change the Stepover to 0.3mm.
Name the toolpath as Finish-6BN.
Select Reset Simulation , followed by Simulate All Toolpaths .
The toolpath has machined over the Feature area to the specified offset Feature Height of
1mm.

Move the Finish-6BN toolpath to the top of the list, as shown in the image
below.
Corner sharpen
On checking the Corner Sharpen box ArtCAM will automatically move the tool in 3 axes
along intersecting regions, which require sharpening.
The following example shows the effect of corner sharpening on a letter M.
Multiple Z Passes
This option allows the chosen machining strategy to be repeated in a series of selected
incremental heights down Z.
Drop Tool
The tool geometry is taken into account when producing a gouge free toolpath in relation to
the Feature.
Project Tool
With this option the tool geometry is ignored and the tip of the cutter is projected directly onto
the Relief. This would create gouging of the Relief on inclined faces.

Double left mouse click the Feature Machining toolpath and change the Name
to Raised-1.5BN to initiate a copy.
Change the tool to a 1.5mm Ball Nosed.
Select Now and select OK on the ArtCAM warning form.
Select Close.
This is a single pass toolpath strategy designed to further,

sharpen the corners left by the 3 Ball Nosed toolpath
created earlier.

Select File Save As and save the model as Feature-MC in:


Exercises
If Feature Machining is of interest as a potential application then repeat the above process on
the central Text vector as a Recessed Feature and the lower Text vector as a Centre Line
Feature. The result would be this one for each Feature:

ArtCAM 17. Post Processing Toolpaths
17. Post Processing Toolpaths

Introduction
The Toolpaths produced in ArtCAM have to be translated into a different format as an
exported file for a specific machine tool controller. The collective name for one of these
files is ncdata and the operation is called Post-Processing which is accessed via the Save
Toolpaths option.
Post Processing of Toolpaths for a Manual Tool Changer
Open the model Train-machine-ted:

Select Save Toolpaths on the Toolpath Operations area.
When the Save Toolpaths form is opened all existing toolpaths are listed in the
left hand window. If one of the toolpaths is selected prior to opening the Save
Toolpaths form it will appear in the right hand window. Toolpaths are selected
and transferred from one side to the other using the central Arrow buttons.
All the files in the right hand window will be included for output into one ncdata file. If the
machine tool uses a manual tool change then it will only be possible to include Toolpaths in
the ncdata file that share the same cutting tool. If the machine tool has an automatic tool
changer then any combination of the available toolpaths can be include in the ncdata file.

17. Post Processing Toolpaths ArtCAM
Select the left Black arrow .
The toolpath has moved back to the list of calculated toolpaths.
Select the toolpath Rough-em6 End Mill 6mm and then the right Black arrow
.
Deselect Save files to spool Directory (You will be prompted for the location
directory for outputting the current ncdata file).
From Machine Output, select Proma PPM 3Axis Flat.
Note: this machine does not support an automatic tool changer hence only Toolpaths that
use the same tool can be included in the ncdata output file.
Select Save and browse to select C:\temp, enter a File name as Em6-Rough-ted
and select Save.
Select the left black arrow (to move the toolpath to the left side).
Select the toolpath BN3-SemiFinish and then the right Black arrow .
Select the toolpath BN3-Finish and then the right Black arrow .
Set Machine output as Proma PPM 3Axis Flat.
Select Save, browse to select C:\temp, enter a File name as BN3-All-ted and
select Save.
Select the left Red arrow (to move all toolpaths to the left side).
Select Close on the Save Toolpaths dialog box.
Two post-processed Toolpaths have been saved outside ArtCAM and translated in the
format required for a Proma 3-Axis controller.
Do not Close the model as it is required again in the next chapter.

ArtCAM 17. Post Processing Toolpaths
Post Processing of Toolpaths for an Automatic Tool Changer

If a Machine Tool is fitted with an Automatic Tool Changer then the control of this feature
will be available in the Post Processor translation.
If toolpaths containing different tools are passed over to the right hand window of the Save
Toolpaths form and the selected Post Processor does not support an Automatic Tool
Changer then a box with an error message will appear.
The Tool Number is essential to identify the location of an individual Tool in the tool
changer, carousel.
If a compatible Post Processor is selected but the individual Tools are not allocated a unique
Tool Number in the respective Toolpaths then again the operation will fail and an error
message will be displayed.
The Tool Number can be defined in a number of ways.
1. Entering the tool number within the defined tool of the toolpath.

17. Post Processing Toolpaths ArtCAM
2. Entering/Editing the default tool number defined in the Tool database
3. A tool number can be changed after toolpath calculation by selecting

from the bottom of the Toolpaths tab.

ArtCAM 18. Toolpath Templates
18. Toolpath Templates

Toolpath Templates
A Toolpath Template is a file containing one or more unprocessed machining strategies
stored outside ArtCAM as a tpl file. A previously stored Toolpath Template is imported
into ArtCAM and the associated machining strategies can be then edited (if required) before
the toolpaths are regenerated for the current model.
The benefit of Toolpath Templates is that a whole set of unprocessed machining strategies
can later be loaded into ArtCAM with all the tooling and settings already set for the user
specific application or for a series of similar ArtCAM models.
In the current model, Train-machine-ted select the Toolpaths tab.
This ArtCAM model contains five Toolpaths, two of which require closed vectors to control
the area to be machined. When a Template is Saved all toolpaths that exist in the model are
included in the output file.
Select Save Toolpath as Template .
The toolpath template is a

special file type (*.tpl) and is
stored outside of the ArtCAM
model.
It is a good idea to be as
descriptive as possible with the
template name.
Select the area D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs and enter the

File name EM6-BN30-Bn1.5-Con0.75.
Select Save.
The template can now be loaded into a different model or, if these toolpaths have been
deleted, they can be loaded back into the current model.

18. Toolpath Templates ArtCAM
Select each toolpath and delete them using the Delete Toolpath feature.
Select Load Toolpath Template .
Select the file EM6-BN30-Bn1.5-Con0.75.tpl and Open.
The Unprocessed toolpaths are displayed in red and

there are no display toolpath tick boxes below
Show in 2D/3D indicating that they have not yet
been calculated.
Select Batch Calculate toolpaths .
Te form appears with all of the toolpaths

listed. By default all of the toolpaths are ticked,
ready to be included in the Batch Calculate
process.
Note: If use a selected vector is specified in

the toolpath page, a suitable vector must first
be created and selected if Batch Calculating
the template on a different model.
Select the Start tab and when finished Close the dialog box.
All of the toolpaths have been calculated including the last two, which require the selection
of a suitable limiting vector. As the Toolpath Template is being applied to the same model
then the vectors will be remembered and selected automatically. If the Toolpath Template is
applied to a different model then these toolpaths will have to be opened on an individual
basis and suitable limiting vectors created and selected before applying Calculate Now.
Select File Close.

ArtCAM 19. 2D Vector Machining
19. 2D Vector Machining

Introduction
For certain type of 2D components it is of no benefit to create a 3D Relief Model. For these
applications ArtCAM Pro has a series of options to create 2D Toolpaths that are directly
calculated from vectors.
Forest Sign 2D Area Clearance
Open the model Forest_Sign.art from:

Hold down shift and multi-select the Inner Ellipse, Squirrel, Tree, and Text
vectors.

In the 2D Toolpaths area select Area Clearance .

19. 2D Vector Machining ArtCAM
Set the Start Depth as 0, Finish Depth as 2mm and Allowance as 0.

Set the Final Tool Allowance as 0.25mm and Tolerance as 0.01mm.
Select the downward arrow under Machine Safe Z and enter a value of 20mm for
Safe Z and X-100, Y-50 and Z20 for the Home Position.
Start Depth is the height from where the Stepdown

is calculated.
Finish Depth is the maximum depth for machining to
occur.
Allowance is the amount of 2D stock remaining on
the vectors for the final tool.
Final Tool Allowance is the amount of 2D stock
remaining for all except the final tool.
Tolerance the toolpath will create a finish to
within 0.01 the original vector.
Safe Z is the height at which rapid moves across
the component are permitted.
Home Position: specifies the coordinates of the Start and End point of the toolpath.
Select Add from the Tools List.

From the tool database Wood or Plastic - Roughing and 2D Finishing area and
load in both the End Mill 6mm and the End Mill 1.5mm tools.
This is the area where the selected tools are

displayed. In 2D Area Clearance it is possible to
select more than one tool, which will
automatically be sorted and used sequentially in
descending size.
The Tools List contains two different End Mills. When the toolpath is calculated, the larger
6mm End Mill is used first to perform the main 2D Area Clearance machining. Any
subsequent, smaller tools in the Tools List will only operate locally in areas that are out of
reach to the previous tool (Rest Milling).
Select a Raster strategy.
Note: There are two options available for 2D Area Clearance machining strategies, Raster
which steps a linear cutterpath backwards and forwards across the component or Offset
which steps the cutterpath parallel to the selected vector(s).
Set up the Material to have a Thickness of 10mm, the Z Zero should be at the
top.
Input the Name EM6EM1_5-AreaClear1.

Select Now.
The 2D Area Clearance toolpaths will appear as shown above. As the primary tool (End
Mill 6mm) has a Stepdown value of 2.4mm, all of the machining has been performed at the
single depth of 2mm. If the above Stepdown value were 1mm then the machining would
have been performed at depths of both 1mm and 2mm.
Select Close.
The Toolpaths window now

contains two named toolpaths,
which by default are also
displayed in both the 2D and 3D
views. As is shown above the
individual strategies can be
selected separately if it is. For
instance required to perform an
individual Toolpath simulation.
Open the 3D window and select Isometric View .

Select the End Mill 6mm strategy only (as shown above).
Only the selected toolpath - End Mill 6 mm is

simulated.

This toolpath has machined the inner form leaving a 2D stock of 0.25mm to be finished by
the End Mill 1.5mm toolpath.
Select the End Mill 1.5mm strategy only.

The End Mill 1.5 mm toolpath has

successfully rest machined the remaining
areas inaccessible to the previous cutter and
removed the final 0.25mm stock
allowance.
Forest Sign 2D Profiling
Select the 2D View and select the Outer Ellipse vector.
A 2D Profiling strategy will be used to drive

the tool around the outside of the sign.
Select 2D Profiling .
A Profiling toolpath can be generated to the defined depth, on the Inside or Outside of a
closed vector. There is also the option to apply a Climb Mill or Conventional direction of
cut. For an open vector, Inside will offset the toolpath to the right of the vector direction
whereas Outside will offset the toolpath to the left of the vector direction.
The depth of cut for each profiling pass is defined by the tools stored parameters, for
example if the tool has a step down of 2mm maximum, it would take 5 profiling passes to get
down to a total depth of 10mm.
With a 2D Profiling toolpath the option is available to approach required profile with a
horizontal, arc Lead In and Lead Out. This would result in a tool plunge move occurring
away from the profile followed by a smooth, tangential transition onto the actual tool track.

Select Profile side as Outside.

Select a Start Depth of 0, Finish Depth of 10 and Allowance of 0.
In Profiling Tool, select the Select button and load in the same 6mm End Mill
that was used earlier in the 2D Area Clearance operation.
When 2D Profiling around a component, a superior finish is achieved for most materials if
the direction of travel is the left of the vector (Climb Milling). There are however a few
materials (certain plastics) where a superior finish is achieved if the direction of travel is the
right of the vector (Conventional).
Select Climb Milling.

Select Now to generate the toolpath.
The 2D Profiling toolpath has been generated

outside the Outer Ellipse.
Select Close.
The simulation steps the 2D Profiling pass

down to a total depth of 10mm. If it is
required to keep the sign attached to the
outer material then location lugs (Bridges)
can be applied retrospectively along the
toolpath.
Select File - Save As TrainForestSign in:

Do not close the model.

Select Profile Options .

Create four suitably positioned 3D Bridges of Thickness 3mm, Length 4mm
near the corners on the 2D Profiling strategy.
Do not close the model.
Bevel Carving
The 2mm high text FOREST on the sign will have a 1mm chamfer added by using the 2D
Toolpaths option called Bevel Carving.
The process requires the user to input a Bevel Carving Tool. The tool dimensions and/or
stored values of Stepdown and Stepover will determine if the chamfer is machined as a
series of stepped passes or in one hit.
In the 2D View select the Text item FOREST.

In the 2D Toolpaths area select Bevel Carving .
In the Bevel Carving page input: Start Depth 0, Bevel Max Depth 1, Finish
Depth 2mm, Allowance of 0 and Tolearance of 0.01mm.
Enter a Safe Z of 20 and a Home Position of X-100 Y-50 Z20.
Select Centreline.
Select a V-Bit 32mm 120 degrees Carving Tool and a 1.5mm End Mill
Profiling Tool.
Set a Climb Mill Cut Direction.
Set up the Material to have a Thickness of 10, the Z Zero should be at the top.
Enter a Name as Bevel_Carving.

Select Now.
Do not close the page.
The resultant Bevel Carving strategy has stepped

down the chamfer due to the Stepover and
Stepdown values stored in the tool parameters.

Click the downward arrow to the right of the V bit tool and edit the Stepdown
value to 1.5mm as shown below.
Select Now to regenerate the Bevel Carving toolpaths.
The resultant Bevel Carving strategy has

now machined the chamfer in one pass.
This is due to the amended Stepdown
value being larger than the depth of the
chamfer.
The 1mm chamfer can clearly be seen above

on the embossed 2mm high text.
Select File - Save to update the model saved earlier.
(D:\users\training\COURSEWORK\ArtCAMPro-Jobs\TrainForestSign)

V Bit Carving
The following example illustrates the V-Bit Carving options.
Select Create New Model and input a Width and Height of 100mm with a
resolution of 2004 x 2004 points and set the origin in the centre.
From the top menu options select Vectors - Import and Open the file:
D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data\V-BitCarvingVectors.eps

In the 2D Toolpaths area select V-Bit Carving .
Keep the Start Depth and Tolerance as 0.
Set the Safe Z as 20mm and the Home Position as X-100 Y-50 Z20.
Select a V-Bit 32mm 90degrees Carving Tool from Wood or Plastic V-
Carving and chage the Stepover to 1mm and Stepdown to 3mm.
Select Centreline.
Select Setup, enter a Material Thickness of 20mm and set the Material Z
Zero is at the top of the block.
Enter a Name of VBitCarving32mm_90 and select Now.
Do not Close the page.
The maximum permissible depth for machining to occur can

be set by selecting Limit tool maximum depth and specify
a Maximum Depth value.

The toolpath is calculated creating V

shaped recesses inside or between pairs
of selected vectors and text. The
maximum depth of the recesses is
currently unlimited but the tool does
perform an area clearance at
incremental depths equal to the
specified Tool Stepdown value.
The Area Clearance can be removed
by inputting a suitably high value for
Stepdown.
Edit the Tool Stepdown to 10mm.

Select Now to Calculate the toolpath.
The toolpath has created the same

end result, but without performing
area clearance at 3mm
incremental depths (the tool
Stepdown is now 10mm).
In Sequencing select Limit tool maximum depth and enter a Maximum Depth
value of 5mm.
Select Now to Calculate the toolpath.

The toolpath is now limited to a maximum

depth of -5mm where area clearance is
performed as shown. The tool Stepdown is
greater than this value resulting in single pass
moves at the base of the V recesses above the
specified, maximum depth.
Select File - Save As and save the model with the File name VbitCarving in:

ArtCAM 20. Engraving
20. Engraving & Scribe Lines

Introduction
Smart Engraving allows you to input a selection of Roughing (End Mill) and Engraving
(V Shaped) tools, which create a series of efficient toolpaths within the defined vector
selection ultimately producing the required engraved form. Different machining parameters
and tool settings can be applied to each toolpath from within the Smart Engraving options.
For small detail it is possible to run Smart Engraving with one V shaped tool. In
applications where more than tool is defined the secondary toolpath operations only remove
material that is inaccessible to the previous toolpath.
Smart Engraving Exercise
Open the model arch.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.
The Smart Engraving options provide for finishing of

sharp internal corners for the finishing tooplaths using the
V Cutters.
The selected vector is the top edge of the detail. The

option to offset the End Mill for the Engraving Tool (it
leaves additional material on) is used to give the V-Bit
finish tool some material on each side to cut out, to
balance the loading on the V-Bit tool.
Select the Inner feature vector as shown above.

Select the Toolpaths tab and in 2D Toolpaths area, select Engraving .

20. Engraving ArtCAM
Enter a Start Depth of 0 and a Finish Depth of 5mm.

Select the options Vectors are on surface and Offset
End mills for Engraving tools.
Set SafeZ as 5 and Home Position X0 Y0 Z5.
Add a 6mm and 3mm End Mill tools, along with a
Small V-Bit 12mm 90 Degree tool.
Note: the V-Bit tool will have to be copied and edited within the
Tool Database from an existing stored tool.
Enter an Allowance of 0.1mm, necessary for the final

profiling pass after the End Mill 6mm tool action.
Note: Several of the parameters can be defined independently for

the specific tool selected (highlighted) in the page.
Set the Material Thickness to 25.4mm with the Z0

origin at the top.
The machining calculations will take the vector to be the top edge of the chamfered detail.
For the End Mill 6mm tool set the tool Stepover to 4mm and the Stepdown to
5mm.
For the End Mill 3mm tool set the tool Stepover to 0.5mm and the Stepdown to
1mm.
For the Small V-Bit 12mm 90degrees tool set the tool Stepover to 0.1mm and
the Stepdown to 5mm.
Select Now to generate two Area Clearance, and one Engraving, within the
collectively named [Smart Engraving] toolpaths.
Close the page.
All of the 3 toolpaths created by the Smart

Engraving options are displayed and could all
be simulated at the same time. It would
however be better to simulate them one at a
time to see more clearly what each one is
actually machining.

End Mill 6mm tool

This operation performs Area Clearance on the
whole aperture to full depth (less than the
Stepdown value).
End Mill 3mm tool

This operation performs Area Clearance on areas
inaccessible to the larger End Mill. In the small
enclosure at the tip the 1mm stepdown causes
machining to occur at several Z descending Levels.
Small V-Bit 12mm 90degree tool

With corner sharpening on, the tool will ramp along
internal corner intersections to produce the
sharpened shape.
Select the 2D View and select the four triangular vectors and the text arc.
As these are only small indentations only one V-Bit tool will be
required.

20. Engraving ArtCAM
Select Engraving .
Enter a Start Depth of 0, a Finish Depth of 3mm and a Tolerance of 0.01mm.
Select the Small V-Bit 6mm 90 degrees tool.
Change the Stepdown to 3mm.
Select Tool Clearance Strategy as Offset.
Select Do Corner Sharpening.
Small V-Bit 12mm 90degree tool

All the small detail has created in a
separate Smart Engrave operation with
a single V-Bit tool.
Machine Along Vector
This 2D Toolpaths option directly traces along the selected vectors to a user defined depth.
A typical application would to mark a scribe line around the outside of a component form.
Select the Outer vector.

Select the Toolpaths tab and in the 2D Toolpaths area select Machine Along
Vector .
Enter a Finish Depth of 1mm.
Select a Ball Nose 1.5 mm tool.
Select Now.
The outer limit of the component has

been scribed with the 1.5mm Ball
Nosed tool.
Select File - Save As and enter as File Name SmartEngraving in:


ArtCAM 21. Drilling
21. Drilling
Introduction
In the Toolpaths window, 2D Toolpaths section there is a Drilling option, which uses
selected vectors for defining the hole positions. The hole positions are defined either Central
to circle vectors, at vector Node points, at a vector dimensional Centre, or on the Plunge
Move positions of a selected 2D Toolpath.
For creating a Drill tool the V-Bit tool page is used as this has the same geometrical shape.
Open the model Drilling.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

Select the 6 Circle vectors.
In 2D Toolpaths select Drilling .
Enter a Start Depth of 0, a Finish Depth of 20mm and a

Plunge Clearance of 2mm.
Plunge Clearance is a separate Safe Z for Drilling.
Set a Safe Z of 5mm and a Home Position of X0 Y0 Z5.

Select a Small V-Bit 6mm 90 degree tool.
Change the Tool Stepdown to 6mm.
Select the option Selected Circular Vectors.
Select Use Peck Drilling and enter a Retraction value of
4mm.
The Drill will lift 4mm at each incremental Stepdown depth of

6mm.
Optimise is one of several options controlling the order in which a

hole pattern is Drilled.
Define a Material Thickness of 25.4mm and set Z Zero at the top.

Enter Name as Name Drilling-1.
Select Now.

21 Drilling ArtCAM
Select Close.
Before calculating the individual Drilling positions are previewed in the 2D View as shown
above left. The resultant Drilling Toolpath is as shown above right in the 3D View.
Simulate the Toolpath and observe the 4mm upward Pecking movements at
6mm incremental depths.
In the 2D View select the oval vector.
For the next Drilling toolpath the option Drill Centre

of All Selected Vectors will be applied. The hole
will be positioned as shown left, dimensionally central
to the vector selection.

ArtCAM 21. Drilling
Select Drilling .
Enter a Start Depth of 0, a Finish Depth of 6mm

and a Plunge Clearance of 2mm.
Use the same Small V-Bit 6mm 90 degree tool.
Define Drill Centre of as All Selected
Vectors.
Select Use Peck Drilling.
Enter as Name - Drilling-2.
Select Now.
Select Close.
Select Simulate Toolpath Fast to observe the drill plunge directly to the full
depth of 6mm, central to the oval vector.

21 Drilling ArtCAM
In the 2D View select the 5 sided vector.
For the next Drilling toolpath the option Drill

Centre of All Selected Vectors Nodes will be
applied. The holes will be positioned as shown left,
on the Node Points of the vector selection.
In 2D Toolpaths select Drilling .
Enter a Start Depth of 0, a Finish Depth of 10 and

a Plunge Clearance of 2mm.
Use the same Small V-Bit 6mm 90 degree tool.
Define Drill Centre of as All Selected Vector
Nodes.
Deselect Use Peck Drilling.
Enter as Name - Drilling-3.
Select Now.
Select Close.

ArtCAM 21. Drilling
Simulate the Toolpath to observe the drill plunge directly to the full depth of
10mm, at the Node points of the 5 sided vector.
Select File - Save As and a enter a File name as Drilling Example in:

ArtCAM 22. Projects
22. Projects
Overview
An ArtCAM Project allows more than one model to co-exist as an assembly. A Project
enables the user to perform such tasks as to re-orientate and reposition separate model items
to put together a complete 3D Assembled Component. It is also possible to directly import
Surface data (converted as a Triangle Mesh) into a Project as a separate Assembly item.
Assembled Table
From the ArtCAM options select Create New Project.
This will open a new Project window, the top of which is as shown above.
Import of a Surface Model (Table Leg)
From the Project Tree on the left hand side right click on the Assembly and select
Import
In the Import 3D Model dialog box, change the File of type to Surface Models
and Open the File Table Leg.3dm from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

22. Projects ArtCAM
A copy of the table leg is required which will be rotated into a suitable orientation for
Toolpath creation.
In the Assembly Right mouse click on the Table Leg and select Copy.
In the Assembly Right mouse click and select Paste.
Right mouse click on the new Table Leg and Rename it as TableLeg-Machine.
Select Nudge located to the lower left of the Project area.

In the Nudge page, enter 90 in the Angle field, select the active angle to Y,
followed by Nudge Anticlockwise .
As the new item is not required until later, it will be temporarily removed by applying Hide
from the Assembly Item menu options.
In the Assembly Right click on the item, Table Leg-Machine and from the menu
options select Hide (it will no longer be displayed in the graphics area)
Creating the table top
In the Project Tree Right mouse click on Models, select New then Model.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
In the Size for New Model form enter the values as shown in the image below.
Create three Circles centred about X0 Y0 with respective Diameters of 750mm,

700mm and 300mm.
Select Import reliefs from a clipart library , import the Round Pattern
1 from the Architectural folder.
Once the 3D Clipart dialog box and preview relief vectors are visible close the
Relief Clipart Library by selecting the arrow to the lower right of the page.
Centre the preview Relief on the model using the F9 shortcut.

In the 3D Clipart form, set the following:
Apply a suitable Scale dynamically to the preview relief so that it is just within
the outer circle vector (this will be a 2 stage process!).
Enter a new Z Range of 10 in the Size options.
Set the Mode to Add.
From the 2D View, select the inner most circle vector, open the Shape Editor
and select Zero to remove the inner part of the Relief form.
Select the Circle vector defining the inner edge of the table rim, and in the Shape
Editor, select Zero Rest to remove the outside Relief form.
Select the outer circle vector and in the Shape Editor - Add a Plane Relief of
Height 20 over the whole of the existing table top.

22. Projects ArtCAM
Select both the outer and inner rim circle vectors, and in the Shape Editor -
Merge High with a Plane Relief of height 30 to produce the rim form.
Finally select the inner most circle vector and in the Shape Editor - Merge High
with a Plane Relief of Height 30 to form the centre area.
The next stage is to include the table top in the Assembly.
Open the Create Triangle Mesh , select the option Close With A Flat Plane.
Select Create Triangles and then Add to Project before selecting Close
In the Project tree under the Assembly menu, expand the Untitled assembly,
Right click on it and Rename it to Top.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
Under Models, Right mouse click on the (Untitled) model and Rename it to Top.
In the Assembly - Rename the table top triangle mesh as (TopMesh).
Creating the base
In the Project Tree Right click on Models, select New and then Model.
In the Size for New Model dialog box enter the values as shown in the image
below.

22. Projects ArtCAM
Create two Circle vectors about X0 Y0 with Diameters of 500mm and 200mm.
Select the outer circle vector and in the Relief Tools area open the Create 3D
Blend page.
In the Profile options select Concave.
In 2nd Vector type in a value of 40.

Change the Proportion to 75%.
Select Add.
Select Create Blend followed by Close.
All component parts in the Assembly are currently

displayed in the 3D View.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
Select 3D View and open the Objects To Draw dialog box.
Deselect Root Assembly so that the previously stored components are no longer
displayed.
Select Import reliefs from a clipart library and import the Round Pattern 2
from the Architectural folder.
Once the 3D Clipart window and preview relief vectors are visible close the
Relief Clipart Library by selecting the arrow to the lower right of the page.
Centre the preview Relief on the model using the F9 shortcut.
In the 3D Clipart form, set the following:
Enter a suitable Scale dynamically to the preview Relief so that it is just within
the outer circle vector (this will be a 2 stage process!). Select Apply.
Enter a new Z Range of 10 in the Size tab options, followed by Apply.
Set the Mode to Add.
Paste the preview Relief to the model.
Select a 2D View.
Select the inner most Circle vector, open the Shape Editor and select Zero to
remove the inner part of the Relief form.

22. Projects ArtCAM
Select the outer most Circle vector, open the Shape Editor and Add a Plane of
Height 20mm to the Relief form.
The next stage is to include the table base in

the Assembly.
Open Create Triangle Mesh, select the option Close With A Flat Plane.
Select Create Triangles and when processed select Add To Project before
selecting Close.
In the 3D View select the Objects to draw icon and deselect Front Relief, this
will make the Assembly to be the only visible item.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
In the Assembly tab select the bottom component named (Untitled), Right
mouse click and Rename it to BaseMesh.
With Base selected, select Nudge .
In the Step field, enter a value of 630 and select the down arrow to move the
Base component into place.

22. Projects ArtCAM
Machining the components
In the Project tree under the model branch open the first model called Top by
double clicking on it.
Under the Toolpaths tab, open the Machine Relief toolpath.
Select Automatic Boundary and enter 12 in the Offset field.
Change the Strategy to Offset.

Select a 10mm End Mill tool.
Enter as toolpath Name EM10_AutoBoundary.
Select Now.
With the Machine Relief page still open, change Area To Machine to Selected
Vector.
Select a 3mm Ball Nose.
Change the name to Finishing.
Select Now and Close the page.
Next you will machine the table

base.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
In the Project tree under the model branch open the first model called Base by
double clicking on it.
Under the Toolpaths tab, select Machine Relief .

Select Automatic Boundary and enter 12 in the Offset field.
Change the Strategy to Offset.
Select Calculate Now.
With the Machine Relief form still open, Change Area to machine to Selected
Vector.
Select a 3mm Ball Nose tool.
Change the Name to Finishing.
Select Now.
Select Close.

22. Projects ArtCAM
Machining the table leg

To machine the table leg on both sides the block needs to have reference guides so once it has
been flipped over it can be machined in the correct place to create a finished 3D model.
From the Project tree, Right mouse click on the Table Leg Machine and select
Create Relief.
In the Relief Layer page change the layer to Table Leg Machine and turn on the
Preview Relief Layer.
Create a new Relief Layer and set it to Merge High.
Now you will add a border to the model so that you can create two block ends so that when
the model is flipped over for machining there are some reference points for correct alignment
of the material.
From the model section on the Assistant tab select Add Border
Deselect Symmetrical.
Select Left enter a value of 50.
Select Right enter a value of 50.
Create a new Relief Layer and name in Tabs.
Draw a box around either end of the model so that it looks like the image below.
Select both of the boxes and Merge High to 100.

Next we will create two holes one in each end block for the alignment when the
model is flipped over.
Draw a Circle X -36 Y0 with a Diameter of 12mm.
Draw a Circle X 642 Y 0 with a Diameter of 12mm.
Under the Toolpaths tab open the Machine Relief.
Select Composite Relief under Area to Machine.
Select the Raster strategy.

ArtCAM 22. Projects
In Material Setup, set as Material Thickness 200mm,Top Offset 0 and Z zero

at top.
Select Now.
Select Close.
Under the Toolpaths tab, select Machine Relief .

Select the option Composite Relief.
Select the Raster strategy.
Select a 3mm Ball Nose tool.
Select Now.
Select Close.
Next you will drill the holes for the guides for when turn the model over to machine the
reverse side.
Select the two Circles and the Drilling strategy from the 2D Toolpaths area.
Enter a Start Depth 0 and Finish Depth of 200.
Select Now and then Close the page
The project is now complete.

ArtCAM Font Creation
Appendix - Font Creation

Introduction
Fonts can be created by modifying existing fonts or by generation a new font. The font
generator is a special part of ArtCAM that is accessed through the main area before a model
is opened.
Font Creation Exercise
Open a New Session of ArtCAM Pro.

Select Create Vector Text , from the Other Features area.
Select Arial Script Western and select Create.
This feature allows you to select a base font or to generate your

own.
AutoCAD fonts can also be imported into ArtCAM.
The assistant allows you to pick and rename and character of the
font.
In the 2D View all of the available characters appear within boxed guidelines.

Font Creation ArtCAM
There are 256 Character spaces available shown in the 16

rows and 16 columns.
Each character can be picked for changing by clicking on

it using the mouse.
Select on the capital W.
As well as the character being enlarged and the Font Creator page updating, the Assistant tab
has appeared. This allows the use of the vector editing tools to change the character.
Select the Assistant tab.

Select N for Node mode and change the vector.

ArtCAM Font Creation
Select the Font Creator tab.

Select Done.
The character has now been substituted. The font can now be saved and then used in
ArtCAM.
Enter the name train-test.

Select Save Font.
Selet Quit to exit the Font Editor.
The font is now available in ArtCAM.

Font Creation ArtCAM

ArtCAM Machining Inlays
Appendix - Machining Inlays

Inlays
An Inlay is text or vectors with depth that is machined out of the material. The Inlays are
usually machined in pairs using the same tool, so the male inlay will fit inside the female
pocket or hole inlay.
An Inlay Wizard creates the selected type of Inlay

from the selected vector.
The Inlay Wizard page appears. This is the first

selection in generating an inlay and allows you to
define the type of inlay that you want.
There are four female inlay options and two male

options. The male inlay will fit inside the female inlay
if an identical vector and identical tool is chosen.
Inlay Exercise
Create a New Model of Width and Height of 50mm, a resolution of 830 x 830
points and origin in the Centre.
Create Vector Text of the letter P using Arial, Western and a size of
25mm.
Position the text in the middle of the model.
A Male and a female inlay toolpath will be calculated.
From the 2D Toolpaths page, select Inlay .

Machining Inlays ArtCAM
In the Inlay Wizard page, select Female Pocket.

Enter the values and select the tools exactly as shown on the image below.
With a pocket inlay, the depth to machine into the model has
to be entered.
A roughing and a finishing tool can be used, which is useful

for large letters.
The ArtCAM standard machining controls are available.
Select Now.
The Inlay toolpath has been generated. Note at the corners the
toolpath has become rounded. This is to ensure that it will be able
to fit the Male insert inside.

ArtCAM Machining Inlays
If an Inlay hole was produced, the depth of the Inlay is calculated

form the material.
Select Reset Simulation .

Select Inlay and then Male Straight.
Insert in the Male Insert page, exactly the same values and select the same tools
as in the Female Inlay Pocket page.
This male insert will fit perfectly inside the female pocket.
Note: When you are generating Stepped inserts, the shoulder is

offset from the vector, so with make inserts, this make the actual
vector larger.
Exercise
Generate a Female Sepped Pocket Inlay toolpath.

Machining Inlays ArtCAM

ArtCAM Multiple Plates
Appendix - Multiple Plates

Introduction
To use Multiple Plates you must generate an Excel file and save it as a .csv file.
House Numbers Exercise
Create a New Model with Width of 900 and Height of 1200.

Create a Rectangle with Width of 400, Height of 150, Corner Radii of 50 at X0
Y0.
Create Centered justified style text of Font Arial, Size 30mm with the text
{{house number}} {{streetname}} as shown.
The text {{housenumber}} will be replaced by

the number in the .csv file, as will the text
{{streetname}}
Select both vectors and select Create multiple plates from file data , from
the Vector Tools area.
The Multi-Plate Tool page appears. This has two pages. The geometry that has been selected
needs to be stored as the master template, by selecting Set Template.
Select Set Template.

Select Load Data.
Select the file house-names.csv form D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data and select
Open.
A preview of the file is displayed.

To identify the correct columns to
use, the correct filter must be
chosen.

Multiple Plates ArtCAM
Select Comma, Start at Row 2 and select First row is column headers.
Select OK.
The sheet layout has worked out that from the size of the sheet, and the number of columns
from the file, that it needs 2 sheets.
On the plate layout, enter a Plate Gap X as 25, Plate Gap Y as 25, X Sheet
Boundary as 10 and Y Sheet Boundary as 10.
Select the forward arrow.
On the matrix preview sheet select plate 1.
For housenumber, select House Number.
For streetname, select Streetname.
Select Create Plates.
Plate No. 1 should display 32 Church Street on the page.

In the Variables Section, the named areas are defined by
selecting either a number or a column from the .csv file.
A preview of the plate is shown in the Plate Values, to check
before creating the plates. You can also edit the data at this
stage as well.
However it will not update the .csv file.
The first sheet on layer 1 is displayed. The other sheets are on other layers.
However as the text size is fixed, the position of the number is altered and some signs do not
look central.

Select Close on the page.

Right mouse click on the vector Text and select Edit Text Block (E).
In the text form there is a constraints option, which

will fit text into a specified boxed area.
Select Constraints as Centre justified, Method as Limit by Box, Width as 375,

Height as 125.
Move the text to the correct location and select Done.
You could select the outer vector and choose centre in vector.
Select both vectors and select Create multiplates.
The multiplate page appears. This has two pages. The geometry that has been selected needs
to be stored as the master template.
Select Set Template.

Select Load Data.
Select the file housenames.csv form ArtCAM Data and select Open.
Select Comma, Start at Row 2 and First row is column headers.
Select OK.
On the plate layout, enter a Plate gap X as 25, Plate gap Y as 25, X boundary as
10 and Y boundary as 10.

Multiple Plates ArtCAM
On the matrix preview sheet select plate 1.

For House Number, select House Number.
For Street Name, select Streetname.
By selecting Text constraints then the text is better spaced

out in each sign or plate.

Select Undo (Ctrl + Z). Switch on Layer 0 to display the original vectors.
Select the vector Text only.
Create an Area Clearance toolpath with a 0.5mm End Mill tool to a Depth of
5mm.
Select the Rectangle vector only.
Create a 2D Profile toolpath using a 12mm End Mill tool down to a Depth of
10mm.
As the toolpaths are linked

to the vectors, you do not
need to store as a template.
Select all vectors and toolpaths, followed by Create multiplates.
Note: select toolpaths by clicking on them so they go blue (selected).
Select Load Data.

Select the file house-names.csv form ArtCAM Data and select Open.
Select Comma, Start at Row 2 and First row is column headers.

Select OK.
On the plate layout, enter a Plate gap X as 5, Plate gap Y as 5, X boundary as 2
and Y boundary as 2.
For House Number, select House Number.
For Street Name, select Streetname.
Select Create Toolpaths.
Each sheet has its own set of toolpaths so Area

clearance 1 and Profile 1 belong to sheet 1 as shown
here.
Exercise
Using the file bcard.eps and businesscards.csv, create a set of business cards
similar to as shown.

ArtCAM Nesting Vectors
Appendix - Nesting Vectors

Introduction
Nesting is an automatic procedure, which re-arranges the selected vectors within the first
vector to use as little space as possible. This is especially useful if you have expensive
material and you need to make the maximum use of it. Offsets for the tool radius and an
offset between the toolpath are used, so there is enough room to machine out the vectors.
Nesting Vectors Exercise

Create a New Model of Width 150mm and Height 50mm, with the origin in the
Centre.
Create a Rectangle of Width 145mm and Height 45mm at a position of X0 Y0.
Create the text all text to fit into this space, using font Bookman Old style,
size 10mm.
Select the vector Text, right mouse click on it and select the option Ungroup
Vector(s) from the flyout menu.
Drag a box to select the Rectangle and the Text vectors.

Select Nest selected vectors under the Position, Combine, Trim Vectors
area.
In the Nesting page, enter the values as shown in the image below (next page).
Select Nest.

Nesting Vectors ArtCAM
This page defines, what tool will be used and the Allowance
between the toolpaths, to stop them overlapping.
To allow ArtCAM Insignia to find the optimum nesting, the

Angle that the vectors can be rotated by can be set. If a step Angle
of 10 degrees is chosen, each vector will be rotated by 10 degrees
and then by another 10, until the optimum nesting is found.
Mirror parts and parts in parts are alternative Nesting options,

which if suitable may nest the vectors more tightly.
There is an option to generate a single vector of the left over
material, which can be used again.
The text has been nested in.

Drag a box to select the Rectangle and the Text vectors.
Select Create Leftover Material Vector, followed by Nest.
The leftover material vector is

made up of several small bits
and is therefore grouped
together.
Select Close.

ArtCAM Nesting Vectors
Create the Text 7, using font Bookman Old style, size 10mm.
Select the left over material vector and copy onto a different layer and then select
Ungroup.
Select the leftover vector on the right and the text 7.
Select Nest selected vectors .

Deselect the options Allow Parts in Parts and Create Leftover material Vector.
Select All Parts and then enter a value of 7.
Select Nest and then Close.
The Nesting form appears.
Delete the leftover material vectors.

Select File - Save As and enter a File name as my-nest in
D:\users\training\Coursework\ArtCAMPro-Jobs.
Re-ordering Toolpaths
A profile toolpath, with a lot of tool lifts, around the model, will not necessarily move in the
order you require. A selected profile toolpath can be reordered where each lift appears.
Text Exercisecontinued
Open the model my-nest.

Select all the vectors, apart from the outer vector.
In the Toolpaths page, select 2D Profiling .
Select Outside, a Start Depth of 0, a Finish Depth of 10.
Select 15mm for Machine Safe Z, with the Home Position at 0 0 15.
Select a 4mm End Mill tool (you may need to create this tool).

Nesting Vectors ArtCAM
The vectors group is

machined, but it may
not be machined in
the order you
required.
Select the Profiling toolpath.

Select Toolpath Ordering .
The toolpath ordering form appears and the current

ordering is displayed on the toolpath.
With the segment position set at 1 you can manually pick each sector in turn and starting
from one, renumber the segments. This can take some time if you have a lot of segments.
Select Order segments from start to re-order the toolpath.

Select Close.
Simulate the toolpath to check the machining order.

ArtCAM Keyboard Shortcuts

ArtCAM Cursors ArtCAM
ArtCAM Cursors
Cursors:
Vector Selection mode cursor Standard cursor when in Vector Selection mode.
Move Vector cursor Vectors can be moved when this cursor is visible.
Node Editing mode cursor Standard cursor when in Node Selection mode.
Span cursor Available in Node Editing mode, when hovering over a span. It
has a specific right mouse click menu to edit spans.
Node cursor Available in Node Editing mode, when hovering over a node. It
has a specific right mouse click menu to edit nodes.
Object Snap Cursors:
Snap to node.
Snap to midpoint of line.
Snap to center of bounding box.
Snap to X axis of start point (for polyline creation only).
Snap to Y axis of start point (for polyline creation only).
Snap to horizontal Guide Line.
Snap to vertical Guide Line.
Snap to intersection of horizontal and vertical Guide Lines.

ArtCAM Toolpath Panelling
Toolpath Panelling
Toolpath panelling will split the ArtCAM toolpaths into panels sizes to suit the users
machine limits. It is important that the datum is set at the lower corner of the sheet. If the
datum is elsewhere the model has to be move, the vectors moved and the toolpaths re-
calculated.
Toolpath Panelling Exercise
Open the model train-breadbin-lid.art from: D:\users\training\ArtCAM Data.

Simulate all the Toolpaths.
Draw the toolpaths over the simulation.
These toolpaths are going to be cut into panels

using toolpath panelling.
From the Toolpaths tab, select Toolpath Panelling .
The panelling page appears. The sizes of the panels are set here
and are displayed by dashed lines in the 2D view and a number
in the middle of the panel.

Toolpath Panelling ArtCAM
Enter a Panel Width of 200mm and a Height of 200mm.

Select Update Panels.
Press F2 (2D View).
The panels can be seen clearly. They can

be moved manually by dragging the lines,
for example if the panel goes through a
feature in the wrong place.
Drag the panel borders around to miss going through the end of the side details.
This is the best solution with reasonable

panels of approximately the same size.
Select Include Toolpath Summary.

Select Display Panel Info.
An html file appears with the panel information on.

This can be printed.

ArtCAM Toolpath Panelling
Select the 3D View.

Select Display Selected.
Select Panel: 2 and select In Finished Job.
The toolpath is shown in the job with

the extended toolmoves from the left
corner datum.
Select Panel: 2 and Select At Origin.
The toolpath is shown at the origin as if you put panel 2

in your machine.
All of the toolpaths in the panel are not displayed in the

toolpaths list as there may be lots of them.
The toolpaths are saved to disc. The original toolpath is

selected and then ArtCAM saves the panelled post
processed toolpath is a named directory.
Select Save Toolpaths.

Select the Area Clear toolpath, a suitable Machine option and select Save.
Enter the name and press Enter.
The 6 toolpaths called ac1 to ac6 are generated for panels 1 to 6.

Toolpath Panelling ArtCAM

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ArtCAM Pro 2009

This document is supplied as part of a Delcam Training Course. It is not intended to be

Copyright 2008 Delcam plc. All rights reserved

UK Training Centre UK Customer Support

ArtCAM Pro 2009 Contents

Chapter Page No.

1. Introduction 1-1 to 1-9

2. Generating Vectors 2-1 to 2-15

3. Vector Editing 3-1 to 3-18

4. Generating a Relief 4-1 to 4-24

5. Pictures 5-1 to 5-12

6 3D Blend and Fade Relief 6-1 to 6- 8

8. Weaves 8-1 to 8-10

9. 3D Clipart and Texturing 9-1 to 9-14

10. Relief Layers 10-1 to 10-6

11. Relief Editing 11-1 to 11-16

12. Toolpath Options 12-1 to 12-2

13. Z Level Roughing 13-1 to 13-10

14. Machine Relief and 3D Rest 14-1 to 14-8

15. 3D Cut Out Machining 15-1 to 15-6

16. Feature Machining 16-1 to 16-8

17. Post Processing Toolpaths 17-1 to 17-4

18. Toolpath Templates 18-1 to 18-2

Continued on next page

Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1

19. 2D Vector Machining 19-1 to 19-11

20. Engraving and Scribe Lines 20-1 to 20-5

21. Drilling 21-1 to 21-5

22. Projects 22-1 to 22-13

2 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

Starting ArtCAM Pro

Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1.1

Select Create New Model .

A New Model must have:

A defined area in Y and X to work in;

1.2 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1.3

Model Information - this shows the actual size of the Artwork

File - these options are applied when creating new, or opening

Model - this controls the editing of the Model attributes and

Bitmap Tools - these bitmap commands work with colours,

Vector Tools the Vectors are flat 2D lines, independent of

Position, Combine, Trim Vectors - these are the tools to

Tabs - give access to other pages.

1.4 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

To hide a fly out menu reselect the pin.

Select Window - Tile Vertically .

The 2D view is required when working

Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1.5

If required, the Layers Assistant can be switched on and

1.6 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

Saving and Closing Down the ArtCAM session

Select File - Close Model.

Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009 1.7

The ArtCAM model is now closed.

ArtCAM Data Storage and Export

Vectors (.eps .dxf .dgk .pic);

1.8 Issue ArtCAM Pro 2009

Mouse buttons application

Left mouse button: Picking and selecting

Middle mouse button or wheel: Dynamics

Hold down the CTRL key and button/wheel and

Hold down the SHIFT key with the button/wheel