ICAM Virtual Machine V19 - Kxcad.net

ICAM Technologies Corporation 

Virtual Machine ® Version 19 

for CAM-POST and Control Emulator 

Publication No. DM-XXSIM190D 

Printed in Canada

ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 

ICAM Technologies Corporation makes no warranties whatsoever, either legal or conventional, 

express or implied, with respect to this program and documentation. Because of the diversity of 

the conditions and hardware under which the program may be used, no warranty of 

merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose is offered. Licensee is advised to test the 

program thoroughly before relying on it and assumes the entire risk of using said program. No 

warrant is given that this program and documentation will be error free. The documentation is 

subject to change without notice and is classified as Confidential and Proprietary and is not to be 

reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of ICAM Technologies Corporation. 

This is an unpublished work created in 2002. ICAM Technologies Corporation owns all rights to 

this work and intends to keep the work confidential so as to maintain its value as a trade secret. 

ICAM Technologies Corporation may also seek to protect this work as unpublished copyright 

work. In the event of either inadvertent or deliberate publication, ICAM Technologies 

Corporation intends to enforce its rights for this work under the copyright laws as a published 

work; and to that end, ICAM Technologies Corporation hereby affixes the following statutory 

notice: 

Copyright © 

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 

ICAM Technologies Corporation 

21500 Nassr Street 

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec 

Canada H9X 4C1 

All Rights Reserved 

Portions of this product incorporate copyrighted works of third parties: 

Copyright © 1990–2010, 2011 by MachineWorks Ltd. All rights reserved. 

ii ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary

Welcome 

Welcome 

ICAM Virtual Machine (VM) is a CNC machine simulator, which is fully integrated into 

ICAM‟s CAM-POST GENER post processing and Control Emulator CERUN products. 

This manual contains the following sections: 

Section 1 “Overview” provides a brief description of Virtual Machine. 

Section 2 “Using Virtual Machine Models with CERUN and GENER” describes the operation 

of Virtual Machine with ICAM‟s CAM-POST post processing (GENER) and Control Emulator 

(CERUN) products. It explains the post-processor command interface that can be used with 

GENER to control the simulation. It also describes a common user interface used by both CERUN 

and GENER to view and manipulate the model during the simulation, as well as to define cutting 

tools, holding fixtures, finish part, rough stock, and workpiece and tool compensations, which 

are used to validate the simulation. 

Section 3 “Creating Virtual Machine Models with QUEST” describes how to create and 

maintain Virtual Machine models using the ICAM QUEST Developer‟s System. It explains how 

to define the kinematics (i.e., axes) of the CNC machine, how to flesh out the model by creating 

and/or importing machine components and enabling or disabling collision testing of these 

components, and how to customize the model to support special features. 

Section 4 “Virtual Machine Reference” describes the input controls (keys, keyboard shortcuts 

and mouse actions), toolbar menus and menu bar selections, and macro customization features 

available with Virtual Machine. 

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iv ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary

Table of Contents 


1 Overview ................................................................................................................................. 1 

2 Using Virtual Machine Models with CERUN and GENER .................................................. 5 

2.1 Selecting a Virtual Machine Model .............................................................................. 6 

2.1.1 Selecting a Model from the CERUN or GENER Launch Panel................................... 6 

2.1.2 Selecting a Model from the Command Prompt ........................................................ 8 

2.2 Controlling Virtual Machine from the Part Program (GENER only) ........................... 9 

2.2.1 Enable/Disable Simulation........................................................................................ 9 

2.2.2 Enable/Disable Collision/Overtravel Detection and Avoidance............................. 10 

2.2.3 Enable/Disable Positioning Collision Avoidance ................................................... 10 

2.2.4 Camera Positioning under Program Control ........................................................... 11 

2.3 Activating the Simulation Window ............................................................................ 12 

2.4 Navigating the Simulation Window ............................................................................ 13 

2.5 Adjusting Lighting ...................................................................................................... 17 

2.6 Adding Parts, Fixtures and Stock to the Simulation ................................................... 18 

2.6.1 Differences between Part, Fixture and Stock Components .................................... 18 

2.6.2 Creating Part, Fixture and Stock Components ........................................................ 20 

2.7 Setting Fixture Compensation..................................................................................... 23 

2.8 Adding Tooling Definitions to the Simulation ........................................................... 24 

2.8.1 Lathe Tool Definition ............................................................................................. 25 

2.8.2 Milling Tool Definition........................................................................................... 26 

2.8.3 Holder Definition .................................................................................................... 27 

2.8.4 Head Definition ....................................................................................................... 28 

2.9 Setting Tool Compensation......................................................................................... 29 

2.9.1 Length Compensation ............................................................................................. 29 

2.9.2 Diameter Compensation.......................................................................................... 29 

2.10 Monitoring Virtual Machine‟s Results ....................................................................... 30 

2.10.1 Head-Up Display .................................................................................................... 31 

2.10.2 Animation Control .................................................................................................. 31 

2.10.3 Tool Path Display ................................................................................................... 32 

2.10.4 VM Controller Timeline ......................................................................................... 33 

2.10.5 Part / Stock Comparison ......................................................................................... 34 

3 Creating Virtual Machine Models with QUEST ................................................................ 35 

3.1 QUEST User Interface .................................................................................................. 36 

3.2 Basic Model Requirements ......................................................................................... 38 

3.3 Creating a Virtual Machine Model ............................................................................. 39 

3.4 Adding Kinematics to the Model ................................................................................ 42 

3.5 Adding Physical Entities to the Model ....................................................................... 46 

3.6 Collision Testing ......................................................................................................... 49 

3.6.1 Collision Groups ..................................................................................................... 50 

3.6.2 Collision Exclusion Groups .................................................................................... 51 

3.7 Selection Groups ......................................................................................................... 53 

3.8 Customizing the Model ............................................................................................... 54 

3.9 Testing the Model ....................................................................................................... 55 

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4 Virtual Machine Reference ................................................................................................. 57 

4.1 Input Controls ............................................................................................................. 65 

4.1.1 Standard Keyboard Mapping .................................................................................. 65 

4.1.2 Construction Keyboard Mapping ............................................................................ 66 

4.1.3 Mouse Mapping ...................................................................................................... 66 

4.2 Toolbar ........................................................................................................................ 67 

4.2.1 View (CERUN & GENER only) .............................................................................. 67 

4.2.2 VM Construct (QUEST only) ................................................................................. 67 

4.2.3 VM Mode (CERUN & GENER only) ...................................................................... 69 

4.2.4 VM Grid .................................................................................................................. 70 

4.2.5 VM View ................................................................................................................ 71 

4.2.6 VM View Filter (CERUN & GENER only) ............................................................. 71 

4.2.7 VM Animation (CERUN & GENER only) .............................................................. 72 

4.2.8 VM Measure (CERUN & GENER only) ................................................................. 73 

4.3 Menu Bar .................................................................................................................... 74 

4.3.1 Simulation»Virtual Machine (CERUN & GENER only) ......................................... 74 

4.3.2 Simulation»Controller (CERUN & GENER only) ................................................... 74 

4.3.3 Simulation»Mode (CERUN & GENER only) .......................................................... 78 

4.3.4 Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part (CERUN & GENER only) .................................... 79 

4.3.5 Simulation»Tools/Holders/Heads (Ctrl Alt T) (CERUN & GENER only) .............. 81 

4.3.6 Simulation»Construct Entity (QUEST only) .......................................................... 91 

4.3.7 Simulation»Construct Axis (QUEST only) ............................................................ 96 

4.3.8 Simulation»Camera............................................................................................... 103 

4.3.9 Simulation»Show .................................................................................................. 106 

4.3.10 Simulation»Measure ............................................................................................. 110 

4.3.11 Simulation»Use World CS (QUEST only) ........................................................... 111 

4.3.12 Simulation»Group Selection (QUEST only) ........................................................ 111 

4.3.13 Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B) ...................................................................... 112 

4.3.14 Simulation»Show All/Rehide (Ctrl Alt B) ............................................................ 112 

4.3.15 Simulation»Invert Hide State (Ctrl Shift B) ......................................................... 112 

4.3.16 Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G) ................................................................................ 113 

4.3.17 Simulation»Lights (Ctrl Alt L) ............................................................................. 114 

4.3.18 Simulation»Materials (Ctrl Alt M) ....................................................................... 115 

4.3.19 Simulation»Display (Ctrl Alt D) ........................................................................... 116 

4.3.20 Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) ........................................................................ 117 

4.3.21 Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) .......................................................................... 118 

4.3.22 Simulation»Open Setup (CERUN & GENER only) .............................................. 121 

4.3.23 Simulation»Save Setup (CERUN & GENER only) ............................................... 121 

4.4 Model Customization ................................................................................................ 122 

4.4.1 The Macro Language ............................................................................................ 123 

4.4.1.1 Fundamentals of the Macro Language ............................................................. 123 

4.4.1.2 Flow Control in a Macro .................................................................................. 132 

4.4.1.3 Macro Invocation .............................................................................................. 135 

4.4.1.4 Text File I/O from a Macro .............................................................................. 136 

4.4.1.5 Other Macro Commands .................................................................................. 138 

4.4.1.6 String Format Specification .............................................................................. 139 

4.4.2 Model Startup/Shutdown Macros ......................................................................... 145 

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4.4.2.1 The Model Startup Macro ................................................................................ 145 

4.4.2.2 The Model Shutdown Macro ............................................................................ 145 

4.4.3 Model Event Macros ............................................................................................. 146 

4.4.3.1 The Tape Event Macro (GENER only) ............................................................ 146 

4.4.3.2 The Motion Event Macro ................................................................................. 146 

4.4.3.3 The Rapid Event Macro .................................................................................... 147 

4.4.3.4 The Feed Event Macro ..................................................................................... 147 

4.4.3.5 The Load Tool Event Macro ............................................................................ 147 

4.4.4 The Dialog Editor ................................................................................................. 148 

4.4.4.1 Adding and Deleting Dialogs ........................................................................... 148 

4.4.4.2 The Dialog Template Editor ............................................................................. 149 

4.4.5 Simulation Macro Functions ................................................................................. 152 

4.4.5.1 Function Summary ........................................................................................... 152 

4.4.5.2 Mathematical Functions ................................................................................... 153 

4.4.5.3 Numerical Functions ........................................................................................ 155 

4.4.5.4 Geometric Functions ........................................................................................ 157 

4.4.5.5 Vector Functions .............................................................................................. 159 

4.4.5.6 Matrix Functions .............................................................................................. 162 

4.4.5.7 Conversion Functions ....................................................................................... 164 

4.4.5.8 Conditional Functions ...................................................................................... 166 

4.4.5.9 Character and Sequence Functions ................................................................... 169 

4.4.5.10 Command Line Functions ............................................................................. 175 

4.4.5.11 File and Directory Functions ......................................................................... 176 

4.4.5.12 Virtual Machine General Functions .............................................................. 180 

4.4.5.13 Virtual Machine Channel Functions .............................................................. 191 

4.4.5.14 Virtual Machine Probe and Collision Test Functions ................................... 194 

4.4.5.15 Other Functions ............................................................................................. 201 

4.4.6 Simulation Macro Variables ................................................................................. 205 

4.4.6.1 Variable Summary ............................................................................................ 205 

4.4.6.2 Variables Defining Constants ........................................................................... 206 

4.4.6.3 Virtual Machine Variables ............................................................................... 207 

4.4.6.4 Machine & Workpiece Coordinate Variables .................................................. 209 

4.4.6.5 Motion-Related Variables ................................................................................ 210 

4.4.6.6 Cutter Compensation Variables ........................................................................ 213 

4.4.6.7 Tooling Variables ............................................................................................. 214 

4.4.6.8 MCD/Tape Variables ........................................................................................ 215 

4.4.6.9 Error Message Variables .................................................................................. 216 

4.4.6.10 Miscellaneous Variables ................................................................................ 217 

Index ....................................................................................................................................... 219 

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viii ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary

1 Overview 

ICAM Virtual Machine ® 

Overview 

The ICAM Virtual Machine (VM) simulator graphically depicts the operation and motions of a 

CNC machine during post processing and MCD 1 simulation. 

VM is integrated with CAM-POST GENER (the post processor), which uses the virtual CNC 

machine model to detect collisions and overtravel conditions. Collision detection can account for 

the effects of work piece and tool compensation, given experimental or actual values for compensation 

offsets. Collision detection is a natural part of the look-ahead optimizations that 

GENER performs during path planning, meaning that GENER can automatically choose an appropriate 

tool path to avoid collisions where possible. The machine simulation can be displayed in 

one of the GENER output windows, synchronized with other GENER output. Collision detection 

and avoidance can be active even when the simulation is not being show, for example, when 

running GENER in a minimized state. 

VM is also integrated with CERUN (the control emulator), which uses the virtual CNC machine 

model to detect and report collisions and overtravel conditions during MCD based machine 

simulation. As with GENER, collision detection with CERUN can account for the effects of work 

piece and tool compensation, given experimental or actual values for compensation offsets. The 

machine simulation can be displayed in one of the CERUN output windows, synchronized with 

other CERUN output. Collision detection can be active even when the simulation is not being 

show. 

A complete machine simulation requires the following: 

� A computerized model of the machine 

� A post-processor or control emulator to drive the simulation 

� Cutting tool, holding fixture, finish part and rough stock definitions 

� Workpiece and tool compensation amounts 

The CNC machine model is developed and maintained using the ICAM QUEST Developer‟s 

System. A model describes both the kinematics and the physical characteristics of the machine. 

Kinematics include at a minimum the linear and rotary axes of the machine, and if desired, other 

moving components such as tool changers, pallet indexers, flexible holding devices, doors and 

the like. The physical components of the machine can be created using rudimentary design 

features of QUEST, or can be imported as STL 2 objects from any CAM system. The model 

designer can define standard viewpoints and lighting arrangements to best view the simulation. 

Models can also be customized using ICAM‟s macro programming facility to match special 

requirements of the machine. 

Post-processors and control emulators are developed and maintained using the same QUEST 

system used for models. When GENER (the post-processor) controls VM, model motions reflect 

1 MCD: Machine Control Data; CNC program code in the form of 8-track tapes or files. 

2 STL: Stereo lithography file; represents an object by defining its “skin” as a mesh of triangles. 

ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary 1

ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Overview 

the post-processor‟s understanding of the state of the machine. When CERUN (the control 

emulator) controls VM, model motions reflect the state of the machine as defined by the MCD 

(machine control data) itself. 

Models, post-processors and control emulators are all stored in a proprietary format in an ICAM 

database (.dbf) file. 

An accurate simulation involves more than just moving the machine through its paces. Cutting 

tools and tool compensation amounts, holding fixtures and workpiece compensation amounts, 

and rough stock and finished part definitions should all be present in order to produce a meaningful 

result. Once defined, this information is saved in a verification setup (.vsw 1 ) file named after 

the input file (i.e., the CLDATA 2 file when running GENER; or the MCD file when running 

CERUN). This verification setup file can be reused on subsequent runs to quickly reestablish the 

conditions necessary for the simulation. 

Cutting tool definitions can be automatically created 

from CUTTER commands in the CLDATA file, 

however the ISO standard 7-parameter cutter format 

limits tools defined this way to milling tools only. A 

tool creation facility exists within the VM run-time 

interface to define standard milling tools, lathe tool 

inserts and 2D revolved profile shapes. Lathe tool 

holders and non-revolved shapes must be imported as 

STL objects. 

Tooling information and associated length and 

diameter compensation amounts are saved in the 

verification setup file, which can be later imported at 

the start of the same or any other verification session. 

This is ideal for cases where standard tooling is in use 

at a machine. VM also includes an interface to the 

TDM System tool data management system, which 

automates the definition of tooling within VM. Lastly, a tool creation Wizard is available to help 

extract tooling information from tooling data output in list format by other tooling systems. 

Holding fixture definitions must be imported as STL objects or created using the rudimentary 

design features of VM. Components of the fixture can be identified as machinable or non- 

machinable, to handle cases where it is not an error to have contact between the cutting tool and 

portions of the fixture. By default, any contact of the machine or tool with the fixture will signal 

an error. 

Finished part definitions must also be imported as STL objects or created using the rudimentary 

design features of VM. Any contact of the machine or tool with the part will signal an error. In 

1 vsw: the verification setup file that holds are part-program specific settings. 

2 CLDATA: Center-line (or cutter-location) data output by a CAM system, generally in APT-source 

format. 

2 ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary

Overview 

order to avoid false collision reports on finish cuts, VM only reports tool/part collisions that 

exceed a specified gouge tolerance. 

Rough stock definitions, if used, must also be imported as STL objects or created using the 

rudimentary design features of VM. When licensed for material removal simulation, VM uses 

the stock definition for in-process stock verification and collision testing purposes. If material 

removal simulation is not licensed or is not enabled, then VM simply displays the rough stock 

for information purposes only (the appearance of the stock model can prove helpful when 

viewing the simulation). 

Fixture, part and stock information, along with workpiece compensation amounts are saved in 

the verification setup file, which can be later imported at the start of the same or any other 

verification session. 

ICAM provides a number of “Manufacturing Extractor” utilities that run with supported CAM 

systems. These utilities automatically extract all of the tool, stock, part, fixture and related 

compensation information from the CAM manufacturing process and save it as a “job file” to be 

used when simulating the process. Extractors are available for: 

� Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5 

� CNC Software Inc. Mastercam X2 and later 

� Parametric Technology Corporation Pro/NC 

� Missler Software Topsolid‟CAM 

� Siemens UGS NX5 and later 

Extractors may have become available for other CAM systems since this document was published. 

For up to date information, see the Interface Kits on-line help, available from the “ICAM 

Productivity Tools V19” Start menu Setup»Kit»Kit Index entry. 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Overview 


Using Virtual Machine Models with CeRun and Gener 

2 Using Virtual Machine Models with CERUN and GENER 

This section describes how to select Virtual Machine models for use both with Control Emulator 

CERUN and with CAM-POST GENER. It explains the post-processor command interface that can 

be used with GENER to control the simulation. It also describes a common user interface (UI) 

made available by both CERUN and GENER that you can use to view and manipulate the model 

during the simulation, as well as to define cutting tools, holding fixtures, finish part, rough stock, 

and workpiece and tool compensations used to validate the simulation. 

VM provides the ability to test for axis overtravel and for collisions between various components 

of the machine and those of the part being manufactured. CERUN and GENER use this information 

to report problems, and GENER can use this information in some instances to correct 

problems before they occur. 

The following is a list of things you should know to effectively use VM. Each of these topics is 

discussed in the sections that follow. 

� Selecting a Virtual Machine Model (on page 6) 

� Controlling Virtual Machine from the Part Program (on page 9) 

� Activating the Simulation Window (on page 12) 

� Navigating the Simulation Window (on page 13) 

� Adjusting Lighting (on page 17) 

� Adding Parts, Fixtures and Stock to the Simulation (on page 18) 

� Setting Fixture Compensation (on page 23) 

� Adding Tooling Definitions to the Simulation (on page 24) 

� Setting Tool Compensation (on page 29) 

� Monitoring Virtual Machine‟s Results (on page 30) 

The steps outlined in this section are not all necessary, but the completeness and accuracy of the 

simulation depends on complete and accurate data. At a minimum, tool compensation and fixture 

compensation are needed to validate travel and machine related collisions. At a minimum, tool 

definitions are needed to validate tool related collisions. Part and fixture definitions improve the 

collision detection process. Stock definitions are required to take advantage of material removal 

simulation for part verification purposes. 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Using Virtual Machine Models with CeRun and Gener 

Selecting a Virtual Machine Model 

2.1 Selecting a Virtual Machine Model 

Virtual Machine models are stored in an ICAM database, typically along with associated post 

processors and control emulators. A model must be selected either explicitly or through association 

in order to simulate the part program. In addition, simulation must be activated in CERUN 

and GENER, either by launch panel settings (described below) or by command line options (on 

page 8). 

Detailed information on CERUN specific launch panel settings and command line options can be 

found in the “ICAM Control Emulator V19 User Guide”. 

Detailed information on GENER specific launch panel settings and command line options can be 

found in the “ICAM CAM-POST V19 User Guide”. 

2.1.1 Selecting a Model from the CERUN or GENER Launch Panel 

VM can be activated from the main panel of the CERUN and GENER launch facilities using the 

[SIM…] button. Selecting this button raises a “Simulation” dialog that can be used to enable the 

VM simulation; 

choose the machine 

model and its 

database; and 

select the verification 

setup file. 

The simulation 

panel remembers 

the last settings 

used, and saves this 

information in your 

personal registry. 

Enable Simulation: 

Check this box to enable 

the VM simulation. 

If this box is not 

checked, it will not be 

possible to start the simulation once the program has started. 

Enable Material Removal Simulation: 

Check this box to enable Material Removal Simulation (MRS). When MRS is enabled, VM 

simulates the cutting actions of the tool with respect to stock definitions. VM also performs 

collision checking between collision enabled components and the in-process stock. If this 

box is not checked, it will not be possible to start MRS once the program has started. 

MRS is an add-on licensed option to VM. If an MRS license is not available, the MRS check 

box cannot be selected. 


Database: 



This input field is used to select the database that contains the model to use. You can browse 

for a database using the square browse button […] located immediately to the right of the input 

field. The most recent database selections are remembered, and they can be quickly accessed 

again by selecting them from the drop-down choice list. The browse database panel 

remembers the last directory browsed for a database, unless an icam_dbf environment variable 

is set. 

Model and Revision: 

Use these input fields to choose a model from the selected database. The model drop-down 

presents a list of all models in the selected database. The revision field lists the latest revision 

of the selected model and the drop-down lists other revisions, if any. Information about the 

selected model will appear below the input field. 

One of the available model choices is “Use associated”, which when selected will use the 

model associated with the selected control emulator or post-processor. You cannot choose a 

specific revision of a model that is selected by association. 

Verification setup file: 

This file contains part program specific setup information such as tooling, part, stock, fixture, 

compensation, lighting adjustments, and a variety of other settings unique to each NC program. 

This field is automatically set to the same name as the NC program input file (i.e., the 

MCD file for CERUN or the CLDATA file for GENER), with a file extension of “.vsw”. You 

can change the name for a single execution of the control emulator or post-processor, but the 

settings will not be remembered the next time CERUN or GENER is launched. 

A verification setup file that has been created with GENER during post processing can later be 

reused by CERUN during MCD verification, and vice versa. 

OK, Cancel and Reset buttons 

Press OK to accept any changes to the Simulation panel and return to the main launch panel. 

Press Cancel to ignore your changes and return to the main launch panel. Press Reset to remove 

all specialized settings, and reset all fields to their defaults. 

Run CERUN or GENER with a “Show Full” display setting on the main launch panel to see the 

machine simulation. When the full-display window appears, you may have to perform a few 

steps to see the simulation. CERUN and GENER remember global display settings in the registry, 

and remember part program specific display settings in the vsw file. Once the display is set to 

your satisfaction, you normally will not need to perform any special steps to see the same display 

on a subsequent run of the same part program. 




2.1.2 Selecting a Model from the Command Prompt 

VM can also be activated using the following CERUN and GENER command line options. These 

options can appear in any order on the CERUN or GENER command line. 

/model[=ModelName] 

Specifies the machine model to use. This option is necessary to activate VM. The model associated 

with the control emulator or post processor will be used if a model name is not explicitly 

given. 

/nomodel 

Disables the use of a VM model during control emulation (this is the default). 

/mdldbf=DatabaseFile 

/mrs 

Optionally specifies the name of the database (.dbf) file that contains the model. By default, 

the model will be loaded from the same database as the control emulator or post processor. 

Enable Material Removal Simulation (MRS). When MRS is enabled, VM simulates the cutting 

actions of the tool with respect to stock definitions. VM also performs collision checking 

between collision enabled components and the in-process stock. MRS is an add-on licensed 

option to VM. 

/nomrs 

Disables MRS simulation on the stock model (this is the default). 

/vsw=VerificationSetupFile 

Optionally specifies the name of the verification setup (.vsw) file. On startup, CERUN and 

GENER read the verification setup file to setup part program specific setup information such 

as tooling, part, stock, fixture, compensation, lighting adjustments, and a variety of other settings. 

On exit, CERUN and GENER save this information back to the setup file. By default, the 

setup file has the same name as the input file with a file type of “.vsw”. The setup file need 

not exist. 

When using a command line interface, the “/verbose” command line option must be given to see 

the machine simulation. When the full-display window appears, you may have to perform a few 

steps to see the simulation. CERUN and GENER remember global display settings in the registry, 

and remember part program specific display settings in the verification setup file. Once the 

display is set to your satisfaction, you normally will not need to perform any special steps to see 

the same display on a subsequent run of the same part program. 



Controlling Virtual Machine from the Part Program (Gener only) 

2.2 Controlling Virtual Machine from the Part Program (GENER only) 

GENER can use VM in a proactive fashion, to detect potential collisions and optimize the generated 

MCD, where possible, by taking corrective action to avoid these collisions. GENER provides 

a post processor command interface to VM, primarily to define a collision avoidance plane, but 

also to control other aspects of the VM simulation. 

GENER provides post processor commands to control VM for the following purposes, each of 

which is described in the sections that immediately follow: 

� Enable/Disable Simulation (below) 

� Enable/Disable Collision/Overtravel Detection and Avoidance (on page 10) 

� Enable/Disable Positioning Collision Avoidance (on page 10) 

� Camera Positioning under Program Control (on page 11) 

CERUN and GENER can also control the simulation with macro functions. CERUN does not 

provide a collision avoidance function because CERUN is used only to verify an MCD program; 

CERUN does not change the MCD program in any way. 

It is important to note that VM post processor commands and macro functions will have no effect 

if VM was not activated when GENER was first started. VM can be activated by selecting the 

“Enable Simulation” checkbox on the Simulation panel (available via the [SIM…] button on the 

main panel), or by specifying the “/model” option on the GENER command line. 

2.2.1 Enable/Disable Simulation 

The ADAPTV post processor command can be used to enable or disable simulation of the 

model. This global command setting takes precedence over all other settings that control simulation 

behavior. 

�ON ADAPTV / 

� 

� � 

�OFF 

� 

The simulation is always enabled (ON) by default. When simulation is disabled (OFF), the 

simulation window will no longer be updated to match the post processor status, and most 

importantly, simulation diagnostics and collision avoidance motions will no longer be output. 

Running with ADAPTV/OFF is equivalent to running without VM at all. 

This ON-OFF setting for simulation is primarily intended for use within post processor macros 

that perform $FLOOK style look-ahead operations that are not affected by collision testing. 

Specify ADAPTV/OFF at the start of the look-ahead operation to increase processing speed of 

the look-ahead operation. Do not code ADAPTV/OFF during look-ahead if collision avoidance 

might meaningfully affect the results of the look-ahead. 

The ADAPTV/ON command will have no effect if the VM was not activated when GENER was 

first started. 




2.2.2 Enable/Disable Collision/Overtravel Detection and Avoidance 

The following ADAPTV command controls collision and overtravel detection and avoidance: 

�SCAN 

� 

�AVOID 

� 

ADAPTV / PROTCT, � � 

� � 

� 

ON 

� 

�OFF 

� 

AVOID is the default, which instructs VM to avoid those collisions that are avoidable 1 , and to 

diagnose unavoidable collisions and any overtravel conditions. SCAN simply diagnoses collisions 

and overtravel conditions, while OFF disables collision and overtravel testing altogether. 

ON re-enables the last specified AVOID or SCAN setting. When active, collision and overtravel 

diagnostic messages will be reported in the GENER listing file and the Console window, as 

follows: 

� Error #1409008: Simulation reported collision between object1 and object2. 

� Error #1409009: Simulation reported overtravel: axis_name. 

Path-planning based overtravel avoidance is automatically enabled in GENER during 5-axis 

machining whenever LINTOL/SCAN (linearization path planning) or LINTOL/ROTREF (rotary 

turn-around) are active. These commands are documented in the “CAM-POST V19 User Guide”. 

When collision avoidance is enabled (AVOID), GENER uses VM during look-ahead scanning in 

an attempt to find a tool path that is also collision free. If a good tool path does not exist (i.e., all 

tool paths contain unavoidable problems), then GENER will report: 

� Error #1409012: Simulation feedback reports that it is not possible to avoid collision or 

overtravel. 

From the perspective of the post processor, running with ADAPTV/PROTCT,OFF is equivalent 

to running without VM at all. Exercise caution when using this command. 

The ADAPTV/PROTCT command will have no effect if the VM was not activated when GENER 

was first started, or if ADAPTV/OFF is currently in effect. 

2.2.3 Enable/Disable Positioning Collision Avoidance 

Positioning collision avoidance can be enabled under program control to avoid collisions that 

occur during RAPID positioning motions. When enabled, a positioning collision avoidance 

motion will be attempted when a collision occurs somewhere during a positioning motion, while 

at the same time both the start-point and end-point of the positioning motion are collision free. 

The collision avoidance motion includes an initial rapid retract along a specified machine linear 

axis to position clear of the work, followed by a rapid motion along the other two linear axes to 

the end-point position, and finally a rapid plunge of the tool to the end-point position. 

1 Collisions with in-process stock cannot be avoided by path planning, however any such collisions will 

be diagnosed. 




Positioning collision avoidance is controlled with the ADAPTV command as follows: 

ADAPTV / CLEAR 

� �XAXIS 

� 

� � � PLUS � 

�, 

YAXIS , coord , � 

� � � � 

� 

� MINUS �� ZAXIS 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� �ON 

, LENGTH, 

� 

� � � 

� �OFF 

� � 

�� 

�� 

0: 

n 

The clearance avoidance plane is established along the named machine axis (XAXIS, YAXIS or 

ZAXIS) at the specified machine coordinate position (not part coordinates). The first motion of a 

collision avoidance sequence will be in the specified direction (PLUS or MINUS) to the named 

axis position. PLUS is assumed if the direction keyword is omitted. No automatic clearance 

avoidance will be attempted if the named axis is already at or beyond the clearance position. If 

LENGTH,OFF is specified, then length tool compensation will be removed on the motion to the 

clearance position and reinstated on the motion back to the end-point position. The default 

(LENGTH,ON) leaves length compensation unchanged during collision avoidance motions. 

Positioning clearance avoidance is not active by default. A clearance axis and coordinate must 

first be specified to activate this feature. Once this is done, the feature can be disabled (OFF) and 

re-enabled (ON) as required using the following command: 

�ON ADAPTV / CLEAR, 

� 

� � 

�OFF 

� 

The ADAPTV/CLEAR feature can produce two different diagnostics. One is a message indicating 

that the programmed positioning sequence was successfully altered to avoid a collision. The 

second is an error stating that a collision could not be avoided. 

� Message #1409013: Simulation adjusted the RAPID positioning sequence to avoid a collision. 

� Error #1409012: Simulation feedback reports that it is not possible to avoid collision or 

overtravel. 

The ADAPTV/CLEAR command will have no effect if the VM was not activated when GENER 

was first started, or if ADAPTV/OFF, ADAPTV/PROTCT,SCAN or ADAPTV/PROTCT,OFF 

is currently in effect. 

2.2.4 Camera Positioning under Program Control 

The following CAMERA command will position the camera to one of 10 predefined positions: 

CAMERA / a 

Predefined camera positions are described on page 15. 

The CAMERA command will have no effect if the VM was not activated when GENER was first 

started, or if ADAPTV/OFF is currently in effect, or if “Enable CL Camera” is not checked in 

the Simulation»Options dialog (Ctrl Alt O shortcut), or if the specified camera position has not 

been defined. 



Activating the Simulation Window 

2.3 Activating the Simulation Window 

CERUN and GENER must be started using the “Show Full” display 

setting on the main launch panel in order to see the machine simulation 

(this is equivalent to specifying the “/verbose” option on the 

command line). Once the CERUN or GENER full user interface (UI) appears, the simulation 

window can then be activated from the View toolbar by selecting the button show circled in the 

toolbar above. Select the button a second time to either hide the simulation window or to restore 

a simulation window that has been minimized. The simulation window can also be controlled by 

selecting Simulation»Virtual Machine from the menu bar. 

It is important to note that 

collision and overtravel 

detection (CERUN and 

GENER) and collision 

avoidance (GENER) are not 

affected in any way by the 

state of the simulation 

window. 

The simulation window can 

appear on your screen in 

one of two modes: solid or 

wire frame. Your choice of 

mode will depend partly on 

preference and partly on the 

capabilities and speed of 

your computer and graphics 

card. On less capable computers, wire frame mode can be significantly faster. You can switch 

between modes using buttons on the VM Mode toolbar or by toggling the Simulation»Show»Wireframe 

menu bar selection. 

There are various other Simulation»Show settings that affect the amount and types of information 

shown in the simulation window. These include… 

a “heads up display” that appears overlaid in the main simulation 

window, and two modes of tool path trace display, which are also 

controllable from the VM Mode toolbar; 

selectable datum-plane grids, coordinate 

frame references and machine kinematics 

markers, all of which are controllable using 

the VM Grid toolbar; and 

view “filters” that toggle the visibility of the 

machine, tooling, fixtures, stock, part, in-process 

stock and over-cut/under-cut material, controllable 

from the VM View Filter toolbar. 


2.4 Navigating the Simulation Window 


Navigating the Simulation Window 

The simulation window supports both Perspective and 

Orthogonal projection, selectable by the left-most button in the 

VM View toolbar. The middle six buttons of the VM View 

toolbar orient the camera to face the Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left and Right views of the 

machine. The camera can only be panned but not rotated while one of these standard views is 

selected. At the start of processing, standard views are with respect to the stock mount point, but 

this can be changed by selecting a different component (e.g., the machine origin) in the VM Grid 

toolbar or by attaching the camera to an object in the scene (more on grids and attaching the 

camera to components later). The right-most button in the VM View toolbar adjusts the camera 

aim and zoom (in that order) to fit the currently selected object so that it is fully visible in the 

simulation window (if no object is selected, then the camera is adjusted so all objects can be 

seen). All of these toolbar functions are also available from the Simulation»Camera menu. 

The three buttons on the left side of the VM Mode toolbar select 

the primary function of the left-mouse button (this can also be set 

from the Simulation»Mode menu). When in “Camera mode”, 

holding the left-mouse button down while moving the mouse changes the orientation of the 

camera. The cursor appears as a four-way arrow when in Camera mode. When in “Selection 

mode”, pressing the left-mouse button selects the object under the mouse pointer. The cursor 

appears as a simple arrow when in Selection mode. When in “Measurement mode”, pressing the 

left-mouse button either starts or completes a measurement function using the selected object 

under the mouse pointer. The cursor appears as an arrow with calipers when in Measurement 

mode. 

When in Camera mode, press and hold the Ctrl key to temporarily switch to Selection mode. 

This can be used to quickly select objects to rotate about or to attach the camera to. When in 

Selection or Measurement mode, press and hold the Ctrl key to temporarily switch to Camera 

mode. This can be used to get a better view of the object you are trying to select or measure. 

It is important to remember that with VM, you are moving (or flying) a camera through a three 

dimensional scene. Changing your viewpoint typically involves some combination of panning, 

rotation and roll. 

� Panning moves the camera up, down, left, right, as well as in and out of the scene. When 

in perspective mode, you can pan the camera through an object to see beyond it. When in 

orthogonal mode, panning in and out instead acts like a typical zoom lens. 

� Rotation changes where the camera is pointing, by angling it to the left, right, up or 

down (i.e., pitch and yaw). Camera rotation is similar to the actions of turning your head 

to the left or right and up or down. Camera rotation is only possible when a standard view 

(e.g., front, back) is not selected, since views lock out camera rotation. 

� Roll tilts the camera so that objects can be viewed from a different angle. Camera roll is 

similar to the action of tilting your head to the left or right. 




Camera Panning: 

The following is a list of panning navigation functions. Hold the Shift key while panning to 

reduce the distance the camera moves to 1/10th the normal amount. You can adjust the overall 

panning sensitivity by holding the Ctrl key and repeatedly pressing the + (plus) and – (minus) 

keys (also available from the Simulation»Camera»Speed menu bar): 

Pan Key Mouse 

Up Page Up Middle-mouse, move forward 

Down Page Down Middle-mouse, move backward 

Left Left arrow Middle-mouse, move left 

Right Right arrow Middle-mouse, move right 

In Up arrow Wheel-mouse forward 

Out Down arrow Wheel-mouse backward 

Camera Rotation: 

Move the mouse while holding down the left mouse button to change the viewing direction of 

the camera. There are two types of camera rotation. 

1. The default rotation is to keep the camera position fixed but to change where the camera is 

aimed. This is similar to how we rotate our head to look around a scene. 

2. You can hold the Shift key to change how the camera rotates. When Shift is pressed, the 

camera rotates around a point in space. This rotation point is by default the center of the 

world or the selected VM Grid object, but can be changed by selecting any object and choosing 

Simulation»Camera»Pivot (Ctrl P). As a quick shortcut, double-clicking an object in the 

simulation window will set that object as the Pivot center and fit the object in the window. 

If you prefer the second form of camera rotation by default, clear the “Default to Look-Around 

camera” check-box in the Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) dialog. 

You can quickly orient the camera to point at the center of the currently selected object using the 

Simulation»Camera»Center (Ctrl Shift Space) menu function. Select the Simulation»Camera»Fit 

(Ctrl Space 1 ) menu function to both orient the camera towards the selected object and pan in or 

out so that the object fits within the simulation window. 

The following is a list of camera rotation functions available when in Camera mode. Note that 

camera rotation is not available when a VM View filter is enabled (e.g., Front, Side…). 

Rotate Mouse 

Up Left-mouse, move forward 

Down Left-mouse, move backward 

Left Left-mouse, move left 

Right Left-mouse, move right 

1 The “Ctrl Space” hotkey combination might be unavailable due to a Microsoft Chinese language IME 

bug. Use “Ctrl .” (control key plus decimal point) as an alternate. 


Camera Roll: 



The camera is oriented so that “up” is along the positive Z direction (of the selected VM Grid 

object) in all views except Top and Bottom, where “up” is instead along the positive Y direction. 

The following keys can be used to roll (i.e., tilt) the camera clockwise or counterclockwise. 

Roll Key 

90° cclw Ctrl Left arrow 

1° cclw Ctrl Shift Left arrow 

90° clw Ctrl Right arrow 

1° clw Ctrl Shift Right arrow 

Camera origin and attachment: 

You can attach the camera to an object in the scene. If the object moves, so will the camera. You 

must select the object first before you can attach the camera to it (hold the Ctrl button down to 

select an object when in Camera mode). Click on an object to select it. Hold Shift when selecting 

to select multiple objects or to undo a selection. 

� Click left-mouse to select object. 

� Hold Shift and click left-mouse to add/remove object from list of selected objects. 

� Simulation»Camera»Attach to attach camera to last selected object. 

Selecting Simulation»Camera»Attach when no objects are selected resets the camera back to the 

world origin (left-mouse clicking on the background is one way to ensure that no objects are 

selected). 

Camera viewpoint: 

The creator of the machine model can (and should) define a series of predefined views (not to be 

confused with the standard perspective, front, rear, etc. views described earlier) to simplify 

viewing the model during 

simulation. These might 

show a full view of the 

machine, a detailed view of 

the table, perhaps a view 

from the tool's perspective, 

and so on. In the absence of 

any view information, 

CeRun will show the 

machine with the camera 

placed well back in the 

negative machine Y-axis 

direction, as shown in the 

image at right. 

To switch between predefined 

views, press one of the 




keyboard number keys 0 through 9 while holding down the Ctrl key. If the display does not 

change, then that view number is undefined. You can define your own viewpoints by holding 

down the Ctrl and Alt keys before pressing a number key. Default views are stored with the 

model; personal viewpoints are stored in the vsw file where they override those of the model. 

Predefined views can also be activated and set using the Simulation»Camera»Load and Simulation»Camera»Save 

menu selections. Selecting Simulation»Camera»Reset in CERUN and GENER 

resets the predefined views to those defined and saved in the model by QUEST. Selecting Simulation»Camera»Reset 

in QUEST clears the predefined views from the model. 

The transition between views can be abrupt or smooth, depending on the camera animation 

setting in the Simulation»Options dialog. Smooth transitions are only possible between predefined 

viewpoints sharing the same base view (e.g., two perspective views or two orthogonal 

views, but not between a perspective and orthogonal view). 

To summarize: 

� Left-mouse controls camera rotation. 

� Middle-mouse and mouse wheel control panning. 

� Left / Right / Up / Down arrows and Page Up / Down also control panning. 

� Ctrl Left / Right arrows roll the camera cclw and clw. 

� Shift modifies all of above functions. 

� Left-mouse double-click does a Fit (Ctrl Space) and Pivot (Ctrl P) on the selected object. 

� Ctrl P sets the camera pivot origin to the selected object. 

� Ctrl Space (or Ctrl .) reorients and zooms the camera to “fit” the object in the window. 

� Ctrl Shift Space reorients the camera to point at the selected object. 

� Ctrl 0 through Ctrl 9 selects one of 10 prerecorded camera positions. 

� Ctrl Alt 0 through Ctrl Alt 9 saves prerecorded camera positions. 

� Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) sets camera animation and look-around properties. 


2.5 Adjusting Lighting 


Adjusting Lighting 

VM supports up to eight different lights, which can be placed strategically around or even inside 

the machine. Each light consumes a little more CPU, so if performance is a problem you might 

try reducing the number of lights being used. Unlike in the real world, solid objects do not affect 

VM lights. Lights shine through objects, do not cast shadows, and the lights themselves are not 

visible in the simulation window. 

Lighting will normally not need to be adjusted. If the simulation window is completely dark, it 

might not necessarily be due to a lighting problem. Even with all lights off, VM provides a 

certain amount of ambient light. Before adjusting the lights, first make sure that the viewpoint is 

back and away from the machine (to do so, first press the Ctrl spacebar shortcut, and then press 

and hold the down-arrow 

to pan back). If the 

machine is visible, but 

too dark or too light, 

select Simulation»Lights 

(Ctrl Alt L shortcut) to 

bring up the Light dialog. 

The horizontal slider 

rotates your viewpoint 

around the machine. The 

vertical slider changes the 

viewing distance. Lights 

appear as small boxes, but 

you may have to hide the 

machine (clear the 

“Objects” check box) to 

see them. Lights are 

positioned on a hemisphere using the left and right-mouse buttons. The left-mouse button 

controls the position on the hemisphere. The right-mouse button controls the size of the hemisphere. 

To adjust the light, place the mouse pointer over the light and then press and hold either 

the left or the right-mouse button. Move the mouse to change the lighting position or distance. 

Light intensity is controlled by the individual sliders associated with each light. The color of 

each light can be adjusted by first selecting the box to the right of the intensity slider and then 

choosing a color from the color chart. Using different colors for your light sources will improve 

depth perception. 

If a light appears immovable, perhaps the distance has been set to a very small value. In this 

case, use the right-mouse button to increase the lighting distance. It is also possible to position a 

light so far away that it can no longer be selected. In this case, the Reset button can be used to set 

all lights to their default positions. 

Pressing the Reset button in CERUN and GENER sets the lighting to the default as defined and 

saved in the model by QUEST. Pressing the Reset button in QUEST sets the lighting to a built-in 

default based on the grid size. 



Adding Parts, Fixtures and Stock to the Simulation 

2.6 Adding Parts, Fixtures and Stock to the Simulation 

An accurate simulation must include the part(s) being manufactured, so that VM can test for 

gouging with the cutting portion of the tool and collisions between the part and the tools, holders 

and other components of the machine. The part holding fixture(s) should also be included in the 

simulation, again so that VM can accurately test for collisions. Finally, when the Material 

Removal Simulation (MRS) license option is available, the rough stock can be added to the 

simulation to verify in-process stock removal and collisions against the in-process stock. Even 

without the MRS option, adding stock to the simulation can aid in viewing the cutting process. 

Select Simulation»Stock (Ctrl Alt S shortcut) to activate the Stock/Fixture/Part dialog. You use 

this dialog to import STL definitions of the finished part, holding fixtures and rough stock. You 

can also use the 

rudimentary design 

capabilities available 

with this dialog to 

interactively create 

simple stock, fixture 

and part components if 

needed (this process is 

described further on in 

this section). 

The stock, fixture and 

part information is 

automatically saved in 

the verification setup (.vsw) file when the program is completed. This verification setup file will 

be reused on subsequent runs to quickly reestablish the material conditions necessary for an 

accurate simulation. 

The Export button on the Stock/Fixture/Part dialog can be used to save the current setup as a 3D 

model (.m3d 1 ) file. The Import button can be used to merge the part/fixture/stock setup of a 

selected 3D model or verification setup file into the current session. Use the Export and Import 

functions to quickly copy the stock, fixture and part setup from one program to another. 

2.6.1 Differences between Part, Fixture and Stock Components 

Part, fixture and stock are treated differently in VM during collision testing. The differences are 

as follows: 

� Part: The cutting portion of the tool can interfere (without diagnostics) with the part, to 

the extent of the gouge tolerance. The gouge tolerance amount is defined in the Simulation»Options 

dialog (Ctrl Alt O shortcut). Some gouging (i.e., undercutting) is to be expected, 

due to the effects of the manufacturing tolerance used by the CAM system when 

creating the tool path and the tolerance used in the creation of the STL part model. If 

CAM manufacturing and STL tolerances are not adjusted, the gouge tolerance should not 

1 m3d file: Stores object definitions in an ICAM proprietary format. 




have to be changed from one part to the next. The gouge tolerance is a modal value stored 

in the registry; it is not stored on a program-by-program basis in the verification setup 

(.vsw) file. 

The non-cutting portion of the tool, the tool holder, and all other collision-enabled components 

of the machine are also tested for collision with the part. The gouge tolerance is 

not applied when testing for part collision with these components. 

� Fixture: Individual components of a fixture can be identified as machinable or not, which 

affects how they are tested for collisions. 

A machinable component might be a “soft” clamp or plate that will be cut by the tool 

during the manufacturing process. With the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license 

option enabled, VM can optionally compute the in-process state of machinable fixture 

components, treating them as though they were defined as stock objects (see stock definition 

below). 

If an MRS license is not available, or is not enabled for a machinable fixture component, 

then the cutting portion of the tool is not tested for collision with the fixture component if 

the tool is spinning and the cutting motion is at feed. The non-cutting portion of the tool, 

the tool holder, and all other collision-enabled components of the machine are always 

tested for collision with machinable fixture components. 

Non-machinable fixture components are always tested for collision against the entire tool, 

the tool holder and all other collision-enabled components of the machine. 

� Stock: With the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license option enabled, VM can 

compute the in-process state of the raw stock. The path of the cutting portion of the tool 

will be “subtracted” from the stock during the manufacturing process in the same way 

that material is removed during real machining. Motions that cut the stock at rapid or 

while the spindle is stopped, will be diagnosed with an error. These cuts will also appear 

highlighted on the in-process stock object and identified as a collision in the Timeline 

display. Individual components of the stock can be enabled or disabled for MRS simulation 

using the component's Material Removal column setting. 

The “Associated Part” column in the Stock tab and companion “Associated Stock” column 

in the Part tab, are used to associate pairs of raw stock and finished parts to one another, 

so that they can later be compared using the Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) 

function. 

If an MRS license is not available or not enabled, any object defined as stock is shown in 

the simulation window but ignored for collision testing purposes. To enable collision testing 

on a near-net stock shape, define it instead as machinable fixture. This will allow only 

the cutting portion of the tool to interfere with the stock, and only then when the motion 

is at feed and the spindle is turning. 

VM does not check for interference between part and fixture, so they can partially or completely 

overlap each other without problems. 




Collision testing is performed by sampling the motions of the machine along the tool path. The 

rate of sampling, called the collision tolerance, is defined in the Simulation»Options dialog. This 

collision tolerance value should match the finest CAM manufacturing tolerance used in the part 

program. The collision tolerance is a modal value stored in the registry; it is not stored on a 

program-by-program basis in the verification setup (.vsw) file. 

VM does not check for interference between part and fixture, so they can partially or completely 

overlap each other without problems. 

Collision testing is performed by sampling the motions of the machine along the tool path. The 

rate of sampling, called the collision tolerance, is defined in the Simulation»Options dialog. This 

collision tolerance value should match the finest CAM manufacturing tolerance used in the part 

program. The collision tolerance is a modal value stored in the registry; it is not stored on a 

program-by-program basis in the verification setup (.vsw) file. 

2.6.2 Creating Part, Fixture and Stock Components 

The Stock/Fixture/Part dialog tabs all provide similar features. Objects are listed in a scrolling 

list. New objects can be added and old ones deleted or modified. Objects can be given names, 

which are used by VM when reporting collision diagnostic messages. Adding an object is a twostep 

process. The first step is to create a new object, defining its name and where (roughly 

speaking) it will be loaded on the machine. The second step is to actually define the physical 

components and placement of the object. The simulation window remains active when defining 

stock, part and fixtures, to permit interactive creation and placement of objects. 

For example, follow the steps below to create a rectangular base plate, whose lower left corner is 

(X-200, Y-150, Z0) with a length of 400, width of 300 and height of 25 (all dimensions in mm): 

Step 1: Create a new fixture object. 

� Select the Fixture tab. 

� Select the New button and then select the New Fixture sub-menu option. 

� Type in the name of the new item, e.g., “Base plate”. This name will 

be used by VM when reporting collisions between this and other objects. 

� Objects are always created relative to one or more standard stock axes defined by the 

model creator. If there are multiple stock axes (for example, two pallets), then you can 

specify where the base plate will be mounted using the Axis drop-list. The “None” choice 

can be used to remove a component from the machine once you have finished defining it. 

You can change the default mount point and current mount points 

Step 2: Define the physical components of the new fixture object. 

� Select “Base plate” in the Fixture tab component tree list. 

� Select the New button and then select the Cube sub-menu option. 

� Type, in order: -200 Enter -150 Enter 0 Enter 400 Enter 300 Enter 25 Enter 




When defining the physical 

components of an object, 

the component type (e.g. 

“Cube”) and its required 

parameters (e.g., x, y, z, 

width, length and height) 

are listed at the bottom of 

the simulation window. You 

can enter the parameters 

using the keyboard as 

instructed above, or you can 

move the mouse to an 

appropriate position and 

click the left-mouse button. 

Each click of the mouse can 

supply values for one or two 

parameters, which will be 

dynamically updated as you move the mouse. Hold the Shift key to toggle the snap-to-grid 

feature of the mouse. Use the grid button toggle on the VM Grid toolbar or select Simulation»Grid 

(Ctrl Alt G shortcut) to change to the default grid settings. You can change the camera 

position, standard view or user-defined viewpoint at any time when working in the simulation 

window. To summarize: 

� Use the mouse pointer or keyboard to set parameter values. 

� Use the left-mouse-button or Enter key to accept a parameter value and move to the next 

input field. 

� Use the Tab and Shift-Tab keys to move forward and backward through the required parameters 

without making changes. 

� Use the Shift key, VM Grid toolbar or Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G) dialog to change grid 

settings. 

Once a component is created, it can be given a 

name, rotated, repositioned, resized and have its 

visual material properties set. 

The component name will be used in combination 

with the object name (e.g., “Base plate Box01”) in 

collision diagnostics. The name can be omitted if 

desired, and the same name can be repeated for 

other components. 

Press the Apply button to immediately see the 

effects in the simulation window of any 

repositioning or re-dimensioning of the component. 

All dimensions are expressed in the units listed in the unit drop-down choice list. The units 

can be changed, with the option of either readjusting the object‟s size to match or not. 




You can repeatedly select the Rotate button to define a compound rotation of the component. 

The Reset choice removes any rotation previously added. 

Press the Material button to activate the Materials Dialog, which defines the component‟s 

appearance. There are three color selections that can be associated with a material, in addition to 

its general shininess and transparency: The Diffuse component is the color of the object. The 

Ambient component is the color of light that indirectly strikes the object (for example, the color 

of the walls). The Specular component is mixed with the color of the main light sources to 

produce the highlights visible as shininess is increased. You can simplify the material property 

selection by choosing one from the drop-down list of predefined materials. 

Press the OK button when done. 

The new Box01 entity will now appear in the list of components that make up the fixture object. 

For fixture components that are expected to be cut during the manufacturing process (e.g., a base 

plate or soft block), select Yes in the Machinable column in the fixture component list. By 

default, fixture components are not machinable. For stock and machinable fixture components, 

you must select No in the Material Removal column to disable material removal simulation 

(requires an MRS license option), since by default, MRS simulation is enabled for stock and 

machinable fixture components. 


2.7 Setting Fixture Compensation 


Setting Fixture Compensation 

Motion data is processed in relation to the machine origin. On most 

modern machines, the machine origin (i.e., the position at which all 

axes read zero) can be adjusted by the NC operator. Many CNCs 

provide for the definition of multiple origins with fixture (or workpiece) compensation. VM 

provides a virtual controller that supports both fixture and tool compensation. The VM controller 

can be activated from the View toolbar by selecting the button shown circled in the toolbar 

above. Select the button a second time to either hide the controller window or to restore a controller 

window that has been minimized. This window can also be controlled by selecting Simulation»Controller 

from the menu bar. 

Once the VM Controller 

window is active, select the 

Fixture Compensation tab to 

define or modify workpiece 

offsets. VM supports the 

definition of a global “base” 

offset, as well as individual 

workpiece offsets to match 

those in use at the machine. 

Fixture compensation data is 

automatically saved in the 

verification setup (.vsw) file when the program is completed. This setup file will be reused on 

subsequent runs to quickly reestablish the workpiece compensation settings necessary for an 

accurate simulation. 

Base compensation adjusts the machine zero point. All coordinate data is transformed by the 

base amount, regardless of the current workpiece compensation settings. Base compensation 

should not normally be used except in cases where the machine has a settable zero and no other 

form of workpiece compensation. In this case, the base compensation can be used to adjust the 

machine zero point to match the zero point that will be set by the NC machine operator. 

Fixture compensation offsets are defined relative to the base zero point. Press the Add button 

and enter the fixture compensation ID to be added, using the same form of ID numbers you 

would use in the CUTCOM/ADJUST command with GENER (e.g., for many controls, the range 

1-6 represents G54-G59). You can select any axis of any ID and type a new value. You can also 

select one or more IDs and use the Set and Zero buttons to set or zero offsets for all selected IDs 

simultaneously. The Add button will be disabled if fixture compensation is not available for the 

selected machine. Base compensation is always available. 

By accurately setting fixture compensation values, you can obtain a more realistic and complete 

simulation of the machine. 

ICAM provides “Manufacturing Extractors” for many popular CAM systems, which can automatically 

define fixture (i.e., workpiece) compensation settings matching coordinate frames used 

in the NC program. 



Adding Tooling Definitions to the Simulation 

2.8 Adding Tooling Definitions to the Simulation 

VM can attach solid model representations of tools and their holders to the machine model when 

they are loaded. Once attached, they become part of the collision detection process. When 

Material Removal Simulation (MRS) is enabled, VM will modify stock and machinable fixture 

objects to simulate the cutting actions of the tool. VM supports a variety of tool types for both 

milling and turning applications, and can support both 2D revolved contour or generic 3D shapes 

for holder definitions. Select Simulation»Tools (Ctrl Alt T short cut) to activate the 

Tools/Holders/Heads dialog. 

Select the Tools and Holders tabs to switch between tool and holder definitions. Select the New 

button to define a new tool or holder. Select an existing definition and press Modify or Delete 

buttons to change or remove it. The Heads tab is used to load or unload head attachments on 

machines that support multiple head devices. 

Tool and holder definitions are automatically saved in the verification setup (.vsw) file when the 

program is completed. This setup file will be reused on subsequent runs to quickly reestablish the 

tooling necessary for an accurate simulation. 

All tool definitions include a cutting color selection, which is used with MRS (material removal 

simulation) to identify surfaces on the in-process stock formed by the cutting action of the tool. 

Tools also include a usage setting, which can override the default MRS cutting tolerance, loosening 

it for Semi-Finishing and Roughing tools (to reduce CPU usage). 

ICAM provides “Manufacturing Extractors” for many popular CAM systems, which automatically 

create tool and holder definitions that match those used in the NC program. 


2.8.1 Lathe Tool Definition 

Select “Lathe” as the type in the tool builder 

dialog to define the shape of the turning tool 

insert. The following insert shapes are supported: 

� Round: A round or circular insert. 

� Trigon: A three cornered insert resembling 

a triangle, but with an intermediate 

angle on the sides, to allow for a higher 

included angles at the tips. 

� Diamond: A four-sided insert with two 

acute angles. 

� Symmetrical: Any “n” equal sided insert. 

� Thread: A three cornered threading insert, 

with a tooth shape on each corner. 

� Groove: A single or double sided insert 

that can be used for threading, grooving 

or cut-off. 

� Profile: An insert defined by a 2D profile. 

� Generic: An insert defined by an STL 

mesh. 



Inserts are defined in the ZX plane of the machine. 

The blue dotted line represents the positive 

Z-axis of the machine. The red dotted line 

represents the positive X-axis of the machine. 

The green dot at the intersection point of these two lines is the point on the tool where tool path 

traces will originate. This is the center of the nose (or of the round insert) and not the theoretical 

tool tip. 

The supporting body (e.g., the bar) of the turning tool must be defined separately as a holder, and 

then associated with the insert by selecting the holder by name. As explained in the Holder 

Definition topic on page 27, two controlling points are defined on a holder: The SCP (spindle 

contact point) defines the mating point of the holder with the turret (or other tool holding device). 

The TCP (tool contact point) defines the mating point of the holder with either the nose 

center or the center of the insert (as shown by a standard VM “tool icon”). The orientation of the 

insert on the holder can be set by defining a Y-axis TCP rotation component (in the holder 

definition). The Left and Right settings also affect the orientation of the insert with respect to the 

holder. 




2.8.2 Milling Tool Definition 

Select “Mill” as the type in the tool builder dialog 

to define one of the following types of revolved 

tool used for milling or drilling: 

� End mill: A sharp corner end mill. 

� Ball nose: An end mill with corner radius 

equal to ½ the tool diameter. 

� Bull nose: An end mill with corner radius 

less than ½ the tool diameter. 

� Drill: A typical drilling tool. 

� APT 7: A milling tool whose shape is defined 

by an APT standard CUTTER 

command. 

� Profile: A tool defined by a revolved 2D 

profile. 

Milling tools have three sections, as follows. 

� Cutter: The bottom “Flute length” portion 

of the tool is the part that is permitted to 

come in contact both with machinable fixture 

components and with the part, to the 

limit defined by the gouge tolerance. 

� Body: An additional portion of the tool up 

to the “Cutter length” height that is noncutting. 

� Shank: The top “Shank length” portion of the tool, also non-cutting, which typically mates 

with the holder. 

When running with GENER, VM will use the APT CUTTER command to automatically define a 

default milling tool if a tool definition does not exist for the one being loaded. Tools defined in 

this way have a cutting length equal to the total tool length, and do not have a shank or associated 

holder. Automatically created tools are by default “unlocked”, meaning that their definition 

will change each time a CUTTER command is encountered. Manually defined tools are locked 

by default, and are not affected by CUTTER statements in the CL file. Automatic tool definitions 

are not possible with CERUN. 

Tool holders, if used, must be defined separately and then associated with the tool by selecting 

the holder by name. As explained in the “Holder Definition” topic on page 27, two controlling 

points are defined on a holder: The SCP (spindle contact point) defines the mating point of the 

holder with the turret (or other tool holding device). The TCP (tool contact point) defines the 

mating point of the holder with the tool (as shown by the intersection of the dotted blue and 

green lines). 


2.8.3 Holder Definition 

A holder can be a stationary or rotating device 

that connects the tool to the machine. In the case 

of complex tool assemblies, a holder can be 

connected to another “parent” holder, which in 

turn is connected to the machine or to another 

holder, and so on. VM supports two types of 

holders: 



� A Profile holder is one that is defined as a 

surface of revolution. The profile is defined 

in terms of its radial and axial offsets 

along the machine‟s tool axis. This 

simple 2D profile is then swept in a complete 

360° arc to create the final tool holder 

shape. 

� A Generic holder is any fixed device that 

holds the tool and/or the tool assembly. 

For example, this can be a simple holding 

bar for turning applications or a complex 

right-angled head assembly for milling 

applications. The generic holder body is 

constructed by importing, positioning, 

aligning and defining material properties of one or more STL objects in the exact same 

way as is done for part, fixture and stock components (see “Adding Parts, Fixtures and 

Stock to the Simulation” on page 18). 

A holder definition includes two contact points that define how holder is connected to the 

machine and the tool, or to other holders: 

� The SCP is the spindle contact point, which is the reference point on the holder that 

aligns with the gage point of the spindle or with the TCP of the parent holder. A profile 

holder‟s axis is aligned with the axis of the spindle. A generic profile holder‟s xyz reference 

frame is aligned with the xyz reference frame of the spindle. 

� The TCP is the tool contact point, which is the reference point on the holder where the 

top of the cutting tool body is attached (extending downwards). For generic holders you 

can also define the orientation of the tool at the contact point, in terms of its X-axis, Yaxis 

and Z-axis rotations. 

Select the “internally geared” option on the generic holder dialog when a generic holder represents 

a head assembly. This tells VM that the spindle force is transmitted through the holder 

from the SCP to the TCP points. You can also define a spindle ratio in cases where the gearing is 

not 1:1. 




2.8.4 Head Definition 

A head is a removable device that attaches to the machine and which provides some form of 

extended machining capability. Common examples of such devices are 90 degree angled heads 

that mount the tool at an angle, long reach heads that extend the Z axis travel of the tool, and 

heads with one or more controllable rotary axes that provide 4 or 5-axis control of the tool. Head 

devices (there can be multiple heads) are predefined in the model. 

The Head Definition tab is 

used to establish where the 

head devices are currently 

located in the model space and 

which head device is currently 

active. Heads can be parked at 

designated stations near the 

machine, and automatically 

loaded and unloaded by VM in 

the same way that tools are 

automatically loaded and 

unloaded. The Head Definition 

tab provides manual control over the placement of heads in the same way that the Tool Definition 

tab provides manual control over tools. 

A head must be attached to the machine (actually, to a head axis identified as a “head socket”) 

for it to be active. 

Heads do not have to be visible in the model. A head will not be shown if its current selected 

station is “None”. 


2.9 Setting Tool Compensation 


Setting Tool Compensation 

On most machines, the CNC provides some form of tool compensation 

to adjust for differences in the length (or position) and diameter of the 

tool. VM provides a virtual controller that supports both fixture and 

tool compensation. The VM controller can be activated from the View toolbar by selecting the 

button shown circled in the toolbar above. Select the button a second time to either hide the 

controller window or to restore a controller window that has been minimized. This window can 

also be controlled by selecting Simulation»Controller from the menu bar. Once the VM Controller 

window is active, select the Tool Compensation tab to define or modify tool length and 

diameter compensation amounts. 

Note: VM will not let you add length and/or diameter compensation offsets if these features are 

not available on the machine (as defined in the post-processor or control emulator). 

ICAM provides “Manufacturing Extractors” for many popular CAM systems, which can automatically 

define tool compensation settings from tooling used in the NC program. 

Tool compensation data is 

automatically saved in the 

verification setup (.vsw) file 

when the program is completed. 

This setup file will be 

reused on subsequent runs to 

quickly reestablish the tool 

compensation settings necessary 

for an accurate simulation. 

2.9.1 Length Compensation 

Length compensation typically adjusts the Z-axis position of the control point, to account for 

differences between programmed and actual tool lengths. If the NC program already compensates 

for tool lengths in the coordinate data, then length compensation is not necessary in VM. If 

the coordinate data does not take into account the gage length of the tool, then length compensation 

must be used with VM to correctly check the NC program. Press the Add button and then 

enter the length compensation ID to be added. You can select any axis of any ID and type a new 

value. You can also select one or more IDs and use the Set and Zero buttons to set or zero offsets 

for all selected IDs simultaneously. 

2.9.2 Diameter Compensation 

Diameter compensation adjusts the trajectory of the tool to compensate for differences between 

the programmed and actual tool diameters. Most CAM systems output coordinate data that is 

already offset from the part surface by the radius of the tool, making diameter compensation 

unnecessary in VM. If the coordinate data represents the contact point of the tool with the 

surface instead of the tool center point, then diameter compensation must be used with VM to 

correctly check the NC program. Press the Add button, and then enter the diameter compensation 

ID to be added. You can select any ID and type a new diameter value. You can also select one or 

more IDs and use the Zero button to zero offsets for all selected IDs simultaneously. 



Monitoring Virtual Machine’s Results 

2.10 Monitoring Virtual Machine’s Results 

Monitoring the simulation is actually the responsibility of CERUN and GENER. GENER monitors 

the simulation during look-ahead operations (with LINTOL/SCAN) in an attempt to avoid 

interpolating the machine into situations where collisions might occur. GENER reports all unavoidable 

collisions and overtravel conditions in the post processor listing file. CERUN monitors 

the simulation at all times and reports all collisions and overtravel conditions in the control 

emulator log file. CERUN and GENER perform these actions regardless of whether the simulation 

window is visible or not. 

VM provides various controls and features to aid visual monitoring 

of the simulation. Two of these, the HUD (head-up display) 

and tool path displays, can both be toggled from the VM Mode 

toolbar by selecting the buttons shown circled above, as well as from the Simulation»Show»Display 

and Simulation»Show»Tool Path (Ctrl T shortcut) menus. Animation control 

options, tool path display options and various other miscellaneous options are all controlled from 

the Simulation»Options menu (Ctrl Alt O shortcut). The animation options are also available 

from the VM Animation toolbar. 

The VM View Filter toolbar provides toggle 

buttons to display or hide various types of objects 

in the scene, such as (from left to right): the 

machine, tools, fixtures, rough stock and design part. When running with MRS (material removal 

simulation) active, additional toggle buttons are available to view or hide: the in-process stock, 

Boolean overcut and undercut stock (gouge and excess material), a color graduated Boolean 

difference between part and stock, and a cross section cutout of the stock. These view filter 

toggles are also available from the Simulation»Show»Filters menu. A Simulation»Compare 

(Ctrl Q shortcut) menu selection defines settings for colorized differences. 

VM provides various functions to measure the distance and angles between 

objects. Measurement mode is toggled using the button on the 

VM Mode toolbar. Once in measurement mode, clicking with the leftmouse 

button causes measurements to be taken between the selected objects. Press and hold the 

Ctrl key to manipulate the camera with the mouse while taking measurements. Within VM, 

objects are constructed of triangles. The VM Measure toolbar provides a middle series of three 

toggle buttons that filter the parts of the triangles that can be selected with the mouse. The leftmost 

toggle on the VM Measure toolbar switches between chained (one to the next) and fanned 

(one to many) measurements. The rightmost toggle affects the visibility of the objects being 

measured; when in “overlay” mode they will not be hidden by other objects that might be 

between you (the viewer) and the measured ones. 

VM also provides a Timeline feature on the VM Controller window that can be used to review 

and play back the simulation. 

Finally, VM provides the ability to synchronize both the Timeline display and the simulation 

window with any of the other tracing windows available with the CERUN and GENER UI. This 

can be used to see the state of the simulation at a particular CLDATA record, NC block, macro 

command and operator or diagnostic message (e.g., a collision). 


2.10.1 Head-Up Display 



The HUD superimposes 

status information on the 

simulation window. To 

change the content or 

position of the HUD, 

select the Simulation»Display 

(Ctrl Alt D 

shortcut) menu to bring up 

the Display dialog. Status 

information can be organized 

into different 

schemes, which can be 

labeled by name and saved 

in the Windows Registry 

(the Default scheme 

cannot be changed). You 

can cycle between different 

display schemes listed in the simulation window using the Simulation»Show»Next Display 

and »Previous Display (Ctrl D and Ctrl Shift D) menu selections. Uncheck the “Use default 

schemes in cycle” box to omit the Default scheme when cycling through different displays. 

The FPS Status Information item can be selected to measure the simulation window display rate, 

in the form “FPS a / b” (useful when testing Graphic card setting). The number “a” is the theoretical 

maximum number of screen updates per second that VM could do if all it had to do was 

redraw the display. The number “b” is the actual number of updates per second, and takes into 

account all other processing requirements. 

2.10.2 Animation Control 

Animation options are controlled from the VM 

Animation toolbar as well as from the Simulation»Options 

menu (Ctrl Alt O shortcut). 

The animation control options affect the simulation display speed. Selecting the “Continuous” 

mode will slow the simulation down to a specified factor of real time within the limitations of the 

CPU and graphics capabilities of your computer. When “Motion Step” is selected, the display is 

updated at the specified interval in motions, meaning that the simulation display is updated after 

every n motion steps. A third “Time Interval” method refreshes the display at the specified 

interval in seconds, which has the least impact in terms of CPU requirements. 

When in continuous animation mode, extremely slow motions may give the impression that the 

software is no longer operating. If unsure, activate the HUD motion display, which will show if 

axes are in fact moving. The Simulation Options dialog can be activated while the simulation is 

running (and even mid interpolation), allowing you to change the mode from continuous to 

another. 




2.10.3 Tool Path Display 

Select the Simulation»Show»Tool Path (Ctrl T shortcut) menu 

toggle to enable and disable tool path tracing. Tool path tracing 

can also be toggled from the VM Mode toolbar by selecting the 

left button in the pair shown circled above. Tracing shows the motion of the tool in relation to 

the part, taking into account the sweep effects caused by rotary motions and the “hockey stick” 

effect caused by independent axis positioning. The trace is shown fixed in relation to the part 

(meaning that the trace moves with the part). 

Select the Simulation»Show»Tool Path as Overlay menu toggle to control the visibility of the 

tool path. Tool path visibility can also be toggled from the VM Mode toolbar by selecting the 

right button in the pair shown circled above. When the tool path is shown in “overlay” mode it 

will not be hidden by objects that might be between you (the viewer) and the tool path. 

Select Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O shortcut) to 

change tool path display options, which will bring 

up the Simulation Options dialog. Tool path 

options include: 

� The colors used to distinguish feed motions, 

rapid motions and motions being 

“synchronized” with the CERUN and 

GENER trace windows. 

� Whether to show the tool path trace at the 

SCP (spindle control point) or the tool tip. 

� The extent of the tool path to display. Tool 

paths containing many motions slow down 

the simulation speed due to the CPU requirements 

to draw each motion. The tool 

path display can be reduced to show only 

those motions within a specified period. 

� The tolerance used when tracing curved 

motions, while respecting an upper limit 

on the number of segments that should be 

used to show a curved motion. Note that 

this tolerance is used for display purposes 

only and has no effect on collision testing. 


2.10.4 VM Controller Timeline 



The VM Virtual Controller includes a Timeline feature that can be 

used to review and replay the simulation at any point. The VM controller 

can be activated from the View toolbar by selecting the button 

shown circled in the toolbar above. Select the button a second time to either hide the controller 

window or to restore a controller window that has been minimized. This window can also be 

controlled by selecting Simulation»Controller from the menu bar. Once the VM Controller 

window is active, select the Timeline tab to view a time graph of the process. 

The time scale listed horizontally 

at the top of the window 

represents the run time of the 

process. The pale blue vertical 

bar shows the moment in time 

that the simulation window is 

currently showing. The light 

gray vertical line marks the end 

of the simulation. When MRS 

(material removal simulation) 

is active, all collisions involving 

the in-process stock (e.g., tool rapids into stock) are identified by horizontal amber bars at the 

top edge of the window; the left edge of the amber bar marks the start of the motion where a 

collision occurs and the corresponding right edge marks the start of the next motion where the inprocess 

stock is again collision free. All other non in-process stock related collisions are identified 

by a red bar; the left edge of the red bar marks the moment in time where a collision occurs 

and the corresponding right edge marks the point where the simulation is again collision free. 

Each motion axis is listed horizontally. Motion axes overtravel conditions are individually 

identified by horizontal light purple bars drawn level with the axis on which an overtravel 

occurs; the left edge of the light purple bar marks the moment in time where an overtravel occurs 

and the corresponding right edge marks the point where the axis is once again within travel. 

When the simulation is paused, you can click with the left mouse button anywhere within the 

window to see, in the simulation window, the state of the simulation at that moment in time. 

Hold the left mouse button down and drag the mouse left and right to replay the simulation 

forwards and backwards in time. Use the up and down arrow keys or the mouse wheel to adjust 

the time scale to see more or less detail. The Simulation»Camera»Fit (Ctrl Space) function will 

fit the entire process within the Timeline window. Use the left and right arrow keys or the 

horizontal scroll bar to move the timescale left and right. The Simulation»Camera»Center 

(Ctrl Shift Space) function will center the timescale at the current selected time. 

Click with the right mouse button anywhere within the window to see a pop-up context menu. 

The “play from here” choice will replay the simulation from the selected point, using the continuous 

animation control setting. The “synchronize” choice will synchronize the selected moment 

in the Timeline display with the simulation window and any of the other tracing windows 

available with the CERUN and GENER UI. 




2.10.5 Part / Stock Comparison 

Comparison between the design part and the inprocess 

stock is only available with a MRS (Material 

Removal Simulation) license available and 

enabled via the SIM button on the GENER and CERUN launch panels. The MRS license provides 

the added functionality to compute the effect of the cutting process of the tool on the rough 

stock. The resultant shape is called the “in-process stock”. 

The left-most of the circled buttons above toggles the display of the in-process stock. The two 

buttons to its immediate right toggle the display of Boolean Overcut (gouge) and Boolean 

Undercut (excess) material. The gouge and excess calculations are done using an exact comparison 

between in-process stock and its associated part. These associations must first be setup using 

the “Associated Part” setting in the Simulation»Stock (Ctrl Alt S shortcut) dialog (on page 18). 

The Boolean excess and overcut results can sometimes 

be misleading, since it can be difficult to judge 

the thickness of the excess or gouge material. VM 

provides a Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q shortcut) 

color graduated part/stock comparison feature to 

address this issue. The comparison colorization 

settings are applied only to gouge and excess material, 

which must first be enabled by selecting one or both 

of the Boolean Overcut and Boolean Undercut filters. 

Select the Colorized Boolean filter (second from right 

in the circled buttons above) to compute and view the 

results. 

The comparison is done by sampling the surface of 

the gouge and/or excess material, and computing the 

shortest distance to the part. The distance is then used 

to assign a fixed or graduated color, as defined using 

the various options of the Compare dialog. If the sample size is small, or the part very large, the 

colorization process may take a long time to compute. The comparison can be cancelled at any 

time, in which case the displayed results will be incomplete (but perhaps still useful). 

When viewing the gouge material in combination with either the part or the in-process stock, it 

helps to select the part with the mouse so that its surface becomes transparent, allowing the 

gouged material surface to be seen. 


3 Creating Virtual Machine Models with QUEST 

Creating Virtual Machine Models with Quest 

This section describes how to create and maintain Virtual Machine models using the ICAM 

QUEST Developer‟s System. It explains how to define the kinematics (i.e., axes) of the CNC 

machine, how to flesh out the model by creating and/or importing machine components and 

enabling or disabling collision testing of these components, and how to customize the model to 

support special features. 

You should familiarize yourself with the following topics to effectively build VM machine 

models. Each of these topics is discussed in the sections that follow. 

� QUEST User Interface (on page 36) 

� Basic Model Requirements (on page 38) 

� Creating a Virtual Machine Model (on page 39) 

� Adding Kinematics to the Model (on page 42) 

� Adding Physical Entities to the Model (on page 46) 

� Collision Testing (on page 49) 

� Selection Groups (on page 53) 

� Customizing the Model (on page 54) 

� Testing the Model (on page 55) 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Creating Virtual Machine Models with Quest 

Quest User Interface 

3.1 QUEST User Interface 

The QUEST user interface consists of three main windows (see the image on page 35). 

1. The left hand window is the Navigator, which is used to view the list of models in a database 

as well as to access the different information components of a model. Select the “Database” 

tab at the bottom of the navigator window to see the list of databases. Individual models can 

be read into QUEST from a database so they can be viewed or modified. Each model, once 

loaded, can be accessed by selecting its named tab at the bottom of the navigator window. 

The Help tab in the Information window displays information about the entry selected in the 

Navigator. Double-click on a section entry in the Navigator window to make changes to that 

section. 

2. The upper right window is the Main working window. This window will change to show the 

machine model, lists of questions, dialog panels, macros, etc., resulting from selections made 

in the Navigator. Most of your interaction with QUEST will occur in the main window. You 

can press the F1 function key to obtain context sensitive on-line help on how to use the main 

window. 

3. The lower right window is the Information window. This window holds various types of 

information, each of which can be accessed by selecting one of the organizational tabs arranged 

along the bottom edge of the window. Most of the time, QUEST will automatically select 

the proper tab for you based on the last feature or action requested. The tab names and 

their purpose are as follows: 

� The Help tab provides detailed help when the Main window focus is on a question, or 

when a section is selected in the Navigator window. 

� The Build tab lists informational and diagnostic messages when they occur. You can often 

double-click on a diagnostic message to address the problem in the Main window. 

� The Finder tab lists the results of the last search operation. You can double-click on any 

line listed in this window to change the Main window focus to the selected item. Use F4 

and Shift-F4 to sequentially shift the Finder window focus (and indirectly the Main window 

focus) forwards and backwards through the list of items found. 

� The Diffs tab lists the differences between two selected models. You can double-click on 

any line with a solid arrow to change the Main window focus to the selected item. 

� The Axes tab contains sliders that can be used to exercise the axes of the model. It also 

has buttons to exercise the spindle(s) and reset axes to their default state. 

The menu-bar at the top of the application window provides access to QUEST functions. Not all 

menu actions are available at all times. For example, some database actions are only available 

when a database or model is selected in the navigator. Other menu actions are related to the 

macro and dialog editors. These actions will only be available when a macro or dialog is being 

edited. Keyboard shortcuts are available for some common menu actions (the shortcut key is 

listed in the menus to the right of the menu item). 

The most common menu actions are also available through toolbar shortcuts (the little icons 

arranged below the menu-bar). Toolbars are dockable, meaning that they can be dragged to any 



Quest User Interface 

side of the application window, or even be made to appear as a separate window. Like the menubar 

selections they represent, toolbar icons may not be selectable at all times. 

The right-mouse button can be used to bring up a pop-up menu (context sensitive menu), listing 

the most common menu choices that can be made in the current window or on the item last 

selected. Pop-up menus also provide access to modal display and processing options. This 

feature is highly recommended, since it lists the most common actions based on the current 

context. 

The vertical splitter bar can be used to increase or decrease the width of the Navigator window. 

The horizontal splitter bar likewise determines how the main working window and informational 

window share the full application window height. You can double-click on the splitter bar to 

quickly reset it to its last position. 

Interface differences between Developer and Run-time Environments 

The Virtual Machine interface used in QUEST is nearly identical to the one used in CERUN and 

GENER, with the following differences. 

� QUEST does not include the Tool/Holder dialog, nor does it include the Stock/Fixture/Part 

dialog, nor is it concerned with Fixture/Length/Diameter compensations. These types of 

information are stored (using CERUN or GENER) in the verification setup (.vsw) file associated 

with the part program. 

� QUEST is primarily concerned with machine components and kinematics, which are 

stored in the database (.dbf) file as a part of the model. QUEST also stores the preferred 

Grid setup, Lighting arrangement and predefined camera positions with the model. Selecting 

the Reset button in Lighting and Grid dialogs inside QUEST resets to safe defaults. 

� CERUN and GENER on the other hand cannot change the model or its kinematics. They 

use the Grid, Lighting and camera definitions from the model as default values. Changes 

made in CERUN and GENER to these features are saved in the verification setup (.vsw) 

file. Selecting the Reset button in Lighting and Grid dialogs inside CERUN and GENER resets 

these functions to their model defaults. 

� QUEST shares the same “heads-up” display dialog as CERUN and GENER. The HUD 

schemes are stored in the Windows Registry. QUEST is only concerned with the current 

selected HUD colors and fonts, which it uses during interactive component creation. You 

can edit or change schemes from within QUEST (as you would from CERUN and GENER). 



Basic Model Requirements 

3.2 Basic Model Requirements 

It is a common but true dictum that the accuracy of a result depends on the accuracy of the data 

used to determine the result – or more plainly: garbage in, garbage out. Using a rough approximation 

of the machine work envelope will reduce the effectiveness of the simulation. There is 

little comfort knowing that a collision probably did not occur. However, using a rough approximation 

of the machine enclosure (or omitting it entirely) is perfectly valid, if you do not intend to 

test for collisions against the roughly defined object. 

The first step is to know what to model and what not to model. The answer is quite simple: 

� Only model components of the machine that are to be collision tested. 

You should carefully and accurately model the table and any devices that are normally attached 

to the table. You should model the spindle face and any devices that are attached to it if they can 

get in the way of the work. If your work area is enclosed and you are concerned with collisions, 

then you should model this area too. Modeling the tool changer, the stand-alone power supply, 

chip conveyor, and so on bring a certain degree satisfaction, but they add nothing to the accuracy 

of the result you are trying to achieve, which is to detect collisions. 

VM models are built up from components, all attached together on a kinematics chain. Simple 

rectangular, cylindrical, conical, spherical, revolved and swept volume components can be 

created with VM‟s construction features. Components can also be imported as STL objects from 

a CAD system. VM is not a CAD system; VM relies on your CAD system to prepare model 

components, which can then be imported as STL files. 

Curved components are represented in VM as a series of closely meshed triangles. Even simple 

objects, such as a cube, are built of many triangles (a cube requires 12). The more triangles a 

component is constructed with, the longer it will take for VM to perform collision testing, and 

also the longer it will take for the component to be drawn in the simulation window. This leads 

us to the next important maxim: 

� Use reasonably coarse faceting for cylindrical and STL components. 

Models with hundreds of thousands of triangular facets will have poor rendering (drawing) 

performance and might have poor collision performance. VM surrounds each component with a 

simplified box that it uses in a form of pre-test for collisions, and only looks at the triangles 

inside the box if necessary. A model with components that are defined localized (not spread out) 

will have much better collision testing performance than one whose components are not. For 

example, modeling the entire enclosure of the machine in a single STL will ensure that every 

triangle of the enclosure will be tested on every motion (and in fact, many times for each motion). 

It is better to model the enclosure in sections: left, right, top and so on. 

If a computerized model of the machine cannot be obtained from your machine tool builder, then 

you will have to create the model components yourself. If your machine can be modeled using 

the simple primitives described earlier, then you will not need the assistance of a CAD system. 

Complex curved surfaces can only be created with the assistance of a CAD system capable of 

exporting an STL file. 


3.3 Creating a Virtual Machine Model 


Creating a Virtual Machine Model 

You create a new model using the 

File»New»New Model drop down menu 

selection. A model can be developed from 

scratch by selecting the “Blank” menu suboption 

(Ctrl M shortcut). A model can be 

developed based on information previously entered for a 

CAM-POST post-processor by selecting the “From Existing Post” menu sub-option. Similarly, a 

model can be developed based on information previously entered for an ICAM Control Emulator 

by selecting the “From Existing CE” menu sub-option. 

Regardless of how the model is created, the Main work window will then change to show a short 

list of questions. 

General Information 

Your first action should be to give 

the new model a unique name. This 

is the name that you will later use 

with CERUN and GENER to identify 

the machine model (see “Selecting 

a Virtual Machine Model” on page 

6). The model name and model ID 

number follow the exact same 

naming convention as that used for 

ICAM post-processors and control 

emulators (i.e., alphabetic first 

character, up to 31 additional 

alphabetic, numeric and/or underscore 

“_” characters, followed by an optional ID number in the range 1-999999). The model 

name/ID combination must not conflict with a post processor or control emulator name/number 

combination already in use in the database. 

Next, choose the type of machine from the list of selected types. Currently VM supports contouring, 

milling and turning type machines. The choice of contouring or milling machine type has no 

effect at all on the model. Selecting a lathe machine type though will activate additional features 

in VM to handle lathe turrets, live tooling and spindles that can switch between turning and 

cutting modes. 

The model units system defines the default unit of measure to be used when constructing components. 

It need not match the units of the post processor or control emulator. You should select 

the same unit system that is used in the drawings and diagrams of your machine. 

Important note: You should not change the model units once you have already started 

building the model. This is because the model dimensions will be reinterpreted using the 

new units value, resulting in a scaling of the model. If you really must change the model 

units, then follow these steps: 1) Use the model navigator to select the entire model and 




cut it into the paste buffer. 2) Change the model units. 3) Use the model navigator to 

paste the contents of the buffer back. 

Comments 

The Comments section provides a rudimentary Notepad style editor that can be used for your 

own purposes. Anything you type in this section will be saved with the model. It is recommended 

that updates to the model be documented in the Comments section. This will help in later 

identifying different revisions of a model in the database. 

3D Models»Machines 

Next, you should open the “Machines” entry in the Model 

Navigator window (as shown at right). Either double-click 

on the Machines entry, or right mouse click on the entry and 

select Open from the context pop-up menu. In either case, a 

view of the model world, with a default grid (and default 

lighting) will appear in the upper right work area. 

You should now adjust the grid size so that it can comfortably 

contain the footprint of the machine model. Select 

Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G shortcut) from the menu bar to 

bring up the Grid dialog. 

A moderately oversized grid 

generally provides a pleasing 

visual effect. Do not use an 

undersized grid, since this 

will adversely affect image 

rendering. The grid size is 

defined by minimum and 

maximum values, which are 

applied to the world X and Y 

axes. The grid zero point is 

also the default model zero 

point. The grid subdivision 

size is for visual effect only 

(it gives the floor some 

substance) but be aware that 

too fine a grid will slow 

down the rendering speed. 

The snap-to-grid setting can 

be of some aid during interactive creation of components. 




Grid visibility can be controlled either from the 

buttons shown circled on the VM Grid toolbar at 

left, or from the Simulation»Show menu-bar. 

Grids can be shown for the XY, YZ and ZX 

planes, with respect to the base frame of the model, but this can be changed by selecting a 

different frame of interest from the drop-down list on the VM Grid toolbar. 

The origin of the grid is the point around which the camera will rotate by default, unless another 

object is selected as the camera pivot point using Simulation»Camera»Pivot (Ctrl P shortcut) 

from the menu bar. The grid origin does not have to be below the machine. It is perfectly valid to 

set up a grid origin at the stock mount point of the machine. This is strictly a matter of personal 

preference. 

Grid settings are stored with the model in the database. 

You should next reset the default lighting to respect the new grid size. Select Simulation»Lights 

(Ctrl Alt L shortcut) from the menu bar to bring up the Lighting dialog. See “Adjusting Lighting” 

on page 17 for details on how to adjust the lighting. 

Select the Reset button to setup a default lighting scheme to match the grid size. You should wait 

until your machine begins taking shape before further adjusting the lighting. 

Light settings are stored with the model in the database. When the Reset button is used in QUEST, 

the lighting resets to the default 3-light configuration shown below. When the Reset button is 

used in CERUN and GENER, the lighting will reset to the settings stored with the model. 



Adding Kinematics to the Model 

3.4 Adding Kinematics to the Model 

The machine kinematics must be constructed one axis at a time. Adding the kinematics framework 

first and then attaching the physical components to this framework afterwards is one 

suggested methodology. It is also possible to do the reverse, or to build the components and 

kinematics together. 

The placement of axes in the model navigator is very 

important. For example, connecting a Y-axis onto an X-axis 

produces a very different result from the reverse. When Y is 

connected to X, the Y-axis (and its zero point) move as the 

X-axis is moved, but moving Y has no effect on X. This 

configuration would be used for most gantry mills, or for a 

Y table on X table type machine. The reverse, connecting X 

on to Y would cause the X-axis origin to be moved when 

moving the Y-axis. A second example could be a dual Caxis/A-axis 

rotary head. The A-axis must be connected on to 

the C-axis to get the correct effect of a change in C causing 

the A-axis orientation to change. 

Unless the model was created from a post or CE, the model axes will not be automatically 

associated to their corresponding axes in GENER and CERUN. You must make the association 

using the Axis Mapping tab of the machine‟s Properties dialog (e.g., Machine01) in the Model 

Navigator (the properties dialog is described later in this section). 

To summarize: Axes are connected in chains, each one having an effect on all subsequent axes 

farther (lower) down in the chain, and having no effect on any axes closer (higher) up in the 

chain. At the highest point 

is the machine origin. 

There are usually multiple 

chains of axes branching 

out from the machine 

origin. One chain ends at 

the tool axis on the spindle 

face; the other ends at the 

stock axis (or work piece 

origin) on the table. The 

terminology “lower” and 

“higher” refers to how the 

axes and components are 

listed in the Model 

Navigator. 

Before proceeding, you 

should open the sample 

models that are included 

with the software and 

examine the order in which the axes were defined and the effect this has on machine motion. 




The MHERML50 model, for an example, defines a machine with a C-axis rotary table, mounted 

on an A-axis trunnion table, mounted on the machine base. The Z-axis column is mounted on an 

X-axis rail, in turn mounted on a Y-axis gantry. For the head assembly, the Y-axis is connected 

closest to the machine origin. Moving the Y-axis causes the X and Z axes to move, along with 

the tool. Moving the Z-axis leaves the X and Y axes unchanged. This machine model also 

defines a number of other axes, which do interesting things like control the doors and position 

the operator‟s pendant. These additional axes follow the same rules. 

The following axes types can be created using the Simulation»Construct Axis menu bar selection 

(and also from the buttons on the VM Construct toolbar shown circled above): 

� Linear defines X, Y and Z axes slides 

� Rotary defines A, B and C axes tables and heads 

� Curve defines axes which move along a profile 

� Tool defines where tools are mounted 

� Stock defines where fixtures and parts are mounted 

� Head defines where removable head attachments are mounted 

� A Reference axis doesn‟t control motion; it is used to group related components 

All axes share some common parameters (a description 

of all axes parameters can be found starting on 

page 96). 

An axis Name should be a short meaningful string. 

The name is used in the lower right “Axes” window 

and in the Model Navigator to identify the axis. 

The Unit selection by default will match the model 

units. This defined the units of measure for position 

and range information. 

The Position of an axis defines where its origin is, in 

respect to the object to which the axis is attached. 

Axes attached to the base machine are defined in 

relation to the grid origin. The Direction of an axis 

can be along one of the major axes. Typically, axes that move the part have a reversed sign and 

those that move the tool have a normal sign. You can enter a “Custom” orientation, by giving the 

axis‟ XYZ components of positive motion. The Range of an axis defines the limits of its motion. 

The Default position specifies the axis setting when the model is opened. 

You can Slave one axis to another by selecting a parent axis in the drop-down choice list. When 

an axis is slaved, its position is controlled by the parent axis‟ position, multiplied by the signed 

Scaling factor. A slaved axis will not have its own slider control in the lower right “Axes” 

window; a slaved axis can only be moved by moving its parent axis. 




Axes can be oriented by selecting the Rotate button. This causes a rotation of the XYZ reference 

axes for the current axis and all objects that are attached to it. Linear and Rotary axes should not 

need to be rotated; use the Custom direction selection to define a non-standard orientation. 

When you add a new axis, it will appear in the Model Navigator attached as a child (below) the 

object that was selected in the Navigator when the axis was created. You can move the axis to a 

new position in the Navigator by first selecting it with the mouse, then, while holding the leftmouse 

button down, dragging it to a new attachment point before releasing the mouse button. 

You can change the order of objects listed at any given level by holding the Ctrl key down while 

pressing the up and down arrow keys. 

The axis name will also appear in the lower right “Axes” window. Axes are listed in this window 

in the same order that they appear (top down) in the model navigator view. Move the axis slider 

to see its full range of motion (sliders for rotary axes with unlimited travel sliders are limited to 

�360ºdegrees). Press the right-mouse button on the slider to reset the axis to its default position. 

Press the Reset All Axes button to reset all of the axes to their default positions. 

Do the following to add a C-axis table rotary mounted on an X-axis table: 

Step 1: Create the X-axis 

� Select Simulation»Construct Axis»Linear Axis. 

� Press the Tab key three times to accept a default position 

of (0,0,0) for the X-axis origin. The Linear Axis 

properties dialog will appear. 

� Select “-X Axis” for the axis direction. 

� Choose -1500 and 1500 for the Min and Max axis 

range values. 

� Press OK. 

Enable the kinematics and axes marker displays in the VM Grid toolbar (also controllable from 

the Simulation»Show menu). Select the lower-right “Axes” window and experiment by moving 

the X-axis slider. You should see the X-axis origin coordinate frame moving along its range of 

travel (shown as a narrow blue band) with respect to the grid origin. Expand the model navigator 

(left hand window) to see the current model tree, which should look like the image above. 

Step 2: Create the C-axis. 

� Make sure that the “X-axis” entity is selected in the Model Navigator view. 

� Select Simulation»Construct Axis»Rotary Axis. 

� Press the Tab key three times to accept a default position 

of (0,0,0) for the C axis origin. The Rotary Axis 

properties dialog will appear. 

� Select “–Z Axis” for rotation axis. 

� Clear the Use range validation check box to have 

unlimited rotation (no travel limitation) for this axis. 

� Press OK. 




Two axes will now be listed in the lower-right “Axes” window. Move the X-axis and C-axis 

sliders to see the effect on the C-axis coordinate frame. The model navigator should appear as 

shown above. 

If non-zero values are used for the axes positions, objects attached to them will be in relation to 

the offset position. The choice to use zero values (as done here) or to define axes at some position 

(e.g., at the table face) depends on how the physical components of the model will be 

defined (discussed in the next section). 

Step 3: Associate axes with GENER 

Creating the X-axis and C-axis defines them in the model, but if you ran a post processor or 

control emulator with this model, neither of these axes would move. You must manually define 

the association between model axes and the list of possible axes that CERUN and GENER can 

control. You do this by selecting the Properties dialog of the top-level machine object (typically 

“Machine01” unless renamed). 

� Right-mouse on the “Machine01” 

entry and select Property. 

� Select the Axis Mapping tab. 

� Double-click in the Model Axis 

column in the X Axis row and 

then choose “X Axis” (the 

model axis name). 

� Do the same for the C Table 

axis, choosing “C Table Axis” 

in the Model Axis drop-down. 

� Select OK. 

Manually associating model axes to 

their CERUN and GENER counterparts 

provides flexibility both in axis naming and in the orientation of standard axes. For example, a 

horizontal machine model might use an X-axis to control the Z-axis column; in which case the Zaxis 

control axis would map to the X-axis model axis. 

On machines with multiple controller channels, there can be multiple axes of the same type. For 

example, on a 4-axis merging lathe there will be two X axes and two Z axes. In this case, you 

must create a second channel and assign the model‟s secondary turret X and Z axes to the 

channel 2 X and Z controllable axes. 

Lastly, if there are multiple spindles defined in the model, then they must be assigned as milling 

or turning spindles for the appropriate channel. A milling spindle must also be assigned for VM 

to correctly simulate boring bars and other 3D tool shapes. 



Adding Physical Entities to the Model 

3.5 Adding Physical Entities to the Model 

Once you have defined the kinematics framework of your machine, you are now ready to add 

physical entities such as tables, heads, bases, etc. These objects give substance to your model so 

it can be seen, but more importantly, it is the physical entities of the model on which collision 

testing is performed. 

Entities are attached to axes or other entities in the same way that axes are attached to each other 

and the machine. Objects that are attached to moving axes will move when that axis moves. 

Sometimes, a physical entity on the machine will have some of its parts attached to one axis and 

the remainder attached to another axis. For example, a rotary table base would be attached to one 

axis (e.g., a linear axis), while the table itself would be attached to the rotary axis (so it rotates 

when the rotary axis moves). Another example: An X-axis table would be attached to the X-axis, 

but the guide-ways and base would be attached to the world. 

All entities are located in terms of an XYZ offset from their parent object. An offset of zero 

would place the entity origin at the same position as the parent object‟s origin. In the examples to 

this point, the axes have been defined at the machine origin. Doing so allows us to define geometry 

in terms of the machine coordinate frame. If machine dimensions are relative to some other 

position, then you should create a “Reference Axis” attached to the “Machine01” object and 

define the offset to the reference point used by the machine tool builder. All other objects should 

then be defined in the tree leading out from the reference axis. 

The following entity types can be created using the Simulation»Construct Entity menu bar 

selection (and also from the buttons on the VM Construct toolbar shown circled above): 

� A Cube is a box defined by its width, length and height. 

� A Cylinder is defined by a length and radius at each end. 

� A Cone is also defined by a length and radius at each end. 

� A Sphere is defined by a radius. 

� A Revolved is a 2D profile shape revolved about its local Z-axis. 

� An Extruded is a 2D profile shape extruded along its local Z-axis. 

� A Mesh is an STL object imported from the CAD/CAM system. 

� A Picture is a bitmap image. 

All entities share some common parameters (a description of entity parameters can be found 

starting on page 96). 

Do the following to add a base, X table and C rotary table entities to the kinematics model 

constructed in the previous section: 


Step 1: Create the base 



� Select “Machine01” in the model navigator so that the base will be defined attached to 

the machine. 

� Select Simulation»Construct Entity»Cube 

� Type the following: 

–1500 Enter –500 Enter 0 Enter 

3000 Enter 1000 Enter 200 Enter 

� The Cube properties dialog will then appear. 

Type “Base” as the entity name. 

� Select the Material button and select or create 

a material color (e.g., black plastic looks nice 

for a base). 

� Press OK. 

Step 2: Create the sliding table 

� Select “X Axis” in the model navigator so that the sliding table will be defined attached 

to the X-axis of the machine. It will then move when the X-axis moves. 

� Select Simulation»Construct Entity»Cube 


–1550 Enter –550 Enter 200 Enter 


� Type “Shroud” as the entity name. 


a material color (e.g., silver has a nice metallic 

look). 

� Press OK. 

Step 3: Create the rotary table 

� Select “C Table Axis” in the model navigator so that the rotary table will be defined attached 

to the C-axis. It will then move when the C-axis moves (and when the X-axis 

moves because C is attached to X). 

� Select Simulation»Construct Entity» 

Cylinder 



500 Enter 50 Enter 

� Type “TableTop” as the entity name. 


a material color (e.g., pewter). 

� Press OK. 




After these three steps are complete, the model and navigator should look like the image shown 

below. Select the table top in the Model Navigator and then use the X and C axes sliders on the 

lower right Axes tab to position and rotate the C-axis table. 


3.6 Collision Testing 

The model as defined so far does not have collision testing 

enabled. Without collision testing of the model, VM will not 

detect when a tool, part or fixture touches a component of 

the machine. However, even with model collision testing 

disabled, VM will continue to check for collisions and 

gouging between the tool and the part, in-process stock and 

fixtures. 


Collision Testing 

Setting collision testing for the entire model is a simple step. 

Right-mouse on the “Machine01” machine object and select 

the “Test for collision” menu entry. When the Collision 

dialog appears, first select the “Entire branch” radio button, 

then select the “Enable” check box, and finally press OK to 

set the collision status. A green dot will now be shown in the model navigator in front of each 

physical component of the model. This green dot indicates that collision testing is enabled for 

that component; a red dot would be shown if collision testing is disabled. Note: if you have been 

following the steps up to this point in the manual, the model will now appear in a transparent red 

color signifying that its objects are colliding. This will be explained in “Collision Exclusion 

Groups” on page 51. 

Collision testing takes CPU. Model performance can be improved by only testing for collisions 

on objects that are of concern. You can select individual components or a range of components 

to apply or remove collision testing. 

To apply or remove collision testing; right-mouse on the highest component (hierarchically 

speaking) of interest in the navigator and select the “Test for collision” menu entry. You can 

enable or disable collision testing on a range of components in the model, starting at the selected 

component, as follows: 

� Current selection: Sets the collision testing status for the object that was selected. This 

choice is only available if the selected object is a physical component. 

� Current selection and direct children: Sets the collision testing status for the object that 

was selected and all objects directly below it (i.e., a single level only). This choice is only 

available if one or more of the objects (i.e., selected or children) are physical components. 

� Branch to any axis: Sets the collision testing status for the object that was selected and 

all objects in the branch below it, but no further in the branch than any axis component. 

Note that a Reference Axis is an “axis” by definition. This choice is only available if at 

least one of the objects in the branch is a physical component. 

� Branch to movable axis: Sets the collision testing status for the object that was selected 

and all objects in the branch below it, but no further in the branch than any movable axis 

component. Note that a Reference Axis is not a movable axis. This choice is only available 

if at least one of the objects in the branch is a physical component. 

� Entire branch: Sets the collision testing status for the object that was selected and all 

objects in the branch below it. This choice is only available if at least one of the objects 

in the branch is a physical component. 




The following entries on the dialog will be applied to the range of components selected by your 

choice above: 

� Enable: Set or clear this check box to enable or disable collision testing on the selected 

objects. When multiple objects are involved, a third “grayed” state is available for the 

button, which can used to change the safety distance for collision-enabled objects without 

affecting the collision state of the objects in the branch. 

� Safety zone: Use this field to specify a safe clearance distance around collision enabled 

objects. A collision will be signaled when another object intersects with the safety zone, 

which is offset from the original surface by the distance specified. Safety zone testing can 

use considerably more CPU, so use this feature only where necessary. You can see the effect 

of the safety zone around objects by toggling Simulation»Show»Safety Zones from 

the menu bar. This field will be blank if the selected objects have different safety settings. 

The collision testing status and safety zone value can also be viewed and modified from the 

Properties dialog of physical components. 

VM tests for collisions only between objects that can move with respect to each other. Another 

way of saying it is that VM tests for collisions only between objects that are separated from each 

other in the model navigator by a movable axis (i.e., linear, rotary or curve). A collision occurs 

when two such objects touch or overlap each other. 

Objects are drawn in a red transparent color when colliding, with a highlighted yellow line 

marking the intersection between the surfaces of the colliding objects. If the safety zone around 

the object is violated, then the safety zone is drawn in a yellow transparent color, with a highlighted 

yellow line marking the intersection between the safety zone surface and the surface of 

the object that is too close. 

Collision testing takes CPU time. Safety zone testing can take considerably more CPU time. You 

should disable collision testing for any objects where collision testing is not required. 

3.6.1 Collision Groups 

All objects that are enabled for collision testing are also 

listed in one of the collision groups that can be found in the 

navigator window under the Groups»Collision header. 

When objects are first enabled for collision, they are added 

to the first collision group in this section – “Collision 

Group001” by default. Objects can also be enabled for 

collision by dragging them from the Machines or Heads 

sections of the model navigator to a particular collision 

group, or to the Groups»Collision header, which will create 

a new group containing the dragged object. You can hold 

the Ctrl key down when dragging to also include all dependent 

objects in the model navigator tree. 

Multiple collision groups can be created for your own organizational purposes, but an object can 

only appear in a single collision group at a time. Objects can be easily dragged from one collision 

group to the next. 




Delete an object from the collision group to 

disable collision testing on that object. You can 

also delete the collision group itself, which disables 

collision testing on all objects that were in 

that group. Finally, you can open the Properties of 

a collision group and disable the collision property 

of the group. This has the same effect as though the group was deleted (i.e., collision testing will 

be disabled on all objects listed), without actually affecting the collision enabled/disabled state of 

the objects themselves. This can be very useful for “what if?” testing of the collision behavior of 

the model. 

3.6.2 Collision Exclusion Groups 

In the example machine created to this point, the physical components are touching (i.e., the base 

touches the shroud, and the shroud touches the rotary table). When collision testing is enabled on 

these objects, they are then displayed as colliding. One way to avoid this problem is to change 

the physical definition of objects such that they do not overlap or touch, but this may not always 

be practical or even possible. VM has a “collision exclusion” feature that provides a much better 

way of handling this problem. 

With collision exclusion, you can tell VM to ignore collisions between groups of related objects. 

For example, you could group all of the elements of the base of the machine in one exclusion 

group, and all of the objects of the head of the machine in another exclusion group. VM will not 

test for collisions between any objects that reside in the same group, but it will continue to test 

for collisions between those objects and all other collision enabled objects. 

Collision exclusion groups can be found in the navigator window under the Groups»Exclusion 

header. You create a new group by dragging an object to the Groups»Exclusion header. You add 

objects to an existing group by dragging them to the group header. You can also drag an entire 

collision group to the exclusion group header to create a new exclusion group. You can create as 

many groups as are necessary to handle the collision exclusion requirements of your model. The 

same object can appear in multiple exclusion groups. Objects and entire groups can be deleted to 




remove collision exclusion relationships. Finally, 

you can open the Properties of a collision exclusion 

group and disable the exclusion property of 

the group. This has the same effect as though the 

group was deleted, which can be useful for “what 

if?” testing. 

GENER and CERUN automatically perform collision exclusion on any objects that are colliding 

when the model is first loaded. So left unchanged, the example machine model defined to this 

point will properly appear in Gener or CeRun without the base, shroud and table being marked as 

colliding. However, it is better practice to not rely on this feature, but instead create exclusion 

groups based on your own understanding of how the model behaves. To do so for the example 

model, simply drag the “Collision Group001” to the Groups»Exclusion thereby creating a new 

“Exclusion Group001”. 


3.7 Selection Groups 

Selection groups are used to combine various objects into a 

group, so that selecting any one object in the group has the 

same effect as selecting all of the objects in the group. Grouping 

related objects in selection groups makes it easier in 

GENER and CERUN to select and hide (or unhide) a component 

of the machine. 

For example, in the sample machine created to this point, the 

Shroud and Base objects could be grouped together into a 

single selection group, so that at run-time the entire base of the 

machine could easily be hidden by a single click followed by a 

Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B shortcut) menu selection. 


Selection Groups 

Selection groups can be found in the navigator window under the Groups»Selection header. You 

create a new group by dragging an object to the Groups»Selection header. You add objects to an 

existing group by dragging them to the group header. You can also drag an entire collision or 

exclusion group to the selection group header to 

create a new selection group. You can create as 

many selection groups as are necessary to best 

represent the grouping of objects of your model. 

Note though that the same object cannot appear in 

multiple selection groups. Objects and entire 

groups can be deleted to remove the selection relationships. Finally, you can open the Properties 

of a selection group and disable the visibility property of the group, so that the group starts off 

hidden in GENER and CERUN. 

The grouping of objects can make it impossible to select and edit the properties of a particular 

object in the simulation window if it is grouped with other objects. For that reason, in QUEST 

only, selection grouping can be toggled on and off using the Simulation»Group Selection menu 

bar function (and also using the Group button shown circled above on the VM Construct 

toolbar). 



Customizing the Model 

3.8 Customizing the Model 

Models can be customized using the ICAM macro language to perform special actions. The 

sample MHERML50 model for example contains a startup macro that closes the front door at the 

start of processing. 

Model macros are not necessary for normal processing. 

Model macros are called when certain events occur, to allow for any special processing needed 

to keep the model up to date. Information about the event is passed to the model macro in the 

form of $P variables. The following macro types are available: 

� A Startup Macro is executed once at the start of 

processing. 

� A Shutdown Macro is executed once at the end of 

processing. 

� A Tape Event macro is executed each time a block 

of tape (i.e., MCD) is processed. 

� A Motion Event macro is executed each time the 

model is moved. 

� A Rapid Event macro is executed before a positioning 

motion. 

� A Feed Event macro is executed before all other interpolation 

motions. 

� A Load Tool Event macro is executed whenever the tool is changed. 

Model macros share the same macro environment as the post processor or control emulator, 

which gives them full access to system variables and user defined global variables. Model 

macros are somewhat restricted in that they cannot generate post processor commands or call 

matching macros that in turn generate post processor commands. 

Model event macros and simulation function are described starting on page 122. 


3.9 Testing the Model 


Testing the Model 

The Tools»Start GENER (Ctrl F9) and Tools»Start CERUN (Ctrl Shift F9) menu-bar selections 

provide a convenient method of running CERUN and GENER against a model currently being 

edited. When testing a model in this manner, it is not necessary to save the model before starting 

the test. The standard CERUN or GENER launch panel will appear. When it does, the default 

simulation database will show “QUEST – (Models in Memory)” and the model name drop-down 

selection will list all of the models out for editing. 

Any changes made to the model in QUEST while the test is running will not be seen until CERUN 

or GENER is restarted. 

Because the test feature does not require a saved model, you might be tempted to go long periods 

before saving. You are cautioned to save your work periodically to minimize loss of data caused 

by power outages or other serious problems. 

The Tools»Test and Tools»Retest menu bar selections cannot be used to test a model. 



Testing the Model 


4 Virtual Machine Reference 

Virtual Machine Reference 

This section describes the input controls (keys, keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions), toolbar 

menus, menu bar selections and macro customization features available with Virtual Machine. 

Reference Table of Contents 

4.1 Input Controls ...................................................................................................................... 65 

4.1.1 Standard Keyboard Mapping ..................................................................................... 65 

4.1.2 Construction Keyboard Mapping .............................................................................. 66 

4.1.3 Mouse Mapping ......................................................................................................... 66 

4.2 Toolbar ................................................................................................................................. 67 

4.2.1 View (CERUN & GENER only) ................................................................................ 67 

4.2.2 VM Construct (QUEST only) ................................................................................... 67 

4.2.3 VM Mode (CERUN & GENER only) ........................................................................ 69 

4.2.4 VM Grid .................................................................................................................... 70 

4.2.5 VM View ................................................................................................................... 71 

4.2.6 VM View Filter (CERUN & GENER only) ............................................................... 71 

4.2.7 VM Animation (CERUN & GENER only) ................................................................. 72 

4.2.8 VM Measure (CERUN & GENER only) .................................................................... 73 

4.3 Menu Bar .............................................................................................................................. 74 

4.3.1 Simulation»Virtual Machine (CERUN & GENER only) ........................................... 74 

4.3.2 Simulation»Controller (CERUN & GENER only) ..................................................... 74 

Simulation»Controller: Axes ..................................................................................... 74 

Simulation»Controller: Fixture Compensation .......................................................... 75 

Simulation»Controller: Tool Compensation.............................................................. 76 

Simulation»Controller: Time Line ............................................................................ 77 

4.3.3 Simulation»Mode (CERUN & GENER only) ............................................................ 78 

Simulation»Mode»Camera ........................................................................................ 78 

Simulation»Mode»Selection...................................................................................... 78 

Simulation»Mode»Measurement ............................................................................... 78 

4.3.4 Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part (CERUN & GENER only) ....................................... 79 

4.3.5 Simulation»Tools/Holders/Heads (Ctrl Alt T) (CERUN & GENER only) ................ 81 

Tools .......................................................................................................................... 81 

Lathe Tool Type ................................................................................................. 83 

Mill Tool Type ................................................................................................... 85 

Holders ....................................................................................................................... 87 

Profile Holder Type ............................................................................................ 88 

Generic Holder Type .......................................................................................... 89 

Heads ......................................................................................................................... 90 

4.3.6 Simulation»Construct Entity (QUEST only)............................................................. 91 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cube ........................................................................... 92 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cylinder ..................................................................... 92 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cone ........................................................................... 92 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Sphere ........................................................................ 93 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Virtual Machine Reference 


Simulation»Construct Entity»Revolved .................................................................... 93 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Extruded ..................................................................... 94 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Mesh........................................................................... 94 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Picture ........................................................................ 95 

4.3.7 Simulation»Construct Axis (QUEST only) ............................................................... 96 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Linear Axis ................................................................... 97 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Rotary Axis .................................................................. 97 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Curve Axis ................................................................... 98 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Tool Axis...................................................................... 99 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Stock Axis .................................................................. 100 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Head Axis ................................................................... 101 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Reference Axis ........................................................... 102 

4.3.8 Simulation»Camera ................................................................................................. 103 

Simulation»Camera»Fit (Ctrl Space) .................................................................... 103 

Simulation»Camera»Center (Ctrl Shift Space) ..................................................... 103 

Simulation»Camera»Pivot (Ctrl P) ........................................................................ 103 

Simulation»Camera»Attach ..................................................................................... 103 

Simulation»Camera»Perspective ............................................................................. 104 

Simulation»Camera»Front ....................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Back ....................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Top ......................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Bottom ................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Left ......................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Right ...................................................................................... 104 

Simulation»Camera»Speed (Ctrl + , Ctrl –) ............................................................ 104 

Simulation»Camera»View Angle (Shift + , Shift –) ............................................... 105 

Simulation»Camera»Load (Ctrl 0-9) ....................................................................... 105 

Simulation»Camera»Save (Ctrl Alt 0-9) ................................................................. 105 

Simulation»Camera»Reset ...................................................................................... 105 

4.3.9 Simulation»Show .................................................................................................... 106 

Simulation»Show»Wireframe ................................................................................. 106 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path (Ctrl T) (CERUN & GENER only) ............................ 106 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path as Overlay (Ctrl Shift T) (CERUN & GENER only) . 107 

Simulation»Show»Filters (CERUN & GENER only) ............................................... 107 

Simulation»Show»XY Plane Grid ........................................................................... 108 

Simulation»Show»YZ Plane Grid ........................................................................... 108 

Simulation»Show»ZX Plane Grid ........................................................................... 108 

Simulation»Show»Axes Marker .............................................................................. 108 

Simulation»Show»Kinematics ................................................................................ 108 

Simulation»Show»Safety Zones .............................................................................. 109 

Simulation»Show»Workpiece Coords (Ctrl W) (CERUN only) ............................ 109 

Simulation»Show»Display ...................................................................................... 109 

Simulation»Show»Next Display (Ctrl D) (CERUN & GENER only) ...................... 109 

Simulation»Show»Previous Display (Ctrl Shift D) (CERUN & GENER only) ....... 109 

4.3.10 Simulation»Measure ................................................................................................ 110 

4.3.11 Simulation»Use World CS (QUEST only).............................................................. 111 

4.3.12 Simulation»Group Selection (QUEST only) ........................................................... 111 




4.3.13 Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B) ........................................................................ 112 

4.3.14 Simulation»Show All/Rehide (Ctrl Alt B) .............................................................. 112 

4.3.15 Simulation»Invert Hide State (Ctrl Shift B) ............................................................ 112 

4.3.16 Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G) .................................................................................. 113 

4.3.17 Simulation»Lights (Ctrl Alt L) ................................................................................ 114 

4.3.18 Simulation»Materials (Ctrl Alt M) .......................................................................... 115 

4.3.19 Simulation»Display (Ctrl Alt D) ............................................................................. 116 

4.3.20 Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) ........................................................................... 117 

4.3.21 Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) ............................................................................. 118 

Animation Control Options ..................................................................................... 118 

Tool Path Options .................................................................................................... 118 

World Background Color Options ........................................................................... 119 

Backface Options ..................................................................................................... 119 

Miscellaneous Options ............................................................................................. 119 

4.3.22 Simulation»Open Setup (CERUN & GENER only) ................................................. 121 

4.3.23 Simulation»Save Setup (CERUN & GENER only) .................................................. 121 

4.4 Model Customization ........................................................................................................ 122 

4.4.1 The Macro Language ............................................................................................... 123 

4.4.1.1 Fundamentals of the Macro Language .................................................................... 123 

Basic Macro Syntax ................................................................................................. 124 

Macro Data Types .................................................................................................... 124 

Macro Variables ....................................................................................................... 126 

Detecting Data Type Mismatching ................................................................... 127 

Explicit Type Declaration (DECLAR) .................................................................... 127 

Array Declaration (RESERV) ................................................................................. 128 

Operators .................................................................................................................. 129 

Numeric, String and Sequence Operators ........................................................ 129 

Logical Operators ............................................................................................. 130 

Function Calls .......................................................................................................... 131 

External Functions ................................................................................................... 131 

4.4.1.2 Flow Control in a Macro ......................................................................................... 132 

The IF Block ............................................................................................................ 132 

The CASE Statement ............................................................................................... 133 

The WHILE Loop .................................................................................................... 133 

The REPEAT Loop .................................................................................................. 133 

The DO Loop ........................................................................................................... 134 

Exiting Loops (EXIT) .............................................................................................. 134 

Unconditional Jumps (JUMPTO) ............................................................................ 134 

Exiting a Macro (TERMAC) ................................................................................... 135 

Ending a Macro (ENDMAC) ................................................................................... 135 

4.4.1.3 Macro Invocation .................................................................................................... 135 

Enable/Disable Macro Matching (MATCH) ........................................................... 135 

Outputting the Matched Record (OUTPUT) ........................................................... 136 

4.4.1.4 Text File I/O from a Macro ..................................................................................... 136 

Opening a Text File (OPEN) ................................................................................... 136 

Closing a Text File (CLOSE) .................................................................................. 136 




Writing to a Text File (WRITE) .............................................................................. 137 

Reading from a Text File (READ) .......................................................................... 137 

Reading from a String Value (READ) ..................................................................... 137 

4.4.1.5 Other Macro Commands ......................................................................................... 138 

Outputting Error Messages (ERROR) ..................................................................... 138 

Calling other programs (SYSTEM) ......................................................................... 138 

4.4.1.6 String Format Specification ..................................................................................... 139 

Output String Format Specifications ....................................................................... 139 

Numeric Output Format ................................................................................... 139 

String Output Format ........................................................................................ 140 

Minor Word Output Format ............................................................................. 140 

Logical Output Format ..................................................................................... 141 

Wildcard Output Format ................................................................................... 141 

ASCII Value Output Format ............................................................................ 141 

Input String Format Specifications .......................................................................... 142 

Space Input Format Character .......................................................................... 142 

Exclamation Input Format Character ............................................................... 142 

Numeric Input Format ...................................................................................... 142 

String Input Format .......................................................................................... 143 

Minor Word Input Format ................................................................................ 143 

Logical Input Format ........................................................................................ 143 

Skip Character Input Format ............................................................................ 144 

Wildcard Input Format ..................................................................................... 144 

4.4.2 Model Startup/Shutdown Macros ............................................................................ 145 

4.4.2.1 The Model Startup Macro ....................................................................................... 145 

4.4.2.2 The Model Shutdown Macro ................................................................................... 145 

4.4.3 Model Event Macros ............................................................................................... 146 

4.4.3.1 The Tape Event Macro (GENER only) ................................................................... 146 

4.4.3.2 The Motion Event Macro ........................................................................................ 146 

4.4.3.3 The Rapid Event Macro .......................................................................................... 147 

4.4.3.4 The Feed Event Macro ............................................................................................ 147 

4.4.3.5 The Load Tool Event Macro ................................................................................... 147 

4.4.4 The Dialog Editor .................................................................................................... 148 

4.4.4.1 Adding and Deleting Dialogs .................................................................................. 148 

4.4.4.2 The Dialog Template Editor .................................................................................... 149 

4.4.5 Simulation Macro Functions ................................................................................... 152 

4.4.5.1 Function Summary .................................................................................................. 152 

4.4.5.2 Mathematical Functions .......................................................................................... 153 

The $FACOS Function ............................................................................................ 153 

The $FASIN Function ............................................................................................. 153 

The $FATAN Function ............................................................................................ 153 

The $FATAN2 Function .......................................................................................... 153 

The $FCOS Function ............................................................................................... 154 

The $FEXP Function ............................................................................................... 154 

The $FLN Function ................................................................................................. 154 

The $FLOG Function .............................................................................................. 154 

The $FSIN Function ................................................................................................ 154 




The $FSQRT Function ............................................................................................ 154 

The $FTAN Function .............................................................................................. 154 

4.4.5.3 Numerical Functions ............................................................................................... 155 

The $FABS Function ............................................................................................... 155 

The $FFRAC Function ............................................................................................ 155 

The $FINT Function ................................................................................................ 155 

The $FMAX Function ............................................................................................. 155 

The $FMIN Function ............................................................................................... 155 

The $FMOD Function ............................................................................................. 156 

The $FNINT Function ............................................................................................. 156 

The $FSIGN Function ............................................................................................. 156 

4.4.5.4 Geometric Functions ............................................................................................... 157 

The $FGLNXPL Function ....................................................................................... 157 

The $FGLSXSP Function ........................................................................................ 157 

The $FGPLPT3 Function ........................................................................................ 158 

4.4.5.5 Vector Functions ..................................................................................................... 159 

The $FVADD Function ........................................................................................... 159 

The $FVANG Function ........................................................................................... 159 

The $FVCROSS Function ....................................................................................... 160 

The $FVDOT Function ............................................................................................ 160 

The $FVLEN Function ............................................................................................ 160 

The $FVMULT Function ........................................................................................ 160 

The $FVNORM Function ........................................................................................ 160 

The $FVROTN Function ......................................................................................... 161 

The $FVSUB Function ............................................................................................ 161 

4.4.5.6 Matrix Functions ..................................................................................................... 162 

The $FMX Function ................................................................................................ 162 

The $FMXINV Function ......................................................................................... 163 

The $FMXMULT Function ..................................................................................... 163 

The $FMXTRFP Function ....................................................................................... 163 

The $FMXTRFV Function ...................................................................................... 163 

The $FMXTRSP Function ....................................................................................... 163 

4.4.5.7 Conversion Functions .............................................................................................. 164 

The $FATOF Function ............................................................................................ 164 

The $FCVINT Function .......................................................................................... 164 

The $FCVREAL Function ....................................................................................... 164 

The $FMAJOR Function ......................................................................................... 164 

The $FMINOR Function ......................................................................................... 165 

4.4.5.8 Conditional Functions ............................................................................................. 166 

The $FCHOOSE Function ....................................................................................... 166 

The $FIF Function ................................................................................................... 166 

The $FISNUM Function .......................................................................................... 167 

The $FISSEQ Function............................................................................................ 167 

The $FISSTR Function ............................................................................................ 167 

The $FISWRD Function .......................................................................................... 167 

The $FSWITCH Function ....................................................................................... 167 

4.4.5.9 Character and Sequence Functions .......................................................................... 169 




The $FCHAR Function............................................................................................ 169 

The $FEDIT Function .............................................................................................. 169 

The $FELEM Function ............................................................................................ 171 

The $FFIND Function ............................................................................................. 171 

The $FICHAR Function .......................................................................................... 172 

The $FINDEX Function .......................................................................................... 172 

The $FLEN Function ............................................................................................... 172 

The $FMATCH Function ........................................................................................ 172 

The $FSEQ Function ............................................................................................... 173 

The $FSUBSQ Function .......................................................................................... 173 

The $FSUBST Function .......................................................................................... 173 

The $FSWRIT Function .......................................................................................... 173 

The $FTOLOWR Function ...................................................................................... 174 

The $FTOUPER Function ....................................................................................... 174 

4.4.5.10 Command Line Functions ....................................................................................... 175 

The $FARGC Function............................................................................................ 175 

The $FARGV Function ........................................................................................... 175 

The $FPNAME and $FPVALUE Functions ........................................................... 175 

4.4.5.11 File and Directory Functions ................................................................................... 176 

The $FACCESS Function........................................................................................ 176 

The $FBASNAM Function...................................................................................... 177 

The $FCTIME Function .......................................................................................... 177 

The $FDIRNAM Function ...................................................................................... 177 

The $FEOF Function ............................................................................................... 178 

The $FGETCWD Function ...................................................................................... 178 

The $FSETCWD Function ...................................................................................... 178 

The $FSTAT Function ............................................................................................. 178 

4.4.5.12 Virtual Machine General Functions ........................................................................ 180 

The $FMSADPT Function ...................................................................................... 181 

The $FMSATA Function ......................................................................................... 181 

The $FMSBTC Function ......................................................................................... 181 

The $FMSCMRA Function ..................................................................................... 182 

The $FMSETC Function ......................................................................................... 182 

The $FMSGDCV Function...................................................................................... 182 

The $FMSGFCV Function ...................................................................................... 182 

The $FMSGLCV Function ...................................................................................... 183 

The $FMSGOUG Function ..................................................................................... 184 

The $FMSID Function ............................................................................................. 184 

Named Component ID ...................................................................................... 184 

Head Component ID ......................................................................................... 185 

Tool Component ID .......................................................................................... 185 

Stock Axis Component ID ................................................................................ 185 

Child Component ID ........................................................................................ 186 

The $FMSIDN Function .......................................................................................... 186 

The $FMSIDT Function .......................................................................................... 186 

The $FMSLCS Function.......................................................................................... 187 

The $FMSMAX Function........................................................................................ 187 




The $FMSMOVE Function ..................................................................................... 187 

The $FMSMSP Function ......................................................................................... 188 

The $FMSPCK Function ......................................................................................... 188 

The $FMSSDCV Function ...................................................................................... 188 

The $FMSSFCV Function ....................................................................................... 188 

The $FMSSLAV Function ...................................................................................... 189 

The $FMSSLCV Function ....................................................................................... 189 

The $FMSTRN Function ......................................................................................... 190 

4.4.5.13 Virtual Machine Channel Functions ........................................................................ 191 

The $FMSACH Function ........................................................................................ 191 

The $FMSDCH Function ........................................................................................ 192 

The $FMSGAX Function ........................................................................................ 192 

The $FMSGCH Function ........................................................................................ 192 

The $FMSNCH Function ........................................................................................ 193 

The $FMSRAX Function ........................................................................................ 193 

The $FMSWCH Function........................................................................................ 193 

4.4.5.14 Virtual Machine Probe and Collision Test Functions ............................................. 194 

The $FMSCEZ Function ......................................................................................... 195 

The $FMSGCS Function ......................................................................................... 195 

The $FMSLSR Function.......................................................................................... 196 

The $FMSPDAT Function ...................................................................................... 197 

The $FMSPPOS Function ....................................................................................... 197 

The $FMSPRID Function ........................................................................................ 198 

The $FMSPROB Function ...................................................................................... 198 

The $FMSVCL Function ......................................................................................... 199 

Single Component Collision Status .................................................................. 199 

Aggregate Component Collision Status ........................................................... 199 

Component Pair Collision Status...................................................................... 200 

4.4.5.15 Other Functions ....................................................................................................... 201 

The $FDIALOG Function ....................................................................................... 201 

The $FDIST Function .............................................................................................. 202 

The $FERSEV Function .......................................................................................... 202 

The $FERSTA Function .......................................................................................... 202 

The $FERTXT Function .......................................................................................... 202 

The $FGETDEF Function ....................................................................................... 202 

The $FGETENV Function ....................................................................................... 203 

The $FPAUSE Function .......................................................................................... 203 

The $FSORT Function ............................................................................................ 203 

4.4.6 Simulation Macro Variables .................................................................................... 205 

4.4.6.1 Variable Summary ................................................................................................... 205 

4.4.6.2 Variables Defining Constants .................................................................................. 206 

4.4.6.3 Virtual Machine Variables ...................................................................................... 207 

4.4.6.4 Machine & Workpiece Coordinate Variables ......................................................... 209 

4.4.6.5 Motion-Related Variables ....................................................................................... 210 

4.4.6.6 Cutter Compensation Variables ............................................................................... 213 

4.4.6.7 Tooling Variables .................................................................................................... 214 

4.4.6.8 MCD/Tape Variables .............................................................................................. 215 




4.4.6.9 Error Message Variables ......................................................................................... 216 

4.4.6.10 Miscellaneous Variables .......................................................................................... 217 


4.1 Input Controls 

4.1.1 Standard Keyboard Mapping 

Ctrl 

Alt 

Shift 

Key 

Virtual Machine Reference, Input Controls 

Standard Keyboard Mapping 

Description Menu 

■ 

Hide selected objects Sim»Hide Selection 

■ ■ B Invert hidden state for all objects Sim»Invert Hide State 

■ ■ Show all or re-hide hidden objects Sim»Show All/Rehide 

■ 

Cycle heads-up display in normal order Sim»Show»Next 

■ ■ D Cycle heads-up display in reverse order Sim»Show»Previous 

■ ■ Open Display dialog Sim»Display 

■ ■ G Open Grid dialog Sim»Grid 

■ ■ L Open Lights dialog Sim»Lights 

■ ■ M Open Materials dialog Sim»Material 

■ ■ O Open Options dialog Sim»Options 

■ P Set camera pivot to selected object Sim»Camera»Pivot 

■ 

■ ■ 

Q 

Toggle on-screen measurement tracking 

Open Compare dialog 

Sim»Compare… 

Sim»Compare 

■ ■ S Open Stock/Fixture/Part dialog Sim»Stock 

■ 

Toggle tool path trace Sim»Show»Tool Path 

■ ■ T Toggle tool path overlay trace Sim»Show»Tool Path as 

■ ■ Open Tool/Holder/Head dialog Sim»Tools 

■ W Toggle workpiece coordinate display Sim»Show»Workpiece 

■ 

■ ■ 

0-9 

Switch to one of 10 user-defined viewpoints 

Record one of 10 user-defined viewpoints 

Sim»Camera»Load 

Sim»Camera»Save 

■ 

■ ■ 

space 

Fit selected object in view 

Center camera on selected object 

Sim»Camera»Fit 

Sim»Camera»Center 

■ 

■ 

+ 

Increase default camera motion step size 

Increase camera view angle 

Sim»Camera»Speed � 

Sim»Camera»View � 

■ 

■ 

– 

Decrease default camera motion step size 

Decrease camera view angle 

Sim»Camera»Speed � 

Sim»Camera»View � 

■ 

� 

Pan camera forward 

Slowly pan camera forward 

■ 

� 

Pan camera backward 

Slowly pan camera backward 

Pan camera left 

■ 

■ 

� 

Slowly pan camera left 

Roll camera cclw to nearest 90° 

■ ■ Roll camera cclw 1° 

■ 

� 

Pan camera right 

Slowly pan camera right 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Virtual Machine Reference, Input Controls 

Construction Keyboard Mapping 

Ctrl 

Alt 

Shift 

Key 

Description Menu 

■ 

■ ■ 

� 

Roll camera clw to nearest 90° 

Roll camera clw 1° 

Page Pan camera upward 

■ Up Slowly pan camera upward 

Page Pan camera downward 

■ Down Slowly pan camera downward 

Selection: toggle replace/add selection 

■ 

Construction: toggle snap-to-grid 

Panning: switch to minimum speed 

Rotation: toggle look/turn around 

Selection: toggle Camera mode 

■ 

Measurement: toggle Camera mode 

Construction: toggle Camera mode 

Camera: toggle Selection mode 

4.1.2 Construction Keyboard Mapping 

Ctrl 

Alt 

Shift 

Key 

Description 

0-9 . Enter numeric value for current input field 

Backspace 

Remove last character entered into current input field 

– Toggle sign of current numeric input field 

Enter Set input field to mouse position (if empty) and advance to next field 

■ 

Tab 

Advance to next field 

Return to previous field 

Esc Cancel construction 

4.1.3 Mouse Mapping 

Mouse Button Description 

Left 

Selection: Select/Unselect object under cursor 

Measurement: Select object under cursor 

Camera: Rotate camera 

Construction: Set input field value(s) using mouse position 

Middle Pan left, right, upward and downward 

Right Pop-up context menu 

Wheel Pan forward and backward 


4.2 Toolbar 

Virtual Machine Reference, Toolbar 

View (CeRun & Gener only) 

Toolbars provide quick and easy access to the most commonly used controls. Toolbars can be 

activated or hidden using the Tools»Toolbar menu selection, which opens the Toolbars dialog. 

With CERUN and GENER, toolbars can also be activated or hidden using a right-mouse context 

menu from the application window background. Toolbars are dockable, meaning that you can 

drag a toolbar to any of the four sides of the main window. Toolbars can also be undocked by 

dragging them away from the sides (or by holding the Ctrl key). This section describes the 

Virtual Machine toolbars and their associated functions and short-cut keys. 

Not all toolbars and toolbar functions are available in all products. If a toolbar is not universally 

available, the applicable products are listed in the title. 

4.2.1 View (CERUN & GENER only) 

The View toolbar is one of the standard toolbars available with the CERUN and GENER 

UI. This toolbar has buttons that control the visibility of windows used to trace the inputs 

and outputs of the process. Two of these buttons are unique to VM, as follows: 

Simulation»Virtual Machine: Activates/deactivates the main simulation window. 

Simulation»Controller: Activates/deactivates the virtual controller window, which is 

used to jog axes, set tool and fixture compensation, as well as to replay the simulation at 

any point in time. 

4.2.2 VM Construct (QUEST only) 

Simulation»Use World CS: When selected, object coordinates are listed in world coordinates, 

originating from the center of the grids. When unselected, an object‟s coordinates 

are listed relative to its parent (i.e., in local coordinates). This button also affects 

the placement of objects copied from one place to another in the model navigator. When 

world coordinates are selected, the object retains its position despite being moved or copied 

from one place to another in the navigator hierarchy. When local coordinates are selected, 

the object is placed relative to its new parent at the same offset it was originally at 

relative to its old parent. 

Simulation»Group Selection: When selected, picking any component of a group will 

select the entire group. Objects can be grouped into larger components, for selection purposes, 

in the 3D Models»Groups»Selection section of the model navigator. 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Virtual Machine Reference, Toolbar 

VM Construct (Quest only) 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cube: Creates a cubic entity, given an XYZ origin and 

the width, length and height of the cube. Once created, the cube can be further rotated to 

the required orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cylinder: Creates a cylindrical entity, given an XYZ 

origin and the radius and height of the cylinder. Once created, the cylinder can be further 

rotated to the required orientation. The starting and ending radii can also be modified. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cone: Creates a conical entity, given an XYZ origin, 

base radius and height of the cone. Once created, the cone can be further rotated to the 

required orientation. The starting and ending radii can also be modified. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Sphere: Creates a spherical entity, given an XYZ origin 

and radius of the sphere. Once created, the sphere can be further rotated to the required 

orientation. The “number of subdivisions” controls the smoothness of the sphere, with a 

value 0 producing a (20 face) icosahedron, and increasing subdivisions increases the faces 

by a factor of 3. A maximum of 6 subdivisions is permitted (very CPU intensive). 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Revolved: Sweeps a 2D profile over a complete or partial 

arc to produce a surface of revolution. The profile is defined as a series of (radius, 

height) pairs of coordinates, which is swept around the Z-axis. Once created, the surface 

can be further rotated to the required orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Extruded: Sweeps a 2D closed profile along a vector to 

produce an extruded surface. The profile is defined as a series of (x, y) pairs of coordinates, 

joined at the start an end, which is extruded along a vector (positive Z by default) 

for a specified distance. Once created, the surface can be further rotated to the required 

orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Mesh: Imports an STL mesh into the model. Once imported, 

the mesh surface can be further scaled and rotated to its required size and orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Entity Picture: Loads a bitmap image, given the point in the 

model for the lower left corner of the image, and the X-axis width and Y-axis height of 

the image in model coordinates. The picture can be rotated to the required orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Linear Axis: Creates a linear axis, given a point of origin 

and the direction and range of motion. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Rotary Axis: Creates a rotary axis, given a point of origin, 

the rotation axis and an optional range of motion. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Curve Axis: Creates a curved axis, given a point of origin 

and an open or closed 2D profile. The profile is defined as a series of (x, y) pairs of coordinates. 

The curved axis can be further rotated the required orientation. 



VM Mode (CeRun & Gener only) 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Tool Axis: Creates a tool reference point that can identify 

one of: the SCP of the machine, a specific pocket in the tool changer, or other named 

places where tools might be attached. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Stock Axis: Creates a part reference point that identifies 

where fixtures and parts are loaded on the machine. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Head Axis: Creates a head reference point that can identify 

one of: the head attachment point on the machine, head storage locations for inactive 

heads, and other places where heads might be attached. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Reference Axis: Creates a reference point in the model. 

Reference points are used to group related entities. 

4.2.3 VM Mode (CERUN & GENER only) 

Simulation»Mode»Camera: Selects “camera” mode, which is equivalent to selecting 

the “Default to camera mode” check box in the Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) Misc 

settings. The left-mouse button will subsequently control the orientation of the camera. 

The mouse pointer will appear as a four-way arrow. Hold the Ctrl key down to temporarily 

(while the key is held) switch to “selection” mode. 

Simulation»Mode»Selection: Selects “selection” mode, which is equivalent to clearing 

the “Default to camera mode” check box in the Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) Misc 

settings. The left-mouse button will subsequently select objects. The mouse pointer will 

appear as an arrow. Hold the Ctrl key down to temporarily (while the key is held) switch 

to “camera” mode. 

Simulation»Mode»Measurement: Selects “measurement” mode. The left-mouse button 

will subsequently select objects for measurement purposes. The mouse pointer will appear 

as caliper/square combination. Hold the Ctrl key down to temporarily (while the key 

is held) switch to “camera” mode. 

Simulation»Show»Wireframe: Activates or deactivates wire-frame rendering of the 

simulation window. 

Simulation»Show»Display: Activates or deactivates the heads-up status display that 

floats above the simulation window. The HUD is not available with QUEST. 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path (Ctrl T): Activates or deactivates the display of the tool 

path trace in the simulation window. Trace data is always recorded, regardless of the display 

setting. Tool path trace functions are not available with QUEST. 



VM Grid 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path as Overlay (Ctrl Shift T): When selected, the tool path 

trace is always visible, even when the tool path is behind objects that would normally obscure 

the trace. Tool path trace functions are not available with QUEST. 

4.2.4 VM Grid 

The VM Grid toolbar contains a drop-down list of all axes defined in the model (including 

tool, head and stock axes). The grid reference zero and orientation will be with respect 

to the selected axis. The standard viewpoint settings in the VM View toolbar are 

also with respect to the selected grid axis. 

Simulation»Show»XY Plane Grid: Activates or deactivates the XY plane grid. Line 

spacing, colors, units and other settings are controlled by selecting Simulation»Grid 

(Ctrl G shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»YZ Plane Grid: Activates or deactivates the YZ plane grid. 

Simulation»Show»ZX Plane Grid: Activates or deactivates the ZX plane grid. 

Simulation»Show»Axes Marker: Activates or deactivates the axes marker showing the 

origin. Marker size, colors and other settings are controlled by selecting Simulation»Grid 

(Ctrl G shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»Kinematics: Activates or deactivates the kinematics markers showing 

the type and position of linear axes, rotary axes, and the TCP and SCP control point 

positions. 

Simulation»Show»Safety Zones: Activates or deactivates the display of the safety zone 

that surrounds objects that have a safe distance setting for collision testing. The safety 

zone is drawn with a fixed transparent color, so that the underlying object can also be 

seen. 

Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G): Activates or deactivates the “snap-to-grid” mode of object 

construction using the mouse. When activated, mouse coordinates snap to a defined 

grid size. Hold the Shift key to temporarily (while the key is held) reverse the snap-togrid 

setting. Grid spacing can also be set by selecting Simulation»Grid. 


4.2.5 VM View 


VM View 

The 6 middle buttons on the VM View toolbar lock the simulation window camera rotation 

to one of 6 standard views, with respect to the axis selected in the VM Grid toolbar. 

While any one of these 6 buttons is selected, camera rotation functions are disabled and 

the camera can be panned only. 

Simulation»Camera»Perspective: Switches to a 3D Perspective view of the simulation 

window. When deselected, switches to an Orthogonal view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Front: Switches to a front view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Back: Switches to a back view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Top: Switches to a top view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Bottom: Switches to a bottom view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Left: Switches to a left side view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Right: Switches to a right side view of the simulation window. 

Simulation»Camera»Fit: Fits the selected object(s) in the simulation window view. 

4.2.6 VM View Filter (CERUN & GENER only) 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Machine: Activates or deactivates the display of the machine 

model and any head components. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Tools: Activates or deactivates the display of the tools. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Fixtures: Activates or deactivates the display of the fixtures. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Stock: Activates or deactivates the display of the initial 

stock. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Parts: Activates or deactivates the display of the finished 

parts. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»In-process Stock: Activates or deactivates the display of the 

in-process stock, as calculated by the Material Removal Simulation option. 



VM Animation (CeRun & Gener only) 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Boolean Overcut: Activates or deactivates the display of 

gouges in the finished part, as calculated by the Material Removal Simulation option. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Boolean Undercut: Activates or deactivates the display of 

excess stock material, as calculated by the Material Removal Simulation option. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Colorized Boolean: Activates or deactivates the display of a 

color graduated difference between stock and part, as calculated by the Material Removal 

Simulation option. Select Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) to view or modify comparison 

settings. Colorized differences are available only when one or both of the Overcut or 

Undercut buttons are selected. 

Simulation»Show»Filters»Transparent Zero: Modifies the display of colorized differences 

between stock and part to either show in a transparent color, or not show, all faces 

of the gouge or excess material that are within an acceptable tolerance with respect to the 

part. 

4.2.7 VM Animation (CERUN & GENER only) 

Selects continuous animation mode, which is equivalent to selecting “Continuous” in the 

Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) Animation control settings. Select this method to slow 

the simulation down to some factor of real time, as controlled by the slider. 

Selects stepped animation mode, which is equivalent to selecting “Motion Step” in the 

Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) Animation control settings. Select this method to refresh 

the display after every step number of motions, as controlled by the slider. 

Selects timed refreshed animation mode, which is equivalent to selecting “Time Interval” 

in the Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) Animation control settings. Select this method to 

refresh the display after every interval number of seconds, as controlled by the slider. 


4.2.8 VM Measure (CERUN & GENER only) 


VM Measure (CeRun & Gener only) 

The buttons on the VM Measure toolbar are only available while in measurement mode, 

as set using the button on the VM Mode toolbar or Simulation»Mode»Measurement 

menu bar. The 3 middle buttons are filters that enable or disable picking of the various 

components of the triangles that make up the in-process stock. 

Simulation»Measure»Fan: Switches between chained (one to the next) and fanned (one 

to many) measurements. 

Simulation»Measure»Vertex: Enables or disables the picking of points on the boundary 

of the triangles that make up the in-process stock object. 

Simulation»Measure»Edge: Enables or disables the picking of edges of the triangles 

that make up the in-process stock object. 

Simulation»Measure»Triangle: Enables or disables the picking of faces of the triangles 

that make up the in-process stock object. 

Simulation»Measure»Overlay: When enabled, the objects selected for measurement 

will always be visible, no matter how the camera is oriented. 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Virtual Machine Reference, Menu Bar 

Simulation»Virtual Machine (CeRun & Gener only) 

4.3 Menu Bar 

Virtual machine can be nearly completely controlled from the Simulation menu bar selection. 

4.3.1 Simulation»Virtual Machine (CERUN & GENER only) 

Activates the Virtual Machine main simulation 

window if inactive or minimized. Deactivates 

the simulation window if already active. This 

window can also be toggled from the View 

toolbar. 

See “Navigating the Simulation Window” on 

page 13 for details on how to manipulate your 

viewpoint in the main simulation window. 

It is important to note that collision and 

overtravel detection (CERUN and GENER) and 

collision avoidance (GENER) are not affected in any way by the state of the simulation window. 

4.3.2 Simulation»Controller (CERUN & GENER only) 

Activates the Virtual Machine Controller 

window if inactive or minimized. Deactivates 

the VM Controller window if already active. 

This window can also be toggled from the 

View toolbar. 

The VM Controller window has tabs to support 

the following functions, each of which are 

described in the sections that immediately 

follow: 

� Jogging model axes (below) 

� Setting fixture compensation (on page 75) 

� Setting tool compensation (on page 76) 

� Replaying the simulation (on page 77) 

Simulation»Controller: Axes 

Provides interactive motion control over the axes of the model when processing is in a paused 

state. The sliders move each axis through its available range of travel. Linear axes positions are 

listed in the units selected in the Unit drop-down list. For rotary axes with unlimited travel, 

sliders move the axis through �405º of travel. Axes can be moved to any position (within travel 

or otherwise) by entering a value in the input-field next to the slider. When the Enable tooltip 

check box is selected, resting the mouse pointer over an axis name, slider bar or input-field, will 

pop-up a tool-tip dialog showing the minimum, maximum and current axis position. 


Virtual Machine Reference, Menu Bar 

Simulation»Controller (CeRun & Gener only) 

When Simulation»Show»Workpiece Coords (Ctrl W shortcut) is in effect, the linear axes values 

are the local coordinates with respect to part zero instead of model axes values. (CERUN only) 

Select Reset All Axes to reset all axes to the last interpolated position (i.e., to the positions they 

were at before they were changed via the slider or position input field). Axes are automatically 

reset whenever processing is continued. Note that it is not possible to interactively set an axis 

position and continue processing with the axis at that set position. 

The spindle state can also be interactively controlled and tested from Axes tab. First, select the 

spindle identifier in the Spindles drop-down selection field and then press one of the buttons 

immediately to the right as follows: 

Toggles on and off the selected spindle. Any objects attached to the spindle will be swept 

around the spindle axis to create the volume that will then be used for collision detection 

and material removal. When the spindle is turning, the swept volume is displayed as a 

solid object. When the spindle is subsequently stopped, the swept volume continues to be 

shown in a transparent color (representing the fact that the position of the spindle is unknown), 

with the unswept object shown inside for reference purposes. 

Stops and locks the selected spindle. 

Places the selected spindle in neutral. 

Orients the selected spindle to the angle specified in the field immediately to the right of 

the button. The swept profile is no longer used once a spindle is oriented, since its position 

is then known. 

Computation of swept volume from a 3D shape can be CPU intensive. 

Simulation»Controller: Fixture Compensation 

This tab provides control of fixture compensation 

(also known as work piece compensation). 

It is important to accurately set appropriate 

fixture compensation amounts if non-zero 

fixture compensation amounts will be used at 

the machine. 

Fixture compensation offsets are identified by 

an integer ID number ranging from 1 up to the 

number of different offsets available on the 

CNC. For example, on a CNC with G54 

through G59 codes defining fixture compensation, 

ID number 1 would represent G54, ID number 2 would represent G55, and so on, up to ID 

number 6 for G59. Select the Add button to define the compensation amounts for a particular ID. 

Fixture compensation is defined by the control emulator or post-processor, not the model. If 

fixture compensation is not defined in the CE or PP, then the Add button will not be available. 




The offset amounts are entered and listed in the units specified in the Unit drop-down list. 

Double-click on an axis entry to change its value. Use the Tab and Shift Tab keys to quickly 

move between entries. Press the Set button to set the offset values of the selected ID lines to the 

current Axes positions (as set via the Axes tab). Press the Zero button to quickly zero the offset 

values of the selected ID lines. You can completely remove an offset ID by selecting the entire 

line and pressing the Delete key. 

By default, only the primary linear axes are listed. Select the 

Advanced button if it is necessary to choose other axes that 

can be offset using fixture compensation on the CNC. For 

example, if the CNC has the ability to offset rotary axes, you 

should select the Advanced button, choose the rotary axis from 

the list of available axes, and then press the center Add button 

to include that rotary axis in the list of axes that can be compensated. 

You can later disable compensation for any axis 

other than a primary linear, by first selecting it in the list of 

axes in use and then pressing the center Remove button (the 

center button label dynamically changes between Add and 

Remove depending on the axis selected). 

Base compensation is always available, whether fixture compensation is supported or not. The 

base compensation amounts are added to the axes position, regardless of the fixture compensation 

state in effect on the CNC. Base compensation should to be used to handle the case where 

the machine operator must manually reset the zero point of the machine to match some reference 

point on the fixture or part. This is common on older controls that do not have fixture compensation 

abilities. 

The currently active fixture compensation ID can be seen in simulation window heads-up display 

by activating the “Active Compensations” check box in the Simulation»Display dialog 

(Ctrl Alt D shortcut). 

Fixture compensation data is automatically saved in the verification setup (.vsw) file when the 


workpiece compensation settings necessary for an accurate simulation. 

Simulation»Controller: Tool Compensation 

This tab provides control of tool length and 

tool diameter compensation. It is important to 

accurately set appropriate tool compensation 

amounts if non-zero compensation amounts 

will be used at the machine. 

Tool length and tool diameter compensation 

offsets can be associated with the tool ID, or 

they can be defined as a simple table of offsets. 

When compensation is defined with respect to 

the tool, each offset is identified by the combi- 




nation of its tool number and the offset ID for that specific tool (e.g., tool 12, offset 1). Otherwise, 

the compensation is defined as a simple offset ID (e.g., offset 12). Select the appropriate 

Add button to define the length or diameter compensation amounts for a particular offset. Tool 

length and diameter compensation are defined by the control emulator or post-processor, not the 

model. If tool length or diameter compensation is not defined in the CE or PP, then the appropriate 

Add button will not be available. 

The offset amounts are entered and listed in the units specified in the Unit drop-down list. 

Double-click on an axis or diameter entry to change its value. Use the Tab and Shift Tab keys to 

quickly move between entries. Press the Set button to set the offset values of the selected ID 

lines to the current Axes positions (as set via the Axes tab). Press the Zero button to quickly zero 

the offset values of the selected ID lines. You can completely remove an offset ID by selecting 

the entire line and pressing the Delete key. 

The currently active length and diameter compensation IDs can be seen in simulation window 

heads-up display by activating the “Active Compensations” check box in the Simulation»Display 

dialog (Ctrl Alt D shortcut). 

Tool compensation data is automatically saved in the verification setup (.vsw) file when the 


tool compensation settings necessary for an accurate simulation. 

Simulation»Controller: Time Line 

This tab provides control over the Timeline 

review and replay function of VM. 

The Timeline shows the collision and axes 

overtravel state of the simulation in a timegraph 

format. Pause the simulation to select 

any point in time with the left-mouse button; 

the simulation window will update to show the 

state of the simulation at that time. You can 

also drag the mouse pointer left and right to 

cause the simulation window to replay the 

motion events backwards and forwards in 

time. 

See “VM Controller Timeline” on page 33 for more details. 



Simulation»Mode (CeRun & Gener only) 

4.3.3 Simulation»Mode (CERUN & GENER only) 

Simulation»Mode»Camera 

When the Camera mode menu bar selection is active, holding the 

left-mouse button down while moving the mouse changes the 

orientation of the camera. The cursor appears as a four-way arrow 

when in Camera mode. This mode can also be activated by selecting the circled button in the VM 

Mode toolbar above. While in Camera mode, you can press and hold the Ctrl key to temporarily 

switch to Selection mode. This can be used to quickly select objects to rotate about or to attach 

the camera to. 

There are two types of camera rotation. 

1. The default rotation is to keep the camera position fixed but to change where the camera is 

aimed. This is similar to how we rotate our head to look around a scene. 

2. You can hold the Shift key to change how the camera rotates. When Shift is pressed, the 

camera rotates around a point in space. This rotation point is by default the center of the 

world or the selected VM Grid object, but can be changed by selecting any object and choosing 

Simulation»Camera»Pivot (Ctrl P). As a quick shortcut, double-clicking an object in the 

simulation window will set that object as the Pivot center and fit the object in the window. 

If you prefer the second form of camera rotation by default, clear the “Default to Look-Around 

camera” check-box in the Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) dialog. 

Simulation»Mode»Selection 

When the Selection mode menu bar selection is active, pressing 

the left-mouse button selects the object under the mouse pointer. 

The cursor appears as a simple arrow when in Selection mode. 

Thus mode can also be activated by selecting the circled button in the VM Mode toolbar above. 

While in Selection mode, you can press and hold the Ctrl key to temporarily switch to Camera 

mode. This can be used to get a better view of the object you are trying to select. 

Selection mode is useful when developing models with QUEST, or to select objects to make them 

transparent, or to hide selected objects using the Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B) menu bar 

selection. 

Simulation»Mode»Measurement 

When the Measurement mode menu bar selection is active, 

pressing the left-mouse button selects the object under the mouse 

pointer for measurement purposes. Measurements can be taken 

between any objects, including in-process stock. The cursor appears as an arrow with calipers 

when in Measurement mode and measurements are shown in the simulation window. Measurement 

mode can also be activated by selecting the circled button in the VM Mode toolbar above. 

While in Measurement mode, you can press and hold the Ctrl key to temporarily switch to 

Camera mode. 


Within VM, objects are 

constructed of triangles. 

The VM Measure 

toolbar provides a middle series of three toggle 

buttons that filter the parts of the triangles that 

can be selected with the mouse. The left-most 

toggle on the VM Measure toolbar switches 

between chained (one to the next) and fanned 

(one to many) measurements. The rightmost 

toggle, when selected, ensures that objects 

being measured are always visible. 


Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part (CeRun & Gener only) 

Measurement information appears in the form of a small HUD (heads-up display) in the simulation 

window. 

4.3.4 Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part (CERUN & GENER only) 

This menu bar selection provides the 

ability to add rough stock, fixtures and 

final parts to the simulation. 

This information is stored in a 3D model 

(.m3d) file, in the same directory and with 

the same name as the verification setup 

(.vsw) file. These two files are automatically 

saved when the program is completed, 

and will be reused on subsequent runs 

to quickly reestablish the material conditions 

necessary for an accurate simulation. 

See “Differences between Part, Fixture and Stock Components” on page 18 for a more detailed 

description of how each of these object types are used by VM. In brief: 

� Stock: Represents the uncut material at the start of an operation. Stock definitions are 

ignored for collision testing purposes unless running with the Material Removal Simulation 

(MRS) license option enabled. 

� Fixture: Represents the part holding device. Two forms of collision testing are enabled, 

depending on whether the fixture is machinable or not. 

� Final Part: Represents the final shape expected to be produced. Collision testing is always 

enabled, with an addition allowable gouge tolerance on the cutting portion of the 

tool. 

Objects are maintained in three separate lists, accessible by selecting one of the Stock, Fixture or 

Part tabs at the upper left corner of the dialog. For each type, a navigator along the left hand side 

of the dialog lists all of the objects defined for that specific type. For example, a fixture might 

consist of many parts, such as a base plate, clamps, spacers and so on. Select Import to bring in 

the stock, fixture and part definitions from a different part program. Select Export to save the 

current stock, fixture and part definitions to a named file for use in a different part program. 



Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part (CeRun & Gener only) 

Select the top entry in the navigator to see list of objects for the selected type. Select New and 

then New Stock (or New Part or New Fixture in the pop-up context menu that will appear) to 

create a new object. The object‟s name is used by VM when reporting collision diagnostics. The 

object‟s current axis defines the stock axis (or mounting point) where the object will be attached 

to the machine model at the start of the program. Machine models with multiple tables or pallets 

may define multiple stock axes. Click on an entry in the table to change the object‟s name, its 

default axis (used when the program starts) or the current axis (the association in force at this 

point in the program). Setting the stock axis value to “None” removes it from the simulation, but 

not from the list of objects. You can select one or more objects in the right hand list and press the 

Delete button to completely remove them. 

Each object can consist of one or more 

physical components, which are listed 

when you select an object name in the left 

hand list box, or when you select an object 

in the right hand object list and press the 

Modify button. Each component of an 

object can be given a name, which will be 

reported during collision diagnostics (e.g., 

“Stopper”). Fixture components can be 

tagged as machinable or not. Part components 

are never machinable; stock components 

are ignored for collision testing 

purposes. 

Select the New button to add a new component. The following component types can be added: 

� Cube: Defines a rectangular region given the XYX coordinates of one corner and the 

length, width and height (ΔXYZ). 

� Cylinder: Defines a cylindrical or conical region given an XYZ coordinate of the center, 

an initial radius, a final radius and the overall length. The surface of the cylinder is approximated 

by a number of faces, which can be specified. The light rendering at the edges 

between faces can be set smooth or sharp, allowing shapes like a hexagon to be 

defined. 

� Cone: Defines a conical region given an XYZ coordinate of the center, an initial radius, a 

final radius and the overall length. The Cone and Cylinder definitions are identical; they 

differ during construction only. 

� Import STL: Imports an STL file relative to a specified XYZ location in the model. 

Components are created interactively in the simulation window. The various Hide… check 

boxes can be selected to reduce the visual clutter in the simulation window during component 

creation. When a component is being created, its type and required parameters are listed at the 

bottom of the simulation window. You can enter the parameters using the keyboard, or you can 

move the mouse to an appropriate position and click the left-mouse button. Each click of the 

mouse can supply values for one or two parameters. You can change the camera position, 

standard view or user-defined viewpoint at any time. Use the Tab key and Shift-Tab key to move 

forwards and back through the required parameters to make changes. When creating new objects 



Simulation»Tools/Holders/Heads (Ctrl Alt T) (CeRun & Gener only) 

with the mouse, the pointer might be locked to a fixed grid size. You can temporarily toggle the 

grid setting by pressing the Shift key. Select Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G shortcut) to make 

changes to the default grid. 

Existing objects can be selected from the component list and modified by pressing the Modify 

button, or removed from the object by pressing the Delete button. 

When the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license option is enabled, stock and machinable 

fixture components can be enabled or disabled for MRS simulation using the object‟s Material 

Removal column setting. Stock and Part objects must be associated with each other to enable 

stock/part comparison (Simulation»Compare) and viewing of undercut/overcut material (Simulation»Show»Filters»Boolean…). 

The stock/part association can be made either in the Associated 

Part column in the Stock List or in the corresponding Associated Stock column of the Part List. 

When running VM with an ICAM Manufacturing Extractor, stock will by default be enabled for 

MRS, and the association between stock and part will automatically be set. 

4.3.5 Simulation»Tools/Holders/Heads (Ctrl Alt T) (CERUN & GENER only) 

This menu bar selection provides the ability to add tool and associated holder 1 definitions to the 

simulation, as well as to select the active head on a machine that supports multiple head attachments. 

Tools 

Tooling definitions, like fixture and part definitions, are not a required element for simulation, 

but if used they add to simulation accuracy and realism. VM attaches solid model representations 

of holders and tools to the spindle control point (SCP). Once attached, they become a part of the 

collision detection process. 

You switch between tool and holder 

definitions by selecting the Tools and 

Holders tab buttons. Select the Tools 

tab to add or modify tool definitions. 

Select the New button to define a new 

tool. Select an existing definition and 

press Modify or Delete to change or 

remove the selected tools. 

GENER will automatically define a 

default milling/drilling tool if a tool definition does not exist for the one being loaded. GENER 

uses the APT CUTTER command to define the shape of the tool. Tools defined in this way have 

a cutting length equal to the total tool length, and do not have a shank or associated holder. 

Automatically created tools are by default “unlocked”, meaning that their definition will change 

each time a CUTTER command is encountered. Manually defined tools are locked by default, 

1 The term “Holder” is used by VM to refer to a device used to securely hold the tool in the spindle. The 

term “Head” is used by VM to refer to detachable spindle units (e.g., a right angle head attachment). 




and are not affected by CUTTER statements in the CL file. CERUN does not have the ability to 

automatically define tools. 

The tool table lists the following information for each tool: 

� ID: Identifies the tool using the native form of tool numbering on the controller. 

� Type: Lists the tool type as defined when the tool was created or last modified. 

� Unit: Shows the units of measure used for non-angular tool dimensions. 

� Lock: GENER can automatically generate milling tool definitions based on the APT 

CUTTER command (automatic tool definitions are not possible with CERUN). Any tool 

created automatically by GENER is initially set unlocked (i.e., the Lock state is “No”). 

Any tool that is created manually or that is subsequently modified is set locked (i.e., the 

Lock state is “Yes”) so that these modifications will not be overridden. Double click on 

this field to change the locked state of a tool. 

� Holder: Specifies a tool holder ID or the word “None” if a tool holder is not being used. 

Double click on this field to choose a different holder for a tool. 

� Usage: Specifies the intended use of the tool, which can be one of “Finishing”, “Semi- 

Finishing” or “Roughing”. A tool‟s intended usage affects the in-process stock machining 

tolerance when the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) option is enabled. A “finishing” 

tool will use the gouge tolerance for MRS simulation; a “semi-finishing” tool will use a 5 

times coarser tolerance; and a “roughing” tool will use a 10 times coarser tolerance. The 

gouge tolerance amount is defined in the Simulation»Options dialog (Ctrl Alt O 

shortcut). ICAM Manufacturing Extractors will set the tool usage if this information is 

available from the CAM system, otherwise the usage will be set to Finishing. 

� Cut Color: Specifies the normal cutting color to use with the selected tool on the inprocess 

stock when the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) option is enabled. The selection 

drop-down provides “Auto”, “Custom” and “Stock” choices. The “Auto” selection 

will automatically assign a color (from a pallet of 12 basic colors) to the tool each 

time it is loaded. The “Custom” selection allows any color to be chosen from a standard 

color picker. The “Stock” selection will use the actual stock color instead of a special 

color. 

� Default pocket: Primarily used when simulating tool changers on models that define tool 

pocket locations. Double click on this field to choose the pocket where the tool will reside. 

� Current pocket: The current location of the tool. This field is updated dynamically by 

VM as tools are loaded. You can manually insert a tool into the spindle by double clicking 

on this field and selecting the primary tool axis. 




Tool and holder definitions from another part program can be imported into the current session 

by pressing the Import button and then selecting the verification setup (.vsw) file of the other 

part program. 


Lathe Tool Type 

Select “Lathe” as the tool type to define a turning 

tool insert/holder combination. The following 

lathe insert types can be defined: 

� Round: A round or circular insert. 

� Trigon: A three cornered insert resembling 

a triangle, but with an intermediate 

angle on the sides, to allow for a higher 

included angles at the tips. 

� Diamond: A four-sided insert with two 

acute angles. 

� Symmetrical: Any “n” equal sided insert. 

� Thread: A three cornered threading insert, 

with a tooth shape on each corner. 

� Groove: A single or double sided insert 

that can be used for threading, grooving 

or cut-off. 

� Profile: An insert defined by a 2D profile. 

� Generic: An insert defined by an STL 

mesh. 



Inserts are defined in the ZX plane of the machine. 

The blue dotted line represents the positive 

Z-axis of the machine. The red dotted line 

represents the positive X-axis of the machine. Tool path traces are drawn originating from the 

center point of the fillet radius of the insert. Currently, tool nose compensation is only available 

from the center of the insert nose (i.e., P0 or P9 type compensation) and not from the theoretical 

tool tip. 

All turning tools have the following settings: 

� Units: The unit of measure for non-angular values. Angles are always measured in degrees. 

� ID number: Identifies the tool using the native form of tool numbering on the controller. 

� Left/Right hand: Controls how the insert is mated with the holder. 

� Colors: Defines the display color of the lathe insert tool. When the MRS license option is 

enabled, the Cut selection defines the color to show the cutting action of the tool on the 

in-process stock. See the “Cut Color” description on page 82 for more information. 



tolerance when the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) option is enabled. See the “Usage” 

description on page 82 for more information. 

� Holder: Defines a parent holder of the insert. The parent holder should first be defined 

before creating the insert shape. Select “None” if a holder is not available or not required. 




The Round, Trigon, Diamond, Symmetrical, Thread and Groove turning tools have one or 

more additional parameters follows: 

� Number of sides: Defines the number of cutting edges on the insert. Applicable to Symmetrical 

and Groove insert types only. 

� Inscribed circle: An ANSI standard measure of insert size. Setting this field automatically 

adjusts the cutting length dimension. 

� Internal angle: Specifies the angle between adjacent sides of the insert at the cutting 

edge. Applicable to Trigon and Diamond insert types only. 

� Corner radius: The radius of the cutting edge of the insert. Not applicable for Round 

insert types. 

� Tooth width, height, offset, clearance: Defines the form shape of the thread or groove 

insert. Applicable to Thread and Groove insert types only. 

� Width: The width of the insert. Applicable to Groove insert types only. 

� Joint radius: The radius of the center hole. 

� Height: The height of the insert. 

� Clearance angle: The relief angle of the insert. 

The Profile turning tool has a different set of parameters, as follows: 

� Cutting profile: Defines the outer edge of the insert as a 2D profile, with one set of coordinates 

per line, in the form “z-axis, x-axis”. Press the Apply button to immediately see 

the effect of any edits made to the profile. 

� ZX Offset: Defines the offset from the contour origin to the holder mating point. 

� Height: The height of the insert. 

� Clearance angle: The relief angle of the insert. 

Finally, the Generic turning tool is defined as follows: 

� Mesh: A 3D STL shape defining the insert. For material removal purposes, the insert will 

be intersected along the cutting plane and the resultant 2D shape used for MRS calculations. 

Press the Modify button to import the STL. 

� XYZ Offset: Defines the offset from the STL origin to the holder mating point. 

Select the Preview button to view the insert with or without the attached holder. 


Mill Tool Type 

Select “Mill” as the tool type to define a milling 

or drilling tool/holder combination. The following 

mill tool types can be defined: 

� End mill: A milling tool with sharp corner 

radius. 

� Ball nose: A milling tool with corner radius 

equal to ½ the tool diameter. 

� Bull nose: A milling tool with non-zero 

corner radius less than ½ the tool diameter. 

� Drill: A typical drilling tool. 

� APT 7: A milling tool whose shape is defined 

by the APT standard CUTTER definition. 

� Profile: A tool defined by a revolved 2D 

profile. 

Milling tools are defined in a 2D profile view. 

The blue dotted line represents the positive Zaxis 

of the machine. The red dotted line represents 

the positive X-axis of the machine. Tool 

path traces are drawn originating from the center 

bottom tip of the tool. 

All milling tools have the following settings: 



� Units: The unit of measure for non-angular values. Angles are always measured in degrees. 

� ID number: Identifies the tool using the native form of tool numbering on the controller. 

� Left/Right hand: Defines the cutting direction. 

� Colors: Defines the display colors for the shank (if used), body and cutting portions of 

the tool. When the MRS license option is enabled, the Cut selection defines the color to 

show the cutting action of the tool on the in-process stock. See the “Cut Color” description 

on page 82 for more information. 



tolerance when the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) option is enabled. See the “Usage” 

description on page 82 for more information. 

� Holder: Defines a parent holder of the tool. The parent holder should first be defined before 

creating the tool. Select “None” if a holder is not available or not required. 




The End mill, Ball nose, Bull nose, Drill and APT 7 milling tools have one or more additional 

parameters follows: 

� Tool diameter: The diameter of the cutting portion of the tool, measured at the intersection 

of the bottom and sides of the tool. 

� Cutter length: The total length of the tool from bottom tip to the mating point (TCP) of 

the holder, or if not using holders, to the spindle control point (SCP). 

� Flute length: The cutting length of the tool, measured from the bottom tip. 

� Corner radius: The corner radius of the tool. Not applicable for end mills (whose corner 

radius is zero), ball nose end mills (whose corner radius is ½ the diameter), or for drills. 

� Bottom angle: The angle of the bottom cutting edge of the tool. The angle must be zero 

or larger. Only applicable for drills and APT 7 cutter types. 

� Side angle: The angle of the side cutting edge of the tool. The angle can be positive or 

negative. Only applicable for APT 7 cutter types. 

� Body offset: Defines the relief on the tool diameter to apply to the cutter body portion of 

the tool. 

� Set shank: Select this check box to define the shank of the tool extending above the mating 

point with the holder or spindle. 

� Shank length: The length of the shank, measured from the mating point with the holder 

or spindle. 

� Shank diameter: The diameter of the shank. 

The Profile milling tool has a different set of parameters, as follows: 

� Cutting profiles: Defines the radial and axial coordinates of the cutting tool profile, with 

one set of coordinates per line, in the form “radial, axial”. Only define the right half profile 

of the tool (i.e., zero or positive radial values only). Positive axial values are measured 

downwards, from the mating point of the holder (TCP) or spindle face (SCP) 

towards the bottom tip of the tool. Use a semi-colon “;” to separate multiple cutting profiles. 

Press the Apply button to immediately see the effect of any edits made to the profile. 

� Non-Cutting profiles: Defines the radial and axial coordinates of the non-cutting tool 

profile, in the same fashion as described above for the cutting profile. Press the Apply 

button to immediately see the effect of any edits made to the profile. 

Select the Preview button to view the milling tool with or without the attached holder. 


Holders 



Holder definitions add to simulation accuracy and realism. VM attaches solid model representations 

of holders and tools to the spindle control point (SCP). Once attached, they become a part 

of the collision detection process. Holders are associated with tools using the Tools dialog. 

Note that the term “Holder” is used by VM to refer to a device used to securely hold the tool in 

the spindle. The term “Head” is used by VM to refer to detachable spindle units (e.g., a right 

angle head attachment). The CAM-POST HEAD keyword on a LOAD or TOOLNO command 

refers to a head attachment, not the tool holder. 

You switch between tool and holder 

definitions by selecting the Tools and 

Holders tab buttons. Select the Holders 

tab to add or modify holder definitions. 

Select the New button to define a new 

holder. Select an existing definition 

and press Modify or Delete to change 

or remove the selected holders. 

The holder table lists the following 

information for each holder: 

� ID: A textual identification of the holder. 

� Type: Identifies the sub-type of the holder as being Revolved (a holder defined by a 2D 

profile revolved about the spindle axis) or Generic (a holder defined by one or more STL 

meshes). 

� Unit: Defines the units of measure for non-angular holder dimensions. 




Tool and holder definitions from another part program can be imported into the current session 

by pressing the Import button and then selecting the verification setup (.vsw) file of the other 

part program. 




Profile Holder Type 

Select “Profile” as the holder type to define a 

cylindrical holder by a 2D profile that will be 

swept around the spindle axis. A 2D profile 

holder is defined as follows: 

� Holder ID: A textual identification of 

the holder. This name must be used in a 

tool definition to reference the holder, or 

in the parent holder definition described 

below. 

� Units: The unit of measure for profile 

and contact coordinates. 

� Color: Defines the display color for the 

holder body. 

� Contact point: Defines how the holder 

is attached to the machine and tool models. 

The Spindle contact point is aligned 

with the machine SCP (spindle control 

point) or another parent holder. The Tool 

contact point identifies where the top of 

the tool or the SCP of another child 

holder is aligned. 

� Parent: Optionally identifies another 

holder to which the current one is mated. 

� Profile: Defines the radial and axial coordinates of the holder profile, with one set of coordinates 

per line, in the form “radial, axial”. Only define the right half profile of the 

holder (i.e., zero or positive radial values only). Positive axial values are measured 

downward, from the spindle face (SCP) or mating point of a parent holder (TCP), towards 

the bottom tip of the holder. 

Select the Preview button to view the holder with or without its parent holder (if defined). 


Generic Holder Type 

Select “Generic” as the holder type to define a 

holder defined by one or more STL mesh 

components. A generic holder is defined as 

follows: 



� Holder ID: A textual identification of 

the holder. This name must be used in a 

tool definition to reference the holder, or 

in the parent holder definition described 

below. 

� Units: The unit of measure for contact 

coordinates. 

� Contact point: Defines how the holder 

is attached to the machine and tool models. 

The Spindle XYZ contact point is 

aligned with the machine SCP (spindle 

control point) or another holder. The 

Tool XYZ contact point identifies where 

the top of the tool or the SCP of another 

holder is aligned. The XYZ Rot angles 

define the orientation of tool as mounted 

in the holder. 

� Internally geared: Select this check box 

if the holder itself does not rotate, but instead 

transmits the spindle rotation force internally from the spindle contact point to the 

tool contact point. You can then specify a signed spindle ratio that defines the effect internal 

gearing (if any) has on the tool. 

� Parent: Optionally identifies another holder to which the current one is mated. 

� Meshes: Select the New button to add a STL mesh component to the holder definition. 

Select one or more existing mesh definitions and press the Delete button to remove them. 

Double-click on a mesh component name to modify the position, orientation or color of 

the object. 

An STL mesh is added to holder definition using the 

same Mesh Component dialog used in QUEST to import 

machine components into the model (described on page 

94). From this dialog, you can specify the name of the 

STL mesh component, its position and orientation in 

space and its material color properties. An Import 

button on the dialog is used to specify the STL file to 

read and the units of measure of the STL object. A 

Scale button on the dialog can be used to change the 

size of the imported object if required. The Keep as an 

external reference setting saves a reference to the STL 




in the verification setup (.vsw) file instead of the object itself. Note that the Collision detection 

options are not available since holders are always tested for exact collision. 

Use the 4 view buttons along the top edge of the holder dialog to change the view orientation. 

Hold the left mouse button down while moving the mouse to rotate the holder. Hold the middle 

mouse down while moving the mouse to pan the scene. The slider on the right hand side and the 

mouse wheel both control the zoom. The red/green/blue dotted lines show the zero-point origin 

of the holder. A tool-axis kinematics marker shows the mating point of the holder with the SCP 

of the machine (or the TCP of a parent holder). A solid red/green/blue axis marker shows where 

and at what orientation the tool will be mounted to the holder (the TCP). 

Select the Preview button to view the holder with or without its parent holder (if defined). 

Heads 

A head is a removable device that attaches to the machine and which provides some form of 

extended machining capability. Common examples of such devices are 90 degree angled heads 

that mount the tool at an angle, long reach heads that extend the Z axis travel of the tool, and 

heads with one or more controllable rotary axes that provide 4 or 5-axis control of the tool. Head 

devices (there can be multiple heads) are predefined in the model. 

The head table lists the following information for each head defined in the model: 

� ID: Identifies the head using 

the native form of head numbering 

on the controller. 

� Name: Identifies the head using 

the name assigned by the creator 

of the VM model. 

� Current station: The current 

location of the head. This field 

is updated dynamically by VM 

as heads are loaded. You can 

manually load or park a head by 

double clicking on this field and selecting a head attachment point from the drop-down 

list. 

Head attachment points are defined in the model with QUEST using the Simulation»Construct 

Axis»Head axis menu selection (see description on page 101). Only one head at a time can reside 

at any single head attachment point. 


4.3.6 Simulation»Construct Entity (QUEST only) 


Simulation»Construct Entity (Quest only) 

Provides the ability to add 

physical entities (i.e., 

things you can see) to the 

model. This menu selection 

is only available in QUEST. The “Machines” section must be opened before you can add 

entities to the model. The VM Construct tool bar provides buttons (as shown circled above) for 

each of the entities that can be constructed. 

All entities share some common parameters, listed below: 

� Name: Entity names are used in the Model Navigator in QUEST, and in collision diagnostic 

messages in CERUN and GENER. VM assigns default names when objects are created. 

You should change the default to something that is both short and meaningful. 

� Unit: Specifies the unit of measure for all non-rotary values (angles are always specified 

in degrees). 

� Position: Specifies the X, Y and Z axis position of the origin of the current object in relation 

to the origin and rotational alignment of the parent object. When world coordinates 

are selected (Simulation»Use World CS), the position of the entity is shown in world coordinates 

instead of relative to the parent object. When constructing an entity, the mouse 

pointer can be used to define the entity start position (and other parameters as well). 

� Collision detection: Select the Enable check box to activate collision testing against the 

current entity. A Safety zone amount can be specified when collision checking is enabled, 

which checks for a collision at the specified distance from the surface. You can see the 

extended collision envelope of all entities by toggling Simulation»Show»Safety Zones 

from the menu bar. 

� Spindle sweep: Select the “Do not generate sweep for spindle” check box to exclude the 

entity from spindle sweep volume calculations, which dynamically compute the swept 

volume of objects attached to a turning spindle for visualization and collision detection 

purposes. Excluding an object from spindle sweep calculations will reduce the CPU 

overhead of these calculations, but at the same time will omit the object for collision and 

visualization purposes while the spindle to which it is attached is turning. 

� OK button: Creates the entity as defined. 

� Cancel button: Ignores this entity creation request. 

� Apply button: Updates the simulation window to show the effects of the latest changes. 

� Rotate button: Use this button to rotate the entity to its required final orientation. When 

an entity is rotated, anything attached below this entity in the Navigator will be defined in 

the new frame of rotation. 

� Material button: Use this button to define the appearance (color) of the object. Material 

properties are described later under the topic “Materials Dialog”. Objects are by default 

created using the material of the last object created or selected using the Materials Dialog 

(Ctrl Alt M shortcut). 




Entities that represent curved shapes are approximated by faceted surfaces. The following 

parameters are used for curved entities: 

� Number of faces: Specifies the number of facets to use to approximate a curved surface. 

The greater the number of facets, the smoother the surface will appear. Note that the 

tradeoffs for smooth appearance are a longer rendering time and a higher CPU cost for 

collision detection. 

� Use sharp edges: Specifies how the object should be drawn. When sharp edges are used, 

a cylinder will appear with clearly defined facets (a cylinder with 4 facets and sharp edges 

looks identical to a cube entity). When smooth edges are used, the graphic engine will 

attempt to blend the edges, smoothing them out. You can get surprisingly smooth looking 

surfaces even with coarse faceting. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cube 

Creates a cubic (i.e., box) entity, given an XYZ origin 

and the width, length and height of the cube. Once 

created, the cube can be further rotated to its required 

orientation. Parameters common to all entities (not listed 

below) can be found on page 91. 

� Width: The X axis width of the cube. 

� Length: The Y axis length of the cube. 

� Height: The Z axis height of the cube 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cylinder 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Cone 

Creates a cylindrical or conical entity, given an XYZ 

origin and the radius and height of the cylinder. Once 

created, the cylinder can be further rotated to its required 

orientation. The starting and ending radii can 

also be modified. Parameters common to all entities (not 

listed below) can be found on page 91. 

� Radius0: The radius of the cylinder or cone at 

the initial position. 

� Radius1: The radius of the cylinder or cone at 

the “length” height. 

� Length: The height of the cylinder or cone in 

the Z axis (use the Rotate button to orient the 

cone as required). 


Simulation»Construct Entity»Sphere 

Creates a spherical entity, given an XYZ origin and the 

radius of the sphere. Once created, the sphere can be 

further rotated to its required orientation. The radius can 

also be modified. Parameters common to all entities (not 


� Radius: The radius of the sphere. 

� Number of subdivisions: Controls the smoothness 

of the sphere. A value of 0 produces a (20 

face) icosahedron, and increasing the subdivision 

value increases the faces by a factor of 3. A 

maximum of 6 subdivisions is permitted (very 

CPU intensive). 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Revolved 

Sweeps a 2D profile over a complete or partial arc to 

produce a surface of revolution. Once created, the 

surface can be further rotated to its required orientation 

using the Rotate button. Parameters common to all 

entities (not listed below) can be found on page 91. 



� Partial revolution: If selected the profile will be 

rotated between the Start angle and End angle 

positions. When not selected, a complete 360° 

arc is used. 

� Profile button: Select this button to enter the 

surface profile. The profile is defined as a series 

of (radius, height) pairs of coordinates, one pair 

per line, which is swept around the Z-axis. The order in which points are defined is important; 

the outside surface of the profile is to the left of the curve defined by the points. 

The profile does not have to be closed (i.e., it does not have to start and end at the same 

point). Use the Apply button in the profile builder to see changes to the profile curve. 




Simulation»Construct Entity»Extruded 

Sweeps a 2D closed profile along a vector to produce an 

extruded surface. Once created, the surface can be 

further rotated to its required orientation using the 

Rotate button. Parameters common to all entities (not 


� Length: Specifies the distance to sweep the profile 

along the vector defined by the direction 

components. 

� Direction: Specifies the XYZ components of the 

vector to sweep the profile along. 

� Profile button: Select this button to enter the 

surface profile. The profile is defined as a series of (x, y) pairs of coordinates, one pair 

per line, which is extruded along a vector (positive Z by default) for the specified distance. 

The order in which points are defined is important; the outside surface of the profile 

is to the left of the curve defined by the points. The profile must be closed (i.e., it 

must start and end at the same point). You can specify one or more additional “island” 

contours to be subtracted from the main extruded shape by first specifying a semicolon”;” 

contour separator followed by the series of (x, y) pairs of coordinates of the island contour, 

one pair per line. Use the Apply button in the profile builder to see changes to the 

profile curve. 

Simulation»Construct Entity»Mesh 

Imports an STL mesh into the model. Once imported, 

the mesh surface can be further rotated to its required 

orientation using the Rotate button. Parameters common 

to all entities (not listed below) can be found on page 

91. 

� Import button: Select this button to choose the 

STL file to be imported. An STL file does not 

define its units of measure; use the Units field on 

the STL import dialog to specify the dimensional 

units of the file. The import dialog also provides 

a File format field to specify the STL file format. Normally the default Auto selection 

should suffice; but if you have difficulty importing an STL file, try selecting other 

file formats. 

� Scale button: Use this button to scale the STL mesh object if the object as imported is the 

wrong size. Alternately, you could import the object again this time specifying different 

dimensional units. 


Simulation»Construct Entity»Picture 

Loads a bitmap image, given the point in the model for 

the lower left corner of the image, and the X-axis width 

and Y-axis height of the image in model coordinates. 

The picture can be rotated to its required orientation 

using the Rotate button. Parameters common to all 

entities (not listed below) can be found on page 91. 



� Width: Specifies the length of the image measured 

along the X-axis. 

� Height: Specifies the length of the image measured along the Y-axis. 

� Keep aspect ratio: If checked, the image will retain its original shape, which may result 

in the length or height being smaller than intended. Clear this check box to stretch the 

image into the space defined. 

� Load button: Select this button to choose the bitmap image (.bmp) to load into the model. 

Bitmap images must be compatible for OpenGL graphic texturing, and therefore they have some 

important restrictions. Also note that Textures can place a heavy CPU burden on the rendering 

(image drawing) process, and can take up a lot of space in the ICAM database. 

� Bitmaps must be constructed in 16-color or 256-color mode. 

� Bitmaps must not use RLE compression (i.e., they must be uncompressed). 

� The length and height of the image must be evenly divisible by a power of two. 

Collision testing is not performed on picture entities. 



Simulation»Construct Axis (Quest only) 

4.3.7 Simulation»Construct Axis (QUEST only) 

Provides the ability to add 

axes (i.e., things that 

move) to the model. These 

menu selections are only 

available in QUEST. The “Machines” section must be opened before you can add axes to the 

model. The VM Construct tool bar provides buttons (as shown circled above) for each of the axis 

types that can be constructed. 

All axes share some common parameters, listed below: 

� Name: Axis names are used in the Model Navigator in QUEST. Linear, Rotary and Curve 

axis names also appear in (and can be controlled from) the QUEST lower right Axes window 

as well as the VM Controller Axes window in CERUN and GENER. VM assigns default 

names when objects are created. You should change the default to something that is 

both short and meaningful. 

� Unit: Specifies the unit of measure for all non-rotary values (angles are always specified 

in degrees). 

� Position: Specifies the X, Y and Z axis position of the origin of the current axis in relation 

to the origin and rotational alignment of the parent object. When world coordinates 

are selected (Simulation»Use World CS), the position of the axis is shown in world coordinates 

instead of relative to the parent object. When constructing an axis, the mouse 

pointer can be used to define the axis origin. 

� OK button: Creates the axis as defined. 

� Cancel button: Ignores this axis creation request. 

� Apply button: Updates the simulation window to show the effects of the latest changes. 

� Rotate button: Use this button to rotate the entity to its required final orientation. When 

an entity is rotated, anything attached below this entity in the Navigator will be defined in 

the new frame of rotation. 

Linear, Rotary and Curve axes share the following additional parameters: 

� Range: Specifies the Minimum and Maximum travel extent of the axis with respect to the 

axis origin position. The range does not have to include the zero position. 

� Slave axis to: Specifies the name of another axis that will be used to control the current 

one. When the named axis moves, the current axis will also be moved. You can specify a 

Scaling factor to change the proportion of motion, and even the direction (by specifying 

a negative scale factor). An axis that is slaved will not appear in the QUEST lower right 

Axes window or the VM Controller Axes window in CERUN and GENER. Motion of a 

slaved axis is only possible by moving the parent axis (i.e., the one the axis is slaved to). 

� Default position: Specifies the position the axis will be set to when the model is loaded, 

or when the axis position is reset to its default. 

When you add a new axis, it will appear in the lower right “Axes” window. The axis name will 

also appear in the Model Navigator, attached as a child (below) the object that was selected (in 

the Navigator) when the axis was created. You can move the axis to a new position in the 




Navigator by first selecting it with the mouse, then, while holding the left-mouse button down, 

move to a new attachment point and release the mouse button. Moving the axis name in the 

model navigator may change the kinematics of the machine. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Linear Axis 

Creates a linear axis, given an XYZ origin and the 

direction vector and range of interpolation. Parameters 

common to all axes (not listed below) can be found on 

page 96. 

� Direction: The direction of interpolation. Linear 

axes that move the tool typically have a standard 

positive direction, and those that move the part 

have a negative (reversed) direction, For example, 

moving the part in the negative X direction 

has the effect of moving the tool in the positive 

X direction with respect to the part. Select “Custom” 

if the linear axis does not interpolate along 

one of the major axes. When Custom is selected, 

you must enter a Custom direction, which defines 

the positive sense of interpolation given its X, Y and Z-axis vector components (the 

values do not have to be unitized). 

When defining a linear axis with a Custom orientation, you can enter the custom direction 

vector, or you can use a standard orientation and use the Rotate button to orient the axis. Both 

methods produce identical kinematics, but the Rotate method has the side effect of changing the 

XYZ reference coordinates for any objects attached to 

the axis. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Rotary Axis 

Creates a rotary axis, given an XYZ origin and the 

direction vector and range of interpolation. Parameters 


page 96. 

� Rotation axis: The axis about which the rotation 

occurs. Standard rotations have the A, B and C 

axes rotating about the X, Y and Z axes respectively. 

Rotary axes that move the tool (e.g., rotary 

heads) typically have a standard positive 

direction, and those that move the part (e.g., rotary 

tables) have a negative (reversed) direction. 

For example, rotating the part in a CCLW direction 

has the effect of moving the tool in a CLW 

direction with respect to the part. Select “Custom” 

if the rotary axis does not rotate around 




one of the major axes. When Custom is selected, you must enter a Custom rotation vector, 

which defines the X, Y and Z-axis vector components of the axis of rotation, using 

the “right hand rule”. Using your right hand, point your thumb in the direction of the vector; 

your fingers curl in the direction of positive rotation. 

� Use range validation: Clear this check box if the rotary axis has unlimited physical travel. 

� Spindle definition: Select the “This rotary axis connects to a spindle” check box if the 

rotary axis can double as a spindle. This is common for mill/turn lathes, where the spindle 

can freely rotate when turning but then be interpolated as a rotary axis when milling. 

VM uses the Spindle ID to differentiate between the different spindles that might be 

available on a machine. Once defined, a spindle can be later mapped as a milling or turning 

spindle using the Axes mapping tab page of the machine properties dialog. A Ratio 

can be specified if the spindle rotation is not 1:1. 

� Turret definition: Select the “This rotary axis is used as a turret” check box if the rotary 

axis defines the rotation of a lathe tool turret. VM uses the Turret number to differentiate 

between the different turrets that might be available on a machine. Turret number 1 

should be used for the main turret. Turret number 2 should be used for a second turret if 

one exists. The Positioning field is used by VM to position the turrets as tools are loaded. 

With Automatic positioning, the turret is expected to have the available tool slots equally 

distributed around the perimeter. Use Predefined positioning and select the Set positions 

button to define the turret rotation angle for each of the available tool slots. 

� Label offset: Defines the offset of the informational kinematics marker along the rotation 

axis. Kinematics markers can be enabled or disabled using the VM Grid tool bar. 

When defining a rotary axis with a Custom orientation, you can enter the custom rotation vector, 

or you can use a standard orientation and use the Rotate button to orient the axis. Both methods 

produce identical kinematics, but the Rotate method has the side effect of changing the XYZ 

reference coordinates for any objects attached to the axis. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Curve Axis 

Creates a curved profile axis, given an XYZ origin and 

a profile curve. Curved axes can be used to interpolate 

along an opened or closed track. Parameters common to 

all axes (not listed below) can be found on page 96. 

� Profile button: Select this button to enter a 2D 

profile curve. The profile is defined as a series 

of (x, y) pairs of coordinates, one pair per line. 

Use the Apply button in the profile builder to see 

changes to the profile curve. 

� Translation only: When a curve axis moves, the 

objects that are attached to it can be moved 

through space as a simple translation, or they 

can be both translated and rotated to stay “normal” 

to the curve. 




If a single child object is attached to a curve axis, that object is attached to the curve axis origin 

in the standard way. If a second object is attached to the curve axis, that object is shown moved, 

or both moved and rotated, to the halfway point along the curve axis. The critical concept here is 

the word “shown”. All objects are attached to the curve axis at the origin, but they are shown 

equally spaced along the curve axis. Use a Reference axis to group two or more components that 

must be moved together along the curved axis. 

Because the profile curve is defined in the XY plane, the Rotate button must be used to orient the 

profile to its true position. The Rotate method has the side effect of changing the XYZ reference 

coordinates for any objects attached to the axis. You can eliminate this effect by attaching a 

“Reference Axis” to the curve axis, which you can use to rotate the coordinate system back to a 

standard orientation. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Tool Axis 

Creates a tool axis, given an XYZ origin and tool 

reference type. Tool axes can define the spindle control 

point of the machine, pockets in a tool changer, or 

anywhere else that tools might be stored. Parameters 


page 96. 

� Spindle: Specifies that this tool axis defines the 

spindle control point (SCP) of the machine. The 

Tool axis ID should be set to 1 (one) for the 

main spindle of the machine. Other tool ID‟s can 

be used if there are additional controllable spindles 

on the machine. The tool axis ID to use for 

a given tool can be selected in the model Load 

Tool Event macro. 

� Turret: Specifies that this tool axis defines one of a series of available tool mount positions 

arrayed on a lathe turret. The Tool axis ID should be set to 1 (one) for the main turret 

of the machine. Set the ID to 2 for the side turret of the machine. The Pocket ID is 

used by VM to know which turret position is active based on the current tool selected. 

Pocket numbers must be unique for each turret. 

� Pocket: Specifies that this tool axis defines a pocket in the tool changer or some other 

holding area. A Pocket ID must be given to identify the pocket number. VM automatically 

moves tools in and out of pockets during tool change operations. Use the CERUN and 

GENER Simulation»Tools menu to assign tools to pockets. 

� Other: Specifies a location where tools can be held. A typical use for this type of tool 

axis is to define a position on a tool change mechanism where tools are held while in 

transit. Tools can be attached or detached from an “other” axis type using the $FMSATA 

macro function. 

� Spindle activation: Select the “This tool axis is turning when the following spindle is 

activated” check box if the tool axis represents a spindle. This is common for the spindle 

on milling machines, and for live tooling on mill/turn machines. You would normally not 

select this for a Pocket or Other tool axis type. VM uses the Spindle ID to differentiate 




between the different spindles that might be available on a machine. For mill/turn machines, 

use the Axes mapping tab page of the machine properties dialog to identify the 

spindle as milling or turning. For milling machines, the spindle ID should be 1 (one) for 

the main spindle of the machine. The choice of current active spindle can also be controlled 

using the $FMSMSP macro function. 

Use the Rotate button to establish the orientation of the tool when it is attached to the tool axis 

object. 

Note that, for QUEST at least, the tool axis represents one end of the kinematics chain. You 

cannot attach any other axis or entity to a tool axis. CERUN and GENER on the other hand allow 

holders and tools to be attached to a tool axis at run-time. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Stock Axis 

Creates a stock axis given an XYZ origin. Stock axes 

define the table control point (TCP) of the machine. 

When stock, fixtures and parts are loaded onto the 

machine (using CERUN or GENER), they are mounted 

relative to a predefined stock axis. 

� Part: Specifies that this stock axis defines a table 

control point (TCP) of the machine. The ID 

should be set to 1 (one) for the most common 

mount point used on the machine. Other stock 

ID‟s can be used if there are additional part 

mount points on the machine, for example, if 

there are multiple work areas. Use the CERUN 

and GENER Simulation»Stock, Simulation»Fixture and Simulation»Part menus to import 

or define stock, fixture and part objects relative to stock axes. 

� Other: Specifies a location where stock, fixtures and parts can be held. The current active 

part can be set using the $PART macro variable. 

� Spindle activation: Select the “This stock axis is turning when the following spindle is 

activated” check box if the stock axis represents a spindle. This is common for the turning 

spindle on lathe machines. You would normally not select this for an Other stock axis 

type. VM uses the Spindle ID to differentiate between the different spindles that might 

be available on a machine. For mill/turn machines, use the Axes mapping tab page of the 

machine properties dialog to identify the spindle as milling or turning. For lathes without 

a C controllable axis, the spindle ID should be 1 (one) for the main turning spindle of the 

machine. The choice of current active spindle can also be controlled using the $FMSMSP 


You can define multiple stock axes if there are different places where stock and fixtures might be 

loaded. For example, a tombstone with 4 faces might define 4 stock axes; each positioned and 

rotated (using the Rotate button) to establish a part normal vector away from the surface. If your 

model simulates pallet changing, you should define a stock axis at the part reference point for 

each pallet. 




Note that, for QUEST at least, the stock axis represents one end of the kinematics chain. You 

cannot attach any other axis or entity to a stock axis. CERUN and GENER on the other hand allow 

stock fixtures and parts to be attached to a stock axis at run-time. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Head Axis 

Creates a head axis, given an XYZ origin and head 

reference type. Head axes can define the location on the 

machine where exchangeable heads are mounted; 

positions on or around the machine where heads are 

stored when not in use; or anywhere else where heads 

might be attached. Parameters common to all axes (not 


� Head Socket: Specifies that this head axis defines 

the head control point (HCP) of the machine. 

The Socket ID should be set to 1 (one) 

for the main head control point of the machine. 

Other head ID‟s can be used if there are additional 

head mount points on the machine. The 

head axis ID to use for a given head can be selected in the model Load Tool Event macro. 

� Head Station: Specifies that this head axis defines a station in the head changer or some 

other holding area for head devices. A Station ID must be given to identify the station 

number. VM automatically moves heads in and out of stations during head change operations. 

Use the CERUN and GENER Simulation»Heads menu to assign heads to stations. 

� Other: Specifies a location where heads can be held. A typical use for this type of head 

axis is to define a position on a head change mechanism where heads are held while in 

transit. Heads can be attached or detached from an “other” axis type using the $FMSATA 


� Spindle definition: Select the “This head axis is connected to a spindle” check box if the 

head axis transmits the spindle force to attached head devices. This is common for the 

main head Socket. You would normally not select this for a Station or Other head axis 

type. VM uses the Spindle ID to differentiate between the different spindles that might 

be available on a machine. For mill/turn machines, use the Axes mapping tab page of the 

machine properties dialog to identify the spindle as milling or turning. For milling machines, 

the spindle ID should be 1 (one) for the main spindle of the machine. The choice 

of current active spindle can also be controlled using the $FMSMSP macro function. 

� Default head: Select the head device that will be attached to the head axis by default at 

the start of processing. This can be used to define the initial layout of heads at their predefined 

head stations if required. Changing the default head does not affect the current 

state of the model as shown in QUEST. 

� Currently loaded head: Use this to test the head processing of the model. Loading a 

head into a station will adjust the model navigator tree to show the selected head attached 

to the head axis. It will also draw the head at the head attachment axis. Only one head can 

be attached to a head axis at a time. 




Use the Rotate button to establish the orientation of the head when it is attached to the head axis 

object. 

Simulation»Construct Axis»Reference Axis 

Creates a reference axis, given an XYZ origin and 

possible rotation (using the Rotate button). Reference 

axes do not cause motion. Instead, reference axes can be 

used to organize the model in the Model Navigator. 

You can attach a group of related objects to a reference 

and then collapse the group (in the model navigator), 

which might make the model easier to understand. You can also use a reference to establish a 

new coordinate frame for a group of related objects. 


4.3.8 Simulation»Camera 

Controls various aspects of the positioning of the camera. 

Simulation»Camera»Fit (Ctrl Space 1 ) 

The Camera Fit function first points the camera towards the center 

of the currently selected object, and then pans in or out so that the 

selected object is fully visible within the simulation window. If no 

object is selected, then the camera will be adjusted to view the 

entire model. You can use this function to quickly reorient the 

camera when you are unsure of where you are pointing or if you 

cannot see the model. The Fit function is also available from the 

VM View toolbar. 

When the current focus is on the Controller Timeline window, the 

Fit function will adjust the scale of the Timeline window so that the 

entire process is visible. 

Simulation»Camera»Center (Ctrl Shift Space) 


Simulation»Camera 

The Camera Center function points the camera towards the center of the currently selected 

object, or if no object is selected, then towards the origin of the Grid reference (i.e., the center of 

the three grids). 

When the current focus is on the Controller Timeline window, the Center function will adjust the 

position of the Timeline scale so that the blue vertical line (marking the current time position) is 

visible and centered in the Timeline window. 

Simulation»Camera»Pivot (Ctrl P) 

The Camera Pivot function sets the center of rotation for the camera to the center of the currently 

selected object. The pivot center is the point in space at which the camera will aim as it is 

rotated. If no object is selected, then the camera will rotate about the origin of the Grid reference 

(i.e., the center of the three grids). 

Simulation»Camera»Attach 

Attaches the camera to the currently selected object. If no object is selected, the camera is 

attached to the world coordinate system (this is the default). When the camera is attached to an 

object, the camera moves with the object. Standard viewpoints are always in relation to the 

attached object. 

1 The Ctrl Space hotkey combination might be unavailable due to a Microsoft Chinese language IME bug. 

Use “Ctrl .” (control key and decimal point) as an alternate. 




Simulation»Camera»Perspective 

Switches between Perspective and Orthogonal projection in the simulation window. The Perspective 

projection provides a more realistic viewing of the simulation, equivalent to what you 

would see in the natural world. With Orthogonal projection, distance has no effect on the size of 

an object. Orthogonal views typically provide better control when defining part, stock and fixture 

objects. 

Simulation»Camera»Front 

Simulation»Camera»Back 

Simulation»Camera»Top 

Simulation»Camera»Bottom 

Simulation»Camera»Left 

Simulation»Camera»Right 

Switches the camera to one of six standard viewpoints (the VM 

View toolbar shown at left provides buttons for each standard 

viewpoint). Viewpoints are relative to the frame defined in the 

VM Grid toolbar (the stock axis by default). 

The camera can only be panned (i.e., not rotated) when a standard viewpoint is selected. You can 

select and then immediately unselect a view button, to first snap to a standard view and then 

allow camera rotation. 

Simulation»Camera»Speed (Ctrl + , Ctrl –) 

The Speed»Increase and Speed»Decrease 

menu selections (Ctrl + and Ctrl – shortcuts) 

adjust the default step size used when panning 

the camera. Each activation of the menu will 

only adjust the speed setting by one notch, so it 

is far more convenient to use the shortcut keys. 

When adjusting the camera speed, a “volume 

control” type bar will appear briefly in the 

simulation window to show a relative measure 

of the current step size. 

The step size can be temporarily reduced, while panning, to 1/10 th the normal amount by holding 

the Shift key. 


Simulation»Camera»View Angle (Shift + , Shift –) 

The View Angle»Increase and View Angle» 

Decrease menu selections (Shift + and Shift – 

shortcuts) adjust the viewing angle of the 

camera lens. Each activation of the menu will 

only adjust the viewing angle by one notch, so 

it is far more convenient to use the shortcut 

keys. The viewing angle is used in Perspective 

mode only. 

When adjusting the angle, a viewing angle size 

indicator will appear briefly in the simulation 

window. 



The default viewing angle is 40 degrees. Increasing the viewing angle makes it possible to see 

more of the model, at the expense of some distortion. Decreasing the viewing angle makes it 

possible to look at the model in fine detail, but makes it a little harder to navigate. 

Simulation»Camera»Load (Ctrl 0-9) 

Simulation»Camera»Save (Ctrl Alt 0-9) 

The Camera Save menu selection (Ctrl Alt 0 through Ctrl Alt 9 shortcuts) records the current 

camera viewpoint, position and orientation in one of 10 standard user-defined viewpoints. The 

Camera Load menu selection (Ctrl 0 through Ctrl 9 shortcuts) resets the camera to a previously 

saved position. The camera can directly switch to the new position, or it can smoothly interpolate 

to the new position, if both the old and new positions share the same underlying viewpoint (i.e., 

both are perspective views, or both are front views). The Camera animation mode can be set 

from the Simulation»Options “use camera animation” check box. 

Simulation»Camera»Reset 

The Camera Reset menu entry resets all camera settings and moves the camera to an application 

default viewpoint. The reset operation also removes all saved camera viewpoints and resets the 

camera speed and viewing angle to the application defaults. 



Simulation»Show 

4.3.9 Simulation»Show 

Toggles the display of various visual aids, including: wireframe 

vs. solid rendering, tool path tracing, visibility of various 

component categories (i.e., filters), datum reference grids, 

coordinate system markers, kinematics component markers, 

safety zone visibility, workpiece vs. model coordinates, and the 

heads-up display. 

Simulation»Show»Wireframe 

The Show Wireframe function switches 

between solid and wire-frame rendering of the 

simulation window. 

Wire-frame mode enables objects that are 

behind others to be seen. However, an object 

that is obscured by another still cannot be 

selected with the mouse pointer, even when in 

wire-frame mode, because the selection is 

done on the faces of surfaces, not on their 

vertices. 

When looking at the backside of a surface in “solid” mode, the surface may appear as solid, or as 

wire-frame, or invisible. This setting is controlled by the “Backface” options in the Simulation»Options 

(Ctrl Alt O shortcut) panel. 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path (Ctrl T) (CERUN & GENER only) 

The Show Tool Path function activates or 

deactivates tool path tracing in the simulation 

window. Tracing can also be toggled from the 

VM Mode toolbar. Tracing shows the path of 

the tool with respect to the part. Rotary motions 

may cause linear tool paths to appear as 

curves; this is natural and reflects the actual 

path of the tool with respect to the part. 

The tool path trace shows different colors for 

rapid and feed motions. The default is red for 

rapid positioning motions and green for all 




feed interpolated motions. When using the Trace window and Timeline “Synchronize” feature, 

the corresponding motion is traced in blue. The trace can appear at the tool-tip or the spindle 

control point. The trace can be limited to a specified elapsed time, or it can show the tool path for 

the entire program. Trace options are set by selecting Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»Tool Path as Overlay (Ctrl Shift T) (CERUN & GENER only) 

Selecting the Show Tool Path as Overlay function will ensure that the tool path always remains 

visible, even when it would normally be hidden behind other objects in the scene. 

Simulation»Show»Filters (CERUN & GENER only) 

The Show Filter functions 

are toggles that 

activate or deactivate the 

display of various components in the scene. Filters can also be toggled 

from the VM View Filters toolbar. 

The Machine filter toggles the display of all components defined 

within the model. This includes the machine, heads and 

any other model objects as defined and saved in the model with 

QUEST. 

The Tools filter toggles the display of all tooling components defined at run-time via the 

Simulation»Tools (Ctrl Alt T) function. This includes tools and their holders, both active 

and inactive. 

The Fixtures, Stock and Parts filters toggle the display of the workpiece and 

holding devices as defined at run-time via the Simulation»Stock (Ctrl Alt S) function. 

The remaining filters are only available when the Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license 

option is enabled. 

The In-process Stock filter toggles the display of the stock as modified by the cutting 

action of the tools. At the start of processing, the Stock and In-process Stock are identical, 

but they should be quite different by the end of processing. 

The Boolean Overcut filter toggles the display of any gouges in the in-process stock as 

compared to the original part. Gouges are shown in red. VM only compares those inprocess 

stock and part components that are associated to each other. Part/stock association 

is done from the Simulation»Stock/Fixtures/Part menu. 

The Boolean Undercut filter similarly toggles the display of excess in-process stock 

when compared to the original part. Excess material is shown in blue. 

The Colorized Boolean filter modifies the color of the Boolean overcut and undercut 

regions, based on the thickness of the gouge or excess material. Colorized Boolean settings 

are controlled from the Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) dialog. 




The Transparent Zero filter modifies the display of the colorized Boolean comparison, 

to show in a transparent color all faces of the object that are in the tolerance zone between 

gouge and excess material. This setting can be used to see a gouge or excess in the 

context of the entire part. 

Simulation»Show»XY Plane Grid 

Simulation»Show»YZ Plane Grid 

Simulation»Show»ZX Plane Grid 

The Show XYZ Plane Grid functions activate 

or deactivate wire-frame grids showing the 

XY, YZ and ZX datum planes of the model. 

Grid visibility can also be toggled from the VM Grid toolbar. Grids are normally displayed with 

respect to the base frame of the model, but this can be changed by selecting a different frame of 

interest from the drop-down list on the VM Grid toolbar. 

Grid spacing, colors, units and other settings are all controlled by selecting Simulation»Grid 

(Ctrl Alt G shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»Axes Marker 

The Show Axes Marker function activates or 

deactivates the axes arrows that show the 

origin (i.e., 0,0,0 point) of the currently 

selected object. These markers can also be 

toggled from the VM Grid toolbar. 

By default, each axis appears in a different 

color; red for X, green for Y and blue for Z. 

The default axes marker color settings as well 

as the arrow appearance and size can all be 

changed by selecting Simulation»Grid 

(Ctrl Alt G shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»Kinematics 

The Show Kinematics function activates or deactivates the markers that show all axes types 

except for Reference Axes. The visible marker types are as follows: 

� A linear axis appears as a pale blue ribbon line with arrows at each end. The current axis 

position is indicated by a darker colored band. 

� A rotary axis appears as a light mauve ribbon arc, with a single arrow serving the dual 

purpose of pointing in the positive rotation direction and indicating the current position. 

� A curve axis appears as a dark mauve ribbon connecting each of the points in the curve 

axis profile. The current axis position is indicated by a lighter colored band. 

� A tool axis appears as two 2D profiles of a holder and tool; one aligned with the X axis 

and the other with the Y axis. 




� A stock axis appears as a gold colored rectangle, with an internal red-green-blue coordinate 

frame marker. 

� A head axis appears as a gold colored 2D profile of a 90º head. 

� A reference axis appears as a red-green-blue coordinate frame marker. 

The kinematics markers can also be toggled from the VM Grid toolbar. 

Simulation»Show»Safety Zones 

The Show Safety Zones function enables or disables the display of the safety zone that surrounds 

any collision enabled object that also has a safety clearance distance defined. The safety zone 

appears as a transparent light blue surface, offset from the original surface by the safety distance. 

An object‟s safety zone is always shown in transparent orange when another collision-enabled 

object touches it, regardless of the Show Safety Zones setting. Colliding objects are always 

shown in transparent red. The intersection between colliding objects is shown as a bright yellow 

line, unless this feature is disabled in the Simulation»Options dialog (Ctrl Alt O shortcut). 

Simulation»Show»Workpiece Coords (Ctrl W) (CERUN only) 

The Show Workpiece Coords function toggles between the display of linear axes values and 

workpiece linear coordinates in both the Controller Axes tab and the simulation window HUD. 

When workpiece coordinates are enabled, the linear axes are labeled Xw, Yw, Zw, and the value 

shown is the distance from the local coordinate system (LCS) origin. 

Simulation»Show»Display 

Simulation»Show»Next Display (Ctrl D) (CERUN & GENER only) 

Simulation»Show»Previous Display (Ctrl Shift D) (CERUN & GENER only) 

The Display menu selection activates or 

deactivates the “heads-up” status display that 

floats in front of the simulation window. The 

HUD lists the status of various components of 

the model (e.g., current tool, axes positions, 

feed rate). The content of the heads-up displays 

(there can be many) are defined by 

selecting Simulation»Display (Ctrl Alt D 

shortcut) described on page 116. 

Display menu choices are stored in the 

Windows Registry – not with the model or 

the .vsw setup file. 

During processing with GENER or CERUN, you can cycle between the various display content 

types using the Next Display and Previous Display menu selections (Ctrl D and Ctrl Shift D 

shortcuts). Note that these shortcuts are not available with QUEST (in fact, the Ctrl D shortcut 

activates the Database navigator). 



Simulation»Measure 

The heads-up display can also be cycled from the VM Mode toolbar available with GENER and 

CERUN. 

4.3.10 Simulation»Measure 

The Simulation»Measure settings only take effect while in measurement mode, 

as set using the button on the VM Mode toolbar or Simulation» 

Mode»Measurement menu bar. Once in measurement mode, clicking with the 

left-mouse button causes measurements to be taken between the selected 

objects. Press and hold the Ctrl key to manipulate the camera with the mouse 

while taking measurements. 

Within VM, objects are constructed of triangles. The Simulation»Measure 

menu-bar functions and matching VM Measure toolbar provide toggles 

that: change how measurements are taken; affect the objects that can be 

picked for measurement; and affect the visibility of the measurement results. 

The Fan selection switches between chained (one to the next) and fanned (one to many) 

measurements. 

The Vertex selection enables or disables the picking of points on the boundary of the 

triangles that make up the in-process stock object. 

The Edge selection enables or disables the picking of edges of the triangles that make up 

the in-process stock object. 

The Triangle selection enables or disables the picking of faces of the triangles that make 

up the in-process stock object. 

The Overlay selection, when enabled, ensures that the objects selected for measurement 

will always be visible, no matter how the camera is oriented. 

If none of the Vertex, Edge or Triangle selections is active, then by default all objects are enabled 

for selection. 

Measurement information appears as a HUD (head-up display) in the simulation window, 

showing the distance and angle between selected entities, as well as the xyz offset using the 

frame selected in the VM Grid tool-bar. 


4.3.11 Simulation»Use World CS (QUEST only) 


Simulation»Use World CS (Quest only) 

The Use World CS function toggles between two possible representations of component coordinates. 

When selected, component coordinates are listed in world coordinates, originating from 

the center of the grids. When unselected, a component‟s coordinates are listed relative to its 

parent (i.e., in local coordinates). The Use World CS function can also be toggled from the VM 

Construct toolbar. 

The Use World CS setting also affects the placement of objects copied from one place to another 

in the model navigator. When world coordinates are selected, the object retains its position in 

space despite being moved or copied from one place to another in the navigator hierarchy. When 

local coordinates are selected, a copied or moved object is always placed relative to its new 

parent at the same offset it was originally at relative to its old parent. 

It is also important to note that when world coordinates are selected, objects are attached to the 

model based on the current model axes settings. You might get unexpected results if the axes are 

not at their default locations. You should select the Reset All Axes button in the QUEST Axes 

window before creating, copying or moving objects. 

4.3.12 Simulation»Group Selection (QUEST only) 

Objects can be grouped together in QUEST so that picking any object in a group will cause the 

entire group to be selected. For example, the cosmetic features of a machine could all be grouped 

together so that they could then be easily selected and hidden during GENER or CERUN processing 

(see the Hide Selection function on page 112). 

To create a selection group, drag the first object of the group from the model navigator to the 

Groups»Selection header. A new “Selection Group01” group will be created containing that 

object. Other related objects can then be added to the group by dragging them from the model 

navigator to the selection group. Hold the Ctrl key down when dragging to also include all 

dependent objects in the model navigator tree. 

Multiple selection groups can be created as necessary, but an object can only appear in a single 

selection group at a time. Objects can be easily dragged from one selection group to the next. 

Delete an object from a selection group to remove its “grouped” attribute. 

When the Group Selection function toggle is active, picking an object that belongs to a selection 

group will cause all objects of that group to be selected. This is the only form of object picking 

that is supported with GENER and CERUN. When the Group Selection function toggle is not 

active and an object is picked, only that object is selected. The Group Selection function can also 

be toggled from the VM Construct toolbar. 

The default visibility of a selection group can be set from the selection group Properties. 



Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B) 

4.3.13 Simulation»Hide Selection (Ctrl B) 

The Hide Selection function makes the currently 

selected object or objects invisible. 

Once an object is hidden, it is no longer shown 

in the simulation window. Hidden objects 

continue to be tested for collisions. 

To select an object, press and hold the Ctrl key 

(if you are in Camera mode), move the mouse 

pointer to the object to be selected, and then 

press the left-mouse button. The selected 

object will become transparent. You can 

unselect an already selected object, or add 

more objects to the list of selected ones, by holding the Shift key down when making a selection. 

Press the Ctrl B shortcut to make the selected objects invisible. 

In the image shown at right, the machine enclosure has been hidden (it is longer visible), and the 

tables and fixtures have been selected (they are shown transparent). Hiding and selecting are two 

methods you can use to get an unobstructed view of the manufacturing process. 

4.3.14 Simulation»Show All/Rehide (Ctrl Alt B) 

The Show All/Rehide function makes visible all hidden objects. Select this function a second 

time to again hide the objects that were just made visible. 

4.3.15 Simulation»Invert Hide State (Ctrl Shift B) 

The Invert Hide State function reverses the “hidden” state setting for all objects. Objects that are 

hidden will now be shown, and those are shown will now be hidden. You can use this feature to 

unhide one or more selected objects, as follows: 

� Type Ctrl Shift B to show just the hidden (and any selected) objects 

� Select the objects you no longer want hidden 

� Type Ctrl B to remove them from view 

� Type Ctrl Shift B to return back to the original display 


4.3.16 Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G) 


Simulation»Grid (Ctrl Alt G) 

Activates the Grid dialog, which defines the boundaries and appearance of the world. The Reset 

button resets the grid appearance and size to reasonable values. 

Grid Units can be set to any convenient value and need not match the units used when the model 

was created. For optimal display and control, the grid dimensions (Min/Max grid value) should 

exceed the dimensions of the model itself. The Grid subdivision size defines the spacing of the 

grid, for visual clarity only (excessively small spacing can greatly increase the CPU requirements 

during scene rendering). The Snap to grid check box and associated input field define a rounding 

factor that can optionally be used when interactively constructing objects using the mouse 

pointer. 

Select Grid color to set the color of the grid lines (the background color is set using the Simulation»Options 

dialog). 

The main axis (model origin), grid contour boundary and grid subdivision lines can all be 

toggled visible or invisible using the Display Show check boxes. 

The coordinate frame marker size, color and style can also be controlled from the Grid dialog. 

The three horizontal sliders in the Dimensions area control the size of the arrow. Colors for each 

axis of the marker can be set in the Colors area. The arrow style can be set using the Arrow type 

selection. 



Simulation»Lights (Ctrl Alt L) 

4.3.17 Simulation»Lights (Ctrl Alt L) 

Activates the Light dialog, which is used to place and control the intensity of up to 8 different 

light sources. VM lights are not affected by solid objects. Lights shine through objects, do not 

cast shadows, and the lights themselves are not visible in the simulation window (but they are 

visible in the Light dialog to simplify placement). The Reset button sets all lights to default 

positions around the extremity of the grid. Lights should be reset whenever the underlying grid is 

reset (see Simulation»Grid). VM provides a certain amount of ambient light, but with ambient 

light you cannot differentiate the edges of similarly colored and aligned faces. Lights that are 

placed far back from the machine have essentially the same appearance as ambient light. The 

light sources must be moved closer to the machine, or their intensity increased, to be able to 

differentiate object edges. 

The horizontal slider rotates your viewpoint around the machine. The vertical slider changes the 

viewing distance. Lights appear as small boxes, but you may have to hide the machine (clear the 

Objects check box) to see them. Lights are positioned on a hemisphere using the left and rightmouse 

buttons. The left-mouse button controls the position on the hemisphere. The right-mouse 

button controls the size of the hemisphere. To adjust the light, place the mouse pointer over the 

light and then press and hold either the left or the right-mouse button. Move the mouse to change 

the lighting position or distance. Light intensity is controlled by the individual sliders associated 

with each light. The color of each light can be adjusted by first selecting the box to the right of 

the intensity slider and then choosing a color from the color chart. Using different colors for your 

light sources will improve depth perception. 

If a light appears immovable, perhaps the distance has been set to a very small value. In this 

case, use the right-mouse button to increase the lighting distance. It is also possible to position a 

light so far away that it can no longer be selected. In this case, the Reset button can be used to set 

all lights to their default positions. 


4.3.18 Simulation»Materials (Ctrl Alt M) 


Simulation»Materials (Ctrl Alt M) 

Activates the Materials dialog, which can be used to define standard material visual properties. 

Material properties are saved in a materials (.mat) file; work/materials.mat in the ICAM software 

installation directory by default. Select the […] button to choose an alternate materials file. 

There are five separate controls that affect how a material appears: 

� The Diffuse component is the color of the object. 

� The Ambient component is the color of light that indirectly strikes the object (for example, 

the color of the walls). For simplicity, the ambient component should be set to the 

same color as the diffuse component. 

� The Specular component is the color of the light given off by the main light source. 

� The Shininess slider determines how reflective the material‟s surface is. A shiny object 

reflects more of the specular light component back to the viewer. 

� The Transparency slider can be used to set material properties for plastics and glass. Set 

“stock” components transparent to have an unobstructed view of the tool path trace. 

The five material property values are assigned to each component when it is created or modified. 

The material name is also saved, for informational purposes only. Changing the properties of an 

existing material will not affect the model or any stock/fixture/part objects that have already been 

created. When displaying the material properties of a component, the material name will appear 

as “Custom” if the 5 properties cannot be exactly matched in the current materials file. 



Simulation»Display (Ctrl Alt D) 

4.3.19 Simulation»Display (Ctrl Alt D) 

Activates the Display dialog, which is used to change the HUD “heads-up” display settings. The 

heads-up display is a small status screen that floats above the simulation window. The position, 

content and appearance of the heads-up display are controlled from the Display dialog. 

Individual layout schemes can be saved in the windows registry by selecting Save As and 

entering a name. Changes to the currently listed scheme (in the Scheme drop-down) are saved 

when OK is pressed. A 

scheme can be removed 

from the registry by 

selecting the name in the 

scheme drop-down and 

then selecting Delete. The 

“Default” scheme cannot 

be changed or deleted. 

Select the Show Display 

check box to activate the 

heads-up display in the 

simulation window (the 

Ctrl D shortcut does the 

same when the Display 

dialog is not active). 

Select the Use default 

schemes in cycle check 

box to include the Default 

display when using the Ctrl D shortcut to cycle through each of the schemes in sequence. The 

following status information can appear in the heads-up display. 

� Tool number: The current tool ID or tool pocket number. 

� Machine axis: The linear and rotary axes controlled by CERUN and GENER. 

� Feedrate: The current feed interpolation rate or the keyword RAPID. 

� Motion type: A keyword describing the type of motion, e.g., LINEAR, CIRCULAR. 

� Active compensations: Fixture, length and diameter compensation settings. 

� Coolant: The current coolant status. 

� Spindle: The current spindle status and rpm. 

� Time: Elapsed machining time. 

� Channels: Current active channel and time. 

� Extra spindles: Additional information about spindles. 

� Extra channels: Additional information about channels. 

� Head number: The current head ID or head pocket number. 

� FPS: The simulation window display rate in the form “a / b”. The value “a” is the redraw 

speed in frames/second and is an indicator of graphic performance. The value “b” is actual 

screen updates/second and is an indicator of total model performance. 



Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) 

The Position input field specifies in which corner the heads-up display will appear. The text 

appearance is controlled by the Font, font Size, Bold, Italic and Text Color input fields. The 

heads-up display will appear directly over the simulation window contents. You can experiment 

with various frame background colors (BG Color) and vary the background opacity 

(BG Opacity) to obtain the best contrast. 

4.3.20 Simulation»Compare (Ctrl Alt Q) 

Activates the Simulation Compare dialog, which defines 

various settings used when comparing the in-process stock 

against the related part. This function is only available with 

a Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license. 

The association between a part and its corresponding inprocess 

stock are defined in the Simulation»Stock/Fixtures 

/Part dialog (on page 79). 

The comparison colorization settings are applied only to 

gouge and excess material, which must first be enabled by 

selecting one or both of the Boolean Overcut and Boolean 

Undercut filters (on page 107). 

The comparison is done by sampling the surface of the 

gouge and/or excess material, and computing the shortest distance to the part. The distance is 

then used to assign a fixed or graduated color, as defined using the various options of the Compare 

dialog. If the sample size is small, or the part very large, the colorization process may take a 

long time to compute. The comparison can be cancelled at any time, in which case the displayed 

results will be incomplete (but perhaps still useful). 

The settings of note on the Compare dialog are: 

� Units: Specifies the units of measure for all numeric values in the dialog. 

� Sampling steps: Specifies the maximum distance along the surface between comparison 

measurements. Using a small value may greatly increase the computation time and complexity 

of the resulting colorized object. 

� Scale style: Defines how the excess and gouge distances will be colorized. Three excess 

and three gouge zones are available, at increasing offsets from the part. With the Solid 

color and Gradient color settings, each zone is represented by a single user definable color 

(using the color buttons to the right of the scale). With the Gradient zone setting, the 

inner two zones can individually be color graduated between two colors. 

� Track measurement…: If selected, the measured distance between stock and part under 

the cursor will be shown and dynamically updated as the cursor moves. You can also 

toggle this feature on and off using Ctrl Q. 

Those surfaces on the colorized in-process stock that are neither gouged or excess will not be 

shown, unless the Simulation»Show»Filters»Transparent zero filter is enabled. 



Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) 

4.3.21 Simulation»Options (Ctrl Alt O) 

Activates the Simulation Options dialog, which defines 

various settings used in the simulation. 

Animation Control Options 

The animation control options affect the simulation 

display speed. There are three modes of display: 

� Continuous: Select this method to slow the 

simulation down to some Scale factor of real 

time (within the limitations of the CPU and 

graphics capabilities of your computer). Select 

Motion Step during Tool Change to speed up the 

animation of tool changes. 

� Motion Step: Select this method to update the 

Virtual Machine window at the endpoint of every 

Step Size motions. 

� Time Interval: Select this method to only update 

the Virtual Machine window at a set Interval 

in seconds. This method has the least impact 

in terms of CPU requirements. 

Animation control settings are also available from the 

VM Animation toolbar available with GENER and 

CERUN. 

When in continuous animation mode, extremely slow motions may give the impression that the 

software is no longer operating. If unsure, activate the HUD motion display, which will show if 

axes are in fact moving. Animation control settings can be changed while the simulation is 

running (and even mid interpolation). 

Tool Path Options 

The Tool Path options control the display of the tool path trace. The trace appears as a thin line, 

with different colors representing interpolation and positioning. 

� The Enable tool path check box activates or deactivates tracing in the simulation window. 

� When the Tool path as overlay check box is selected, the tool path trace will not be hidden 

by objects that might be between you (the viewer) and the tool path. 

� The Feed, Rapid and Sync color boxes can be used to set the tool path trace display color 

for interpolation, positioning and synchronized motions. 

� Tool path trace selects whether the trace will appear at the tool tip or at the spindle control 

point (SCP). Tooling must be defined to see a difference between tool-tip and SCP 

traces. 




� Tool path mode selects the extent of the trace. The entire program can be traced or the 

trace can be restricted to motions that occurred within a specified time. 

� Tool path resolution defines the tolerance to use when approximating curved motions by 

short straight-line segments. The Max steps/motion setting limits the number of segments 

that will be draw for any one motion. 

World Background Color Options 

The world background color setting sets the underlying color of the simulation window. 

� The Use gradient check box can be selected to use a two-color smooth gradient background. 

� The Top color defines the background color if gradient fill is not selected, or the color to 

use at the upper edge of the simulation window when using a gradient fill background. 

� The Bottom color defines the color to use at the lower edge of the simulation window 

when using a gradient fill background. 

Backface Options 

The back-face setting controls how the backside of a surface should be shown. VM uses a mesh 

of triangles to represent objects. Each triangle has a concept of in and out, which is used in the 

drawing process to correctly color and shade the triangle. When an object is viewed from the 

inside looking out, VM provides the following choices on how the backside surface should be 

displayed: 

� Wireframe: An object‟s surface will be drawn in wire-frame mode when viewed from 

the inside. This setting may result in faint lines appearing at the edges of objects. Some 

graphic cards exhibit poor performance in this mode. 

� Solid: An object‟s surface will be drawn as a solid when viewed from the inside (this setting 

is only valid when not in Simulation»Show»Wireframe mode). 

� Hidden: An object‟s surface will be hidden when viewed from the inside. 

Miscellaneous Options 

The Miscellaneous options define various other settings as follows: 

� The Use 3D construction positioning check box controls the operation of the left-mouse 

button when constructing objects. When set, it takes two mouse clicks to define a point in 

space: the first defines the XY location and the second defines the Z. When the 3D check 

box is clear, the first mouse-click defines the XYZ coordinates. 

� The Default to Look-Around camera check box sets the default mode of camera rotation. 

When set, camera rotation by default rotates around the current camera position 

(like turning your head) and the Shift key must be pressed to rotate around a point in 

space in front of the camera. When this check box is clear, the default is the reverse. The 

camera will rotate around a point in space in front of the camera, and the Shift key will 

cause the camera to rotate around the current position. 

� The Use camera animation check box when set causes the camera to smoothly interpolate 

between any two user-defined viewpoints sharing the same projection type (i.e., per- 




spective vs. orthogonal). When this check box is cleared, the camera jumps directly to 

each new viewpoint. 

� The Default to Camera mode check box sets the default 

functionality of the left-mouse button. When set, the default 

is “Camera” mode; meaning that the left-mouse button 

controls the orientation of the camera, and the Ctrl button must be held down to select 

objects. When this check box is clear, the default is “Selection” mode; meaning that the 

left-mouse button is used to select objects, and the Ctrl button must be held down to orient 

the camera. The Camera and Selection mode defaults can also be set using the camera 

and pointer buttons shown circled above on the VM Mode toolbar. 

� The Enable CL CAMERA check box when set allows the simulation window viewpoint 

to be changed under post processor or part program control, using the CAMERA post 

processor command. Clear this check box to ignore CAMERA post processor command 

settings. 

� The Show collision interference check box when set will dynamically show, as a yellow 

line, the intersection between colliding objects. Computing the intersection takes considerably 

more CPU than simply detecting if a collision has occurred. You can disable the 

viewing of collision interference if you encounter unacceptable performance with colliding 

objects on complex scenes. 

� The Limit Timeline memory check box and associated input field can be used to avoid 

out-of-memory conditions on very large programs. If set, the Timeline window will only 

use the specified amount of memory to track the events of the model. Once the limit has 

been reached, events earlier in the program will no longer be accessible via the Timeline 

window. 

� The Gouge tolerance setting specifies an acceptable collision tolerance between the cutting 

portion of the tool and the part model. Some undercutting is to be expected, which is 

normally a function of the manufacturing tolerance used by the CAM system. When the 

Material Removal Simulation (MRS) license option is enabled, the gouge tolerance also 

defines the cutting tolerance to use when computing the in-process stock. The actual cutting 

tolerance used is a function of the gouge tolerance and tool usage (see tool usage description 

on page 82) 

� The Collision tolerance setting specifies the accuracy in space of the beginning and end 

of a collision event between two objects. 

� The Faceting tolerance setting specifies the accuracy of mesh objects generated at 

runtime from swept profiles. A tighter tolerance produces more accurate results, but at 

the cost of increased memory and CPU. One of the key uses of the faceting tolerance is in 

the generation of 3D tooling given either a 2D profile or tool definition parameters (i.e., 

diameter, corner radius, length…). 


4.3.22 Simulation»Open Setup (CERUN & GENER only) 


Simulation»Open Setup (CeRun & Gener only) 

Activates a standard file dialog to select the name of the Verification Setup (.vsw) file to use for 

simulation. The setup file contains settings for lighting, grid, camera, viewpoints, etc. The setup 

file also contains a reference to a similarly named 3D Model (.m3d) file, which contains the part, 

stock and fixture definitions. Typically, each NC program input file will have an associated setup 

and 3D model file. 

4.3.23 Simulation»Save Setup (CERUN & GENER only) 

Activates a standard file dialog to save the current simulation settings. Simulation settings are 

saved in the Verification Setup (.vsw) and 3D Model (.m3d) files. 


4.4 Model Customization 

Virtual Machine Reference, Model Customization 

This section describes the model customization features available with QUEST. 

� Virtual Machine uses the ICAM Macro Language facility (described starting on page 

123) to customize models. This is the same programming facility used with CERUN and 

GENER. 

� The Startup macro and Shutdown macro (on page 145) allow you to customize the actions 

of the model at the start and end of processing. 

� Event macros (on page 146) provide customization control at other key events in the 

simulation of the program. 

� The Dialog Editor (on page 148) allows you to build custom dialog boxes, which can be 

activated during processing to query the NC programmer for any necessary information. 

� Many built-in Virtual Machine specific macro functions (on page 147) are available to 

control model behavior. 

� There are also a couple of Virtual Machine specific macro variables (on page 194) that 

may prove useful. 

Syntax Conventions 

The syntax for the macro language is listed using the following format: 

� Square brackets [ ] encase syntax that is optional. The ~ symbol preceding the item, as in 

~[,a], indicates that the item can be repeated zero or more times. 

� Parentheses ( ) encase syntax that lists a number of choices, one of which is required. The 

~ symbol preceding the item, as in ~(,a), indicates that the item can be repeated one or 

more times. The parentheses are omitted when the syntax is a simple choice among a 

number of keywords. 

� Any value not contained in square brackets or parentheses must be programmed each 

time the command is used. 

� Formal keywords will be shown in upper case, as in ON and WHILE. 

� Lower case italicized words identify requirements for numeric values, as in label_name 

or value. 

� Alternate forms for a command will be listed separately, with the command name repeated. 


4.4.1 The Macro Language 


The Macro Language, Fundamentals of the Macro Language 

The ICAM macro language is used for the customization of Virtual Machine models, as well as 

for the customization of CAM-POST post-processors and ICAM control emulators. Model 

macros share the same macro environment as the post processor and control emulator, giving 

them full access to system variables as well as user defined global variables. However, care 

should be taken to clearly separate the macro functions necessary in the model, from those 

necessary in the post-processor (GENER) or control emulator (CERUN). 

For example, global variables used in model macros should be defined in the model Startup 

macro, and not in the Startup macro of the post or control emulator. This ensures that the model 

is fully self-contained and can be used with another post processor if desired without undue 

changes. 

Model macros should not generate post processor commands. This is because the model customization 

environment is not post-processor command based; therefore, any post processor command 

contained in a model macro will have to be interpreted by GENER. This makes the model 

unavailable for use with CERUN, which does not recognize post processor commands. 

4.4.1.1 Fundamentals of the Macro Language 

There are a number of different macro types available with the ICAM macro language: 

� Startup and Shutdown macros are executed at the start and end of “special” events. 

For example, control emulators, post-processors and models all have main startup and 

shutdown macros. The startup macro is used to initialize global variables that are shared 

by all other macros. The shutdown macro typically performs any required housekeeping 

duties at the end of processing. Other startup/shutdown macro types exist in the different 

products to allow customization at the start and ends of key events. Model startup and 

shutdown macros are described in section 4.4.2 on page 145. 

� Event macros are similar to Startup and Shutdown macros, with the exception that a single 

macro is executed to handle customization necessary during the event. A special 

OUTPUT macro command in the event macro specifies where the built-in action is to occur. 

Model event macros are described in section 4.4.3 on page 146. 

� Control Emulator uses Code macros to customize the processing associated with CNC 

functions (i.e., code identifiers) that are read from the MCD. Control Emulator uses Data 

macros to customize the evaluation of register data (i.e. data identifiers). Code and Data 

macros are not described in this document as they are not used by Virtual Machine. 

� CAM-POST uses User-Defined macros to customize the processing associated with 

post-processor commands and other record data that are read from the CLDATA. Userdefined 

macros are not described in this document as they are not used by Virtual Machine. 

All of these macro types share the same common macro language syntax, and all of these macro 

types get information about the event that they are customizing via $P variables (described later). 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Virtual Machine Reference, Model Customization 


Basic Macro Syntax 

Macro lines are APT-like in appearance, similar to the ASCII CL file output by many CAM 

systems. Statements begin on a new line, in the form “variable=expression”, “command/parameter-list” 

or simply “command”. If a statement is too long to fit within an 80 character 

line, it can be continued from one line to the next by ending the previous line with a single 

dollar character “$”. 

Macro comment lines begin with two dollar characters “$$”. Comments can be appended to the 

end of any statement by coding $$ followed by the comment text. A comment can also be 

specified following the $ continuation mark, but at least one space must separate the $ character 

from the comment text that follows. 

Blanks and the case of letters are ignored by the compiler unless they appear within a string 

constant (e.g., 'Hello World') or comment. 

Macros can be shown in one of two styles (set your preference from the “Macro Editor” tab of 

the Tools»Preferences menu-bar selection): 

� “Standard” is the traditional format. Macro commands and variables are shown in uppercase 

and logical operators are shown using the ANSI APT “.XX.” style. 

IF/I.GT.3.AND.I.LE.6 

� “C” is a more modern format. Macro commands and variables are shown in lowercase 

and logical operators are shown using the C style. 

if/i>3&&i



� An expression with STRING data type is a character string. String constants begin and 

end with single quotes ('). In order to include the single quote character within a string 

constant, two single quotes in a row must be specified. The string constant composed only 

of two single quotes represents a string composed of zero characters, called the “empty 

string”. The following are examples of valid numeric constants: 

'THIS IS A STRING''' 

' ' 

'This string contains a single quote ('').' 

'a' 

If a string is too long to fit on one line, it can be broken into pieces using the concatenation 

operator (//) and the continuation character ($). Operators are discussed further in a 

later section. For example: 

%L01='This string could not fit on a single '//$ 

'line so it was broken into pieces in order to '//$ 

'fully specify it.' 

� An expression with KEYWORD data type is a Minor word. If a minor word is not defined 

for a specific code, then the keyword code constant can be specified in the form 

“#code”. The Minor word list (and associated codes) can be modified using the QUEST 

Words Manager. The following are examples of keyword constants: 

ON or #71 

RANGE #145 

CCLW #59 

� An expression with RECORD data type is a Major word or Reserved word representing 

a CLDATA record type. If a Major word or Reserved name is not defined for a specific 

record type, then the record type constant can be specified in the form “#class:subclass”. 

The Major word list (and associated codes) can be modified using the QUEST Words 

Manager. The following are examples of record constants: 

COOLNT or #2000:1030 

GOTO #5000:5 

#28000:* 

An asterisk (*) can be used in place of the class or subclass code to represent all classes 

or all subclasses. In the third example above, the record type constant represents all subclasses 

of record class 28000. The constant “#*:*” represents all record types. 

There are two other special types in the macro language: null and sequence. 

� If an expression has a null value, it is as if it has no value or an unknown value. The readonly 

system variable $NULL represents a null value. Note that zero is not equal to 

$NULL. 




� An expression with sequence data type consists of an ordered set of data elements. The 

data elements within a sequence can be of any type, and do not all have to be the same 

data type. 

The macro language does not require strong data typing. This means that the same variable can 

hold information of different types during the course of processing. This provides a great deal of 

flexibility and simplifies coding. For those who prefer a more formal arrangement, the DECLAR 

command can be used to strongly type variables. 

Macro Variables 

There are five types of variables: user variables, predefined global variables, predefined local 

variables, $P arguments and macro system variables. The following table describes the format of 

the various types of variables: 

Variable Type Variable Format Examples 

User A...Z~[A...Z 0...9_ ] I,ABC2,M4_J 

Predefined Global %Gnn %G2,%G02,%G23 

Predefined Local %Lnn %L2,%L02,%L23 

$P Argument $Pnn $P2,$P02,$P23 

System $name $XC,$PI,$T 

User variables must always start with an alphabetic character. The remaining characters can be 

any combination of letters, digits and the underscore character. The maximum size of a user 

variable is 32 characters. 

Global variables retain their value across all macros; local variables only retain their value while 

a macro is running and are forgotten once it is finished. Global values can therefore be used (and 

in fact are the only way) to pass information from one macro to another, whereas local variables 

are used for calculations local to a specific macro. By default, user variables are local unless a 

DECLAR command is given in the machine startup macro declaring the variable as global. 

For predefined local variables, predefined global variables and $P arguments, the leading zero of 

the variable number is optional (in other words, %G02 is same as %G2, %L02 is same as %L2, 

and $P02 is same as $P2). Predefined global variables (%G00…%G99) do not need a DECLAR 

statement since they are predefined as global. The same is true for predefined local variables 

(%L01…%L99). 

There is a predefined set of macro system variables. Some variables cannot be assigned values, 

and most that can be assigned can take only numeric values. See “Simulation Macro Variables” 

on page 205 for a list of available macro system variables. 


Detecting Data Type Mismatching 



The compiler tries to ensure data type agreement between the argument expressions and the 

operators, functions or macro commands that operate on them. Each line is checked independently 

of any other line. Since variables can have any data type, the amount of type checking done is 

limited. For example, the following line of code would cause a macro compiler error in QUEST: 

%L02='abc'+4 

The following two lines would not cause a compiler error, even though they are equivalent to the 

line above. These lines however would cause a processing error at run-time when the VM macro 

is executed. 

%L03='abc' 

%L02=%L03+4 

Explicit Type Declaration (DECLAR) 

The DECLAR command can be used to explicitly define a user variable as being GLOBAL or 

LOCAL, and can optionally restrict the type of information held by the variable. All variables 

defined using DECLAR are automatically initialized. The basic syntax is as follows: 

, LOGICAL 

KEYWORD 

RECORD 

REAL 

� STRING � 

� � 

DECLAR / 

�GLOBAL 

� � � 

�� LOCAL �� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

1: 

n 

�, variable _name 

� 

If GLOBAL is specified, then the variable being declared is global to all macros. If LOCAL is 

specified (the default) then the variable is local to the macro in which it is declared. Global 

variables should all be defined in the model startup macro. Local variables of course must be 

defined in the macro where they are being used. 

By default, a variable can hold any type of information, and the type can change at any time 

without restriction. If a variable is declared with a specific type, then an error will be issued at 

run-time if data of the wrong type is loaded into the variable. 

One or more variable names can be defined in a single DECLAR command. In addition, variables 

can be defined as arrays by specifying the number of array elements within parentheses ( ) 

immediately following the variable name. The RESERV command (described a little further 

below) can also be used to define arrays in a more traditional way for those familiar with APT 

programming. 

Variables are assigned a default value when they are declared. These defaults are: blank string 

for STRING, zero for REAL, .FALSE. for LOGICAL, #0 for KEYWORD, #0:0 for RECORD, 

and $NULL for an untyped variable. An undeclared variable is assigned a default value of zero if 

it is referenced before it is assigned a value. 




For example: 

$$ a global untyped variable named LU1 

DECLAR/GLOBAL,LU1 

$$ a global logical variable array size 10 

DECLAR/GLOBAL,LOGICAL,FLAG(10) 

$$ 3 local variables that can only hold real values 

DECLAR/LOCAL,REAL,X1,Y1,Z1 

It is illegal to specify a predefined variable name in a DECLAR command. For example, any 

variable with a leading “%” symbol or “$” symbol is predefined and cannot appear in a 

DECLAR command. In addition, once a variable is declared it in effect becomes “predefined” 

and must not be declared again. That is why it is recommended that all global declarations be 

placed in the model startup macro, where they are only declared once. 

Array Declaration (RESERV) 

The RESERV command is used to define a variable as being an array (the DECLAR command 

can also be used for the same purpose). The basic syntax is as follows: 

RESERV 

/ 

1 : n 

� � � � 

, variable _name, 

elements , length 

The “elements” is a whole number specifying how many elements there are in the named variable. 

If the array is to hold text strings, a second whole number can be given specifying the length 

of each string in the string array. If “length” is omitted for a string array, the length will be 

determined based on the first assignment operation. 

To refer to a specific element in an array variable, specify the element number within parentheses 

immediately following the array variable name. The element number can be specified either 

as a numeric constant or by an expression that returns a numeric result. 

An array of 10 elements is defined in the following example. The first element is assigned a 

value of 1 (one). Each subsequent element is double the value of the preceding one. 

DECLAR/GLOBAL,A1 

RESERV/A1,10 

A1(1)=1 

DO/I=2,10 

A1(I)=2*A1(I-1) 

ENDOF/DO 


Operators 

Numeric, String and Sequence Operators 



The following table summarizes the numeric, string and sequence operators available in the 

macro language in decreasing order of precedence. You cannot use numeric operators on strings, 

nor can you use the string operator on numbers. 

Operator Function Example 

** Exponentiation $P3**2 

/ Division $PI/2 

* Multiplication 3.5*$P1 

+ Addition %G00+%L00 

- Subtraction %G00-3 

: Sub-string/sequence $P2(1:3) 

// String concatenation 'PART'//%L02 

( ) Group %L01/(%L02+4) 

{ } Sequence {$XC,$YC,$ZC} 

A series of exponentiation operations are evaluated from right to the left. The following are 

equivalent: 

a**b**c 

a**(b**c) 

The multiplication and division operators have the same level of precedence. A series of 

multiplications and/or divisions are evaluated from left to right. The following are equivalent: 

a*b/c 

(a*b)/c 

The addition and subtraction operators similarly have the same level of precedence and are 

evaluated from left to right. The following are equivalent: 

a+b-c 

(a+b)-c 

Putting the numeric operators together, the following are equivalent: 

a+b**c/d 

a+((b**c)/d) 

The substring/subsequence operator is used as “variable(start:end)” to return a range of characters 

instead of a single character of the named string variable, or to return a range of elements 

instead of a single element in the named sequence variable. It is important to note that the 




sequence operator cannot be used to return a range of elements of an array. If the starting position 

is omitted, the returned range starts at the first character or element. If the ending position is 

omitted, the returned range ends at the last character or element. 

STR(6:) 

$P3(1:3) 

The concatenation operator can only be used with string constants and variables or functions 

have a string type. 

'(MSG, '//$PARTNO//')' 

The grouping operator “( )” has a variety of purposes. It can used following an array, string or 

sequence variable name to identify the element(s) to return. It can be used following a function 

name to define the input parameters of the function. It can also be used in an expression to 

influence the order of evaluation since expressions in parentheses are evaluated first, and from 

the deepest nest level outwards. Use of the grouping operator can be seen in nearly all of the 

examples above. 

The sequence operator “{ }” is used to construct a sequence of zero or more elements. The 

return value is a sequence expression consisting of all the elements contained within the braces. 

{1,'str',.TRUE.} 

Logical Operators 

This next table lists the logical operators available in the macro language (two styles are available) 

in decreasing order of precedence. A logical operator compares two variables or constants, 

returning a value of “.TRUE.” or “.FALSE.”. Both items being compared must be of the same 

type. 

Operator Function Example 

.EQ. == Equality %L23.EQ.$NULL 

.NE. != Non equality $P0.NE.1.0 

.GT. > Greater than $FLEN(%G00).GT.10 

.LT. < Less than 1.0.LT.$XC 

.GE. >= Greater than or equal $YM.GE.4 

.LE.



tion operator, then the logical “and” followed lastly by the logical “or”. The following are 

equivalent: 

A.LT.B.OR..NOT.C.GT.D.AND.E.EQ.F 

(A.LT.B).OR.((.NOT.(C.GT.D)).AND.(E.EQ.F)) 

ad&&e==f 

(ad))&&(e==f)) 

Function Calls 

The macro language provides a wide variety of functions to simplify the task of writing macros. 

Functions accept zero or more arguments as input and return a value of a specific type (e.g., real 

or logical), although there are a few functions that can return various result types. See 

“Simulation Macro Functions” on page 152 for a description of available VM specific macro 

functions, their input arguments and return values. 

The general syntax of a function call is as follows: 

$Ffunction_name( [argument [,argument...]] ) 

The order in which the arguments are specified is very important. Some functions require no 

arguments, but the parentheses must still be specified. For example, the $FGETCWD() function 

(always called without parameters) returns the file path of the current working directory. 

A function can be used in an expression anywhere a value is permitted, if the function returns a 

data type consistent with the rest of the expression. Functions can be called as arguments to other 

functions. 

External Functions 

The macro processor supports the use of global user functions written in C ++ that have been 

compiled and linked into a shareable library (e.g., a .dll file on Windows or a .so file on UNIX). 

Sample source files, an API development kit and HTML documentation can all be found in the 

installation “Samples/SDK” folder. 

External functions must be defined before they can be used, so that the macro processor will 

know the name of the function and the number and data types of the parameters that are passed 

to the function. The declaration syntax is as follows: 

DECLAR / EXTERN,FUNCTION,'filename'[,type],name([type[,...]) 

The filename string specifies the name of the shareable library. If the filename does not include 

the file type (e.g., .dll). then the default file type for the current Windows or UNIX architecture 

will be used. If the filename does not include a file path, or if the file path is relative, then the 

default path is the installation “bin/system-type” folder. On UNIX systems, the file name is case 

sensitive. 

The name defines the name of the function. External function names must always start with an 

alphabetic character. The remaining characters can be any combination of letters, digits and the 



The Macro Language, Flow Control in a Macro 

underscore character. The maximum size of an external function name is 32 characters. The 

chosen name must not conflict with any local or global variable already defined, or with any 

Major, Minor or reserved keyword name. 

External functions return a value to the macro processor in the same way that built-in functions 

do. By default functions are “un-typed”, meaning that they can return any type of data (real, 

logical, etcetera). Run-time checking of the function return type can be enforced by specifying 

one of the REAL, LOGICAL, STRING, KEYWORD or RECORD type keywords just in front of 

the function name. Functions can also return a “sequence” of values of any type instead of a 

single return value. Omit the type definition, or use the keyword ALL to define a function that 

returns a sequence of data. 

External functions can take zero or more parameters. External functions cannot change the value 

of any parameter passed to it (i.e., they are passed “by value”). The count of allowable parameters 

and the data type of each is specified by a parenthesized list of ALL, REAL, LOGICAL, 

STRING, KEYWORD or RECORD type keywords. The ALL keyword identifies a parameter 

that can be of any type, including a sequence. 

The following declares and uses an external function named “myfunc”, residing in a shared 

library named “myfile.dll”, which requires a numeric and a string parameter, and returns a 

numeric value: 

DECLAR/EXTERN,FUNCTION,'myfile.dll',REAL,MYFUNC(REAL,STRING) 

... 

%L01=MYFUNC(25.4,'metric') 

4.4.1.2 Flow Control in a Macro 

Normally, macro statements are processed in the order in which they appear. There are several 

macro commands that can be used to control the sequence in which the lines of the macro are 

executed. These are discussed below. 

The IF Block 

An IF block describes one or more blocks of macro lines, where one or more conditional tests 

determine which block is executed, if any. The most general format of an IF block is as follows 

(the ELSEIF and ELSE blocks are optional): 

0: 

n 

IF/ conditiona l_expressi on 

statements 

�ELSEIF/ 

conditiona l_ 

expression � 

�� statements 

�� ELSE 

� 

�� statements �� ENDOF/IF 

The condition of each IF and ELSEIF line is checked in turn until one evaluates to TRUE, or 

there are no more to check. If an IF or ELSEIF condition evaluates to TRUE, the following block 

of statements is executed. If none of the conditions evaluates to TRUE and the last block is 

preceded by an ELSE line, the last block of statements is executed. If none of the conditions is 




TRUE and there is no ELSE block, no blocks of statements are executed. After a block of 

statements is executed, control passes to the statement after the “ENDOF/IF” line. 

The CASE Statement 

A CASE statement allows the user to branch to different blocks of macro code depending on the 

value of one expression. It is similar to a complex IF block. The syntax of the CASE statement is 

as follows: 

1: 

n 

CASE/ any_expres sion 

� 1: 

n 

� 

WHEN/ 

� statements 

�WHEN/OTHER 

S � 

�� statements �� ENDOF/CASE 

�constant [, THRU, constant ] � 

� 

� 

� 

The CASE line defines the expression that will be used for comparison against the constants 

defined on the WHEN lines. If a WHEN constant matches the CASE expression, the lines 

following the WHEN statement are executed up until the next WHEN statement or the 

ENDOF/CASE line. The OTHERS keyword following the last of the WHEN statements is 

similar to the ELSE statement in the IF block; it matches any remaining conditions. The OTH- 

ERS line is optional. 

The WHEN statement can list multiple constants and/or ranges of constants. The THRU keyword 

specifies a range of constants starting at the value specified before THRU and ending at the 

value specified after THRU. Any type of constant can be checked for in a WHEN statement, 

with the restriction that the same type of constant be used on both sides of a THRU qualifier. 

The WHILE Loop 

A WHILE loop describes a block of macro lines to be executed while a given condition is 

TRUE. The format of a WHILE loop is as follows: 

WHILE/ conditiona l_expressi on 

statements 

ENDOF/WHIL E 

The conditional_expression is tested before entering the block of macro lines. If the condition is 

FALSE, control passes to the line following the ENDOF/WHILE line. Otherwise, if the condition 

is TRUE, the first line following the WHILE line is executed. When the ENDOF/WHILE 

line is reached, control is passed back to the WHILE line, which tests its condition again. The 

block of macro lines of the WHILE loop are never entered if the condition is initially FALSE. 

The REPEAT Loop 

A REPEAT loop describes a block of macro lines to be executed until a given condition is 

TRUE. The format of a REPEAT loop is as follows: 

REPEAT 

statements 

UNTIL/ conditiona l_expressi on 




The block of statements is always executed at least once. Each time the UNTIL line is reached, 

the conditional_expression is tested. If it is TRUE, control is passed to the line following the 

UNTIL line. Otherwise, control is passed back to the top of the block of statements, which are 

executed again. The block of statements of a REPEAT loop are entered at least once, unlike 

those of the WHILE loop. 

The DO Loop 

The DO statement iterates a loop variable over a range of values, executing a block of macro 

statements on each iteration. The format of the DO statement is as follows: 

DO/ variable � start, 

end [, step ] 

statements 

ENDOF/DO 

The step increment does not need to be specified. It defaults to one (1). The start value, end 

value and step increment value are evaluated when the DO line is first reached. The loop variable 

is then assigned the start value. A test is performed on each iteration before executing the 

statements. If the loop variable has passed the end value, control passes to the statement after the 

ENDOF/DO. Each time the ENDOF/DO line is reached, the step increment value is added to the 

loop variable and the cycle repeats. 

If the step increment value is positive, the termination test is that the loop variable is greater than 

the end value. If the increment value is negative, the termination test is that the loop variable is 

less than the end value. For the default case in which the increment is one, the loop variable has a 

value of one added to it until it is greater than the end value. 

Exiting Loops (EXIT) 

The EXIT command is used to exit a given number of nested loop levels, transferring control to 

the statement immediately following the given loop. Each WHILE, REPEAT or DO loop that the 

EXIT statement is nested within counts as one level (note that IF and CASE statements do not 

count as a level). 

The format of the EXIT statement is as follows: 

EXIT [ / levels ] 

The levels value is a whole unsigned number. If not specified, the default number of levels is 1. 

Unconditional Jumps (JUMPTO) 

The JUMPTO statement is used to transfer control to a labeled statement within the same macro. 

The label may be above or below the JUMPTO statement. The labeled statement starts with the 

name of the label, followed by a colon (:). Labels must be alphanumeric. They can start with 

either a letter or a digit, but must contain at least one letter. The format of the JUMPTO statement 

is as follows: 

JUMPTO 

/ label _name 

� 

label _name 

: 



The Macro Language, Macro Invocation 

It is poor practice to jump to a label inside the body of a DO, IF, REPEAT, WHILE or CASE 

statements from outside that statement. Using JUMPTO to enter a DO loop is particularly 

inadvisable, since it may lead to unexpected behavior. 

Exiting a Macro (TERMAC) 

The TERMAC command can be used to exit a macro from anywhere inside the macro. There is 

an implicit TERMAC at the end of each macro, so it is not necessary to end a macro with a 

TERMAC statement. The TERMAC statement has no arguments. 

Ending a Macro (ENDMAC) 

The ENDMAC command is a special one that marks the end of a macro when the macro is 

output to a file or is listed with other macros in the macro editor. The ENDMAC command is not 

a “real” macro command since it is not compiled into the macro object code. Instead, it simply 

acts as a separator to distinguish one macro from the next, where necessary. 

4.4.1.3 Macro Invocation 

Macros are automatically invoked (i.e., called) by the macro processor when specific events 

happen, or when “matching” CLDATA records, CNC codes or data identifiers are processed. 

The types of macros and their execution timing are as follows: 

� Startup and Shutdown macros: Executed before and after key events (see section 4.4.2 

“Model Startup/Shutdown Macros” on page 145). 

� Event macros: Executed at key events (see section 4.4.3 “Model Event Macros” on page 

146). 

� Code and Data macros: Executed when matching code or data identifiers are processed 

by Control Emulator. Code and Data macros are not described in this document as they 

are not used by Virtual Machine. 

� User-Defined macros: Executed when matching CLDATA records are processed by 

CAM-POST. User-defined macros are not described in this document as they are not 

used by Virtual Machine. 

Enable/Disable Macro Matching (MATCH) 

The MATCH macro command can be given within a macro to turn macro matching ON or OFF. 

It is not recommended to use this command in a VM model macro, since this command affects 

CAM-POST and Control Emulator macro processing. 

�ON MATCH / 

� 

� � 

�OFF 

� 

MATCH/ON specifies that CLDATA record and Code/Data identifier matching should be 

enabled. This is the initial condition at the start of any macro. MATCH/OFF specifies that 

matching should be disabled. 

When macro matching is disabled, no attempt is made to invoke User-Defined, Code or Data 

macros that match those generated in the current macro. 



The Macro Language, Text File I/O from a Macro 

Macro matching is always automatically turned back on when the current macro is exited. 

Startup, shutdown and event macros are always invoked even if macro matching is turned OFF. 

Outputting the Matched Record (OUTPUT) 

The OUTPUT command instructs the macro processor to execute the actions associated with the 

current event. The syntax of the OUTPUT command is simply: 

OUTPUT 

The OUTPUT command must be coded in Model Event macros only; do not code OUTPUT in a 

startup or shutdown macro. If the OUTPUT command is not encountered in an event macro, then 

the built-in processing for that event will not occur. This gives you the opportunity in an event 

macro to insert your own processing before, after, or even in place of the built-in processing. 

Note that the OUTPUT command is also used with CERUN and GENER User-Defined macros to 

indicate the point in the user-defined macro where the matched command should be processed. 

4.4.1.4 Text File I/O from a Macro 

The macro language provides the ability to read from and write to external text files. These files 

are connected to and disconnected from the macro processor using OPEN and CLOSE commands. 

Input and output to external files is done using the READ and WRITE commands. 

When a file is opened, it must be assigned a “unit” number. This is a number from 20 through 29 

that will then be used in subsequent READ, WRITE and CLOSE statements to identify the 

particular file opened. This enables multiple files to be simultaneously opened for processing. 

If an error occurs during text file I/O, the error return code will be stored in the $ERRNO macro 

system variable. Macros must test for I/O errors and act accordingly since a diagnostic will not 

be output to indicate an I/O failure. 

Opening a Text File (OPEN) 

The OPEN command opens a text file with a given name on a given unit. The file name is 

optional if the unit is pre-connected. If FRONT is specified, the unit is rewound. If REAR is 

specified, the unit is positioned at the end-of-file. FRONT is the default. The OPEN command 

has the following syntax: 

OPEN/ unit 

� FRONT 

, 

� 

� 

[ , filename ] 

� REAR �� Two special file names are predefined to permit input and output to the console; they are STDIN 

and STDOUT. 

Closing a Text File (CLOSE) 

The CLOSE command closes a text file. It has the following syntax: 

CLOSE/ 

unit 


It is good programming practice to close files when finished using them. 

Writing to a Text File (WRITE) 


The Macro Language, Text File I/O from a Macro 

The WRITE command writes a string into a text file. The syntax of the WRITE command is: 

0: 

n 

WRITE/ unit ', format ' , 

� value � 

See the “Output String Format Specifications” below for a description of how the string to be 

written is constructed using the format argument. 

Normally, a file must be opened before a write operation is attempted. This is true for units 20 

through 29. All other units may be written to but may not be opened or read. It is important to 

exercise caution when writing to units outside of the safe range (20 to 29). This is especially 

important when considering the database files. These files are binary format and an inadvertent 

write could corrupt your database. All I/O should be restricted to units 20 through 29. 

Reading from a Text File (READ) 

The READ command can be used to read a line from a text file into one or more macro variables. 

The text file must be open when the READ is executed. The syntax of the READ from text 

file command is: 

INCR 

READ/ unit 

� 

, 

� 

1: 

n 

� DECR � 

', format ' , 

� � 

� variable � 

If INCR is specified, the next line is read. This is the default. A READ using INCR should only 

be performed if “$FEOF(unit)” returns false. If DECR is specified, the last line is read again. If 

no lines have been read yet, the first line is read. 

See the “Input String Format Specifications” on page 142 for a description of how the variables 

in the input list are assigned values from the input unit text using the format string. 

Reading from a String Value (READ) 

The READ command can also be used to do an “internal read” from a string value. The syntax of 

the internal READ command is: 

1 : n 

� � 

READ/ strvar ', format ' , variable 

See the “Input String Format Specifications” on page 142 for a description of how the variables 

in the input list are assigned values from the input string variable strvar using the format string. 



The Macro Language, Other Macro Commands 

4.4.1.5 Other Macro Commands 

Outputting Error Messages (ERROR) 

The ERROR command outputs a diagnostic message to the listing file. Two forms of ERROR 

command syntax are available, to output user defined and standard error messages, as follows: 

0: 

n 

ERROR/ severity ', message ' , 

0: 

n 

� � 

ERROR/ errnum , value 

� value � 

The “severity” form of the ERROR command is used to output a user defined error. The diagnostic 

message severity must be a whole number in the range 0-99, where by standard convention: 

0 is a message, 4 a warning, 8 an error and 16 a severe error. 

The diagnostic message text follows the severity. See “Output String Format Specifications” on 

page 139 for a description of how the string to be written is constructed using the format_string 

argument. 

For example: 

ERROR/0,'Pallet change' 

ERROR/4,'Cannot determine diameter of tool !(*)',$T 

The “errnum” form of the ERROR command is used to output standard error diagnostics. The 

diagnostic error number must be a whole number greater than 99, matching one of the standard 

diagnostics found in the pos190.err or err190.err diagnostic file. Because a model could be used 

with either a post-processor or a control emulator, this form of the ERROR command is not 

recommended for use in model macros. 

Calling other programs (SYSTEM) 

The SYSTEM command is used to spawn processes while simulating. The SYSTEM command 

allows the model to run another program or issue an operating system command from within a 

macro. The command takes the form: 

SYSTEM/'command ' 

The command defined within the string is sent to the Windows or UNIX shell from the current 

working directory. If the command name and/or file name specifications contain embedded 

blanks, you will likely have to enclose them in quotes as you would if you typed the command 

from the shell prompt. 

The $ERRNO system variable contains the status code returned by the operating system when 

control was returned to the macro processor. 


4.4.1.6 String Format Specification 


The Macro Language, String Format Specification 

String formatting is used to read and write variables to external files, and to write information to 

the verification listing. Output string formatting converts variables to a text string. Input string 

formatting extracts information from a text string and loads it into variables. 

Output String Format Specifications 

String formatting is used to transfer different data types into a text format depending upon 

certain control characters in the format string. The format processing described below is used by 

the $FSWRIT function, and also by the ERROR and WRITE commands. 

A format string is made up of two separate parts. The first part is a character string that may or 

may not have certain control characters. The second part is a list of arguments that are to be 

formatted into the first part of the format string. The number of arguments required for the 

second part depends upon the number of control characters in the first. 

The following sections describe the action taken when certain control characters are found in the 

first part of the format string. Each control character may require a different type of argument in 

the second part of the format string. The type required will be described in the pertinent section. 

The exclamation character (!) is used as an attention character to indicate that the characters to 

follow are to be validated as formats for different argument types. If an exclamation character is 

required on the output string, specify two exclamation characters (!!). All formats should be 

placed in open and close parentheses. For example, “!(s4.3s)”. 

Numeric Output Format 

(! 

� � 

�� X�� V 

�� s� 

n 

�. 

� 

n 

�s� 

) 

�� e�� 

�� f�� 

�� e�� 

V Output as variable length string (default) 

X Output as fixed length string 

+ Output + sign for positive numbers 

s Suppress leading/trailing zeros 

e One digit must appear left or right of decimal 

n Maximum number of digits left or right of decimal 

. Always output decimal 

f Omit decimal point for whole numbers 

This format is used to place a value into the character string using a given “format”. This format 

requires a numeric argument for each occurrence of the format. This value can be any numeric 

value. The macro processor will take this value and format it using the specified “format”. The 

“format” can be in the following appearance. 

The “V” or “X” character provides for optional fixed length output. When using the X format, 

leading and trailing zeroes that are converted to blanks will remain significant. This is useful 

when outputting tables of values that should be aligned. The default is variable length output. 

The V format character can be omitted. 




The “+” character is used to force a plus sign to be output if the value is a positive number. This 

character is optional and if omitted, positive values will not have a plus sign output. 

The “s” or “S” character is used to suppress leading and/or trailing zeroes from the number to be 

output. This character is optional and if omitted, the leading and/or trailing zeroes will be output. 

If the decimal point is not to be output then it is recommended that either leading or trailing 

zeroes not be suppressed depending on the machine control specifications. 

The “e” or “E” character is used to ensure that at least one digit will exist on the given side of the 

decimal point. For example, the number “.22” would be represented by “0.22”. 

The “f” or “F” character is used to signify that only fractional numbers will have the decimal 

character. Whole numbers are represented without the decimal character. 

The “9” character is used to indicate the number of digits to be output before and/or after the 

decimal point. A maximum of 9 digits can be output before and/or after the decimal point giving 

a maximum of 18 digits of precision. This character may be replaced with any digit from 0 

through 9. 

The “.” character is used to force the decimal point selected in the “Punching Requirements” 

section of QUEST to be output. This character is optional and if omitted, the decimal point will 

not be output. 

String Output Format 

) 

a A 

(! 

� � 

� � n 

� � 

A Output string as-is 

a Output as lowercase string 

n Maximum number of characters to output 

A string format is specified by the character “A” or “a” optionally followed by an integer value 

from 0 to 999. The “a” format will force all letters of the string to lower case while “A” will 

preserve the case. The integer value is used to specify the maximum number of characters to be 

output. If no value or 0 is specified, the number of characters output is dependent on the size of 

the string specified as the argument for this format. If a size is specified, and the string is larger 

than the size, the remaining characters will be truncated. If the string is shorter than the size, 

blanks will be added to extend the string to the size specified. This format requires a string 

argument for each occurrence of the format. This value can be any string value of any length. 

Minor Word Output Format 

(! 

� M � 

� n ) 

m � 

� � 

M Output as uppercase keyword 

m Output as lowercase keyword 





A minor word format is specified by the character “M” or “m” optionally followed by an integer 

value from 0 to 999. The “m” format will force the minor word name to be presented in lower 

case. The length processing is performed in the same manner as the string formats. This format 

requires a minor word argument for each occurrence of the format. 

Logical Output Format 

) 

l L 

(! 

� � 

� � n 

� � 

L Output as uppercase “TRUE” or “FALSE” 

l Output as lowercase “true” or “false” 


A logical format is specified by the character “L” or “l” optionally followed by an integer value 

from 0 to 999. The “l” format will force the logical argument value to be presented in lower case. 

The length processing is performed in the same manner as the string formats. A string of 

“TRUE” or “FALSE” will be output depending upon the value of the logical argument. This 

format requires a logical argument for each occurrence of the format. 

Wildcard Output Format 

(! * n ) 

* Output using default format rules 


A wildcard format is specified by the character “*”. This format is used to output any type of 

argument in a fixed format. The following table shows the equivalent formats that would be used 

depending upon the type of argument specified when “!(*)” is used as a format descriptor. 

Type of argument Format 

Numeric 

Minor 

Text string 

Logical 

!(s9f9s) 

!(M) 

!(A) 

!(L) 

In addition to the equivalent types shown, two more types can be output. If the argument is a 

$NULL type, the characters “$NULL” will be output. If the argument type is a “sequence” type, 

the characters “” will be output. Where “sq1” represents the first argument of the 

sequence and “sqn” represents the last. Each argument of the sequence is output as though they 

were specified individually using a wildcard format. 

ASCII Value Output Format 

^ Output ASCII character matching value 




The circumflex character (^) is used as an attention character to indicate that an ASCII character 

is to be output in its place. If a circumflex character is required on the output string, specify two 

circumflex characters (^^). This control character requires a numeric argument and is processed 

in the same manner as the $FCHAR function. 

Input String Format Specifications 

Input string formatting is used to transfer different data types from a text string depending upon 

certain control characters in the format string. The format processing described below is used by 

the READ command. The input string formats are similar to those used for output string formats 

with some exceptions. 

A format string is made up of two separate parts. The first part is a character string that contains 

one or more format specifications and optional space characters. The second part is a list of 

arguments that are to receive the values read from the string or file based on the format specification. 

The number of arguments required for the second part depends upon the number of format 

specifications in the first. 

The following sections describe the action taken when certain control characters are found in the 

first part of the format string. 

Space Input Format Character 

The space character is used to advance the internal pointer on the input string to the next character 

that is neither a space nor a tab. This allows you to reposition the internal pointer to the next 

“word” of the input string. 

Exclamation Input Format Character 

The exclamation character (!) is used as an attention character to indicate that the characters to 

follow are to be validated as formats for different input types. The following formats should be 

placed in open and close parentheses. For example, “!(some_format)”. The type of argument 

created will be described in the pertinent section. 

Numeric Input Format 

(! 

�s� 

�� e�� 

�. 

� 

�� f�� 

�s� 

�� e�� 

�� n n ) 

+ Expect + sign for positive numbers 

s Leading/trailing zeros might be suppressed 

e One digit must appear left or right of decimal 

n Max number of digits left or right of decimal 

. Fractional numbers must include decimal 

f Decimal point will be omitted for whole numbers 

This format is used to read a numeric value from the character string using a given “format”. The 

main objective is to ensure that the input number (in string format) conforms to the given format. 

This is especially useful if the input number has an implied decimal place (does not have a 




decimal point punched). The wildcard format can be used if the format of the input number is not 

important. 

String Input Format 

) 

a A 

(! 

� � 

� � n 

� � 

A Input string as-is 

a Same as A; input string as-is 

n Maximum number of characters to input 

A string format is specified by the character “A” or “a” followed by an integer value from 1 to 

999. The integer value is used to specify the number of characters to be read from the input 

string. This format is used to transfer characters from one location to another. If the length 

specified exceeds the record length, the length of the argument is set to the record length. This 

format creates a string argument for each occurrence of the format. 

Minor Word Input Format 

(! 

� M � 

� n ) 

m � 

� � 

M Input as keyword 

m Same as M; input as keyword 


A minor word format is specified by the character “M” or “m” optionally followed by an integer 

value from 0 to 999. A value of 0 results in the same action as if no value was specified. The 

value specified indicates the number of characters on the input string that are to be validated as a 

minor word. Any trailing spaces read from the input string will be ignored. A valid minor word 

can be a maximum of 6 alphanumeric characters or have the form #nnnn, where nnnn is the 

minor word code. If no size value is specified, then all characters up to the next nonalphanumeric 

will be validated as a minor word. This format creates a minor word argument for 

each occurrence of the format. 

Logical Input Format 

) 

l L 

(! 

� � 

� � n 

� � 

L Input as case insensitive “true” or “false” 

l Same as L; input as case insensitive “true” or “false 


A logical format is specified by the character “L” or “l” optionally followed by an integer value 

from 0 to 999. The length processing is performed in the same manner as the minor word formats. 

The input string should match one of “TRUE” or “FALSE”. This format creates a logical 

argument for each occurrence of the format. 




Skip Character Input Format 

x 

) 

X 

(! 

� � 

� � n 

� � 

X Skip input characters 

l Same as X; skip input characters 

n Number of characters to ignore 

A skip character format is specified by the character “X” or “x” optionally followed by an 

integer value from 0 to 999. A value of 0 results in the same action as if a value of 1 was specified. 

This format is used to advance the internal pointer on the input string by the specified 

number of characters. No argument is required for this format. 

Wildcard Input Format 

(! * n ) 

* Input using default format rules 


A wildcard format is specified by the character “*”. This format is used to read any type of value 

in a fixed format. Before the read is performed, the internal pointer on the input string is advanced 

to the next “word”. This is equivalent to specifying a space character before the format. 

The type of argument created by this format is dependent upon the first character. If the first 

character is a dollar sign ($), the following characters should be one of $NULL, true or false, 

resulting in a NULL or LOGICAL value. If the first character is a single quote ('), the following 

characters up to the matching quote, is converted to a string value. The starting and ending single 

quotes will not be part of the resultant string. If quotes are desired in the resultant string, the 

input string should contain two quotes together. If the first character is a (#), the input string is 

read as a minor word code. If the first character is a letter, the input string is read as a minor 

word name. 

If the first character is a digit followed by alphanumeric characters containing at least one letter, 

the input string is read as a minor word name. If the first character is a plus or minus sign, the 

input string is read as a real value. 


4.4.2 Model Startup/Shutdown Macros 

Two model startup/shutdown macros are available: 

Startup Called when the model is loaded 

Shutdown Called at the end of the program 

4.4.2.1 The Model Startup Macro 


Model Startup/Shutdown Macros, The Model Startup Macro 

This macro is called at the start of processing, before any other startup macros associated with 

the post-processor or control emulator. You should use the model startup macro to declare any 

global variables you need to use in other model macros. The startup macro can also be used to 

setup additional channels, close doors, perform pallet changes, initialize tools into tool pockets, 

activate dialogs (by calling the $FDIALOG function), etc. 

There are no $P variables defined for the model startup macro. 

4.4.2.2 The Model Shutdown Macro 

This macro is called at the end of processing, after any other shutdown macros associated with 

the post-processor or control emulator. 

There are no $P variables defined for the model shutdown macro. 



Model Event Macros, The Tape Event Macro (Gener only) 

4.4.3 Model Event Macros 

The following model event macros are available: 

Tape Event Called each time a block of tape is processed 

Motion Event Called at each motion 

Rapid Event Called when transitioning from feed to rapid 

Feed Event Called at each change of feed 

Load Tool Event Called at a tool change 

Each event macro by default contains a single OUTPUT command. This command indicates the 

point in the event macro where VM should process the event. If the event macro does not process 

the OUTPUT command, then the event will not be processed by VM. 

4.4.3.1 The Tape Event Macro (GENER only) 

This macro is called each time a block of NC code is output by the post-processor. Use a tape 

event macro to catch and process (for model purposes) NC instructions that cannot be easily 

caught using other methods. The tape macro has a single $P variable. 

$P1 Tape block string. 

The OUTPUT command in a tape macro is ignored. 

4.4.3.2 The Motion Event Macro 

This macro is called as each motion is processed by CERUN or GENER, before the Tape event 

macro. Use a motion event macro to handle any special requirements that are related to axis 

motion. The motion event macro has 8 $P variables. 

$P1 Motion type. Set this variable to 0 on exit to inhibit simulation of the motion. On input, 

the value is set as follows: 1=circle, 3=FROM, 5=GOTO, 9=spline. 

$P2 End position. This is a sequence variable with 6 positions representing up to 6 active 

axes. Use the $AXES system variable to determine which axes are active. 

$P3 Circle center. This is a sequence variable containing the circle center XYZ location. 

$P4 Circle plane vector. This is a sequence variable containing the circle axis IJK vector. 

$P5 3D circle midpoint. This is a sequence variable containing a mid-point location along 

the interpolated arc of the circle. Set for 3D circle only. 

$P6 Circle interpolation direction: 1=clw, 2=cclw. 

$P7 Circle plane: 0=3D, 1=XY, 2=ZX, 3=YZ. 



Model Event Macros, The Rapid Event Macro 

$P8 Motion flags: These are integer flags indicating if the corresponding axis position as 

defined in $P2 requires a change in position of the axis. A value of “0” indicates that 

the axis is not moving and therefore the axis end-position should be ignored. A value 

of “1” indicates an actively moving axis. 

An OUTPUT command must be encountered during motion event processing in order for VM to 

move the model to the coordinates defined by that event. 

4.4.3.3 The Rapid Event Macro 

This macro is called each time motion processing switches from feed interpolation to rapid 

positioning. The rapid macro has no $P variables. 

An OUTPUT command must be encountered during raid event processing in order for VM to 

switch to rapid positioning. 

4.4.3.4 The Feed Event Macro 

This macro is called each time motion processing switches from rapid positioning to feed interpolation, 

or when the federate changes. The feed macro has a single $P variable. 

$P1 Velocity of the control point in model units per minute or per revolution. 

An OUTPUT command must be encountered during feed event processing in order for VM to 

switch to feed interpolation. 

4.4.3.5 The Load Tool Event Macro 

This macro is called each there is a tool related event. The load tool macro has 6 $P variables. 

$P1 Set to zero on return to have the simulation ignore the tool event. On input, the value 

is set as follows: 1=TOOLNO command, 2=tool change, 3=tool selection 

$P2 Type of change: 1=tool, 2=head 

$P3 Tool ID or head ID 

$P4 Pocket ID or station ID 

$P5 Tool index in $TLTAB or holder index in $HLDTAB (see $P3) 

$P6 Tool axis ID 

An OUTPUT command must be encountered during load tool event processing in order for VM 

to perform the tool change or selection operation. 



The Dialog Editor, Adding and Deleting Dialogs 

4.4.4 The Dialog Editor 

The Dialog editor is used to build dialog boxes, which are then used at run-time to query the NC 

programmer for any information that is necessary during simulation. You can create many 

different dialogs, each with a unique name, which are then activated through the $FDIALOG 

macro function call (see function description on page 201). A screen shot of the Dialog Editor 

facility is shown below. 

4.4.4.1 Adding and Deleting Dialogs 

Press the Add button to create a new dialog. You will be prompted for the dialog‟s name, which 

is how the dialog will be identified in the $FDIALOG function call. Spacing and letter-case are 

not significant in dialog names. Dialogs are listed alphabetically by name. For each dialog, the 

listing includes its name, the caption title that will appear at the top of the dialog window, and a 

list of all macro variables referenced by the dialog (dialogs operate by getting and setting macro 

variables). Note that a single dialog containing all user input requirements is generally preferable 

to the user (if properly constructed) than a series of smaller dialogs. 

Select an existing dialog from the list and press the Modify button (or double click on a list 

entry) to make changes to an existing dialog. Select one or more dialogs and press the Delete 

button to remove them from the model. 

There are also Load and Dump buttons that can be used to read and write dialog definitions 

from/to external files. Use this feature to copy dialogs from one model, control emulator or post- 



The Dialog Editor, The Dialog Template Editor 

processor to another, or to create “external” dialogs that can be accessed at run-time given a 

filename. We recommend that you never edit dialog definitions by hand. 

The Finder utility includes a “Dialogs” option to include dialog definitions when searching 

through a model for matching text. The Diff utility also checks for differences in dialogs when 

comparing models. Dialogs are listed in an XML format in the listing file, Finder and Diff 

windows. 

4.4.4.2 The Dialog Template Editor 

When a dialog is first created, it consists of a single window frame and two buttons: OK and 

Cancel. The screenshot below shows an example of the dialog template editor. 

The window frame can be resized by selecting it and then dragging (with the left-mouse button 

held down) one of the three resize points on the exterior of the window. You can also doubleclick 

on the window to edit the windows “Properties”, which include: its caption title, name, size 

in screen pixels, and margin (like the margins of a printed page). Similarly, the OK or Cancel 

button can be selected and resized using the mouse, or double-clicked on to edit its button 

properties. This behavior is true for all dialog “controls”. 

Dialogs can contain a number of different types of window controls, which can be selected from 

the Controls toolbar or from the Dialog»Controls menu bar. To create a new control, select the 

control type and then interactively place it on the window frame. After placing the control, you 

will be prompted for the control‟s properties. The following control types are available: 




� Text: Use the Text control to add text to your dialog. Properties include the position and 

the text itself. You can use line breaks in the text input field to show multi-line text in the 

dialog. The text control is automatically sized to the required text width and height, although 

you may have to adjust the underlying window frame to fully see the text. 

� Frame: Use the Frame control to visually group related dialog controls. Properties include 

the text label that appears at the top-left corner of the frame, and the position and 

size of the frame. 

� Button: Use the Button control to create buttons, such as the OK and Cancel buttons. 

Properties include the text label that appears inside the button, the type of button, and the 

position and size of the button. Buttons with an “OK” type cause the dialog to close 

when they are pressed, returning the button label text (e.g., “OK”) as the return value to 

the $FDIALOG function, and all dialog macro variables set as shown in the dialog. Buttons 

with a “Cancel” type cause the dialog to close, returning the button label text (e.g., 

“Cancel”) and leaving all dialog macro variables unchanged (but initialized if necessary). 

Buttons with a “Reset” type do not close the dialog; instead, they reset all controls to 

their initial state. Buttons with a “Call Dialog” type activate the specified dialog when 

pressed. A dialog called in this manner must reside in the same model or external file as 

its caller. You can choose to display (and return) any text you want for a button. 

� Edit-box: Use the Edit-box control to create a field that will optionally accept user-typed 

input. Properties include the default value for the field, its associated macro variable, the 

position and size of the edit-box field, and an “editable” flag indicating if the field can be 

changed by the user. When the $FDIALOG function is called, the edit-box field will initially 

be set to the macro variable value. The edit-box field will instead initially be set to 

the default value if the macro variable does not exist, or is $NULL, or is an empty string. 

The macro variable will be set to the contents of the edit-box field when an OK type button 

is pressed. 

� Check-box: Use the Check box control to accept logical True/False type input from the 

user. Properties include an optional text label that will appear to the right of the check 

box, the default set/clear state for the check box, its associated macro variable, and the 

position of the check box control. When the $FDIALOG function is called, the check box 

field will initially be set if: the variable is logical and is true; or the variable is numeric 

and non-zero; or the variable is text and is $TRUE. The check box field will initially be 

cleared if: the variable is logical and is false; or the variable is numeric and zero; or the 

variable is text and is $FALSE. The check box field will instead initially be set to the default 

value if the macro variable does not match any of the preceding, or does not exist, or 

is $NULL. The macro variable will be set to one of the true/false conditions, based on the 

macro variable type, when an OK type button is pressed. 

� Radio-button: Use the Radio-button control to present the user with a series of exclusive 

choices. Properties include an optional text label that will appear to the right of the radiobutton, 

an optional alternate return value, an initial state setting, its associated macro variable, 

and the position of the radio-button control. When a radio button is selected, the 

macro variable will be set by default to the label text. You can choose to return something 

different for the variable by specifying an alternate return value (e.g., a number). 

You must have two or more radio button controls sharing the same macro variable, and 

you can choose which one is the default state (setting the default state in one control 

clears this flag in the others). When the $FDIALOG function is called, the radio-button 




that first matches the current macro variable is the one that will be shown selected. The 

default radio button will be shown selected if no match was found. When an OK button is 

pressed, the macro variable will be set to the label text or alternate return value text of the 

selected radio button. 

� Combo-box: Use the Combo-box control to present the user with a number of listed 

choices, available in a drop-down menu. Properties include the list of valid choices 

and/or a macro variable that will define the acceptable choices, the default value for the 

combo-box, its associated macro variable, and the position and size of the combo-box 

field. If you choose to use a variable to define the list of choices, this variable must either 

be declared as an array or created as a sequence, and then initialized before calling the 

$FDIALOG function. The default value will be used if the macro variable does not match 

any of the choices. The macro variable will be set to the selected choice type when an OK 

button is pressed. 

� List-box: The List-box is similar to the combo-box, except that the choices are visible in 

a scrolling list. 

All dialog controls include a “Logical state expression” property, which can be used to enable or 

disable the control. The logical state expression can be any valid macro logical expression that 

evaluates to $TRUE or $FALSE. If an expression is present and it evaluates to false, the control 

will be disabled (i.e., not available for selection or modification), otherwise the control will be 

enabled. 

Controls are initially placed inside the dialog using the mouse. Once created, they can be repositioned, 

aligned and sized relative to other controls using the arrow keys and the functions available 

from the Utilities toolbar, or from the Dialog»Utilities menu. To align or size two or more 

controls, select each in turn with the left-mouse button while holding the Ctrl key. The last 

control selected is the “master”, to which the others will be aligned or sized. 

The Dialog»Tab Order menu function specifies the order in which controls are visited when you 

press the tab key. The Dialog»Test menu function can be used to try out how dialogs will behave 

when they are used at run-time. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Function Summary 

4.4.5 Simulation Macro Functions 

4.4.5.1 Function Summary 

The following function types are available for use in model macros: 

� Mathematical Functions 

$FACOS, $FASIN, $FATAN, $FATAN2, $FCOS, $FEXP, $FLN, $FLOG, $FSIN, 

$FSQRT, $FTAN 

� Numeric Functions 

$FABS, $FFRAC, $FINT, $FMAX, $FMIN, $FMOD, $FNINT, $FSIGN 

� Geometric Functions 

$FGLNXPL, $FGLSXSP, $FGPLPT3 

� Vector Functions 

$FVADD, $FVANG, $FVCROSS, $FVDOT, $FVLEN, $FVMULT, $FVNORM, 

$FVROTN, $FVSUB 

� Matrix Functions 

$FMX, $FMXINV, $FMXMULT, $FMXTRFP, $FMXTRFV, $FMXTRSP 

� Conversion Functions 

$FATOF, $FCVINT, $FCVREAL, $FMAJOR, $FMINOR 

� Conditional Functions 

$FCHOOSE, $FIF, $FISNUM, $FISSEQ, $FISSTR, $FISWRD, $FSWITCH 

� Character and Sequence Functions 

$FCHAR, $FEDIT, $FELEM, $FFIND, $FICHAR, $FINDEX, $FLEN, $FMATCH, 

$FSEQ, $FSUBSQ, $FSUBST, $FSWRIT, $FTOLOWR, $FTOUPER 

� Command Line Functions 

$FARGC, $FARGV, $FPNAME, $FPVALUE 

� File and Directory Functions 

$FACCESS, $FBASNAM, $FCTIME, $FDIRNAM, $FEOF, $FGETCWD, 

$FSETCWD, $FSTAT 

� Virtual Machine General Functions 

$FMSADPT, $FMSATA, $FMSBTC, $FMSCMRA, $FMSETC, $FMSGDCV, 

$FMSGFCV, $FMSGLCV, $FMSGOUG, $FMSID, $FMSIDN,$FMSIDT, 

$FMSLCS, $FMSMAX, $FMSMOVE, $FMSMSP, $FMSPCK, $FMSSDCV, 

$FMSSFCV, $FMSSLAV, $FMSSLCV, $FMSTRN 

� Virtual Machine Channel Functions 

$FMSACH, $FMSDCH, $FMSGAX, $FMSGCH, $FMSNCH, $FMSRAX, 

$FMSWCH 

� Virtual Machine Probe and Collision Test Functions 

$FMSCEZ, $FMSGCS, $FMSLSR, $FMSPDAT, $FMSPPOS, $FMSPRID, 

$FMSPROB, $FMSVCL 

� Other Functions 

$FDIALOG, $FDIST, $FDK, $FERSEV, $FERSTA, $FERTXT, 

$FGETDEF, $FGETENV, $FIK, $FPAUSE, $FSORT 


4.4.5.2 Mathematical Functions 

$FACOS Arc cosine (degrees) 

$FASIN Arc sine (degrees) 

$FATAN Arc tangent (degrees) 

$FATAN2 Arc tangent (degrees) given 2 arguments 

$FCOS Cosine (degrees) 

$FEXP Exponential 

$FLN Natural logarithm 

$FLOG Common logarithm 

$FSIN Sine (degrees) 

$FSQRT Square root 

$FTAN Tangent (degrees) 


Simulation Macro Functions, Mathematical Functions 

All mathematical functions return a numeric result and only accept numeric arguments. 

The $FACOS Function 

result=$FACOS(n) 

This function returns the arc cosine of the argument n. The resulting value is in degrees. The 

argument to $FACOS must be between -1 and 1 inclusive. 

The $FASIN Function 

result=$FASIN(n) 

This function returns the arc sine of the argument n. The resulting value is in degrees. The 

argument to $FASIN must be between -1 and 1 inclusive. 

The $FATAN Function 

result=$FATAN(n) 

This function returns the arc tangent of the argument n. The resulting value is in degrees. 

The $FATAN2 Function 

result=$FATAN2(n1,n2) 

This function returns the arc tangent of the expression n1/n2. The resulting value will be greater 

than -180 degrees and less than or equal to 180 degrees. If the value of n1 is positive, the result is 

positive. When the value of n1 is zero, the result will be zero if n2 is positive and 180 degrees if 

n2 is negative. If the value of n2 is zero, the absolute value of the result will be 90 degrees. Both 

n1 and n2 must not be zero. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Mathematical Functions 

The $FCOS Function 

result=$FACOS(n) 

This function returns the cosine of the argument n. The argument must be given in degrees. 

The $FEXP Function 

result=$FEXP(n) 

This function returns the exponential constant e raised to the power of the argument n. 

The $FLN Function 

result=$FLN(n) 

This function returns the natural logarithm (base e) of the argument n. 

The $FLOG Function 

result=$FLOG(n) 

This function returns the decimal logarithm (base 10) of the argument n. 

The $FSIN Function 

result=$FSIN(n) 

This function returns the sine of the argument n. The argument must be given in degrees. 

The $FSQRT Function 

result=$FSQRT(n) 

This function returns the square root of n. The argument to $FSQRT must be greater than or 

equal to zero. 

The $FTAN Function 

result=$FTAN(n) 

This function returns the tangent of the argument n. The argument must be given in degrees. 


4.4.5.3 Numerical Functions 

$FABS Absolute value 

$FFRAC Fractional portion 

$FINT Truncation to whole number 

$FMAX Largest value 

$FMIN Smallest value 

$FMOD Remainder 

$FNINT Nearest whole number 

$FSIGN Sign 


Simulation Macro Functions, Numerical Functions 

All numeric functions return a numeric result and only accept numeric arguments. 

The $FABS Function 

result=$FABS(n) 

This function returns the absolute value of the argument n. 

The $FFRAC Function 

result=$FFRAC(n) 

This function returns the fractional portion of the argument n. 

The $FINT Function 

result=$FINT(n) 

This function returns the integer portion (whole number) of the argument n. 

The $FMAX Function 

result=$FMAX(n1[,n2[,…]]) 

This function returns the argument having the largest value from the list of numeric arguments 

specified. At least two arguments should be specified. 

The $FMIN Function 

result=$FMIN(n1[,n2[,…]]) 

This function returns the argument having the smallest value from the list of numeric arguments 

specified. At least two arguments should be specified. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Numerical Functions 

The $FMOD Function 

result=$FMOD(n1,n2) 

This function returns the remainder of the quotient n1/n2. $FMOD generates an error if n2 is 

zero. 

The $FNINT Function 

result=$FNINT(n) 

This function returns the nearest whole number of the argument n. 

The $FSIGN Function 

result=$FSIGN(n) 

This function returns -1 if n is negative, 0 (zero) if n is zero and +1 if n is positive. 


4.4.5.4 Geometric Functions 

$FGLNXPL Intersection point of line and plane 

$FGLSXSP Intersection point of line segment and sphere 

$FGPLPT3 Plane constructed from 3 points 


Simulation Macro Functions, Geometric Functions 

Geometric functions accept and return sequences that define the canonical form of geometrical 

entities. The canonical forms currently in use are: 

� Point: {x,y,z} coordinates of the point 

� Line: {x,y,z,i,j,k} point on line and direction vector of the infinite line 

� Plane: {d,i,j,k} distance from origin and normal vector 

It is important to note that geometric functions work with sequences and not arrays. The input 

arguments to geometric functions can be constructed using the $FSEQ function or the { } 

sequence operators. For example, the following are equivalent: 

P1=$FSEQ(1,2,3) 

P1={1,2,3} 

Geometric functions will return a value of $NULL if the geometric entity cannot be created. 

The $FGLNXPL Function 

result=$FGLNXPL(line,plane) 

This function returns an {x,y,z} sequence defining the point at the intersection of an infinite line 

and plane. A value of $NULL is returned if the line does not intersect the plane. 

The $FGLSXSP Function 

result=$FGLSXSP(point1,point2,point3,radius) 

This function returns a sequence defining the point(s) of intersection between a line segment and 

sphere. The line segment is defined by the start and ending points: point1 and point2. The sphere 

is defined by its center point3 and radius. The return sequence has a length of 2, 5 or 8, with 

values as follows: 

1 Number of intersection points: 0, 1 or 2 

2 Segment location with respect to sphere: 

–1: Segment is entirely inside the sphere 

0: Segment intersects the sphere 

1: Segment is entirely outside the sphere 

3:5 First intersection point 

6:8 Second intersection point (furthest from start of line segment) 



Simulation Macro Functions, Geometric Functions 

The $FGPLPT3 Function 

result=$FGPLPT3(point1,point2,point3) 

This function returns a {d,i,j,k} sequence defining a plane constructed from 3 points. A value of 

$NULL is returned if 2 or more of the points are coincident. 


4.4.5.5 Vector Functions 

$FVADD Vector addition 

$FVANG Angle (degrees) between two vectors 

$FVCROSS Vector cross product 

$FVDOT Vector dot product 

$FVLEN Vector length 

$FVMULT Vector multiplication 

$FVNORM Vector normalization 

$FVROTN Normalized vector rotation 

$FVSUB Vector subtraction 


Simulation Macro Functions, Vector Functions 

All vector functions work with sequences of length 2 or 3 that typically define the XY or XYZ 

components (commonly referred to as the IJK components) of a vector. With the exception of the 

angle and cross product functions, vector functions can take vectors of any length. For those 

functions that take 2 input vectors, both vectors should have the same length. Vector functions 

that return a vector do so by returning a sequence with the same length as that of the shortest 

input vector. 

Vectors can be constructed using the $FSEQ function or the { } sequence operators. For example, 

the following are equivalent: 

V1=$FSEQ(0,0,1) 

V1={0,0,1} 

It is important to note that vectors are sequences and not arrays. Vector functions do not work 

with arrays. 

The $FVADD Function 

result=$FVADD(v1,v2) 

Returns: Sequence 

This function adds two arbitrarily long vector sequences v1 and v2, and returns the result as a 

vector sequence. 

The $FVANG Function 

result=$FVANG(v1,v2) 

Returns: Sequence or $NULL 

This function returns the angle in degrees between two vector sequences v1 and v2. The input 

vectors v1 and v2 must be sequences of length 2 or 3 only (a diagnostic is output and a value of 

$NULL is returned if the input vectors have less than 2 or more than 3 elements). They should 

also have a non-zero length to return a meaningful result. 




For 3D vectors (i.e., vectors with 3 elements), the return angle ranges from 0 through 180. 

For 2D vectors, a signed angle is returned in the range -180

The $FVROTN Function 

result=$FVROTN(v1,v2,n) 




This function computes a vector at a normalized angular distance between two vectors v1 and v2. 

When n=0, vector v1 is returned; and when |n|=1, vector v2 is returned. For other values of n, the 

cross product of v1 and v2 defines the plane of rotation and n defines the normalized rotation 

distance calculated as the “desired rotation angle divided by the angle between vectors”. 

The results are undefined if v1 and v2 are opposite each other. 

The $FVSUB Function 

result=$FVSUB(v1,v2) 


This function subtracts one arbitrarily long vector sequence from another (i.e., v1–v2) and returns 

the result as a vector sequence. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Matrix Functions 

4.4.5.6 Matrix Functions 

$FMX Matrix creation 

$FMXINV Matrix inversion 

$FMXMULT Matrix multiplication 

$FMXTRFP Point transformation by matrix 

$FMXTRFV Vector transformation by matrix 

$FMXTRSP Matrix transposition 

Matrix functions work with sequences of length 12 that define the APT standard rotation and 

translation components of a matrix. For example: 

a1,a2,a3,a4 

a5,a6,a7,a8, 

a9,a10,a11,a12 

Matrix functions can also work with square matrices of any dimension, defined as a series of 

numbers that represent a matrix organized in row-column order. For example: 

a1,a2,a3 

a4,a5,a6 

a7,a8,a9 

Matrix functions that return a matrix, vector or point sequence, do so by returning a sequence 

with the same length as that of the input matrix, vector or point sequence. 

Matrices can be constructed using the $FSEQ function or the { } sequence operators. For 

example, the following are equivalent: 

M1=$FSEQ(1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,0) 

M1={1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,0} 

It is important to note that matrices are sequences and not arrays. Matrix functions do not work 

with arrays. 

The $FMX Function 

result=$FMX(…) 


This function returns a 12-element matrix sequence as defined by the standard CAM- 

POST post-processor command syntax listed below: 

[INVERS, ] 

� 

0: 

n 

� 

� �XYROT 

� � 

�[ 

x, 

y [, z ]] �, 

�YZROT 

�, 

angle � 

� 

� � � � 

� �ZXROT 

� � 

�MSYS[, 

LAST ] 

� 

� 

�a1 

,a2,a3,a4,a5,a6,a7,a8,a9,a10,a11,a 

12 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

� 


The $FMXINV Function 

result=$FMXINV(m) 



Simulation Macro Functions, Matrix Functions 

This function inverts the matrix sequence m, and returns the result as a matrix sequence. 

The $FMXMULT Function 

result=$FMXMULT(m1,m2) 


This function multiplies matrix m1 by m2, and returns the result as a matrix sequence. A diagnostic 

will be output and macro processing will fail if both matrices do not have the same 

dimensions. 

The $FMXTRFP Function 

result=$FMXTRFP(m,p) 


This function transforms a point p, defined as a sequence of arbitrary length, by the matrix m, 

and returns the translated and rotated result as a point sequence. This function only solves for the 

minimum number of common dimensions. Unsolved excess point dimensions are not transformed 

in the output point sequence. 

The $FMXTRFV Function 

result=$FMXTRFV(m,v) 


This function transforms a vector v, defined as a sequence of arbitrary length, by the matrix m, 

and returns the rotated result as a vector sequence. This function only solves for the minimum 

number of common dimensions. Unsolved excess vector dimensions are not transformed in the 

output vector sequence. 

The $FMXTRSP Function 

result=$FMXTRSP(m) 


This function transposes the matrix sequence m, and returns the result as a matrix sequence. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Conversion Functions 

4.4.5.7 Conversion Functions 

$FATOF Conversion string to real 

$FCVINT Conversion to whole number 

$FCVREAL Conversion to number 

$FMAJOR Conversion to major word (record) 

$FMINOR Conversion to minor word 

Conversion functions take arguments of one type and return arguments of a different type. String 

conversion functions are listed in the section following this one. 

The $FATOF Function 

result=$FATOF(s) 

Returns: Numeric 

This function converts a string s to a number. This can be useful, for example, when you wish to 

convert text in a NC block to a number that can be used in calculations. 

The $FCVINT Function 

result=$FCVINT(a) 


This function converts arguments of type LOGICAL, KEYWORD and REAL to a whole number. 

Logical arguments return a value of zero if $FALSE and a value of one if $TRUE. Minor 

words return a value equivalent to the integer code. Numeric variables are evaluated the same as 

with the $FINT function (i.e., the value is truncated to a whole number). 

The $FCVREAL Function 

result=$FCVREAL(a) 


This function converts arguments of type LOGICAL, KEYWORD and REAL to a number. 

Logical arguments return a value of zero if $FALSE and a value of one if $TRUE. Minor words 

return a value equivalent to the integer code. Numeric variables are returned as-is. 

The $FMAJOR Function 

result=$FMAJOR(class,subclass) 

Returns: Record 

This first form of the $FMAJOR function rounds the class and subclass numeric arguments to 

the nearest whole number and returns an argument of type RECORD. The “class subclass” 

combination need not exist as a known major word or record type. 


esult=$FMAJOR(string) 

Returns: Record or $NULL 


Simulation Macro Functions, Conversion Functions 

This second form of the $FMAJOR function performs a case insensitive search for the named 

major word and returns an argument of type RECORD if found. A value of $NULL is returned if 

the string does not define a known major word or record type. 

The $FMINOR Function 

result=$FMINOR(n) 

Returns: Keyword 

This first form of the $FMINOR function rounds the numeric argument n to the nearest whole 

number and returns an argument of type KEYWORD. The minor word need not exist as a known 

keyword. 

result=$FMINOR(string) 

Returns: Record or $NULL 

This second form of the $FMINOR function performs a case insensitive search for the named 

minor word and returns an argument of type KEYWORD if found. A value of $NULL is returned 

if the string does not define a known keyword. 



Simulation Macro Functions, Conditional Functions 

4.4.5.8 Conditional Functions 

$FCHOOSE Selects and returns a value from a list of arguments 

$FIF Returns argument based on logical expression 

$FISNUM Test if numeric 

$FISSEQ Test if sequence 

$FISSTR Test if string 

$FISWRD Test if keyword 

$FSWITCH Returns argument of first true logical expression 

Conditional functions return the $TRUE or $FALSE status of a conditional test, or the value of a 

function argument based on or associated with an expression. 

The $FCHOOSE Function 

result=$FCHOOSE(index,value1 [,value2 [,…] ] ) 

Returns: Any or $NULL 

This function returns the n th value from a list of choices based on the value of index. If index is 1, 

$FCHOOSE returns value1 (i.e., the first choice in the list). If index is 2, it returns value2, and so 

on. 

The index value is rounded to the nearest whole number before being evaluated. The 

$FCHOOSE function returns a value of $NULL if index is less than 1 or greater than the number 

of values listed. 

$FCHOOSE evaluates all of the value expressions, even though it returns only one of them. For 

this reason, you should watch for undesirable side effects. For example, if the evaluation of any 

of the value expressions results in a division by zero error, an error occurs regardless of the value 

of index. 

The $FIF Function 

result=$FIF(expr,truearg,falsearg) 

Returns: Any 

This function evaluates the logical expression expr and returns the argument truearg if the 

logical expression is true, or the argument falsearg if the logical expression is false. 

$FIF always evaluates both truearg and falsearg, even though it returns only one of them. 

Because of this, you should watch for undesirable side effects. For example, if evaluating 

falsearg results in a division by zero error, an error occurs even if expr is true. 


The $FISNUM Function 

result=$FISNUM(a) 

Returns: Logical 



This function returns $TRUE if the argument a is a number. $FALSE is returned if the argument 

is any other type, including $NULL. 

The $FISSEQ Function 

result=$FISSEQ(a) 


This function returns $TRUE if the argument a is a sequence. $FALSE is returned if the argument 

is any other type, including $NULL. 

The $FISSTR Function 

result=$FISSTR(a) 


This function returns $TRUE if the argument a is a string or character. $FALSE is returned if the 

argument is any other type, including $NULL. 

The $FISWRD Function 

result=$FISWRD(a) 


This function returns $TRUE if the argument a is a MINOR word. $FALSE is returned if the 

argument is any other type, including $NULL. 

The $FSWITCH Function 

result=$FSWITCH(expr1,value1 [,expr2,value2 [,…] ] ) 

Returns: Any or $NULL 

This function‟s argument list consists of pairs of logical expressions and values. The logical 

expressions expr are evaluated from left to right, and the value associated with the first expression 

to evaluate to true is returned. For example, if expr1 is true, $FSWITCH returns value1. If 

expr1 is false, but expr2 is true, $FSWITCH returns value2, and so on. 

$FSWITCH returns a value of $NULL if none of the expressions are true. To return some other 

value if all expressions are false, use .TRUE. (or $TRUE) as a final expression paired with the 

required value. For example: 

$FSWITCH(…,.TRUE.,value) 




$FSWITCH evaluates all of the expr and value expressions, even though it returns only one 

value. For this reason, you should watch for undesirable side effects. For example, if the evaluation 

of any expr or value expression results in a division by zero error, an error occurs regardless 

of the expr true/false conditions. 


4.4.5.9 Character and Sequence Functions 

$FCHAR Conversion to character 

$FEDIT Edit string 

$FELEM Element of sequence 

$FFIND Index of a value in an array or sequence 

$FICHAR Conversion from character 

$FINDEX Index of a substring 

$FLEN Length of string or sequence 

$FMATCH Match string 

$FSEQ Create a sequence 

$FSUBSQ Extract subsequence 

$FSUBST Extract substring 

$FSWRIT String formatting 

$FTOLOWR String conversion to lower case 

$FTOUPER String conversion to upper case 


Simulation Macro Functions, Character and Sequence Functions 

Character functions deal with arguments of type STRING. Sequence functions deal with arguments 

matched using the $Pn* construct. In both cases, these arguments have a concept of 

length. The length of a string is the number of characters it contains. The length of a sequence is 

the number of elements (any combination of numbers, strings and keywords) it contains. 

The $FCHAR Function 

result=$FCHAR(n) 

Returns: String 

This function returns the ASCII character corresponding to the nearest whole value of n. 

The $FEDIT Function 

result=$FEDIT(s1,s2[,s3][,n]) 


This function searches for one or more occurrences of the search string s2 in string s1. For each 

occurrence, the matching portion is substituted by the contents of string s3, or if s3 is not specified, 

the matching portion is deleted. The default action is to replace all matching occurrences of 

s2 in s1 by s3. This can be changed by specifying n. If n is zero, then all matching occurrences 

are replaced (the default). If n is one (1), only the first match is replaced. Larger values of n 

cause the specified match number to be changed. If a match is not found, $FEDIT returns the 

string s1 unchanged. 




The search string s2 can contain special characters in the form of a regular expression (RE) 

commonly found in UNIX search functions. The characters that form single character RE‟s are: 

Character Description 

c Any ordinary character not listed below. An ordinary character matches 

itself. 

\ Backslash. When followed by one of < > ( ) { } or a numeric digit, 

represents an operator in the RE. When followed by any other character, 

represents the character. 

. Dot. Matches any single character. 

^ Caret. As the left most character in the search string, it constrains the 

search to match the left most portion of the target string. The caret character 

loses its special meaning if it appears in any position other than the 

first in the search string. 

$ Dollar. As the right most character in the search string, it constrains the 

search to match the right most portion of the target string. The dollar 

character loses its special meaning if it appears in any position other than 

the last in the search string. 

\< The sequence \< constrains the next item in the search string to match 

something at the beginning of a “word”. That is, either at the beginning of 

the target string, or just before a letter, digit or underline and after a 

character not one of these. 

\> The sequence \> constrains the next item in the search string to match 

something at the end of a “word”. 

[c…] A non-empty string of characters enclosed in square brackets matches any 

single character in the string. If the first character following [ is ^ (caret), 

then the RE matches any character except those in the string. A caret in 

any other position is an ordinary character. To match a ] character, specify 

it first (after an initial ^, if any). A minus sign, between two characters, 

indicates a range of consecutive ASCII characters to match. To match a – 

character, specify it first (after an initial ^, if any) or last in the string. 




The following rules and special characters allow for constructing RE‟s from single character 

RE‟s. 

Character Description 

* Asterisk. A single character RE, followed by an asterisk matches zero or 

more occurrences of the single character RE. 

\{m\} 

\{m,\} 

\{m,n\} 

A single character RE followed by one of these brace operators is an RE 

that matches a range of occurrences of the single character RE. The 

values of m and n must be integers in the range 0-255. \{m\} matches 

exactly m occurrences; \{m,\} matches at least m occurrences; \{m,n\} 

matches the largest number of occurrences between m and n. 

$…$ An RE enclosed between the character sequence $ and $ matches whatever 

the unadorned RE matches, but saves the matched string in a numbered 

buffer. Up to 9 buffers are permitted, assigned sequentially. 

\n Match the contents of the n th substring buffer. 

The substitution string s3 in the $FEDIT function can reference matched text saved in numbered 

buffers using the $ and $ sequence. For example, 

$P3=$FEDIT($P3,'G44$..*$','\1G44') 

This searches for G44 followed by one or more characters (saved in buffer number one). The 

substitution string replaces the matched text by the contents of the saved buffer number 1 and the 

string G44. This has the effect of reversing the order of appearance of G44 in the string. 

The $FELEM Function 

result=$FELEM(q,n) 

Returns: Any 

This function provides an obsolete method of returning the value of element n in sequence q. It is 

used to extract the individual elements of sequence variables. The macro ( ) grouping operator 

should be used instead of $FELEM. For example, specify q(n) instead of $FELEM(q,n). 

The $FFIND Function 

result=$FFIND(a1,a2[,n]) 


This function finds the first occurrence of the value a2 in the array or sequence a1. The array 

must be specified with an index. If no match was found a value of zero is returned. Note that for 

arrays, the return value specifies the position found with respect to the array index. The maximum 

number of entries to search can be specified with n. If not specified, the search terminates 

at the end of the array or sequence. 




The $FICHAR Function 

result=$FICHAR(s) 


This function returns the ASCII numeric representation of the character s. Only the first character 

of s is used by this function. 

The $FINDEX Function 

result=$FINDEX(s1,s2) 


This function returns the starting position of the string s2 within the string s1. If s2 is not contained 

in s1, the function will return 0. 

The $FLEN Function 

result=$FLEN(a) 


This function returns the length of the input string or sequence a. Note that the length may be 

zero if a is an empty string ('') or an empty sequence. 

The $FMATCH Function 

result=$FMATCH(s1,s2[,s3][,n]) 


This function searches for an occurrence of the search string s2 in string s1. If found, the 

matched portion of string s1 is returned, or if string s3 is specified, string s3 will be returned. The 

default action is to locate the first matching occurrence of s2 in s1. This can be changed by 

specifying n. If n is one (1), only the first match is returned (the default). Larger values of n 

cause the specified match number to be returned. If a match is not found, $FMATCH returns an 

empty string. 

The search string s2 can contain special characters in the form of a regular expression (RE) 

commonly found in UNIX search functions. See the $FEDIT function for a description of RE‟s. 

The substitution string s3 in the $FMATCH function can reference matched text saved in numbered 

buffers using the $ and $ sequence. For example, 

%L01=$FMATCH($P1,'N$[0-9][0-9]*$','\1'). 

This returns only the numeric portion of the matched text. If the third argument was omitted, the 

entire matched text would be returned. 


The $FSEQ Function 

result=$FSEQ([a1[,a2[,…]]) 




This function provides an obsolete method of constructing a sequence. The $FSEQ function 

returns a sequence equivalent to all the arguments it is called with. The macro { } sequence 

operator should be used instead of $FSEQ. For example, specify {a1,a2} instead of 

$FSEQ(a1,a2). 

The $FSUBSQ Function 

result=$FSUBSQ(q,n1,n2) 


This function provides an obsolete method of returning zero or more elements of a sequence 

variable. This function returns the portion of the sequence q starting at element number n1 and 

ending at element number n2. Both n1 and n2 must be positive non-zero values. If n2 is less than 

n1, a sequence of length zero is returned. The macro : (colon) operator should be used instead of 

$FSUBSQ. For example, specify q(n1:n2) instead of $FSUBSQ(q,n1,n2). 

The $FSUBST Function 

result=$FSUBST(a1,a2,a3) 


This function provides an obsolete method of returning a portion of a string variable. This 

function returns the portion of the string a1 starting at character position a2 and ending at 

character position a3. Both a2 and a3 must be positive non-zero values. If a3 is less than a2, a 

blank string is returned. The macro : operator should be used instead of $FSUBST. For example, 

specify a1(a2:a3) instead of $FSUBST(a1,a2,a3). 

The $FSWRIT Function 

result=$FSWRIT(s[,a1[,a2[,…]]]) 


This function returns the string s into which the subsequent arguments a1, a2, etc, have been 

formatted. It effectively does an internal write of the arguments into the format string and returns 

the result. The returned string is produced by inserting the arguments into the string s wherever 

special format characters are found. More information on these formatting characters can be 

found in “Output String Format Specifications” on page 139. 




The $FTOLOWR Function 

result=$FTOLOWR(s) 


This function converts a string s to lowercase. 

The $FTOUPER Function 

result=$FTOUPER(s) 


This function converts a string s to uppercase. 


4.4.5.10 Command Line Functions 

$FARGC Return count of arguments 

$FARGV Return argument value 

$FPNAME Return name portion of command line qualifier 

$FPVALUE Return value portion of command line qualifier 

The $FARGC Function 

result=$FARGC([s1[,s2]]) 



Simulation Macro Functions, Command Line Functions 

This function returns the number of arguments in the application command line, as stored in the 

$PARAM macro variable. If string s1 is given, the $FARGC function will return the number of 

arguments contained within the string s1. The optional separator string s2 contains the character 

used as separator. The default value for the separator is a blank. 

The $FARGV Function 

result=$FARGV(n[,s1[,s2]]) 


This function extracts the n th argument of the application command line, as stored in the 

$PARAM macro variable. If string s1 is given, the $FARGV function will extract the argument 

from this string. The optional separator string s2 contains the character used as separator. The 

default value for the separator is a blank. 

The $FPNAME and $FPVALUE Functions 

result=$FPNAME(s) 

result=$FPVALUE(s) 


The $FPNAME function returns the parameter name portion of an O/S compatible shell command 

line qualifier stored in string s. The $FPVALUE function returns the parameter value 

portion. These functions are intended to work with the results of the $FARGV function described 

above. Qualifiers are processed depending on the actual O/S the software is running under. 

UNIX: -name=value 

Windows: /name=value 

For example, on a Windows system, calling $FPNAME('/ABC="D E F"') returns the string 

'ABC'. Calling $FPVALUE('/ABC="D E F"') returns the string 'D E F'. If the input string does 

not contain a – or / delimited qualifier (as appropriate), then a blank string is returned for the 

parameter name function, and the entire string is returned for the parameter value function. 



Simulation Macro Functions, File and Directory Functions 

4.4.5.11 File and Directory Functions 

$FACCESS Get file access information 

$FBASNAM Return file name portion of path string 

$FCTIME Convert numeric value to date and time string 

$FDIRNAM Return directory portion of path string 

$FEOF Test for end-of-file 

$FGETCWD Return current working directory 

$FSETCWD Set current working directory 

$FSTAT Get file status information 

To access a file in the post-processor or control emulator internal File Storage, specify an absolute 

file path using an “//ICAMFS/” universal file descriptor (e.g., “//ICAMFS/toolno.dat”). Files 

in the internal File Storage area are read-only. 

The $FACCESS Function 

result=$FACCESS(s[,n]) 


This function returns $TRUE if the specified file or directory named identified by the string s can 

be accessed. By default the file is tested for both READ and WRITE access rights, but a specific 

access type can be checked by specifying an access mode value n. The $FACCESS function 

returns $FALSE if the specified name is invalid or does not exist, or the file does not support the 

access rights. The syntax is as follows. 

logical=$FACCESS(path_string [, mode]) 

The following values are supported for mode n. Note that Windows file systems cannot differentiate 

the “run” mode type: 

0 File exists? 

1 File can be run? 

2 File can be written? 

3 File can be written or run? 

4 File can be read? 

5 File can be read or run? 

6 File can be written or read? (default) 

7 File can be written, read or run? 


The $FBASNAM Function 

result=$FBASNAM(s1[,s2]) 




This function extracts and returns the file name portion of a file path string s1, optionally removing 

any trailing portion s2 of the file name that matched the suffix string. The syntax is as 

follows: 

file_name_string=$FBASNAM(path_string [,suffix_string]) 

For example, “test.cld” is the base portion of “C:\temp\test.cld”. When removing a trailing 

suffix, the $FBASNAM function looks for the last occurrence of the suffix in the file name, and 

then removes the remainder of the file name from the matched point onwards. Case is significant. 

Continuing the example, “test” would be returned if “.” (a decimal) is specified as a suffix. 

The $FCTIME Function 

result=$FCTIME(n) 


This function returns the date and time in string format, given a real number n specifying the 

number of seconds since the operating system specific “epoch” time. This function can be used 

to convert time values from the $FSTAT function to a human readable format. The syntax is as 

follows: 

date_string=$FCTIME(real) 

The date string is output in the following format with a single blank between the date and time 

portions: 

dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm:ss 

The $FDIRNAM Function 

result=$FDIRNAM(s) 


This function extracts and returns the directory name portion of a file path string a. The path 

string need not contain directory name information. The syntax is as follows: 

path_string=$FDIRNAM(path_string) 




The $FEOF Function 

result=$FEOF(n) 


This function returns the end-of-file status of unit n. A status of $TRUE is returned if the specified 

unit is at the end-of-file mark. $FEOF should be used to check the end-of-file status of a text 

file unit before reading from that file. If the unit specified has not been opened using the OPEN 

command, an error will be output. 

The $FGETCWD Function 

result=$FGETCWD( ) 


This function returns a string set to the current working directory name a. The current working 

directory is typically the directory from which the post-processor was run. File names that 

exclude a directory component are assumed to be located in the default (or current) working 

directory. The syntax is as follows. 

path_string=$FGETCWD() 

The $FSETCWD Function 

result=$FSETCWD(s) 


This function changes the current working directory, and returns a string set to the new current 

working directory defined by string s. By default, file names that exclude a directory component 

are assumed to be in the default (or current) working directory. The syntax is as follows: 

path_string=$FSETCWD(path_string) 

The $FSTAT Function 

result=$FSTAT(s1,s2) 


This function returns various statistics about the specified file or directory defined by string s1. 

The syntax is as follows: 

real=$FSTAT(path_string, type_string) 


The following values are supported for the type string s2: 

„size‟ File size in bytes 

„atime‟ Time of last file access 

„ctime‟ Time of last file status change (typically creation time) 

„mtime‟ Time of last file modification 

„mode‟ File mode (operating system specific) 

„owner‟ Numeric ID of owner 

„group‟ Numeric ID of file group 



The type string s2 is case insignificant. Values can be abbreviated (although “m” will return the 

modification time, not the file mode). Dates are returned as the number of seconds since the 

“epoch” (an operating system dependent base value). The $FCTIME function can be used to 

convert numeric dates to a string format. Mode information is operating system specific – use the 

$FACCESS function to determine file access rights. Ownership information is not available for 

Windows file systems (a value of zero will be returned). 



Simulation Macro Functions, Virtual Machine General Functions 

4.4.5.12 Virtual Machine General Functions 

$FMSADPT Manage Virtual Machine activation status 

$FMSATA Attach one component to another 

$FMSBTC Indicates the start of a tool change sequence 

$FMSCMRA Set predefined camera position 

$FMSETC Indicates the end of a tool change sequence 

$FMSGDCV Get machine simulation diameter compensation offset 

$FMSGFCV Get machine simulation fixture compensation offset 

$FMSGLCV Get machine simulation length compensation offset 

$FMSGOUG Manage gouge testing status 

$FMSID Get component ID of desired object 

$FMSIDN Get the name of a component, given its ID 

$FMSIDT Get the type of a component, given its ID 

$FMSLCS Establish or remove a local coordinate system 

$FMSMAX Map a model axis to a CERUN or GENER axis 

$FMSMOVE Move an model axis 

$FMSMSP Set master (i.e. active) spindle 

$FMSPCK Get pocket number associated with the tool 

$FMSSDCV Set diameter compensation values 

$FMSSFCV Set fixture compensation values 

$FMSSLAV Slave one axis to another 

$FMSSLCV Set length compensation values 

$FMSTRN Transfer stock/fixture/part between stock mount points 

Virtual Machine functions are easily identified by a three letter $FMS prefix. Virtual Machine 

functions can be called from post processor and control emulator macros, however diagnostics 

will be generated if a model is not being used. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that Virtual 

Machine functions only be used from within model macros. 


The $FMSADPT Function 

result=$FMSADPT(ON|OFF) 

result=$FMSADPT(PROTCT,ON|OFF|SCAN|AVOID) 

Returns: Numeric (0:error, 1:success) 



The first form of the $FMSADPT function is used to enable or disable Virtual Machine. Specify 

ON to enable normal operation of the model (this is the default). Specify OFF to disable updates 

to the model. Once disabled, Virtual Machine will no longer update the model or use the model 

for collision avoidance and path planning purposes. You might consider disabling the model to 

improve look-ahead operations that are not affected by model collision information. 

The second form of the $FMSADPT function is available with GENER only. This function 

controls the automatic collision avoidance and path planning features available with graphical 

post processing. The function parameters are identical to those on the GENER ADAPTV post 

processor command. 

OFF Disables collision avoidance. 

ON Enables collision avoidance (this is the default at the start of processing). 

SCAN Enable reporting of collision and overtravel conditions, but do not take 

corrective actions. 

AVOID Enable reporting of collision and overtravel conditions and take corrective 

actions to avoid collisions if possible. 

The $FMSATA Function 

result=$FMSATA(child_id,parent_id) 

Returns: Numeric (always returns 1) 

Attaches the component identified by child_id to the component identified by parent_id. The 

concept of child and parent specifies the relationship after the attachment has completed, meaning 

that the first object (i.e., child_id) will be attached to the second (i.e., parent_id). This 

function can be used to attach a tool to a tool axis, or to move stock, fixtures and parts from one 

part of the model to another. Component ID‟s are obtained using the $FMSID function. 

Care must be taken to only attach tools and holders to spindle axes, and parts, stock and fixtures 

to stock axes. 

The $FMSBTC Function 

result=$FMSBTC( ) 


This function is used to indicate the beginning of a tool change. When in continuous animation 

mode and the “Motion step during Tool Change” setting is active, the animation mode will 




switch to the Motion Step format. The animation mode will switch back to continuous when the 

$FMSETC function is later called to indicate the end of the tool change. 

The $FMSCMRA Function 

result=$FMSCMRA(n) 


This macro function will position the camera to one of 10 predefined model camera positions. 

Specify the camera position using a whole number in the range 0-9. No action is taken when the 

selected position does not exist in the model. 

The $FMSETC Function 

result=$FMSETC( ) 


This function is used to indicate the end of a tool change. When in continuous animation mode, 

and the “Motion step during Tool Change” setting is active, the animation mode will switch to 

the Motion Step format when the $FMSBTC function is called. The animation mode will switch 

back to continuous when the $FMSETC function is later called to indicate the end of the tool 

change. 

The $FMSGDCV Function 

result=$FMSGDCV(n1,n2) 


This function returns tool diameter compensation amounts. There are two possible forms of 

referencing tool diameter compensation values. If the machine supports “offset unique by tool” 

compensation, then n1 specifies the tool number and n2 specifies the compensation switch 

number for that tool. Otherwise, the value of n1 is ignored and n2 specifies the diameter compensation 

offset switch number. Specify 0 (zero) for both n1 and n2 to return the base diameter 

compensation amount 

The return value is the diameter compensation offset amount. A value of zero is returned if the 

offset is not defined. 

The $FMSGFCV Function 

result=$FMSGFCV(n1,n2[,ALL]) 


This form of the $FMSGFCV function returns the fixture compensation amounts associated with 

the fixture (or workpiece) compensation code n1. For example, on machines with a range of G 

codes, such as G54-G59, specify a number in the range 1-6 for n1; the value of n2 is ignored. On 

controllers that support an extended workpiece compensation range, n1 specifies the primary 




index and n2 specifies the secondary index. Specify 0 (zero) for both n1 and n2 to return the base 

fixture compensation amount. 

If the ALL keyword is specified, the return value is a sequence of length 16 containing the 

fixture compensation values for all possible axes for the specified compensation index. Otherwise, 

the return value is a sequence of length 6 containing the fixture compensation values for 

the active axes (as defined by the $AXES system variable). A sequence of zeros is returned if the 

compensation index is not defined. 

result=$FMSGFCV(n1,n2,index) 

result=$FMSGFCV(n1,n2,keyword) 


Similar to the above, this form of the $FMSGFCV function returns the fixture compensation 

amount for the specified axis, identified either by an index number, or by a keyword identifier. A 

value of zero is returned if the compensation index is not defined, or if axis is not defined in the 

post-processor or control emulator. 

index keyword Axis 

1 XAXIS Primary X axis 

2 YAXIS Primary Y axis 

3 ZAXIS Primary Z axis 

4 UAXIS Secondary X axis 

5 VAXIS Secondary Y axis 

6 WAXIS Secondary Z axis 

7 AAXIS,TABLE Rotary A axis table 

8 BAXIS,TABLE Rotary B axis table 

9 CAXIS,TABLE Rotary C axis table 

10 AAXIS Rotary A axis head 

11 BAXIS Rotary B axis head 

12 CAXIS Rotary C axis head 

13 QUILL Extending linear axis 

14 RAM[,1] Primary rotary on exchangeable head 

15 RAM,2 Secondary rotary on exchangeable head 

16 ORIENT Spindle orientation 

The $FMSGLCV Function 

result=$FMSGLCV(tool_id,n[,ALL]) 


This function returns length compensation amounts. There are two possible forms of referencing 

tool length compensation values. If the machine supports “offset unique by tool” compensation, 

then n1 specifies the tool number and n2 specifies the compensation switch number for that tool. 

Otherwise, the value of n1 is ignored and n2 specifies the length compensation offset switch 

number. Specify 0 (zero) for both tool_id and n to return the base length compensation amount. 




If the ALL keyword is specified, the return value is a sequence of length 16 containing the length 

compensation values for all possible axes for the specified offset switch number. Otherwise, the 

return value is a sequence of length 6 containing the length compensation values for the active 

axes (as defined by the $AXES system variable). A sequence of zeros is returned if the offset 

switch number is not defined. 

result=$FMSGLCV(tool_id,n,index) 

result=$FMSGLCV(tool_id,n,keyword) 


Similar to the above, this form of the $FMSGLCV function returns the length compensation 

amount for the specified axis, identified either by an index number, or by a keyword identifier (a 

table of valid index numbers and keywords can be found on page 183). A value of zero is 

returned if the offset switch number is not defined, or if axis is not defined in the post-processor 

or control emulator. 

Note: Currently, length compensation is supported only for the XYZ linear axes and for the ABC 

rotary head axes, conditional upon these axes being defined in the post-processor or control 

emulator. 

The $FMSGOUG Function 

result=$FMSGOUG([n]) 


This function returns the current gouge testing status between cutting portion of the tool and part. 

A value 0 (zero) indicates that gouge testing is disabled; a value of 1 (one) indicates that gouge 

testing is enabled. You can optionally set the gouge testing status by specifying n as a whole 

number in the range 0-1. 

The $FMSID Function 

There are a number of different forms of the $FMSID function, designed to return the component 

ID‟s of tools, parts and other named objects. This function can also be used to “walk” the component 

tree, by returning the parent or child ID of a specified ID. Each of these function call 

forms is described below: 

Named Component ID 

result=$FMSID(string) 


Returns the component ID of the first component found in the model with a name matching that 

defined by the string variable or constant. 


Head Component ID 

result=$FMSID(HEAD,n1[,n2]) 




Returns the component ID of the first head found with head number n1. The n2 value can 

optionally be specified to return other information associated with the head, as follows: 

n2 Return value 

0 Return component id of head number n1 (default) 

1 Return component id of head axis n1 

2 Return component id of head attached to head axis n1 

3 Return component id of head axis of pocket n1 

4 Return component id of head attached to pocket n1 

Tool Component ID 

result=$FMSID(TOOL,n1[,n2]) 


Returns the component ID of the first tool found with tool number n1. The n2 value can optionally 

be specified to return other information associated with the tool, as follows: 


0 Return component id of tool number n1 (default) 

1 Return component id of tool axis n1 

2 Return component id of tool attached to tool axis n1 

3 Return component id of tool axis of pocket n1 

4 Return component id of tool attached to pocket n1 

Stock Axis Component ID 

result=$FMSID(PART,n1,n2[,ALL]) 

Returns: Numeric or Sequence 

Returns the component ID of objects associated with the stock axis identified by the number n1. 

The n2 value defines the information to return, as follows: 


1 Return component id of Stock axis number n1 

2 Return component id of the first component attached to the Stock axis number n1 

The ALL keyword can be specified to return all components (to a maximum of 1024) attached to 

the stock axis. In this case, the function returns a sequence of components, or it returns an empty 

sequence if no components are attached. 




Child Component ID 

result=$FMSID(ID,n1,n2[,ALL]) 

Returns: Numeric or Sequence 

Returns the component ID of objects associated with the component identified by ID n1. The n2 

value defines the information to return, as follows: 


1 Return component id of Parent associated to component ID n1 

2 Return component id of the first Child associated to component ID n1 

The ALL keyword can be specified to return all child components (to a maximum of 1024) 

attached to the specified object. In this case, the function returns a sequence of components, or it 

returns an empty sequence if no components are attached. 

The $FMSIDN Function 

result=$FMSIDN(comp_id) 


This function returns the name of the component identified by the component ID comp_id. 

Component ID‟s are obtained using the $FMSID function. 

The $FMSIDT Function 

result=$FMSIDT(comp_id) 


This function returns one of the following numeric code types that identify the component ID 

specified by comp_id. Component ID‟s are obtained using the $FMSID function. 

0: Unknown type 

1: World component 

2: Machine component 

3: Axis component 

4: Linear axis component 

5: Rotary axis component 

6: Curve axis component 

7: Stock axis component 

8: Stock component 

9: Fixture component 

10: Part component 

11: Tool axis component 

12: Tool component 

13: Head axis component 

14: Head component 

15: Geometric entity component 


The $FMSLCS Function 

result=$FMSLCS([m]) 




This function is used to setup a local coordinate system transformation on the simulation machine. 

The m argument is a sequence that must contain the 12 numeric elements of a matrix. See 

the Matrix functions on page 162 for more information on using matrices with the macro processor. 

Call the $FMSLCS function without the m matrix sequence to disable local coordinate processing 

and return to normal coordinate processing. 

The $FMSMAX Function 

result=$FMSMAX(channel, n,axis_id [,n2,axis_id2 [,…]]) 


This function maps a linear or rotary model axis, specified by its model axis component id, to 

one of the 15 standard CERUN or GENER axes being controlled by the specified channel. Great 

care must be taken when overriding the built-in functionality in order to map axes manually 

using this function. 

Specify 2 for the channel argument when mapping the Z and X axes for a merging lathe side 

turret. Otherwise, the channel should always be 1 (one). 

The CERUN or GENER axis identifier n is a whole number in the range 1-15, as follows: 

1-3 X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis 

4-6 U-axis, V-axis, W-axis 

7-9 A-axis, B-axis, C-axis tables 

10-12 A-axis, B-axis, C-axis heads 

13 Extending axis (i.e., quill) 

14-15 Run-time attachable rotary heads 

The axis_id parameter is one of the models linear or rotary axes, identified by its component ID. 

Component ID‟s are obtained using the $FMSID function. 

The $FMSMOVE Function 

result=$FMSMOVE(axis_id,position,velocity[,NEXT|NOW]) 


This function moves the model axis identified by comp_id (component ID‟s are obtained using 

the $FMSID function), to the specified position in model axis units, at the specified velocity in 

model units per minute. 




If NEXT is specified, this axis motion will be deferred and included with the next model motion 

event. NOW (the default) causes the axis to move immediately. All pending NEXT motions can 

be processed by calling $FMSMOVE(0,0,0,NOW). 

The $FMSMSP Function 

result=$FMSMSP(n) 


This function sets the master (or current) spindle by giving the spindle ID number n. Spindle ID 

numbers are set when creating model stock, tool and rotary axes that can also represent a spindle. 

The master spindle is the one that will be controlled by the built-in spindle processing of CERUN 

or GENER. Use this function if it is necessary to override the default assignment of master 

spindle. 

The $FMSPCK Function 

result=$FMSPCK(n) 

Returns: Numeric component ID or zero 

This function returns the component ID of the pocket associated with tool number n. 

The $FMSSDCV Function 

result=$FMSSDCV(n1,n2,n3) 


This function sets tool diameter compensation amounts. There are two possible forms of referencing 

tool diameter compensation values. If the machine supports “offset unique by tool” 

compensation, then n1 specifies the tool number and n2 specifies the compensation switch 

number for that tool. Otherwise, the value of n1 is ignored and n2 specifies the diameter compensation 

offset switch number. Specify 0 (zero) for both n1 and n2 to set the base diameter 

compensation value, which will be added to any diameter compensation offset in effect. 

This function sets the tool diameter compensation amount for the specified index to n3. 

A value of 1 is returned if the diameter compensation amount was successfully applied, otherwise 

a value of 0 (zero) is returned. 

The $FMSSFCV Function 

result=$FMSSFCV(n1,n2,q[,ALL]) 


This form of the $FMSSFCV function sets the fixture compensation amounts to be associated 

with the fixture (or workpiece) compensation code n1. For example, on machines with a range of 

G codes, such as G54-G59, specify a number in the range 1-6 for n1; the value of n2 is ignored. 

On controllers that support an extended workpiece compensation range, n1 specifies the primary 




index and n2 specifies the secondary index. Specify 0 (zero) for both n1 and n2 to set the base 

fixture compensation values, which will be applied in addition to any fixture compensation 

amount in effect. Base compensation is applied even when fixture compensation is not active. 

Fixture compensation values are set for the specified index to the values defined by the sequence 

variable q. If the ALL keyword is specified, use a sequence of length 16 to define the fixture 

compensation values for all possible axes for the specified compensation index. Otherwise, use a 

sequence of length 6 to define the fixture compensation values for the active axes (as defined by 

the $AXES system variable). A value of 1 is returned if the fixture compensation amount was 

successfully applied, otherwise a value of 0 (zero) is returned. 

result=$FMSGFCV(n1,n2,index) 

result=$FMSGFCV(n1,n2,keyword) 


Similar to the above, this form of the $FMSSFCV function sets the fixture compensation amount 

for the specified axis, identified either by an index number, or by a keyword identifier (a table of 

valid index numbers and keywords can be found on page 183). A value of 1 is returned if the 

fixture compensation amount was successfully applied, otherwise a value of 0 (zero) is returned. 

The $FMSSLAV Function 

result=$FMSSLAV(slave_axis_id,master_axis_id[,factor]) 


This function slaves (or associates) the axis component identified by slave_axis_id to the axis 

component identified by master_axis_id. Component ID‟s are obtained using the $FMSID 

function. Once slaved, any motion of the master axis will automatically cause the slave axis to 

move by an identical amount. Specify an optional signed multiplication factor to adjust the ratio 

of slave axis motion to master axis motion. 

Specify 0 (zero) as the master_axis_id to sever the relationship with the slave_axis_id. 

The $FMSSLCV Function 

result=$FMSSLCV(tool_id,n,q[,ALL]) 

result=$FMSSLCV(tool_id,n,[x,y,]z) 


This form of the $FMSSLCV function sets length compensation amounts. There are two possible 

forms of referencing tool length compensation values. If the machine supports “offset unique by 

tool” compensation, then tool_id specifies the tool number and n specifies the compensation 

switch number for that tool. Otherwise, the value of tool_id is ignored and n specifies the length 

compensation offset switch number. Specify 0 (zero) for both tool_id and n to set the base length 

compensation values, which will be added to any length compensation offset in effect. 

Length compensation values can be set for the specified offset switch number to the values 

defined by the sequence variable q. If the ALL keyword is specified, use a sequence of length 16 




to define the length compensation values for all possible axes for the specified offset switch 

number. Otherwise, use a sequence of length 6 to define the length compensation values for the 

active axes (as defined by the $AXES system variable). 

Alternatively, the length compensation offsets can be specified for the XYZ axes using numeric 

variables or constants (if x,y is omitted they are set to zero). 

A value of 1 is returned if the length compensation amount was successfully applied, otherwise a 

value of 0 (zero) is returned. 

result=$FMSSLCV(tool_id,n,index,amount) 

result=$FMSSLCV(tool_id,n,keyword,amount) 


Similar to the above, this form of the $FMSSLCV function sets the length compensation amount 

for the specified axis, identified either by an index number, or by a keyword identifier (a table of 

valid index numbers and keywords can be found on page 183). A value of 1 is returned if the 

length compensation amount was successfully applied, otherwise a value of 0 (zero) is returned. 

Note: Currently, length compensation is supported only for the XYZ linear axes and for the ABC 

rotary head axes, conditional upon these axes being defined in the post-processor or control 

emulator. 

The $FMSTRN Function 

result=$FMSTRN(from_part_id,to_part_id [,space_type]) 


This function transfers part, stock or fixture components from the stock axis identified by 

from_part_id to the stock axis identified by to_part_id. Component ID‟s are obtained using the 

$FMSID function. The space_type flag defines how the stock is moved, as follows: 

0 Local space (default): Object‟s relationship to to_part_id will be the same as the object‟s 

original relationship to from_part_id. Object typically will move. 

1 Global space: Object will be transferred from from_part_id to to_part_id without physically 

moving 


4.4.5.13 Virtual Machine Channel Functions 

$FMSACH Activate or deactivate channel 

$FMSDCH Delete channel 

$FMSGAX Associate an axis to a channel 

$FMSGCH Get channel number 

$FMSNCH Create a new channel 

$FMSRAX Release an axis from a channel 


Simulation Macro Functions, Virtual Machine Channel Functions 

$FMSWCH Wait for mark number or channel synchronization 

Virtual Machine functions are easily identified by a three letter $FMS prefix. Virtual Machine 

functions can be called from post processor and control emulator macros, however diagnostics 

will be generated if a model is not being used. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that Virtual 

Machine functions only be used from within model macros. 

Channels are the mechanism that Virtual Machine uses to run different operations at the same 

time. Virtual Machine simulates CERUN and GENER main processing in channel number 1 

merging lathe side head processing in channel 2. Additional channels can be added under macro 

control to move other axes (such as doors or tool changers) at the same time as the normal axes. 

Note that a channel is only necessary to simultaneously move model axes that are not already 

under control by CERUN or GENER. 

The $FMSACH Function 

result=$FMSACH(channel,flag[,channel_2]) 


This function activates or deactivates a channel, based on the flag settings, as follows: 

0: Deactivate the channel. 

1: Activate channel with wait. Activate channel, stalling channel_2 if channel is busy. 

2: Activate channel without wait. Activate channel. If busy, add new actions to the queue 

of pending actions. 

3: Activate channel with truncation. Activate channel. If busy, delete all current and 

pending actions. 

A channel must be deactivated when there are no longer any additional actions to be processed. 

The deactivation only occurs after the channel has completed executing all pending actions. 

Leaving a channel active without sending any new actions to it will stall the simulation, since it 

will wait until it gets a new action for the inactive channel before continuing in parallel with any 

other channels 

A deactivated channel must be reactivated before attempting to send new actions. The channel 

being activated is specified as a numeric channel, and its clock is set based on the current clock 

time, or from channel_2 if specified. There are three methods of activating a channel. The 




method only makes a difference when the channel being reactivated is still busy processing 

queued up actions. For example, if “channel” controls a door, and you send an open door request 

while the door is currently closing: 

� Activate with wait: Channel_2 will stall until channel goes idle after processing all currently 

queued actions. New actions for both channels will be queued. For the example 

given, this will cause motion processing to halt until the door is completely closed, at 

which point motion processing and the door open processing will start together. 

� Activate without wait: Channel_2 is unaffected. New actions for channel will be added to 

the queue of actions. For the example given, motion processing continues uninterrupted, 

and the door open action will occur as soon as the door becomes closed. 

� Activate with truncation: Channel_2 is unaffected. The current action and any pending 

actions in the channel queue will be deleted. New actions for channel will be added to a 

new queue of actions. For the example given, motion processing continues uninterrupted, 

and the door open action occurs immediately, interrupting the close operation that was in 

progress. 

The $FMSDCH Function 

result=$FMSDCH(channel) 


Deletes a channel identified by its channel number. The delete only occurs after the channel has 

completed executing all pending actions. Once a channel is deleted, it must not be referenced in 

any subsequent simulation functions. A channel should be deleted when you no longer have any 

long-term need for it. See the $FMSACH function (above) for channel activation/deactivation. 

The $FMSGAX Function 

result=$FMSGAX(channel,component_id) 


Causes the specified linear, rotary or curve axis component to be controlled by the specified 

channel. The $FMSID function can be used to obtain the component ID of an axis. Connecting 

an axis to a channel means that motion of the axis occurs in the queue of actions for the specified 

channel. 

The $FMSGCH Function 

result=$FMSGCH('axis_name') 

result=$FMSGCH(MAIN) 

result=$FMSGCH(SIDE) 

Returns: Numeric channel ID 

Returns the channel ID that is currently in control of the linear, rotary or curve axis defined by 

the named axis component. A channel ID of zero is returned if the component name is unknown 

or has the wrong type. 




The MAIN keyword argument returns the channel ID associated with the MAIN head on a 

merging lathe. The SIDE keyword argument returns the channel ID associated with the SIDE 

head on a merging lathe. A channel ID of zero is returned if the model is not a lathe type or when 

requesting a SIDE channel if not a merging lathe. 

The $FMSNCH Function 

result=$FMSNCH([channel]) 

Returns: Numeric channel ID 

This function creates a new channel, returning the channel number of the channel just created. 

When a channel is created, it sets its “clock” to the current time. For a merging lathe, this will be 

the current time for the main or side head, depending on which is active. You can optionally 

specify a different channel, in which case the clock of the new channel is set to the same as that 

of the specified channel. 

The $FMSRAX Function 

result=$FMSRAX(channel,component_id) 


Causes the specified linear, rotary or curve axis component to be released by the specified 

channel. The $FMSGID function can be used to obtain the component ID of an axis. Releasing 

an axis from a channel makes it available for control by a different channel. 

The $FMSWCH Function 

result=$FMSWCH(mark1,channel1[,mark2,channel2[,…]]) 


This function controls synchronization between channels. In its simplest form, it is used to send a 

mark (or signal) to a channel. If that channel is currently stalled waiting for the mark value, then 

it would begin processing again. Marks are integer values. Marks sent to a channel are remembered 

until the channel is deleted. The same mark value can be sent to different channels. 

When multiple sets of parameters are given, the first two parameters (mark1,channel1) specify a 

mark value to send (specify zero if a mark is not needed) and the channel that is to begin waiting. 

The remaining pairs of values (mark2,channel2…) specify the mark values and channels that the 

first channel is waiting for. For example, to have channel 2 wait for mark 7 on channel 3 and 

mark 7 on channel 4: 

status=$FMSWCH(0,2,7,3,7,4) 

If channels 3 and 4 had already received these mark values, then processing on channel 2 would 

continue uninterrupted. Otherwise, processing would stall until the following 2 function calls 

were made (in any order): 

status=$FMSWCH(7,3) 

status=$FMSWCH(7,4) 



Simulation Macro Functions, Virtual Machine Probe and Collision Test Functions 

4.4.5.14 Virtual Machine Probe and Collision Test Functions 

$FMSCEZ Summary of collision/over-travel events 

$FMSGCS Get coordinate system information 

$FMSLSR Laser probing 

$FMSPDAT Details of probe/collision/over-travel events 

$FMSPPOS Axes positions at touch 

$FMSPRID Select the object to be used as a probe 

$FMSPROB Activate/deactivate probing 

$FMSVCL Enable/disable collision testing on objects 

The Probe and Collision Test functions can be used to simulate the actions of a touch or laser 

probe, and to check for collision and over-travel event information. 

The following steps are necessary for touch probing: 

1. Call the $FMSPRID function to designate an object that will be used for touch probing. 

2. Call the $FMSPROB function to enable probing (i.e., arm the probe). 

3. Move the model via GENER or CERUN motion processing, or via $FMSMOVE calls. 

4. Check for probe touch via the $VMPRCOD probe status variable. 

5. Retrieve basic touch information via the $VMXFER and $VMP* variables. 

6. Retrieve details via calls to the $FMSPDAT and $FMSPPOS functions. 

7. Optionally call $FMSVCL to disable further collision checking touching objects. 

8. Call the $FMSPROB function again to disable probing. 

9. Call the $FMSPRID function again to disable the probe object. 

The following steps are necessary for laser probing: 

1. Call $FMSGCS to obtain the coordinate frame in which the measurement will be taken. 

2. Call the $FMSLSR function with a point and vector that specifies the origin and direction 

of the light beam, and test the return value for measurement information. 

The following steps are necessary to check for collisions and over-travels: 

1. Optionally call $FMSVCL to enable/disable collision checking on specific objects. 

2. Move the model via GENER or CERUN motion processing, or via $FMSMOVE calls. 

3. Retrieve basic collision/over-travel event information via the $VMXFER variable. 

4. Call $FMSCEZ to obtain summary information concerning each event. 

5. Call $FMSPDAT to obtain details concerning each event. 


The $FMSCEZ Function 

result=$FMSCEZ(n) 




This function returns information about the n th collision or over-travel event that occurred on the 

last motion. A sequence of length 3 is returned, as follows: 

1 Time at start of event 

2 Time at end of event 

3 Count of interference pairs 

The $VMXFER(1) system variable contains the number of collision and/or over-travel events 

that occurred on the last motion. This is the upper limit for n. 

The count of interference pairs can be used when calling the $FMSPDAT function to get details 

of which axes over-traveled or which component pairs collided during the event. 

The $FMSGCS Function 

result=$FMSGCS(id[,mode[,time[,channel]]]) 


This function returns the coordinate system information of an object, optionally at a specified 

moment in time and in a specified channel. The interpretation of the object id is dependent on the 

value of mode, as follows: 

mode = 1 (default) 

id = 0 returns the tool tip in RTCP frame 

id = 1 returns the machine origin frame 

mode = 2 

id = the component ID as obtained via the $FMSID function 

A sequence of length 16 is returned containing a 4x4 homogeneous matrix. This matrix can 

subsequently be used with the $FMSLSR function to convert laser range positions between 

various coordinate systems. 




The $FMSLSR Function 

result=$FMSLSR(point,vector[,options]) 


This function projects a beam from a point in space along a specified vector, and returns a 

sequence of length 15 containing information about the first object that the beam intersects, as 

follows: 

1 Status:

The $FMSPDAT Function 

result=$FMSPDAT(n,p) 




This function returns information about the p th interference pair of the n th collision/over-travel 

event that occurred on the last motion. A sequence of length 7 is returned, as follows: 

1 Event type. 1=over-travel, 2=collision, 3=measurement 

2 ID number of the first component 

3 Name of the first component 

4 ID number of the second component (0 if over-travel event) 

5 Name of the second component (blank if over-travel event) 

6 Time at start of event 

7 Time at end of event (same as start time for measurement event) 

The $VMXFER(1) system variable contains the number of collision and/or over-travel events 

that occurred on the last motion. This is the upper limit for n. The $FMSCEZ function can be 

called to get the count of interference pairs for each collision/over-travel event. This is the upper 

limit for p. 

For example, to list all collisions: 

DO/N=1,$VMXFER(1) 

CEZ=$FMSCEZ(N) 

DO/P=1,CEZ(3) 

R=$FMSPDAT(N,P) 

IF/R(1).EQ.2 

ERROR/8,'Collision detected between !(*) and !(*)',R(3),R(5) 

ENDOF/IF 

ENDOF/DO 

ENDOF/DO 

The $FMSPPOS Function 

result=$FMSPPOS( ) 


This function returns the axes positions at the last point of probe contact for all moving axes. A 

variable length sequence is returned, as follows: 

1 Number of axes moved (0 if none) 

2:4 ID number, name and position of the first axis at the touch point 

5:7 ID, name and position of the second axis at the touch point 

… … 

To simplify processing, the $VMP* macro variables can also be used to obtain the XYZ linear 

axes positions at the start and end (i.e., trigger point) of the probe motion. 




The $FMSPRID Function 

result=$FMSPRID([id]) 


This function sets the touch probe object to the specified component id, which can be any 

component in the world (excluding in-process stock) that has a physical representation. This 

function returns the previously active probe object id. Specify an object id of -1 to deactivate the 

current probe object without specifying another. 

The $FMSPRID function can be called without an argument to obtain the current probe component 

id. 

The $FMSPROB Function 

result=$FMSPROB([status]) 


This function activates or deactivates probing, returning the previous probe activation status. The 

following values for status are permitted: 

0 Deactivate probing; contact with probe will cause a collision 

1 Activate probing; probe is armed 

2 Deactivate probing; ignore contact with probe 

The $FMSPROB function can be called without an argument to obtain the current probe component 

id. 

Once the probe is active, any motion that causes contact between the probe object (which must 

first be defined first using $FMSPRID) and another collision enabled object, will cause a probe 

event to be triggered. The model axes motion will be interrupted at the point of probe contact, 

and the probe status information will be returned in the $VMPRCOD system variable. 

The following example will close the chuck jaws so that they come into contact with the raw 

stock or part. This example assumes there is a chuck jaw identified as “JAW” and that it can be 

moved with an axis identified as “JAW-AXIS”. This code should be included in the model 

startup macro: 

JAW_ID=$FMSID('JAW') 

IF/JAW_ID.GT.0 

OK=$FMSPRID(JAW_ID) $$ set jaws as probe 

OK=$FMSPROB(1) $$ activate probing 

OK=$FMSMOVE($FMSID('JAW-AXIS'),0,1000) $$ close jaws 

CASE/$VMPRCOD 

WHEN/0 

ERROR/4,'No part in chuck' 

WHEN/1 

$$ get touched object and disable collision with jaw 

S=$FMSPDAT($VMXFER(6),$VMXFER(7)) 

OK=$FMSVCL(JAW_ID,OFF,S(4)) 




WHEN/OTHERS 

ERROR/8,'Jaws in contact with part at start' 

ENDOF/CASE 

OK=$FMSPROB(0) $$ deactivate probing 

OK=$FMSPRID(-1) $$ deactivate probe 

ENDOF/IF 

The $FMSVCL Function 

Single Component Collision Status 

result=$FMSVCL(id [,ON|OFF]) 


This form of the $FMSVCL function activates, deactivates or reports on the collision testing 

property of the specified object id. If neither ON nor OFF is specified, then the collision property 

remains unchanged (i.e., the status is reported only). The function returns one of the following: 

–2 Not a physical object – collision testing is not applicable 

–1 A physical object, but collision testing is not available 

0 Collision testing has been deactivated 

1 Collision testing is enabled 

Only stock, fixture, parts and those model components that listed in the model “Collision Group” 

section can be enabled or disabled for collision testing. 

Aggregate Component Collision Status 

result=$FMSVCL([id,] [ON|OFF,] ALL) 


This form of the $FMSVCL function activates, deactivates or reports on the collision testing 

property of all collision enabled/disabled objects mounted at or below the specified component 

id (all objects in the World if id is not specified or is zero). If neither ON nor OFF is specified, 

then the collision property remains unchanged (i.e., the status is reported only). Collision properties 

are returned in a variable length sequence containing {component ID, status(0|1)} pairs, 

where the collision status value (0=off, 1=on) is reported before making any ON-OFF changes. 

The following macro shows how to save the collision testing state of the model and then later 

restore the original collision status: 

$$ Save collision state 

VCL=$FMSVCL(ALL) 

… 

$$ Restore collision state 

DO/I=1,$FLEN(VCL),2 

OK=$FMSVCL(VCL(I),$FIF(VLC(I+1).EQ.1,ON,OFF)) 

ENDOF/DO 




Component Pair Collision Status 

result=$FMSVCL(id1,ON|OFF,id2) 


This form of the $FMSVCL function activates or deactivates collision testing between pairs of 

components as specified by their component ids. The function returns one of the following: 

–2 One or both objects are not physical bodies – collision testing is not available 

–1 Both are physical objects, but collision testing is not available for one or both objects 

0 Collision testing has been deactivated 

1 Collision testing is enabled 

Only stock, fixture, parts and those model components that listed in the model “Collision Group” 

section can be enabled or disabled for collision testing. 


4.4.5.15 Other Functions 

$FDIALOG Activate a dialog 

$FDIST Distance between points 

$FEOF Test for end-of-file 

$FERSEV Severity of error number 

$FERSTA Status of error number 

$FERTXT Text of error number 

$FGETDEF Get DEF file variable definition 

$FGETENV Get environment variable definition 

$FPAUSE Pause processing with optional message 

$FSORT Sort records from file or elements of sequence 

The $FDIALOG Function 

result=$FDIALOG(s1[,s2]) 



Simulation Macro Functions, Other Functions 

This function can activate a dialog that has been defined inside the model, or one that has been 

saved to a file on disk. The first s1 parameter is a string specifying the name of the dialog. The 

second s2 parameter is optional, and if present specifies the name of the external file that contains 

the dialog. The $FDIALOG function returns a text string, which is the label of the button 

that was pressed to close the dialog (e.g., “OK”). 

Each “control” in the dialog (e.g., check box, combo-box, etc) is associated with a macro variable 

when the dialog is created in QUEST. When the dialog is activated at run-time, each dialog 

control is initialized to an appropriate state based on the current setting of its associated macro 

variable. If a dialog control references a variable that has not yet been defined, a local variable is 

created and set to the default value defined within the dialog. When the dialog exits, the macro 

variables associated with each control take on whatever value the user may have entered. In 

cases where the user value's type is ambiguous, the dialog processor will try to maintain the same 

variable type on exit as there was on input. Strongly typing variables with the DECLAR macro 

command will ensure the correct return value (the dialog processor will issue a diagnostic and 

keep the dialog active if the wrong type of data is entered, for example text in a numeric field). 

Combo-box and Drop-list controls can optionally have a second associated variable that defines 

the set of valid choices. These variables must be initialized as arrays or sequences, and be set to 

appropriate values, before calling the $FDIALOG function. 

There are three button types in a dialog: OK, Cancel and Reset. Buttons with OK and Cancel 

types cause the dialog processor to return control to the macro. Reset type buttons do not return 

control to the macro; they instead reset the dialog controls to their initial values and keep the 

dialog active. OK type buttons return control with macro variables updated; Cancel type buttons 

return control with macro variables unchanged (but initialized if necessary). The $FDIALOG 




function returns the text string associated with the OK or Cancel type button that was pressed 

(buttons can be labeled with any text and there can be multiple buttons of the same type). 

The $FDIST Function 

result=$FDIST(x1,y1,z1,x2,y2,z2) 


This function returns the distance between two points defined by x1,y1,z1 and x2,y2,z2. 

The $FERSEV Function 

result=$FERSEV(n) 


This function returns the error severity of error number n. A severity of -1 (negative one) is 

returned if the error number is not known. 

The $FERSTA Function 

result=$FERSTA(n[,a]) 


This function returns the current state (enabled or disabled) of error number n. A status of 

$TRUE is returned if the error number is enabled for output. A status of $FALSE is returned if 

the error number is disabled (i.e., a diagnostic will not be output even if that specific error 

condition occurs). The current state can optionally be modified by specifying a second parameter 

a with a logical $TRUE or $FALSE value giving the required state. 

The $FERTXT Function 

result=$FERTXT(n) 


This function returns the error text of error number n. A blank string is returned if the error 

number is not known. 

The $FGETDEF Function 

result=$FGETDEF(s) 

Returns: String or $NULL 

This function returns the value of the case insensitive DEF file variable identified by the string s. 

The variable name must be fully qualified with the names of all surrounding “begin” blocks in 

the DEF file (see the example below). The return value is a case sensitive string. $NULL is 

returned if the DEF file variable has not been defined or if some other error occurs while attempting 

to obtain the variable definition. 




The following example gets the value of the “interface_kit” DEF file symbol: 

%L01=$FGETDEF('campost.interface_kit') 

The $FGETENV Function 

result=$FGETENV(s) 

Returns: String or $NULL 

This function returns the value of a (potentially case sensitive) environment variable identified 

by the string s. $NULL is returned if the environment variable has not been defined or if some 

other error occurs while attempting to obtain the variable definition. 

The $FPAUSE Function 

result=$FPAUSE([string]) 


This function will pause GENER or CERUN processing and display a message-box with the 

specified or default string. The user will be given a choice to either pause or continue processing. 

When paused, the full GENER or CERUN interface is made active. Once processing resumes, this 

function will return a logical value of $TRUE if the user chose to pause processing, or $FALSE 

otherwise. 

The message-box will not be displayed when running in background mode. In this case, the 

$FPAUSE function immediately returns a value of $FALSE and processing continues uninterrupted. 

The $FSORT Function 

The $FSORT function can be used to sort the contents of a file or the contents of a sequence 

variable. 

result=$FSORT(infile,outfile [,delimiters] [,field,type,order [,…]]) 


When sorting a file, the contents of the input file are first read into memory, sorted, and then 

written to the output file. The same file name can be specified for both input and output files. 

Sorting occurs on specific fields (or columns) of data in the file. By default, a run of spaces 

defines the boundary from one field to the next. Specify an optional delimiters string to define a 

different character or set of characters to be used as field separators (e.g., specify $FCHAR(10) 

to use a tab character as a delimiter). The default increasing ASCII text order of sorting can be 

changed by specifying a “field,type,order” sort key parameter, where field identifies a field 

number, type is a string 'N' or 'S' defining a numeric or string field type, and order is one of the 

keywords INCR or DECR. Additional sort keys can be specified to further sort records with 

matching sort key fields. If all sort keys are the same, then the original record order is maintained 

(i.e., a “stable” sort). The $FSORT function will return the number of records in the output file, 




or -1 if the sort failed. The $ERRNO system variable will be set to a non-zero value if the sort 

failed. 

result=$FSORT(sequence [,fields [,field,order [,…]] ]) 


When sorting a sequence, the input sequence is specified as the first parameter of the $FSORT 

function and the sorted result is returned as a sequence. If all elements of the sequence are the 

same type (e.g., all numbers or all strings), then $FSORT can be called with just the input 

sequence to sort the elements in increasing order. If the sequence represents a table (e.g., alternating 

pairs of number and string elements), then the fields parameter must be specified to tell 

the sort function the number of fields (or columns) that make up each record (or row) to be 

sorted in the sequence. The default increasing order of sorting can be changed by specifying a 

“field,order” sort key parameter, where field identifies a field number and order is one of the 

keywords INCR or DECR. Additional sort keys can be specified to sort records with identical 

sort key fields. If all sort keys are the same, then the original record order is maintained. If the 

sort fails, a null sequence (i.e., $NULL) will be returned and the $ERRNO system variable will 

be set to a non-zero value. 


4.4.6 Simulation Macro Variables 


Simulation Macro Variables, Variable Summary 

Built-in variables, also known as system variables, are predefined by the macro processor. These 

variables can be distinguished from user-defined variables by their leading $ sign character. 

4.4.6.1 Variable Summary 

The following built-in variables are available for use in model macros: 

� Variables Defining Constants 

$FALSE, $NULL, $PI, $TRUE 

� Virtual Machine Variables 

$PART, $VMCHN, $VMP[L]{XYZ}M, $VMP[L]{XYZ}W, $VMPRCOD, 

$VMXFER 

� Machine & Workpiece Coordinate Variables 

$[L]{ABC}[TH]M, $[L]{ND}M, $[L]{XYZUVWE}M, $[L]{XYZUVWE}W 

� Motion-Related Variables 

$AXES, $F, $FMODE, $LCS, $PLMODE, $PNMODE, $RAPID, $TCP 

� Cutter Compensation Variables 

$DCOMP, $TCD, $TCF, $TCL, $TCLDIR 

� Tooling Variables 

$T, $TS 

� MCD/Tape Variables 

$LMCD, $MCD, $SEQNO, $TAPEN 

� Error Message Variables 

$ERRMSG, $ERRNO, $ERR08, $FTL16, $MSG00, $WRN04 

� Miscellaneous Variables 

$BACK, $DATE, $PARAM, $PLEV, $PVER, $UPARAM 



Simulation Macro Variables, Variables Defining Constants 

4.4.6.2 Variables Defining Constants 

$FALSE False logical constant value 

Type: Logical, Read-only 

This variable stores the logical constant representing false. This is identical to the .FALSE. 

compiler constant. 

$NULL “Not Used”, “Not Available” constant value 

Type: Null, Read-only 

This variable has a special fixed value, which is used to indicate not used or not available. 

$NULL has a value with a null data type: it is not a number, string, minor word or sequence. 

$NULL is therefore not equal to any number, string, minor word or sequence. 

$P variables and some macro system variables will be set to $NULL to indicate that a value is 

not available or has yet to be specified. 

$PI PI Trigonometric constant value 

Type: Numeric, Read-only 

This variable stores the PI trigonometric constant. 

$TRUE True logical constant value 


This variable stores the logical constant representing true. This is identical to the .TRUE. compiler 

constant. 


4.4.6.3 Virtual Machine Variables 

$PART Current active part 

Type: Numeric, Read/Write 


Simulation Macro Variables, Virtual Machine Variables 

This variable indicates from which stock axis subsequent tool axis traces should be attached (the 

tool path trace moves as the indicated stock axis moves). The part identification is a numeric 

value matching the “part ID” specified with a stock axis. 

$VMCHN Current active channel 


This variable sets the current active channel number. By default, a merging lathe side head is 

controlled by channel 2; the main head (and all other machine types) by channel 1. This default 

channel assignment can be changed by setting $VMCHN. 

$VMP[L]{XYZ}M Current and last X, Y, and Z probe axes position 


These variables contain the machine X, Y and Z axes values at the start and end of a probing 

motion (i.e. when $FMSPROB is active and $VMPRCOD>0). $VMPXM, $VMPYM and 

$VMPZM refer to the linear machine axes positions when the probe was triggered. $VMPLXM, 

$VMPLYM and $VMPLZM refer to the linear machine axes positions at the start of the probe 

motion. 

$VMP[L]{XYZ}W Current and last LCS X, Y, and Z probe axes position 


These variables contain the local coordinate system (LCS) X, Y and Z axes values at the start 

and end of a probing motion (i.e. when $FMSPROB is active and $VMPRCOD>0). If a local 

coordinate frame is not active then these variables return the probe start and end machine linear 

axes instead (e.g., $VMPZW returns $VMPZM when a local coordinate frame is not active). 

$VMPXW, $VMPYW and $VMPZW refer to the linear LCS axes positions when the probe was 

triggered. $VMPLXW, $VMPLYW and $VMPLZW refer to the linear LCS axes positions at the 

start of the probe motion. 



Simulation Macro Variables, Virtual Machine Variables 

$VMPRCOD Probe cycle return code 


When probing is active (set using the $FMSPROB function) the $VMPRCOD variable will be 

updated at the end of each model motion to indicate the status of the probe device (set using the 

$FMSPRID function). The following states are defined: 

–1 The probe device was already in a triggered state (i.e., already colliding) at the start of 

the motion. No probing data has been returned. 

0 The probe device was not triggered (i.e., did not collide) during the last motion. No 

probing data has been returned. 

1 The probe device was triggered (i.e., collided) during the last motion. $VMXFER 

contains collision status information. 

2 Same as #1 except that the probe device was triggered against 2 or more objects 

simultaneously. 

$VMXFER Collision/over-travel return code 


This variable contains collision and over-travel event information resulting from the last model 

motion, including collision information resulting from a probe trigger event. $VMXFER is a 

sequence of length 7 as follows: 

1 The number of separate collision and/or over-travel events that occurred on the last 

motion. Zero if there were no collisions or over-travel events. 

2 The time at the start of the motion. 

3 The time at the end of the motion. 

4 The time at which the first collision or over-travel event occurred during the current 

motion. If $VMXFER(1)=0, then $VMXFER(4)=$VMXFER(3). 

5 The current feed rate in model units per minute or units per revolution. Zero if the motion 

was at rapid. 

6 The collision event number of a probe trigger, otherwise -1. 

7 The collision pair number of a probe trigger, otherwise -1. 

When probing is active (set using the $FMSPROB function), and the probe was triggered (i.e., 

$VMPRCOD>0), then information about the object that was touched by the probe can be obtained 

by calling: 

$FMSPDAT($VMXFER(6),$VMXFER(7)) 


4.4.6.4 Machine & Workpiece Coordinate Variables 


Simulation Macro Variables, Machine & Workpiece Coordinate Variables 

$[L]{ABC}[TH]M Current and last machine A, B and C rotary positions 


These variables hold machine A, B and C rotary axis positions. 

$AM, $BM and $CM refer to the current A, B and C rotary head or table axis positions. In the 

case where the machine has two rotary axes with the same letter address, use $AHM, $BHM and 

$CHM to refer to the rotary head axes and $ATM, $BTM and $CTM to refer to the rotary table 

axes. $LAM, $LAHM, $LATM, $LBM, $LBHM, $LBTM, $LCM, $LCHM and $LCTM hold 

the rotary axis positions at the start of the last motion. 

If the machine does not have one of the named axes, the corresponding value will be zero (0). 

$[L]{ND}M Current and last machine attachable rotary head positions 


These variables hold machine primary and secondary attachable rotary head axis positions. 

$NM holds the primary attachable rotary head position and $DM holds the secondary attachable 

rotary head position. $LNM and $LDM hold the attachable rotary head positions at the start of 

the last motion. 


$[L]{XYZUVWE}M Current and last machine X, Y, Z, U, V, W and E positions 


These variables hold the machine X, Y, Z, U, V, W and Extending (E) axis positions. 

$XM, $YM, $ZM, $UM, $VM, $WM and $EM represent the current axes positions. $LXM, 

$LYM, $LZM, $LUM, $LVM, $LWM and $LEM represent the axis positions at the start of the 

last motion. 


$[L]{XYZIJK}W Current and last LCS X, Y, Z, I, J, K coordinates 


These variables contain the local coordinate system (LCS) X, Y and Z coordinates of the tool tip 

and the I, J and K cosine vectors of the tool axis when a local coordinate frame is active. If a 

local coordinate frame is not active then these variables return machine coordinates instead (e.g., 

$ZW returns $ZM when a local coordinate frame is not active). $XW, $YW, $ZW, $IW, $JW 

and $KW refer to the current position. $LXW, $LYW, $LZW, $LIW, $LJW and $LKW represent 

the position at the start of the last motion. 



Simulation Macro Variables, Motion-Related Variables 

4.4.6.5 Motion-Related Variables 

$AXES String showing active axes 

Type: String, Read-only 

This variable displays the currently active axes in the form of a character string containing 6 

characters. At any one time, CERUN or GENER will allow a maximum of 3 linear X, Y and Z 

axes, 2 rotary axes, and the extending linear axis to be controlled. Therefore, the maximum 

number of active axes is 6. 

The characters displayed in the $AXES string are one letter abbreviations representing the axis 

names. The abbreviations are as follows: 

Character Axis name 

X X-axis (primary X-axis) 

Y Y-axis (primary Y-axis) 

Z Z-axis (primary Z-axis) 

U U-axis (secondary X-axis) 

V V-axis (secondary Y-axis) 

W W-axis (secondary Z-axis) 

a A'-axis table 

b B'-axis table 

c C'-axis table (or C-axis on lathe) 

A A-axis head 

B B-axis head 

C C-axis head 

E Extending axis 

N Primary nutating axis 

n Secondary nutating axis 

The first three characters of $AXES display active linear axes (note that these may be primary or 

secondary linear axes). The fourth and fifth characters display active rotary axes (including the 

nutating axis). The sixth location is reserved for the extending axis. For any $AXES location for 

which there is no corresponding active axis, a * will be shown. For example, the value of $AXES 

for a 3-axis mill will be “XYZ***” because the machine has neither rotary nor extending axes. 

On machines where axes will be activated and deactivated, the $AXES string can be used in the 

motion event macro to determine the content of the $P2 machine coordinate sequence variable. 

This is because the $P2 variable contains machine coordinates for active axes only. 




For example, to determine if a B'-axis table is active or not, the following could be coded in a 

macro: 

%L01=$FINDEX($AXES,'b') $$ Get index of B table axis 

IF/%L01.GT.0 $$ is it active? 

%L02=$P2(%L01) $$ yes, extract value from $P2 sequence 

ENDOF/IF 

If the $FINDEX function returns 0, the axis for which the index was requested is not active, and 

therefore it‟s value will not be found in the $P2 sequence. For the case above, the $BTM macro 

system variable could be used to determine the current position of the B'-axis. 

$F Current feed rate in the current mode 


This variable contains the current feed rate in the current mode (i.e., $FMODE) of operation. 

$FMODE Feed rate mode. (-1:? 0:uPM 1:uPR 2:inverse time) 


This variable contains the current feed rate mode. If the value is -1 then the mode is currently 

unknown. 

$LCS Local coordinate system status ($TRUE or $FALSE) 

Type: Logical, Read/Write 

This variable will be set $TRUE when LCS (Local Coordinate System) transformation is activated 

in the program and $FALSE when LCS is deactivated in the program. The $LCS variable can 

be set from within a macro to change the mode. 

$PLMODE Plane mode. (



$TCP RTCP status ($TRUE or $FALSE) 


This variable will be set $TRUE when RTCP (Rotating Tool Center-point Programming) is 

activated and $FALSE when RTCP is deactivated. The $TCP variable can be set from within a 

macro to change the mode. 


4.4.6.6 Cutter Compensation Variables 


Simulation Macro Variables, Cutter Compensation Variables 

$DCOMP Current diameter compensation (-1:LEFT, 1:RIGHT, 0:OFF) 


This variable contains the current tool diameter compensation in effect. 

$TCD Current tool diameter compensation value (


Simulation Macro Variables, Tooling Variables 

4.4.6.7 Tooling Variables 

$T Current tool loaded (

4.4.6.8 MCD/Tape Variables 

$LMCD Last MCD block processed 


This variable holds the last block of MCD processed. 

$MCD Current MCD block processed 


This variable holds the current block of MCD being processed. 

$SEQNO Current sequence number 



Simulation Macro Variables, MCD/Tape Variables 

This variable contains the sequence number (e.g., N register value) of the current block. 

$TAPEN Number of fatal error diagnostics 


This variable contains the primary tape file name as specified on the GENER or CERUN command 

line. 



Simulation Macro Variables, Error Message Variables 

4.4.6.9 Error Message Variables 

$ERRMSG Error message on indicator 


This variable indicates if error messages are to be output or not. Error messages may be disabled 

by setting $ERRMSG to $FALSE. Set $ERRMSG to $TRUE to once again enable error message 

output. Error message output is enabled by default at the start of processing. 

$ERRNO Last I/O status 


I/O status code returned by the system following the last SYSTEM, OPEN, READ, WRITE or 

CLOSE command. I/O status codes are system specific, but most systems use a status of zero for 

success, negative for warning (like end-of-file) and positive for errors. 

$ERR08 Number of error diagnostics 


Current number of diagnostics at severity levels 8 through 15. 

$FTL16 Number of fatal error diagnostics 


Current number of diagnostics at severity level 16 or higher. 

$MSG00 Number of informational diagnostics 



$WRN04 Number of warning diagnostics 




4.4.6.10 Miscellaneous Variables 

$BACK Background processing flag 



Simulation Macro Variables, Miscellaneous Variables 

This variable will be set $TRUE if the -back UNIX /back Windows command line qualifier was 

specified when the CERUN or GENER application was started. The purpose of this variable is to 

advise macros that the process is running in a state where user interaction is not possible (e.g., as 

a UNIX background process). It is the responsibility of the model writer to test this variable 

before calling the $FDIALOG function or performing I/O to the STDIN and STDOUT devices. 

$DATE Current date and time 


This variable contains the current date and time. The character string returned by $DATE is 

formatted as “dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm:ss.ss”. 

$PARAM Current date and time 


This variable contains the command line that initiated CERUN or GENER. It will list all of the run 

time options selected by the user at the start of processing. See $UPARAM (below) for information 

concerning user defined parameters. 

$PLEV Product level 


This variable contains the release level number of Virtual Machine, as a whole number in the 

form “yyww”: where “yy” are the last two digits of the year, and “ww” is the week number of 

the year in the range 01-52. 

$PVER Product version 


This variable contains the release version number of Virtual Machine (e.g., 19 for V19). 

$UPARAM CERUN or GENER user defined command line parameters 

Type: String, Read/Write 

The $UPARAM macro system variable is similar to the $PARAM macro system variable. 

$UPARAM is a string containing the user defined parameters from the CERUN or GENER command 

line following the -u UNIX or /u Windows options. The $PARAM string on the other hand lists 

all command line parameters, including the user defined ones. See the $FARGC and $FARGV 

functions for information on how to extract general and user defined parameters. 



Simulation Macro Variables, Miscellaneous Variables 


$ 

$ macro continuation, 124 

$$ macro comment, 124 

$AHM macro variable, 209 

$AM macro variable, 209 

$ATM macro variable, 209 

$AXES macro variable, 210 

$BACK macro variable, 217 

$BHM macro variable, 209 

$BM macro variable, 209 

$BTM macro variable, 209 

$CHM macro variable, 209 

$CM macro variable, 209 

$CTM macro variable, 209 

$DATE macro variable, 217 

$DCOMP macro variable, 213 

$DM macro variable, 209 

$EM macro variable, 209 

$ERR08 macro variable, 216 

$ERRMSG macro variable, 216 

$ERRNO macro variable, 216 

$ERRNO system variable, 138 

$F macro variable, 211 

$FALSE macro variable, 206 

$FMODE macro variable, 211 

$FTL16 macro variable, 216 

$IW macro variable, 209 

$JW macro variable, 209 

$KW macro variable, 209 

$LAHM macro variable, 209 

$LAM macro variable, 209 

$LATM macro variable, 209 

$LBHM macro variable, 209 

$LBM macro variable, 209 

$LBTM macro variable, 209 

$LCHM macro variable, 209 

$LCM macro variable, 209 

$LCS macro variable, 211 

Index 

$LCTM macro variable, 209 

$LDM macro variable, 209 

$LEM macro variable, 209 

$LIW macro variable, 209 

$LJW macro variable, 209 

$LKW macro variable, 209 

$LMCD macro variable, 215 

$LNM macro variable, 209 

$LUM macro variable, 209 

$LVM macro variable, 209 

$LWM macro variable, 209 

$LXM macro variable, 209 

$LXW macro variable, 209 

$LYM macro variable, 209 

$LYW macro variable, 209 

$LZM macro variable, 209 

$LZW macro variable, 209 

$MCD macro variable, 215 

$MSG00 macro variable, 216 

$NM macro variable, 209 

$NULL macro variable, 125, 206 

$P variables, 126 

$PARAM macro variable, 217 

$PART macro variable, 207 

$PI macro variable, 206 

$PLEV macro variable, 217 

$PLMODE macro variable, 211 

$PNMODE macro variable, 211 

$PVER macro variable, 217 

$RAPID macro variable, 211 

$SEQNO macro variable, 215 

$T macro variable, 214 

$TAPEN macro variable, 215 

$TCD macro variable, 213 

$TCF macro variable, 213 

$TCL macro variable, 213 

$TCLDIR macro variable, 213 

$TCP macro variable, 212 

Index 


ICAM Virtual Machine ® Version 19.0 Index 

$TRUE macro variable, 206 

$TS macro variable, 214 

$UM macro variable, 209 

$UPARAM macro variable, 217 

$VM macro variable, 209 

$VMCHN macro variable, 207 

$VMPLXM macro variable, 207 

$VMPLXW macro variable, 207 

$VMPLYM macro variable, 207 

$VMPLYW macro variable, 207 

$VMPLZM macro variable, 207 

$VMPLZW macro variable, 207 

$VMPRCOD macro variable, 208 

$VMPXM macro variable, 207 

$VMPXW macro variable, 207 

$VMPYM macro variable, 207 

$VMPYW macro variable, 207 

$VMPZM macro variable, 207 

$VMPZW macro variable, 207 

$VMXFER macro variable, 208 

$WM macro variable, 209 

$WRN04 macro variable, 216 

$XM macro variable, 209 

$XW macro variable, 209 

$YM macro variable, 209 

$YW macro variable, 209 

$ZM macro variable, 209 

$ZW macro variable, 209 

. 

.AND. operator, 130 

.EQ. operator, 130 

.GE. operator, 130 

.GT. operator, 130 

.LE. operator, 130 

.LT. operator, 130 

.NE. operator, 130 

.NOT. operator, 130 

.OR. operator, 130 

220 ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary 

A 

ADAPTV post-processor command, 9, 10, 

11, 181 

Addition operator, 129 

Animation speed, 30, 31, 72, 118 

ASCII output formatting, 142 

Attach camera, 15, 103 

Axes, 42 

Axes markers, 70, 108 

Axes tab, 36, 48, 75, 76, 77, 109 

Axis 

mapping, 42, 45 

slave, 43, 96 

B 

Back view, 71, 104 

Backface drawing option, 119 

Background color, 119 

Bitmap entity, 46, 68, 95 

Bottom view, 71, 104 

Build tab, 36 

C 

Camera 

aperture angle, 65, 105 

attachment, 103 

center object in view, 103 

load predefined view, 16, 65, 105 

mode, 13, 14, 15, 66, 78, 112, 120 

pan speed, 14, 16, 65, 104 

panning, 65, 66 

reset predefined views, 105 

roll, 13, 15, 65, 66 

save predefined view, 16, 65, 105 

CAMERA post-processor command, 11, 

120 

CASE macro command, 133 

Center object in view, 14, 33, 65, 103 

Channel functions, 191–93 

Character functions, 169–74 

CLDATA file, 2, 7, 30, 123, 125, 135 

CLOSE macro command, 136

Collision 

avoidance, 1, 10, 181 

detection, 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 18, 19, 32, 35, 38, 

46, 49, 50, 51, 70, 79, 80, 90, 91, 194, 

199, 200 

exclusion groups, 50, 51, 52 

highlight, 50 

intersection line, 50, 109, 120 

viewing, 33 

Collision Test Functions, 194–200 

Colorized MRS diff:, 34, 107 

Command line functions, 175 

Comments section, 40 

Concatenation operator, 129 

Conditional functions, 166–68 

Cone entity, 68, 92 

Continuous animation, 31, 72, 118 

Controller windows, 23, 29, 30, 33, 74 

Conversion functions, 164–65 

Cube entity, 47, 68, 92 

Curve axis, 68, 98 

CUTTER command, 2, 26, 81, 82, 85 

Cylinder entity, 68, 92 

D 

Database, 2, 6, 7, 8, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 55, 

95, 137 

DECLAR macro command, 127, 131 

Dialog editor, 148 

Diameter compensation 

getting from macro, 182 

setting from macro, 188 

Diffs tab, 36 

Display speed, 31, 118 

Division operator, 129 

DO macro command, 134 

E 

ELSE macro command, 132 

ELSEIF macro command, 132 

ENDMAC macro command, 135 

ENDOF macro command, 133, 134 

Equality operator, 130 

ERROR macro command, 138 

EXIT macro command, 134 

Exponentiation operator, 129 

Export button, 18 

External functions, 131 

Extruded entity, 68, 94 

Index 

ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary 221 

F 

Feed event macro, 147 

File and directory functions, 176–79 

Finder tab, 36 

Fit object in view, 14, 33, 65, 71, 103 

Fixture, 2, 3, 5, 18, 19, 20, 23, 37, 65, 75, 

76, 79, 80, 100, 116, 186, 189 

compensation, 2, 3, 5, 23, 67, 74, 75, 76, 

180, 182, 183, 188, 189, 213 

create, 20 

machinable, 19, 22, 24, 26, 81 

setup, 18, 34, 79, 100, 107, 117 

show/hide, 107 

Fixture compensation 



Front view, 71, 104 

Function 

$FABS, 155 

$FACCESS, 176 

$FACOS, 153 

$FARGC, 175 

$FARGV, 175 

$FASIN, 153 

$FATAN, 153 

$FATAN2, 153 

$FATOF, 164 

$FBASNAM, 177 

$FCHAR, 169 

$FCHOOSE, 166 

$FCOS, 154 

$FCTIME, 177 

$FCVINT, 164 

$FCVREAL, 164 

$FDIALOG, 148, 201 

$FDIRNAM, 177 

$FDIST, 202


$FEDIT, 169 

$FEOF, 178 

$FERSEV, 202 

$FERSTA, 202 

$FERTXT, 202 

$FEXP, 154 

$FFIND, 171 

$FFRAC, 155 

$FGETCWD, 178 

$FGETENV, 203 

$FGLNXPL, 157 

$FGLSXSP, 157 

$FGPLPT3, 158 

$FICHAR, 172 

$FIF, 166 

$FINDEX, 172 

$FINT, 155 

$FISNUM, 167 

$FISSEQ, 167 

$FISWRD, 167 

$FLEN, 172 

$FLN, 154 

$FLOG, 154 

$FMAC, 155 

$FMAJOR, 164, 165 

$FMATCH, 172 

$FMIN, 155 

$FMINOR, 165 

$FMOD, 156 

$FMSACH, 191 

$FMSADPT, 181 

$FMSATA, 181 

$FMSBTC, 181 

$FMSCEZ, 195 

$FMSCMRA, 182 

$FMSDCH, 192 

$FMSETC, 182 

$FMSGAX, 192 

$FMSGCH, 192 

$FMSGCS, 195 

$FMSGDCV, 182 

$FMSGFCV, 182 

$FMSGLCV, 183 

$FMSGOUG, 184 

$FMSID, 184 

$FMSIDN, 186 

$FMSIDT, 186 

$FMSLCS, 187 

$FMSLSR, 196 

$FMSMAX, 187 

$FMSMOVE, 187 

$FMSMSP, 188 

$FMSNCH, 193 

$FMSPCK, 188 

$FMSPDAT, 197 

$FMSPPOS, 197 

$FMSPRID, 198 

$FMSPROB, 198 

$FMSRAX, 193 

$FMSSDCV, 188 

$FMSSFCV, 188 

$FMSSLAV, 189 

$FMSSLCV, 189 

$FMSTRN, 190 

$FMSVCL, 200 

$FMSWCH, 193 

$FMX, 162 

$FMXINV, 163 

$FMXTRFP, 163 

$FMXTRFV, 163 

$FMXTRSP, 163 

$FNINT, 156 

$FPAUSE, 203 

$FPNAME, 175 

$FPVALUE, 175 

$FSEQ, 173 

$FSIGN, 156 

$FSIN, 154 

$FSORT, 203 

$FSQRT, 154 

$FSTAT, 178 

$FSUBSQ, 173 

$FSUBST, 173 

$FSWITCH, 167 

$FSWRIT, 139, 173 

$FTAN, 154 

$FTOLOWR, 174 

$FTOUPER, 174 

$FVADD, 159 

$FVANG, 159 

$FVCROSS, 160 

$FVDOT, 160 

$FVLEN, 160 

$FVMULT, 160 


G 

$FVNORM, 160 

$FVROTN, 161 

$FVSUB, 161 

Geometric functions, 157–58 

GETDEF, 202 

Global variables, 126 

pre-defined, 126 

Gouge tolerance, 3, 18, 19, 26, 79, 82, 120 

Greater than operator, 130 

Greater than or equal operator, 130 

Grid display, 17, 40, 41, 70, 81, 108 

Grouping operator, 129 

Groups 

collision, 50 

exclusion, 51, 52 

selection, 53, 67, 111 

H 

Head, 24, 28, 50, 81, 90, 101 

component ID, 185 

setup, 24, 28, 81, 90, 99, 107 

Head axis, 69, 90, 101 

Help tab, 36 

Holder, 87 

generic holder, 27, 89 

profile holders, 88 

setup, 24, 81, 99, 107 

HUD display, 30, 31, 65, 69, 109 

I 

icam_dbf environment variable, 7 

IF macro command, 132 

Import button, 18, 82, 87, 89, 94 

Information window, 36 

J 

JUMPTO macro command, 134 

K 

KEYWORD data type, 125 

Index 

Kinematics, 1, 12, 35, 37, 38, 42, 44, 46, 70, 

90, 97, 98, 100, 101, 106, 108, 109 

Kinematics markers, 70, 108 


L 

Launch panel, 6, 7, 12, 34, 55 

Left view, 71, 104 

Length compensation 



Less than operator, 130 

Less than or equal operator, 130 

Lighting setup, 17, 22, 33, 41, 80, 108, 109, 

114, 115, 194, 196 

Linear axis, 44, 68, 97 

Load predefined view, 16, 65, 105 

Load tool event macro, 147 

Local coordinates, 67, 75, 109, 111, 205, 

207, 209, 211 

Local variables 

pre-defined, 126 

Logical 

input formatting, 143 

output formatting, 141 

Logical and operator, 130 

LOGICAL data type, 124 

Logical not operator, 130 

Logical or operator, 130 

Look-ahead, 1, 9, 10, 30, 181 

M 

Macro 

comment, 124 

continuation, 124 

Macro functions, 131 

Macro language, 54, 122, 123, 124, 125, 

126, 129, 130, 131, 136 

Main window, 36 

Manufacturing extractors, 3, 23, 24, 29, 81, 

82 

Material removal simulation. See MRS 

Mathematical functions, 153–54 

Matrix functions \r, 162


MCD, 1, 2, 7, 9, 54, 123, 205, 215 

Measurement, 13, 30, 65, 66, 69, 73, 78, 79, 

110, 117, 194, 196, 197 

Mesh entity, 68, 94 

Minor word 


Miscellaneous setup, 119 

Model 

automatic selection, 7 

naming, 8, 39, 55 

selection, 6 


testing, 55 

units, 39, 43, 147, 187, 208 

Motion event macro, 146 

Motion step animation, 31, 72, 118, 182 

MRS, 6, 8, 18, 19, 22, 24, 30, 33, 34, 71, 72, 

79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 107, 117, 120 

colorized diff:, 34, 107 

overcut, 107 

undercut, 34, 107, 117 

Multiplication operator, 129 

N 

Navigator window, 36, 37, 40 

Non equality operator, 130 

Numeric 



Numeric functions, 155–56 

O 

OPEN macro command, 136 

Orthogonal view, 71, 104 

Other functions, 201–4 

OUTPUT macro command, 136 

Overcut MRS, 107 

Over-travel, 33 

P 

Part, 2, 18, 19, 71, 72 


setup, 18, 34, 79, 100, 107, 117 


Path planning, 1, 10, 181 

Perspective view, 13, 71, 104, 105 

Picture entity, 95 

Pivot center for camera, 14, 41, 65, 78, 103 

Post-processor commands, 5, 123, 162 

Probe Functions, 194–200 

224 ICAM Technologies Corporation – Proprietary 

R 

Rapid event macro, 147 

READ macro command 

from file, 137 

from string, 137 

REAL data type, 124 

RECORD data type, 125 

Reference axis creation, 69, 102 

REPEAT macro command, 133 

RESERV macro command, 128 

Reset predefined views, 16, 105 

Revolved entity, 27, 68, 93 

Right view, 71, 104 

Rotary axis, 44, 68, 97 

S 

Safety region, 50, 70, 91, 109 

Save predefined view, 16, 65, 105 

Selection mode, 13, 66, 78, 120 

Sequence data type, 126 

Sequence functions, 169 

Sequence operator, 129 

Shareable library, 131 

Shutdown macro, 145 

Simulation 

enable, 9 

Slaved axis, 43, 96 

Solid view format, 12, 17, 24, 36, 69, 75, 81, 

87, 90, 106, 114, 119 

Sphere entity, 68, 93 

Spindle, 19, 25, 26, 27, 32, 36, 38, 42, 45, 

75, 81, 82, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 98, 99, 100, 

101, 107, 116, 118, 180, 181, 183, 188 

Startup macro, 145

STL, 1, 2, 3, 18, 25, 27, 38, 46, 68, 80, 83, 

84, 87, 89, 94 

Stock, 1, 2, 3, 5, 18, 30, 34, 79 

in-process, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 19, 24, 30, 

33, 34, 49, 71, 73, 78, 82, 83, 85, 107, 

110, 117, 120, 198 


setup, 18, 34, 79, 100, 107, 117 


Stock axis, 69, 100 

String 



STRING data type, 125 

Sub-sequence operator, 129 

Sub-string operator, 129 

Subtraction operator, 129 

Swept volume, 38, 75, 91 

Synchronize, 30, 33, 107 

SYSTEM macro command, 138 

System variables, 126 

T 

Tape event macro, 146 

TDM System, 2 

TERMAC macro command, 135 

Testing, 55 

Time interval animation, 31, 72, 118 

Timeline, 19, 30, 33, 77, 103, 107, 120 

Tool 

compensation, 1, 2, 5, 11, 23, 29, 74, 76, 

77, 116, 182, 188, 213 

diameter, 29, 37, 77, 180, 182, 188, 213 

length, 11, 29, 180, 183, 184, 189, 190, 

213 


lathe tools, 83 

milling tools, 85 

setup, 24, 81, 99, 107, 118 


tolerance, 24, 82, 83, 85, 120 

trace 

Index 

show/hide, 30, 32, 65, 69, 70, 106, 107 

tracing, 32, 106 

Tool axis, 69, 99 

Tools 

milling, 2, 85, 86 

Preferences 

Macro Editor, 124 

turning, 2, 98 

Top view, 71, 104 

Tracing of tool path, 32, 106 


U 

Undercut MRS, 34, 107, 117 

Units, 39, 83, 85, 88, 89, 91, 96 

UNTIL macro command, 134 

User variables, 126 

V 

Vector functions, 159–61 

Verification setup, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 18 

View 

camera, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 33, 41, 65, 

66, 69, 71, 78, 103, 104, 105, 112, 120 

default, 16 

pan, 13, 14, 66 

predefined, 15 

rotation, 13 

Virtual Machine functions, 180–90 

W 

WHEN macro command, 133 

WHILE macro command, 133 

Wildcard 



Wireframe view format, 12, 69, 106, 119 

Work piece. See Fixture 

World coordinates, 67, 91, 96, 111 

WRITE macro command, 137

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