Warn if saving toolpaths without recalculating?

[ctbjdm]

A couple times I’ve made changes to vectors, then saved off the toolpaths for cutting without recalculating the changes - resulting in the changes not reflected in the g code / at the machine.

Would a popup warning when saving toolpaths for a modified vector be helpful to people? I.e. if you changed a vector you are trying to save and haven’t recalculated let the program warn you?

[potzmannwoodshop]

Sounds like software bloat, just be careful with your programming. Dont want the software being a nanny

[adze_cnc]

If this was implemented how many false positives would there be? That is how many times would the software pester me to recalculate toolpaths when I haven't fully finished editing the project.

Load a document into Microsoft Word. Do nothing else but print the document. Close the document and see the dialogue box that asks if you want to save the changes that you made. Changes? What changes? I just printed the damned thing.

[Adrian]

Microsoft Word has a Last Printed date/time property in the files so that's why it asks if you want to save when you've printed.

[mtylerfl]

Microsoft Word has a Last Printed date/time property in the files so that's why it asks if you want to save when you've printed.

I always wondered why on earth it asked to save after printing - now I know, thanks to you!

(I’m still annoyed by the save prompt, though!)

[ctbjdm]

If this was implemented how many false positives would there be? That is how many times would the software pester me to recalculate toolpaths when I haven't fully finished editing the project.

Load a document into Microsoft Word. Do nothing else but print the document. Close the document and see the dialogue box that asks if you want to save the changes that you made. Changes? What changes? I just printed the damned thing.

Maybe I did’t explain my thinking properly, or maybe workflows are different and I’ll learn something:

Say I create my vectors to be cut. I calculate them. Then save the toolpaths off as gcode for cutting.

I then revise the vectors and forget to recalculate them, save them off again as gcode and then start cutting them - only to realize the changes weren’t recalculate and thus not reflected.

This isn’t about saving the vectric file - it’s about warning if changes have been made to vectors before saving them as gcode to be cut.

Am I the only one who has experienced this?

The printer analogy is a good one, but where the printout is our cut project - in this case if you haven’t recalculated the toolpaths then the changes you’ve made are ‘t reflected in the cut (printout). I.e. what you see on the screen won’t be printed!

[Rcnewcomb]

The printer analogy is a good one, but where the printout is our cut project - in this case if you haven’t recalculated the toolpaths then the changes you’ve made are ‘t reflected in the cut (printout). I.e. what you see on the screen won’t be printed!

My workflow is to always preview the results and then save toolpaths. That way I know the preview and the toolpaths match.

[Adrian]

It's not a mistake I've ever made personally but I use toolpaths that are associated with the vectors directly so I hit recalculate all routinely rather than calculating individual toolpaths.

[mtylerfl]

As “peace of mind insurance”, I always click the Recalc All Toolpaths icon and preview them as the final steps before saving the file and saving out the Toolpaths. Has saved me a few times from having a bad day.

[TReischl]

So, the issue seems to be that the vectors are changed, then the OP goes to the tool path dialog and just hits save rather than recalc the paths and then hit save.

Have never done this myself.

[Olle]

I has happened to me, for example when I had to leave my computer to do something else (phone rings, lunch time etc). I have also forgotten to load new G-code to the USB stick that runs the machine, especially when it has been getting late in the day and I decided to do the test run the next day. My simple solution to this is Post-It notes. "Recalculate recess toolpath", "load new rough cut toolpath to USB" etc. This in my low tech approach to a high tech problem, and it works quite well.

Seriously, I'm the world's worst scatterbrain but what Rcnewcomb mentioned works great: A consistent work flow. It's easy to get ahead of yourself when you have a lot of changes to make, but if you always do one thing at a time and in a consistent order you'll sooner or later rub in a discipline that helps prevent mistakes. I guess it could be possible to tag the vectors to trigger a warning, but all the false alarms would probably drive you nuts afterwhile.