Creating and Editing Wireframe

Mastercam has many functions that create wireframe geometry dynamically. Wireframe geometry includes points, lines, arcs, and splines. It does not include functions such as drafting, transform, or modify. All basic geometry can be created through the Wireframe tab.

To sketch an entity, choose the appropriate entity type from the tab, set its options in the function panel or dialog box, and sketch the entity in the graphics window. On many types of geometry, you can also use the AutoCursor functionality to create and edit entities.

Live and Fixed Entities

Entities in Mastercam have two states: live and fixed. When you choose the final position to create the entity, the entity becomes live.

Notice that the fixed circles are displayed in dark blue and the live circle is shown in light blue, designating that it is still in an editable state. The function panel used to create the entity is still available to be used to further define the entity as necessary.

Dark blue circle entities and one light blue circle entity.

After you create an entity, that entity remains live until you either exit the function, start a new function, or begin to create another entity. Live entities are designated by a live entity color (set in the System Configuration dialog box). The color of the entity reverts to your normal entity color as soon as the entity becomes fixed.

Once you begin another entity or exit the function, the entity becomes fixed. When an entity becomes fixed, it is no longer editable.

Editing Wireframe with Analyze or Top-level Editing

To edit wireframe geometry, you can use the Analyze functions on the Home tab or directly edit the geometry using top-level editing. Top-level editing allows you to make modifications to wireframe geometry without opening a dialog box.

NOTE

You cannot edit multiple entities with top-level editing. To do that, use the Analyze functions. To display the Analyze dialog box from the top-level, press the [End] key. Press the [End] key again when you are finished.

Top-level

You can directly edit wireframe geometry without interacting with a dialog box. If no other function is active, double-click lines, arcs, points, and splines to directly modify the entities in the graphics window with the following controls.

Icon Function
Toggle the Move button to move or copy a point, line, spline, or arc.
The Flip button inverts an arc to display its complement.
The ABS/REL button toggles the display of the sweep angle value of an arc between its absolute and relative values.

A point in the graphics window.

Click and drag the green origin ball to move the point.

Three position spheres display when you select a line.

A line in the graphics window.

  • Use the center sphere to reposition the line, maintaining its current length and angle.

  • Hover over the midpoint and select the arrow to create an offset parallel line.

  • Grab an endpoint to change the angle of a line.

  • Hover over an endpoint and drag the arrow to extend or shorten the line.

Spline controls are the same as the line controls except that you cannot use top-level editing to change the curvature of a spline. You cannot shorten splines in this mode, but you can increase their length using a linear tangent extension. Use the Edit Spline function to do this.

A spline in the graphics window.

  • Use the spheres to reposition the spline, maintaining its current shape.

  • Hover over the endpoints and select the arrow to extend the length of the spline. It cannot be shortened.

An arc in the graphics window.

  • Use the origin ball to edit the center point position.

  • Use the blue arrow to edit the radius. The value appears when you hover over the arrow.

  • Use the green arrow to edit the starting sweep angle of the arc.

  • Use the red arrow to edit the ending sweep angle of the arc.

Analyze

Entity attribute fields for level, color, line style and width, or point style appear in all Analyze properties dialog boxes. Use these fields to modify the attributes of a single entity, or all selected entities.

For more information on the Analyze functions and its other uses, refer to the Using the Analyze Functions Help topic.

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