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16.0 Tricks ant Tips
Here are some use advice...
CAD :
16.1 Cutting an object
There are many ways of cutting
an object (line, polyline, circle, curve). You can cut a polyline or a
curve by splitting the points:
Method:
Select the points using the icon "point
edition" 
- Click
on the point to split (it becomes red and double sized)
- Once
the point selected, you can carry out all manual manipulations (displacement
with the mouse or with the direction arrows, etc.). Start the contextual
menu by clicking on the right mouse button; it enables you among other
things, to split the point and therefore open the polyline or the curve,
but it permits you also to carry out displacements with digital capture or
to add this segment «knife segment».
Method:
- Draw
the knife segment in order to cut the object to be incised.
- Select
the knife segment by clicking on the left mouse button.
- Click
on incision (tool menu).
- The
incision is done at the intersection of the knife segment and the crossed
object.
- After
that you can delete the knife segment.
With this same method, you can
merge two objects by using each object alternatively as a knife for the
other one.
16.2 Hachuring an object
With charlyGRAAL, you can
hachure the drawing zones whether closed or not.
This function is a drawing
function that aims, for instance, at representing cuts. Of course, you
shouldn’t use this function to carry out machining operations (pocket
cylces); those will be generated if needed by the CAM module. For these
reasons, the plane «hachures» is never transferred into CAM even if it
is active.
Method:
- Select
the object to hachure.
- Click
on the icon «auto-hachuring». 
- The
inside of the object is now hachured and the hachures are placed in the
plane «hachures». You can also draw hachure zones by using the «manual
hachuring».
Method :
- Click
on the icon «manual hachuring». 
- Draw a polyline.
- Stop
the polyline with a right click on the mouse.
The hachuring appears in the
delimited zone.
You can change the hachuring
parameters in default (color, thickness, plane, spacing and angle). These
changes are done in the menu «properties».
16.3 Listing an object
With CharlyGRAAL you can carry
out listings. These functions are used very easily and they are partly
associative.
Method:
- Select
the type of listing like (horizontal, vertical, aligned or radius). 
- For
the listing of a radius, make a left mouse click on the radius curve at
any place of this curve, and then place the listing by dragging the mouse.
- Validate
the position with a click on the left mouse button.
- The
listing is now displayed.
For other listings, make a left
click on each end of the item to be listed then place the listing by
dragging the mouse.
- Validate
the position with a left click.
If you select a listed object
with its listing and should you change its dimension with manipulation
handles, the lists are automatically re-calculated.
As for the hachuring, you can
modify the parameters in default (color, thickness, plane, types, sizes
and texts) in the properties.
To the subject of texts, you
can add a suffix or a prefix. You can also change the value of automatic
calculation (be careful, changing this value is not associated to the
geometry which can’t be modified whatever the modification is).
As for the hachuring, the plane
«lists» is never transferred into CAM even if it is active.
16.4 Distortion
You can distort an object
through using one or two other objects as a distortion generator.
Therefore you have two possible types of distortion.
- Curve
follow-ups: The object to be distorted will rely on the generating curve.
- Intercurves:
The object comes in between the two generating curves. In both cases, the
object will change dimension according to size and/or the spacing of the
generating curve or curves.
Method :
- Draw
any two curves one upon the other and convert them into curves.
- After
that, edit a text in the desired type (size is not important).
- Select
the text and then click on the right to call the contextual menu.
- Click
on «object follow up».
- Choose:
«curve follow up», click on a curve; the text will follow the curve
while adjusting the size automatically.
- If
you chose «intercurves», click on the left bottom curve.
- Then
on the left upper curve successively: The text will come in between the
two curves while adjusting the size automatically.
Of course, you can distort any
object and not obligatorily a text.
16.5 Zoom and displacement in
zoom mode
The zoom function in
charlyGRAAL functions like in many window applications.
Method :
If you click on the zoom button 
, - it’s enough
to click on the left in the desired zone; and then each left click will
increase the zoom and each right click will decrease it.
- You
can also create a zoom frame by maintaining the left button pressed and
drawing a rectangle in the desired zone.
- If
you want to displace the image in the zoom mode, it’s enough to maintain
the right mouse button pressed and to drag the mouse in the desired
direction. A red segment will indicate the direction and the length of
this displacement; after releasing the button the displacement will be
accomplished.
The icon «zoom page» 
permits to go back to the view of the
drawing zone 100%.
The icon «Previous zoom»
permits to toggle to the previous zoom, and then to go back to work zoom.
The icon «selection zoom»
 permits
to put a selection in full screen.
- Shortcut
keys
- F3
increases the zoom at the place of the mouse
- F4 decreases the zoom at the
place of the mouse.
16.6 Copying an object
You have several ways to copy
an object;
- You
can accompany each modification of the contextual menu with one or several
duplications by ticking the box «duplication».
- You
can also accompany the manual manipulations with the mouse (rotations,
transformations, relocations) with a press on the «Ctrl» key; which
provokes the duplication of the object. This duplication will be effective
only when you first release the mouse button before the key «Ctrl».
- You
have also the possibility to use the «copy/paste» function, but this can
cause a problem because the passage in the paper-weight automatically
transforms all entities into polylines; consequently, circles, curves and
texts cannot be manipulated any more as such.
16.7 Congés and chamfers
You can realize congés or
chamfers on angles whether closed or not:
Method:
On a closed angle, click on the icon «connection»
the «Congé"  or «chamfer». 
- Make a
left click on the angle concerned.
- The
connection will be automatically carried out.
On an open angle, proceed in
the same way by successively clicking on each end of segments.
On the open angles, the length
of segments will be automatically positively or negatively adjusted
according to dimensions given to connections.
On the open angles, if you don’t
want to modify the length of segments, make congés by using the function
«are through three points», by holding to the ends of the segments and
then by placing the central point manually.
16.8 File importations
From the version 3.2.0,
charlyGRAAL enables you to import files in a certain number of formats
(DXF, IGES, HPGL, STL, WMF, Excellon, etc...).
Method:
- Click
on «File open»
- In
the window zone «type», select the desired format.
- In
the zone «explorer» select the directory in which the concerned file is
found.
- Then
open the file as if it is charlyGRAAL-native.
! Warning
- Be
careful! File extensions should be compatible with those recognized by
charlyGRAAL in order to be able to be displayed, example: (HPGL=*.PLT).
- Once
the file is opened, you can carry out all manipulations and modifications
that you want and of course save it in charlyGRAAL Format (.CAD).
- For
the format «WMF», you can also use the paperweight for the importation;
and hence you can, if you wish, restore a «clip art» through copying it
in another software and then pasting it in charlyGRAAL’s CAD. Of course,
in order to be recognized, these «cut clips» should be vectorial.
- In
some cases, imported objects arrive associated; so it is suitable to
disassociate them if you wish to manipulate them.
16.9 Passing from CAD to CAM Moving
from CAD to CAM must be done after a certain number of controls.
Even if you are not obliged to
generate tool trajectories on all drawings that move to «CAM», it is
useless to overload the latter with useless lines. So you can place the
drawing objects that must not be machined in a different plane that you
will inactivate before clicking on «CAM». In fact only active planes at
the moment of clicking on «CAM» will move to CAM; which will gradually
facilitate the operations of machining trajectories.
- In
all cases, the planes: «hachures and lists» don’t move into CAM, even
if they are active.
You can also use the activation
and inactivation system of planes to realize your tool travels several
times; and this in order to facilitate object selections which are
sometimes delicate if they are numerous or close to each other.
Method:
In CAD, activate only the plane
on which the first lines to be machined are situated. Then click on CAM
and perform the operations of tool travels of the first lines. Go back to
CAD by clicking on the CAD button. Inactivate the first plane changed into
CAM and activate a second plane. Go back to CAM to perform the tool
travels of second plane lines. Repeat this operation as often as required.
- You
have to pay much attention to drawings destined to machining.
In fact, it is obligatory not
to superimpose lines. If, for instance, you draw a polyline and you pass
over a line in perfect super imposition. This will not have any effect on
the view on the screen; no more than on printing. In CAM, however, the
machining trajectory cannot be correctly generated.
Also, you must avoid
intersections and spaces at linkings of object ends that could raise
problems in CAM. But if you systematically use the function «magnetic
object», these problems cannot take place
16.10 Tricks …! And News
- To
avoid a screen overload, the grid is visible unless the grid spacing is 20
pixels at least.
Hence, it can happen (according
to: the raw material size, grid spacing or your screen configuration) that
you don’t see it. This doesn’t mean that it is not functional.
Couplings, skips and all functions linked to this grid are active.
Furthermore, if you make a sufficiently fine zoom, you will find again its
display.
When you have selected an
object or edited a point you can displace it by using the direction arrows
on the keyboard. Each press on the latter causes a displacement of the
grid spacing in the desired direction.
16.11 CAM
16.12 Copy/Paste
- In
the CAM module, the function «Copy/Paste» has a personalized role. In
fact, if you select a machining trajectory and you copy it, you don’t
copy the geometry of this trajectory but only its composition (tool, depth,
correction, etc…). You can, therefore, paste this trajectory on a
different drawing where all parameters of the pasted trajectory will be
applied.
- In
CAM, however, it’s not possible to copy/paste «drawing» objects.
16.13 Isle management (prior to
CAM model 4.3.5)
- When
you make a pocket cycle, if an object exists in the pocket zone, it is
crossed in default. If you want to avoid it, it’s enough to first
generate this object and to make an outside outlining at the same depth as
the pocket cycle; consequently, the inside object (called isle) will be
avoided.
16.14 Tricks…! and News
- In
some cases (especially during multi-level machining), it can be necessary
to generate several machining trajectories on the same drawing contour. As
in the CAM functioning, it is prohibited to apply more than one machining
on a contour. There is a method consisting in going back to CAD by
clicking on the icon «CAD»; and then, without changing anything, going
back to CAM. This manipulation automatically regenerates the drawings that
can therefore be used many times.
- If
you want to modify the withdrawal height of the tool in machining, it’s
enough to modify in the sub-menu «miscellaneous» in the menu «parameters»
the height which is fixed in default at 2mm
(In default, there is no
password).
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