Navigator

Access: Open this function from one of the following locations:

Select NC Process > Simulation > Navigator from the menu bar.
Select the Navigator button from the NC Guide Toolbar.
Right-click on an item in the Process Manager, or anywhere in the graphics window when no procedure is active, and select NC Guide Commands > Navigator from the popup menu.

The Navigator is used as a tool to control the display of the toolpath and to analyze it.

The Navigator consists of the dialog, the tree, and the Advanced Motion Filter as shown below.

Note: The Navigator option is dimmed when you are on an empty or a part/stock procedure in the Process Manager.

The Navigator is displayed:

When the Navigator is active (even if you select another tab at the bottom of the dialog), the navigator environment icon is displayed in the right upper corner of the display area.

This indicates that you are in the Navigator environment, therefore the Process Manager and other functions are disabled.

Navigator Dialog Controls
Navigator Tree Display Options
Motions Filter Display Types

Once cutter motions have been calculated for a procedure or procedures, the motions can be viewed (per procedure) in the Navigator by one of the following navigation types:

The Show Toolpath by dropdown options are displayed at the bottom of the Navigator when the Cutter Compensation is set to Geometry Location (see cutter compensation for explanations):

The Show dropdown options are displayed at the bottom of the Navigator if the current procedure has "prevented motions" - motions that were calculated but not machined to avoid holder collision with the part/stock.

Note: The Navigator deals with viewing cutter motions created by executed procedures.

To edit procedures themselves in order to create new cutter motions (changing geometry, parameters, and so on), see Editing a Procedure.
To manually edit cutter motions, see Motion Editor.
If you want to modify cutter motion colors, see Colors of Cutter Motions.

Navigator dialog controls

<Procedure_Name>

The name of the current procedure is displayed.

Minimize or Maximize the Navigator dialog. These actions do not affect the controls of the Navigator.

The use of these controls is as followsas follows.

Minimize Dialog

Hide the full Navigator dialog and display the minimized floating Navigator dialog.

This minimized floating Navigator dialog has all the controls of the full Navigator dialog.

The button only appears on the full Navigator dialog.

Maximize Dialog

Hide the minimized floating Navigator dialog and display the full Navigator dialog.

The button only appears on the minimized floating Navigator dialog.

Movie

Play or Pause the Navigator Movie. The movie shows the cutting tool moving in a constant smooth motion along the toolpath.

Click to see Navigator Movie controlscontrols.

Movie icons – Initial display (before activating the movie)	Movie icons – While running the movie forwards

These controls enable you to define the following aspects of the movie:

Play / Pause

Play or Pause the Navigator movie, as mentioned above.

The movie can be played forwards or backwards with control over the movie speed. The Play and Pause are toggle buttons. Press the left Play button to play the move backward; play the right play button to play the movie forward.

The following buttons are displayed, depending in the state of the movie and the movie direction:

	Play the movie backwards; this button is displayed on the left of the dialog.
	Play the movie forwards; this button is displayed on the right of the dialog.
	Pause the movie.
	The movie is at the beginning; this button is displayed on the right of the dialog. This grayed out button is not 'active' and cannot be clicked. To 'activate' the button, press one of the Navigation buttons detailed below.
	The movie has reached the end; this button is displayed on the right of the dialog. This grayed out button is not 'active' and cannot be clicked. To 'activate' the button, press one of the Navigation buttons detailed below.

The motion speed is controlled by the Movie Speed slider:

Note: The movie stops running under the following conditions:

When the movie is paused.
When the space bar on the keyboard is pressed.
The movie stops running forwards when it reaches the end of the last motion of the current procedure.
The movie stops running backwards when it reaches the beginning of the first motion of the current procedure.

Navigate

The items displayed in the Navigator are dynamically changed according to the type of Step (group of motions) option selected.

The inclusion of a Step type (in the Step dropdown list) is dependent upon its existence in the procedure. For example, if a Finish Limit Angle procedure does not include layered motions (that is, all the machined area is shallow), the By Layer option will not appear in the Step dropdown list.

These optionsoptions are available in the Step (group of motions) dropdown list:

By Block	Display (hide/show) motions By Block.
By Vertical/Horiz.	Display (hide/show) motions By Vertical/Horizontal motions.
By Layer	Display (hide/show) motions By Layer.
By Pass	Display (hide/show) motions By Pass.
By Procedure	Display (hide/show) motions By Procedure.
By Hole	Display (hide/show) motions By Hole. This option appears in Drill procedures.
By Tool	Display (hide/show) motions By Tool. This option appears in Drill procedures.

In addition to affecting the motion display, the Step options define the step size for the Forward and Backward Step navigation buttons:

	Go to the Start, the first point of the layer.
	Go one "step" backward; according to the option selected in the Step dropdown list above. See below.
	Go to the Previous motion block; the start point of previous motion.
	Go to the Next motion block; the start point of next motion.
	Go one "step" forward; according to the option selected in the Step dropdown list above. See below.
	Go to the End; the last point of the layer.

If there is only one Navigated Procedure in the file, the and buttons are grayed out.

Z Layer

The Z layer of the cutter motion block currently displayed. This displays the current Z layer or enter a value to jump to a specific Z layer.

Block

Number of the cutter motion block currently displayed. This displays the current motion block or enter a value to jump to a specific motion block. See the button below.

Cutter Compensation: If the Navigator displays the tool in motion inside a compensated region (Cutter Compensation is used), this field is highlighted in orange (as is the Cutter Name field in the Information Bar).

Icon to show the current segment of the selected Step; linear, circular or spline.

Pick and position the tool on a specific motion block in the display.

Exit the Navigator.

Once cutter motions have been calculated for a procedure or procedures, the motions can be viewed (per procedure) in the Navigator, by one of the following navigation types:

Display TP Nodes

When this checkbox is marked , show the toolpath (TP) nodes on the displayed motions. Default = OFF

ExampleExample

Display TP Nodes = OFF

Display TP Node = ON

Important: This option must first be enabled in Preferences. To enable this option, click Preferences in the Quick Access Toolbar or select Tools > Preferences > General > GeneralNC in the Menu Bar and select the Navigator - Display TP Nodes Option checkbox.

Show 3D Cutter Comp. Vectors

When this checkbox is marked , show the 3D cutter compensation vectors to verify their directions. This is shown by a blue arrow which starts from the cutter touch point. This option is only displayed if the procedure uses 3D Cutter Compensation.

ExampleExample

Show 3D Cutter Comp. Vectors = OFF	Show 3D Cutter Comp. Vectors = ON

Advanced Motion Filter

The Advanced Motion Filter enables you to view specific motions. The items displayed in the Advanced Motion Filter are dynamically changed according to the active procedures.

These optionsoptions are available in the Advanced Motion Filter dropdown list.

None	No Motions Filter specific display options appear.
By Layer	Display (hide/show) motions by layer, according to Main Layers, Between Layers and Hit Horizontal Planes.
By Vertical/Horiz.	Display (hide/show) vertical and/or horizontal motions.
Modification	Display (hide/show) modified motions. This option is displayed if a procedure has been modified in the Motion Editor.
Verification	Display (hide/show) verified motions. This option is displayed if a procedure has been verified in the Motion Editor.

Show Toolpath by

The Show Toolpath by dropdown options are displayed at the bottom of the Navigator when the Cutter Compensation is set to Geometry Location (see cutter compensation for explanations). Show the toolpath in either Tip Location or Geometry Location mode.

This option is only available when the procedure was executed using the Cutter Compensation: Yes-Geometry Location option. Normally, the Navigator shows the tool motions according to the position of the tool tip.

When this option is changed to Geometry Location, the cutting edge of the tool is displayed, NOT the tool tip, or the coordinates that can be seen later in the G-Code after post processing.

Transparency

By using the slider, set the transparency levels for the Cutter & Holder and also the Stock.

Cutter & Holder:
Stock:

Notes:

For an explanation of the Local Motion Filter tree, see the Global Filter.
For an explanation of the Tool tree, see the Preview.
The Shape is defined in the Machining Param. tab of the Cutters & Holders Dialog, and in the Navigator you can hide/show it.

Navigator display options

The following icons control the display of items in the Navigator:

	Hide / Show specific motions.
	Change the color of a specific item.

The default color, line width and line style of the Navigator motions, are defined in Preferences.

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.