UCS Rotation & Manipulation

[rickhebert]

Please Help,

 

I am working in a machine shop where the g-codes deal with only X & Z axis tooling

 

The drawings I do are of a 2D profile of the parts to be tooled, and I basically mimic the tooling paths on a 2D drawing, to show the cuts to the part to be made.

I currently do this by converting the G-Codes on paper to match the default WCS.

 

I have been experimenting with the UCS system trying to align it so I could basically type in POINT commands exactly as the appear in the program and have it plot the points along the tool path.

But I am having difficulty when rotating the UCS, and need a shove in the right direction...

 

So, in effect I need to learn how to rotate a UCS I have created to appear as follows;

Z

|

|

|_____ X

 

Make sense?

 

Thanks for any help

[ReMark]

You want the Z axis to be pointing towards the top of your screen. Is that correct?

[rickhebert]

Yes that is correct.

And the X to the right.

 

That will allow me to type points directly out of the program to create my tool path

[ReMark]

Well then you would want to rotate about the X axis minus 90 degrees. From my AutoCAD text window:

 

Current ucs name: *TOP*

Specify origin of UCS or [Face/NAmed/OBject/Previous/View/World/X/Y/Z/ZAxis]

: X

Specify rotation angle about X axis : -90

[rickhebert]

Ok, I am trying the example you provided.

When I rotate the UCS I get the "Broken Pencil" Icon which as I read indicates the drawing view is perpendicular to the UCS plane and you can't draw.

Am I understanding that correctly?

 

Here are the steps I am taking, please advise what I am doing wrong;

 

TOOLS> NEW UCS> ORIGIN.... (I pick my new origin point as the Zero Refernce point of the Part I'm working on)

 

then I do..

 

TOOLS> NEW UCS> Specify Rotation Angle About X Axis> -90

 

Then I get the Broken Pencil Icon.

 

So if I understand correctly, the X axis has been rotated perpendicular to my drawing view (Model View)?

How would I get the UCS to rotate, but still allow me to draw on my current model view, where my other objects are?

[rickhebert]

Here is a screen shot.

Notice where the UCS is located and the code I need to use.

Here is the rub... the (current) X axis is the "zero" horizon and from the tool's point of view... anything above the X axis is negative, and below it is positive.

 

I need to get Autocad to set a UCS to allow me to type POINT coords in that will behave correctly.

 

In this application, the tool moves up and down in the X axis, and left and right in the Z axis, with the UCS being the 0,0 point with negative above the horizon

 

Edited August 10, 2010 by rickhebert

[CALCAD]

rickhebert,

Autocad assumes that all drawing will be done in the XY plane. Maybe what you need is to do all your work in XY, then 3drotate everything into XZ as a final step.

[rickhebert]

calcad after much experimenting I believe that is the only solution. Thanks for the replies.