Post Processors - Output
Output
Output
Select one of the following methods of specifying design data to be output:
- This Drawing Layer
- All Visible Drawing Layers
- Current Block
- Selected Entities
Clip To
A number of optional methods of clipping the design are available:
- None
- Sheet
- Margins
- Screen Extents
- Marquee Region
Note that sheet and margins refer to the sizes entered in the Post Processors - Sheet Setup page, not to the drawing layer sheet dimensions. The marquee can be drawn using the Edit > Select > Marquee tool.
Orientation
Face
Depending on the Environment options>Database Operation>Terminology>Orientation that has been set up this pulldown list will have different entries.
Indeed, there could actually be fewer entries than shown here. Unless the drawing (or master template) has the Dieside Orientation set explicitly (i.e. not Undecided), then the As actual and Mirror actual options are hidden because they make no sense. However, they will be displayed if they have already been set.
| Print-face/Die-face/Actual | Outside-face/Inside-face/Actual | Outside/Inside/Dieside |
| As actual | As actual | Reverse Dieside |
| As viewed | As viewed | As viewed |
| Mirror actual | Mirror actual | Dieside |
| Mirror ‘viewed’ | Mirror ‘viewed’ | Mirror ‘viewed’ |
| Print-face | Outside-face | Outside |
| Die-face | Inside-face | Inside |
Select the required face to be visible when output. Depending on the option selected here, the mirror options (below) may be enabled.
Rotation
Enter an angle for the rotation of the axes.
Mirror About X-Axis
Select to flip the design about the X-axis.
Mirror About Y-Axis
Select to flip the design about the Y-axis.
Reverse Axis
This option changes all the coordinates from positive to negative and from negative to positive. It can be used for machines that have the machine origin in the top-right and the output is required in the bottom-left.
Output to Mirror File
Selecting this option will write the output data to a file as well as to the Output Device. This will enable the Path edit button which allows a complete file path and extension to be entered. Within the filename substitution codes are allowed as follows:
| %<P> | This will be replaced by the programme number |
| %<ProjectCode> | This will be replaced by the current project code |
| %<ProjectName> | This will be replaced by the current project name |
| %<LayerName> | This will be replaced by the current layer name |
| %<RevisionNumber> | This will be replaced by the project revision number |
| %<CustomerCode> | This will be replaced by the customer code |
| %<CustomerName> | This will be replaced by the customer name |
| %<Date> | This will be replaced by the current date |
| %<Time> | This will be replaced by the current time |
| %<[TABLE.COLUMN]> | This will be replaced by the appropriate database table/column entry |
For example, if the project is called Carton Dieboard and the next programme number is 120, entering the mirror filename C:\Plot\%<p> - %<ProjectName>.LAS will create a file in the Plot folder on the local C-drive called 120 - Carton Dieboard.LAS.
Output Path
This is a read only field that displays the entered drive, folder and filename.
File Extension
This is also a read only field that displays the entered file extension.
Use DOS 8:3 format filenames
Select this option to restrict the output filename to the DOS 8:3 format.
Options
Allow Repeat Plot
A form will be displayed after output prompting to send another plot with the same settings. This option can be overridden on the General Page of the Plot form.
Destroy Intermediate Project
This option causes the plot operation to automatically close the Intermediate drawing. If the option is left clear then the Intermediate drawing is left open after completion.
Display Machine Tools
Selecting this option in the post processor will always show the machine tool colours and line patterns in the Intermediate drawing. (See section on NC Simulation on the Tool Settings page). In addition, if you pause to view the Intermediate Drawing, then the Palettes page of the Impact Explorer window will show the tool names rather than the palette names.
Offset Holding Bridges
The laser beam cutting the holding bridge on the perimeter of a Dieboard will be offset to maintain an accurate bridge size. Example: Bridge size = 5mm, holding bridge depth = 1mm, holding bridge angle = 45deg. The effective bridge size would then be 3mm less the width of the laser beam giving a bridge size of 2.29mm using a 2pt beam. Selecting this option will maintain the correct bridge size of 3mm by offsetting the beam by half its width.
Output Bridges
This option allows you to specify whether bridges are to be output to the machine.
Output Line Styles
This option will explode lines into each individual line segments and plot the line style based on 1 dot = 1mm. A pattern of 10 dots on and 10 dots off will produce a dashed line of 10mm line and 10mm gap.
Output Palette Text
This option allows you to specify whether palette text is output. (This refers to the text which may be specified on the Display page of the Palette Attributes form.)
Output Sample Nicks
Allows sample nicks to be output on the design. The database location of the nick symbols should be specified in the Options>Environment>Database Operation>Symbols section. The symbol name should contain the numerical width of the nick with some text as a prefix and/or with the suffix Nick. For example, valid symbol names are Nick 2.0mm, 2.0mm Nick and AD 2.0 Nick. Each of these would create a nick gap of two millimetres. Conversion to inches is automatic.
Use Sidebevel Settings
This specifies whether palette sidebevel settings are to be used to offset the geometry. Normally, this option is set for lasers, not set for sample makers and sometimes set for printers/plotters.
Use palette channel widths
This option specifies that the channel width as defined in the palette settings should be used for milling counter dies. The alternative is to use the overrides that can be entered on the Crease Channels page of the Plotter Tool form.
Pause Before Output
This option causes the plot operation to display the Intermediate drawing and wait for you to press the Accept or Cancel button. Pressing the Accept button causes the Plot operation to continue; pressing the Cancel button aborts the Plot operation.
Remove Common Knives
This option causes the plot operation to output the entities in the common knife block (as opposed to the original entities which are marked as common knife entities). The common knife block is created by the Common knife tool, ensuring that where knife entities overlap, only one combined entity is output.
Use Manufacturing Information
If the Manufacturing Information is displayed in the Visibility settings, this option will explode the entities into their visible sizes regardless of the individual palette rule type settings. (E.g. a 10x10 Cut/Crease will be exploded into separate 10mm cut and crease lines.) If the Manufacturing Information is not displayed in the Visibility settings, the palettes will be output according to the Palette rule type settings.
Example: A 10x10 cut/crease palette is configured with only the cut lines being exploded. This is for cutting a sample on a slow sample maker, so the crease tool will do the crease line as one continuous line to stop tool up and tool down commands at the cut sections of the line. Exploding the cut lines will make the sample maker add the 10mm cut lines later. For a particular sample, you may want the crease lines to be output as separate 10mm lines instead of one continuous line. Both turning on and using the Manufacturing Information will achieve this without changing the palette settings.
Use Palette Visibility Settings
Only the palettes currently visible will be processed by the palette sequence.
Use Zund sheet detection sensor
Select this option to use the sheet edge detection sensor for this post processor. This option is only available if the Zund Sheet Detection Sensor option on the Machine Options page is selected.
Create Move Entities
This will display the path that the tool head will move in the Intermediate drawing. If there is a hole in the Dieboard, the optimisation can be adjusted using the Edit>Transform>Kink a line tool to ensure the hole is missed to prevent the tool head from dropping into the hole.
Move Palette
The palette used to display the move entities. This will only be available if the Create Move Entities option is selected.
Tile Output
This option allows you to produce a multi-page plot, when you are plotting a drawing which is larger than the sheet size.
Registration Marks
This option is only enabled when Tile Output is selected. It is used for aligning several tiled sheets. Three options are available:
- Always - Will always add registration marks.
- Never - Will not add registration marks.
- Automatic - If the design does not require tiling, the registration marks will be suppressed.
Overlap Amount
The output for each tiled section will be overlapped by half of this amount. An overlap of 25mm will repeat 12.5mm of the next tile to aid in lining up each section.
See also: Intermediate Drawing