Using the Settings Window

This dockable window contains several tabs of frequently modified settings. Each tab contains color-coded, editable settings, specific to that tab. The settings are linked to your cursor's current location in the measurement routine and updates their display to match the setting in the measurement routine at the cursor's location. For example, if you have multiple LOADPROBE commands, and you select each LOADPROBE command in the Edit window, PC-DMIS updates the Settings window to display the selected LOADPROBE command.

To edit a setting, simply click on the field to the right of the setting, and select a different option, or type a new value. When you change a setting, PC-DMIS inserts the appropriate parameter change into the measurement routine at the cursor's location.

The following tabs and settings are available. The shaded background on the cells in the table below indicates the default color associated with those settings:

This tab contains all the settings from all the tabs

Alignment - This inserts a RECALL/ALIGNMENT command, to recall the alignment you select from the list.

Viewset - This inserts a RECALL/VIEWSET command for the saved view you selected from the list.

Manual/DCC* - This inserts a MODE/DCC or MODE/MANUAL to place the measuring machine into either DCC or MANUAL mode respectively.

Workplane - This changes your current workplane by inserting a new WORKPLANE command into the measurement routine.

Clearance Plane Active - This activates a clearance plane by inserting a CLEARP command. Pressing F9 on the inserted command allows you to change the affected plane.

Clearance Plane - Allows you to define what plane has the clearance plane. This remains unavailable for selection until you activate the Clearance Plane Active setting or until a cursor rests on a CLEARP command.

Clear Plane Dist. - Lets you set the distance for the defined Clearance Plane.

Pass Through Plane - This indicates the plane that the probe passes through to get to the next feature plane.

Pass Through Distance - This defines the distance for the pass through plane.

Clamping Value - This value tells the controller how firmly to hold the probe on a Leitz CMM. It only works with the Leitz controller and the Leitz brand TTP.

Polar Vector Compensation - This allows the measurement of Vector and Surface points to always be compensated along a Polar vector by inserting a POLARVECTORCOMP command.

Probe - This inserts a LOADPROBE command for the selected probe into the measurement routine.

Tip - This defines the AB angle to use for the LOADPROBE command by inserting the selected TIP command into the measurement routine.

Probe Compensation - This turns probe compensation on or off by inserting the appropriate PROBECOM command.

Ignore Motion Error - This inserts an IGNOREMOTIONERROR/ON or OFF command into the measurement routine. If you turn this setting ON, PC-DMIS will not stop when the probe encounters a collision.

Trigger Tolerance - This setting inserts a TRIGGERTOLERANCE command. This command tells PC-DMIS to only accept a hit if the hit is within the defined tolerance zone. You can use this with manual machines to take accurate hits.

Trigger Tol. Zone - This value determines the tolerance radius for the Trigger Tolerance setting.

Trigger Plane - This setting inserts a TRIGGERPLANE command. This tells PC-DMIS to automatically take a hit when the probe passes the plane defined by the surface normal of an auto feature at the level of the defined depth. You can use this command with manual machines; instead of pressing a button to take a hit, you can place TRIGGERPLANE commands at any standard location within the Edit window.

Auto Trigger - This setting inserts an AUTOTRIGGER command into your measurement routine. When PC-DMIS detects that the probe moves into the defined tolerance zone, it automatically takes a hit.

Auto Beeping - This setting determines whether or not PC-DMIS uses a beeping with your AUTOTRIGGER command. If this is ON, the closer the probe gets to the target, the more frequent the beeps.

Auto Tolerance Zone - This setting defines the radius for the Auto Trigger tolerance zone.

Fly Mode* - This inserts a FLY command and sets it to either ON or OFF. A FLY command works with a MOVEPOINT command and moves the probe around the part in a smooth, non-stopping motion.

Fly Radius Type* - This setting sets the distance parameter for the FLY command. It determines the distance away from the MOVEPOINT command to which the probe automatically moves.

Prehit* - This inserts a LOADPROBE command for the selected probe into the measurement routine.

Check* - This setting inserts a CHECK command that sets the distance past the theoretical hit location that the machine will continue to search for the surface of the part.

Retract* - This setting inserts a RETRACT command that sets the distance that the machine will move away from the actual hit location before going from Touch Speed to Move Speed.

Manual Retract* - This setting inserts a MANRETRACT command that sets the retract distance your CMM will automatically travel whenever you take a manual hit.

Touch Speed* - This setting inserts a TOUCHSPEED command that changes the speed at which the CMM takes hits. Values include 1 - 20 percent.

Move Speed* - This inserts a MOVESPEED command that determines how fast the CMM moves in between taking hits. Values include 1 - 100 percent.

Scan Speed* - This setting inserts a SCANSPEED command that determines how fast your machine scans your part. Possible values include 1 - 100 percent.

Display Precision - This setting inserts a DISPLAYPRECISION command with a value equal to the value in the setting. Any features following this command shows decimal places to the specified value.

Display Positive Reporting - This setting inserts a POSITIVEREPORTING command into the measurement routine. This command displays features on the negative side of the origin with positive values. You can choose this reporting on all data or only on deviations.

Positive Reporting Axis X - This setting determines whether or not PC-DMIS displays the positive reporting on the X axis.

Positive Reporting Axis Y - This setting determines whether or not PC-DMIS displays the positive reporting on the Y axis.

Positive Reporting Axis Z - This setting determines whether or not PC-DMIS displays the positive reporting on the Z axis.

Gap Only - This setting inserts a GAPONLY command into the measurement routine. When set to ON, and dimensioning an edge point location, PC-DMIS calculates the location axes by projecting the measured point to the theoretical surface and then projecting this new point onto the theoretical approach vector. PC-DMIS then calculates any location axes from this new point.

Retrolinear Only - This setting inserts a RETROLINEARONLY command into the measurement routine. When set to ON, and dimensioning surface or vector point locations, the location axes are calculated in this manner:

First, finding the largest component of the theoretical surface normal vector (largest in the X, Y, or Z direction).
Second, projecting the measured point to this largest component vector in a manner that the projection is perpendicular to the original theoretical surface normal vector.
The location axes are then calculated from this new projected point.

You can also insert many of these settings from the Insert | Parameter Change submenu.