CAD / CAM
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Available in 0.3.0

3D model setup and contours

Position a CAD solid in CAM stock, select a planar boundary, and create an associative outside contour.

Updated September 20265 min readCAM & machines
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First model contour test

This workflow is available in Cadivari 0.3.0. Start with a simple rectangular extrusion.

  1. Create a 100 × 80 mm rectangle on Top (XY) and extrude it 20 mm.
  2. Switch to CAM → 3D Model. The first visible body is selected and stock is fitted with a 10 mm margin: 120 × 100 × 20 mm.
  3. In Setup → Model setup, confirm the body and Cutter Z +Z. The model top should coincide with stock-top Z0.
  4. Click the top face. Its outside boundary should highlight in gold. Choose Add model contour.
  5. Review the cutter, stepdown, entry, tabs and feed settings under Operations. With Bottom offset and Over both zero, Final Z should be −20 mm.
  6. Open Simulate → Toolpaths. Check the model, compensated contour, depth passes and retracts. Material mode shows the stock removed by the actual operation.
  7. Return to 3D Model, change Model X offset to 2 mm, then return to Operations. The contour should ask for regeneration and its output should be blocked.
  8. Choose Regenerate model contour. Review the new position, then save and reopen the project to check that the setup and contour remain linked.

Position the model for machining

The Machine selector identifies the solid body used by this setup. Cutter Z chooses the machining direction from the CAD model's positive or negative X, Y or Z axis. It points away from the side being machined. Rotate XY turns the model in quarter turns around that direction.

The model is centred in the stock. Model X offset and Model Y offset move it relative to that centre. Stock above model is the material above the highest model point: 2 mm places the model top at Z−2. These controls affect machining placement without moving or rotating the CAD design.

Fit stock to model uses the oriented model dimensions, the specified margin, the placement offsets and the material above the model. It fits the stock bottom to the model bottom. Increase Thickness manually when extra material is required below the part. Stock sizes remain editable; the model must fit completely inside them.

Set the work origin using Setup → Job zero. The nine XY stock anchors remain available, with Z0 fixed at stock top. Changing the anchor changes output coordinates without changing the model's position inside the stock.

In the model view, use middle drag to orbit, Shift + middle or right drag to pan, and the wheel to zoom. Top, Isometric and Fit provide camera shortcuts. The Stock button toggles the stock outline.

Select the outside boundary of a planar face

Choose Outside contour in the model view, then click a planar face or its highlighted edge to select the face's complete outer loop. An eligible boundary turns gold. The face must be parallel to the machining XY plane, and its outer boundary must enclose the body's entire projected footprint. The bottom face can also supply a suitable boundary when the model top is curved.

A smaller raised face is rejected if a wider part of the body lies outside it. This prevents an outside contour around that face from cutting into the wider base. A vertical or tilted face asks you to choose another face or change Cutter Z. Holes within the selected face are not included in this outside operation.

Choose Add model contour to create the operation. The model remains visible with its toolpaths in 3D Model and in the simulation's Toolpaths view.

Depth follows the model bottom

A model contour uses a flat end mill and the outside cutter placement. Cutting begins from stock-top Z0. Its final depth is derived from the placed model's bottom, including any material above the model.

Bottom offset is positive upward: a value of 1 mm stops 1 mm above the model bottom. Zero reaches the model bottom. Over adds the existing extra cutting depth below that endpoint; review it together with stock thickness. Step controls depth per pass. Entry ramps, feeds, direction, tabs and start-point controls use the existing closed-contour workflow.

Model boundaries are taken from the evaluated solid and exported as linear segments. A circular model boundary therefore differs from an exact sketch-circle contour, which can retain G2/G3 output. Inspect curved boundaries and fine detail at the scale needed for the part.

Regenerate after a source or setup change

The operation stores a body and face reference, rather than a detached copy of the outline. A change to the resolved body, orientation, stock, placement or work origin invalidates its generation stamp. Toolpath output is blocked until you choose Regenerate model contour in the operation and review the result.

If the source face was removed, split or replaced, regeneration cannot silently choose a different face. Use 3D Model to select the intended boundary and create its replacement operation. Remove the old operation when appropriate. Setup and contour edits participate in Undo/Redo and are stored in the project.

Scope of this first model CAM workflow

  • One machining body and one fixed machining direction per job setup.
  • Outside contours from suitable planar boundaries on supported extrusion-based bodies. Other solid types can be displayed but may not expose a selectable contour boundary.
  • Model pockets now use selectable recessed floors with protected islands. Model roughing clears above the body in depth layers. Model surface finishing adds a ball-nose raster for accessible upper surfaces on pre-roughed stock.
  • Existing sketch operations retain their sketch coordinates; selecting a machining body does not convert them into model operations.
  • The model is the intended part. Material simulation shows the result of the operations actually performed; an outside contour alone does not machine a curved top or internal pockets.
  • There is no general holder, clamp or fixture collision verification. Review clearance, tool reach and workholding using the CAM safety checklist.