First model pocket test
This workflow is available in Cadivari 0.3.0.
- In CAD, extrude a 100 × 80 mm rectangle to 20 mm.
- Choose Sketch, select the solid's top face, and draw a smaller rectangle fully inside it. Return to 3D and use Push/Pull with Cut to recess that region 7 mm.
- Switch to CAM → 3D Model. Confirm the body, Cutter Z +Z and fitted stock in Setup. Leave Stock above model at zero for this test.
- Choose Pocket in the model view or the left toolbar. Click the recessed floor, then Add model pocket. The complete floor boundary highlights.
- Review the flat end mill, Step, Stepover, entry and feed settings. With Floor allowance zero, Final Z should be −7 mm.
- Open Simulate. Toolpaths shows the body and depth passes together. Material shows the stock actually removed.
- Try a pocket with a circle left as an island. Select the floor surrounding it: the island boundary should highlight too, and clearing paths must stop around it.
- Change Model X offset or edit the source floor. The operation should block output and request Regenerate model pocket. Regenerate, inspect the new paths, then save and reopen the project.
Select the floor rather than the top rim
Use the model setup controls to orient and place the body. Choose Pocket, then select an upward-facing flat floor below the model top. The floor must have a closed surrounding wall and be accessible from the current Cutter Z direction. Its outer boundary and all island boundaries are used together.
Top faces, downward-facing faces, open ledges and obstructed floors are rejected with an explanation. A face that was split or cannot be identified unambiguously may not be selectable. Rotating the camera changes the view; changing Cutter Z changes the machining direction.
Show pocket floor returns to the selected model face. Model contours and pockets share the same setup. A newly added model pocket is inserted before the first outside contour, so interior clearing precedes cutting the part free. Review the numbered job order in Verify.
Depth follows the solid
Cutting starts at stock-top Z0. The endpoint is derived from the placed floor, rather than an independent Cut value. Floor allowance leaves material above that floor: zero reaches it; 0.5 mm stops 0.5 mm above it. Allowance cannot be negative or move the endpoint up to the model top.
Stock above model is included in the cutting depth. For example, a recess 7 mm below the model top, with 2 mm of stock above the model, finishes at Z−9 mm. A 0.5 mm floor allowance changes that to Z−8.5 mm. These pockets do not overcut below the selected floor.
A flat end mill clears a cutter-radius offset of the floor boundary using Outside-in clearing and clipped lanes. Islands are expanded by the cutter radius so the cutter stays out of them. Passages that cannot accommodate the cutter and configured wall allowance are blocked; use a smaller cutter or reduce the allowance.
Step controls depth per pass and Stepover controls lane spacing. Independent lanes retract to Safe Z and approach vertically at the Plunge / ramp feed. The configured ramp applies to the outer entry path; it does not turn every independent lane approach into a ramp. Check that the selected cutter can make these approaches.
The existing wall-finishing controls remain available. Wall allowance is radial; Floor allowance is vertical. A wall finish removes the radial allowance at the configured final Z and retains any floor allowance. Transfers between separate island finishes use Safe Z.
Regenerate after model or setup edits
The operation stores a reference to the body and floor. Editing the evaluated solid, stock, orientation, placement or work origin blocks its old output until you choose Regenerate model pocket in Operations or Verify. Review the new boundary, islands and final depth before exporting.
If the floor was deleted, split or replaced, regeneration cannot choose another face automatically. Select the intended floor in 3D Model and create a replacement operation; remove the old operation when appropriate. Setup and operation edits support Undo/Redo and project save/open.
Current scope
- One body and one fixed machining direction per job; one floor per model pocket operation.
- Closed flat-bottom recesses on supported extrusion-based bodies, including circular boundaries and multiple islands where the cutter fits.
- Constant floor-boundary clearing. Open pockets, general sloped-wall finishing, undercuts and curved-surface machining are not part of this operation. For supported curved tops, see model surface finishing.
- Model boundaries use the evaluated solid's sampled geometry and linear output. Circular model pockets do not use the exact G2/G3 strategy available for sketch circles.
- The model view shows the target solid with final-depth pocket paths. Simulation Toolpaths includes the depth passes and links; Material shows the removal produced by the actual operations.
- Machining a pocket does not automatically face excess stock or machine other parts of the model. Add and review the necessary operations separately.
- Holder, clamp and fixture collisions are not generally checked. Confirm tool reach, clearances and workholding in the CAM safety review.