GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
This document is intended for customers of GibbsCAM® 2012+, v10.3. It is divided into the following sections.
• Overview
• Installing
• “System Requirements” on page 2
• “Contents of the Installation Package” on page 3
• “Procedures” on page 3
• “Highlights” on page 5
• “Changes, Known Issues, Limitations, and Late-Breaking Information” on page 7
• “For More Information” on page 8
• “To Report an Issue” on page 8
Overview
As of July, 2012, Gibbs and Associates has made available GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3, a full official release that
contains fixes and enhancements to the v10.x line.
Licensing. The licensing of this release is as it was for v10.0 and later, but it is unlike betas or releases before
v10. If you have not installed a previous v10.x release or release candidate, you will be prompted to register.
Also, if you use GibbsCAM NLO, RLM 9 will be required. For full details, see the Installation guide (available
both as a PDF and within online help).
1

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
Updates
When GibbsCAM is launched on a machine that has Internet access, the Update Notifier tells you if a new
version is available. If you disable automatic notifications, you can also run Update Notifier from Help > Check
for Updates. Notification is also provided via email if you subscribe to GCNews.
We strongly encourage you to install each software update as it becomes available.
Documentation is provided in the form of online help and PDFs. Gibbs Online Services will be updated from
time to time with improved versions of PDFs and, at rarer intervals, with updated versions of either or both of
the files constituting the entire documentation package. Instructions for updating/refreshing your online help
and for using it as a standalone help system are provided along with the online help file itself.
In addition, this Readme document will be updated as circumstances warrant.
Installing
System Requirements
The following is a condensed summary. For full details, see the Installation guide.
Operating
System
Hardware
Windows 7 (recommended), Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008. Please install the latest
available OS service packs and patches through Windows Update.
A computer that matches or exceeds the following requirements will run GibbsCAM very
comfortably. Please note that the larger or more complex your parts are, the more
GibbsCAM will demand from your system.
CPU
RAM
Video Card
Intel: Core i7 or Core i5
AMD: FX, Phenom II X6, or Turion II
8 GB RAM
An NVIDIA video card with 896+ MB of video memory.
Although a smaller system is also quite capable of running GibbsCAM, it may have slower
performance, especially on Windows 7 or Vista with very large parts or complex toolpath.
The software requires 700+ MB of drive space. Part files can occupy a few dozen KB to
many dozens of MB, depending on complexity.
Video
Drivers
Network
Licensing
Please install the latest available driver for your video card. The standard Windows drivers are
typically not adequate, because of the ways that GibbsCAM makes advanced use of OpenGL and
video RAM. We strongly recommend that you keep your system up-to-date with fully installed
and updated drivers.
If you use Network Licensing Option (NLO), it can be set up on Windows Server 2008 (32-bit or
64-bit), on Windows Vista SP1 or SP2 (32-bit or 64-bit) or on Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit).
2

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
Contents of the Installation Package
Installers for each supported language are available from the Gibbs Online website, http://online.GibbsCAM.com,
accessible using your Gibbs Online Services / FTP username and password. (If you need a username and
password, contact Gibbs and Associates Technical Support: Support@GibbsCAM.com.)
• All you need to install GibbsCAM 2012+ is the appropriate .exe file.
• Other items available for this release include:
• This Readme file
• Update List – a downloadable .html file that lists defects fixed since v10.1
• Samples – sample parts, videos, and other files to explain and demonstrate v10 changes
• PDFs – available in bulk as a self-extracting .exe file, or as individual files
Procedures
This section contains procedures for accomplishing the following tasks for GibbsCAM 2012+:
• To Install or Update GibbsCAM, below
• “To Modify, Repair, or Uninstall an Existing Installation” on page 4
• “To Install Sample Files” on page 4
• “To Migrate Settings and Preferences from a Previous Release” on page 4
• “To Upgrade Network License Option (NLO) to Use RLM 9” on page 4
• “To Run GibbsCAM” on page 4
To Install or Update GibbsCAM
1. Run the appropriate installer for your platform (Windows 7 or Vista/2008):
• On 64-bit systems, run GibbsCAM2012+_x64_v10.3.m.n_.exe
• On 32-bit systems, run GibbsCAM2012+_x32_v10.3.m.n_.exe
2. Follow the wizard’s instructions for installing GibbsCAM, v10.3:
a. Read the information about what you are installing, and then click Next to continue.
b. Accept the terms of the GibbsCAM license agreement, and then click Next.
c. In the Custom Setup step: Optionally select additional features (such as GibbsCAM Add-Ins and CAD
Transfer Add-Ins) to install in addition to GibbsCAM base components; modify or accept the
destination folder; and then click Next.
Some Add-Ins may require you to accept the terms of additional license agreements.
d. In the Ready to Install step: Click Install.
e. Wait for the files to be copied and configured, and then click Finish.
Note: If any default installation file (other than an MDD) is deleted or moved from its installed location, or if
Recovery is run, the system will repair itself the next time you start GibbsCAM from the Start menu or
unmodified shortcut icon.
3

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
To Modify, Repair, or Uninstall an Existing Installation
1. Run the appropriate GibbsCAM 2012+ installer for your platform.
2. Do one of the following:
• To modify the installation, such as to install or remove selected features, click Change.
• To repair the installation, click Repair.
• To uninstall the application completely, click Remove.
To Install Sample Files
1. From Gibbs Online Services, Software Downloads > Samples, download one or more .exe files for installing
samples.
2. Run the .exe file for the samples that you want to install. For example:
• To install the sample parts, run v10.3_Sample_Parts*.exe.
• To install sample Machine Sim models for Mazak, run Mazak*.exe.
Be sure to read any disclaimer or Readme files that accompany the samples.
3. Accept or specify the installation folder, and then click Install.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed for other samples.
To Migrate Settings and Preferences from a Previous Release
Note: Administrator privileges are required to migrate most files. Also: Best practice is to run the Migration
Tool before the first launch of a fresh GibbsCAM installation.
1. You can launch the Migration Tool from the Start menu: GibbsCAM > Migration Tool.
2. In the first dialog, click Scan for Versions. Then, from the list of previous GibbsCAM releases, select the one
whose settings you want to migrate and click Check Compatibility.
3. In the second dialog, select the types of files you want to migrate and then click Do It.
To Upgrade Network License Option (NLO) to Use RLM 9
1. On the RLM license server machine, run NLO Server Registration Setup*.msi.
2. From the Start menu, run the GibbsCAM Registration Tool.
3. In the GibbsCAM Licensing Utility dialog, right-click the title bar and, on the context menu, choose
License Server Manager and use it to stop and uninstall the old service.
4. In the Licensing Utility dialog, select Network License Server and click Run Registration Tool.
For complete details, see the Installation guide.
To Run GibbsCAM
To run GibbsCAM (after migrating previous settings and preferences; see above), do one of the following:
• From the Start button, Programs > GibbsCAM, run “GibbsCAM 2012+ -bit, v10.3.m.n ”.
4

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
• Double-click the desktop icon “GibbsCAM 2012+ -bit, v10.3.m.n ”.
In accordance with Microsoft guidelines, the GibbsCAM desktop shortcut does not support drag-anddrop
of *.vnc or other files onto it. To create an old-style desktop icon for drag-and-drop application
launching, navigate to the Bin\ subfolder of the installation directory, select Virtual.exe, and
CTRL+ALT-drag it to you desktop, creating a new shortcut. However, this type of shortcut will not
perform automatic healing on startup.
The first time you start a freshly installed GibbsCAM, you are prompted for a license file and to register or reregister
your license. Click the “Run Registration Tool” link to enter your product code and customer
information. In the registration process, simply click Next, Next, …, Finish to accept all stored defaults.
Highlights
Highlights of GibbsCAM 2012+ include the following.
New at v10.3
• Distribution: DVDs are different according to language/locale: English-language customers receive a single
DVD contains the entire product (including 32-bit and 64-bit installers); Virtual Gibbs customers receive a
single DVD that contains the entire product (including 32-bit and 64-bit installers); other international
customers receive two DVDs (one containing 32-bit installers and the other containing 64-bit installers).
Each DVD contains a complete set of documentation.
• Localization: Documentation (PDFs and online help) for Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and
Spanish, as well as updates to the local user interface in all languages as noted below in New at v10.1.
• Improvements in infrastructure for installation and maintenance: Improvements to Gibbs Online
Services, the Update Notifier, and the process for downloading web update; support for installations in
multiple languages on the same machine; new option to allow collection of anonymous usage statistics;
improvements to Plug-In Manager; and even more preferences and settings that can be copied forward by
Migration Tool.
• Rendering capabilities and performance: Advanced Flash CPR, formerly an option at additional cost, is
now included in the base product (as Multi-Axis Rendering); Flash CPR and Simulation are quicker and
provide a few more features.
• Simple/powerful productivity enhancements: Shrinkwrap now lets you resize to visible part components
only; in MTM, Sync Manager now supports resizing, horizontal scrolling, mouse-wheel scrolling, and
remembered settings; the associativity between holes and coordinate systems is simpler and more
intuitive; and the Edit capabilities of the Operation Manager have been improved.
• Production Milling: Pocketing has improvements to the GibbsCAM Offset/Trim settings.
• VoluMill: The Celeritive module is now at 4.1.0, with support for ACTC (Active Chip Thickness Control).
• Radial Milling: In addition to user-interface changes, there is a new ability to output one-line unsegmented
helical toolpath, tuned to take advantage of “native” machine-based linear and circular interpolation
between two or more selected vectors, with the benefits of reduced segmentation (smoother toolpath),
vastly simplified post output code, and increased overall throughput.
• 5-Axis: Many improvements have been made throughout, such as options for Surface radius-based feed
optimization or and First cut feedrate scale; Advanced Surface Quality options for most Triangle Mesh
strategies; a multi-pass option for Pencil; adaptive step-down capability for Constant Z, and many others.
5

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
• SolidSurfacer / Advanced 3D: A new cut type, Pocketing with Core Detection, provides a combination
roughing / finishing strategy for very thin walls, designed to minimize the flexing and vibration that occur
towards the end of an operation; Steep Shallow Cut has a new Shallow Strategy, 3D Pocketing, for control
over shallow areas; Constant Stepover Cut has a new offset control, Offset Type, to specify the offset direction
relative to a selected drive curve; Connect Move Control parameters are supplemented by a value for
Maximum Stay Down, which allows retract moves to be suppressed when tool travel distance is small; and
with rest-material containments and calculation parameters are now available for all stock types.
• Macros and DTK (Developer Toolkit): Significant new macro capabilities (continuously documented in the
Gibbs Macros wiki, http://macros.GibbsCAM.com) include System Macros that can be triggered by any of
eleven different events (such as File > New, or changing to a different MDD); when the event occurs,
GibbsCAM runs the corresponding system macro if it exists.
• Updated interoperability and third-party libraries: You are now able to import wire bodies from all
Parasolid-based parts, as well as CimatronE parts; updated versions of ACIS, Granite, and SolidEdge import
libraries are provided; and support for Parasolid v25, Autodesk Inventor 2013, and RealDWG 2013.
• Process-associative geometry import: The Import VNC plug-in has been enhanced to support all aspects of
copy-and-paste between concurrently running sessions of GibbsCAM, such as: geometry, surfaces, and
solids; processes and process groups; and association between geometry, processes, and tools.
New at v10.1
• Full localization of the GibbsCAM user interface to all supported languages/locales: Chinese (Simplified and
Traditional), Czech, Dutch, English (US), French (France), German (Germany and elsewhere), Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain), Swedish, and Turkish.
• Localized online help is supplied with the installers for Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and
Spanish. PDF versions of user guides are available on the installation DVDs, and are updated continually at
Gibbs Online Services.
• Updated import libraries supporting: CATIA V5 R21, Solid Edge ST4, Creo Elements/Pro (formerly known
as Pro/E), SolidWorks 2012, and Autodesk Inventor 2013. (Further updated at v10.3; see previous
section.)
• New Parasolid version 24.1, which improves and fixes issues relating to the Profiler. (Further updated at
v10.3; see previous section.)
• New VoluMill version 4.1.0.
• Improvements and enhancements that are visible in the user interface:
• Rendering (Flash CPR > Flash CPR Cut and Simulation > Rendering Control): The Settings dialog offers a
new control, the Gouge Tolerance slider.
• Preferences dialog (File > Preferences): The Machining Prefs page offers a new checkbox, Ignore Lathe
Max Feed Moves.
• Enhanced Migration Tool capabilities: You can preserve settings for Operation Manager, Process
Manager, and Tool Manager, and you can transfer NPT tables.
• Operation Manager and Process Manager: Improvements to Edit mode.
• Ability to control the visibility of MDDs that are initially installed, and to suppress default MDDs that
are not wanted.
• Pocketing: Various enhancements and bug fixes.
• Geometry copy/paste is significantly improved, especially for parts that include solids or sheets.
• Minor enhancements to plug-ins, such as:
• Misc > Solid Edge Option: Ability to open Solid Edge Construction Entities.
• HSM > Helix Bore: Ability to specify Machining CS.
6

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
New at v10.0
• Improved approach to installation and updating (faster performance, optional “quiet” mode, automatic
healing, and Update Notifier)
• Migration Tool
• Plug-In Manager, to control plug-in availability and organize items in the Plug-Ins menu
• Color modes, including Feature color and user-defined color
• Attributes and user-defined features, including CAD attribute import
• Ability to rotate and translate elements freehand
• Touch gestures for common actions (with suitable hardware)
• New Managers for Tools and Processes, and data-editing capabilities for all three Managers
• Operation Modifiers that reapply toolpath changes automatically with each Redo
• Improvements to Mill Pocketing, Lathe Contouring, and VoluMill
• Thread Whirling
• Expanded 5-Axis capabilities, including Triangle Mesh, Wireframe, and Swarf Machining
• Improvements to Holes and Hole Features, including custom drill cycles, new Auto Wizard, hole selection
methods, and Hole Manager enhancements
• Multi-page Body Bag, with drag-and-drop between pages and customized view settings
• Significant new macro capabilities, continuously documented in the new Gibbs Macros wiki,
http://macros.GibbsCAM.com
• Updated interoperability: Solid Edge ST3 v103, Parasolid 24.0, NX 7.5, Autodesk Inventor 2012,
CimatronE v10, and others. (Further updated at v10.1 and v10.3; see previous sections.)
For details on changes and enhancements at GibbsCAM 2011, v10.0, see New in GibbsCAM v10 in online help
or PDF.
Changes, Known Issues, Limitations, and Late-
Breaking Information
Known Issues
• As of mid-July, there are no known serious issues with the software or documentation. This release is
certified by Microsoft.
Intentional Changes From Previous Releases
The following are intentional changes, not issues to report:
• You can no longer start GibbsCAM by dragging a VNC file (or *.igs, etc.) onto the standard desktop
shortcut. Instead, right-click the file and choose Open (or Open with….). Or, to create an old-style shortcut
that bypasses automatic healing, CTRL+ALT-drag a copy of …\Bin\Virtual.exe to the desktop.
• When you right-click the standard GibbsCAM desktop shortcut and choose Open file location, Explorer
opens your desktop folder, not the installation folder. To learn the installation location, query the
7

GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3
shortcut’s Properties > Start in location. You can then copy this string (typically “C:\Program Files…\Bin\”
but without quotes) into Windows Explorer.
• The CAD Transfer Add-In for SolidWorks must be installed on the system where SolidWorks is installed
for GibbsCAM to recognize part features while importing a SolidWorks part. For stations that have
GibbsCAM, install the Add-In when you install GibbsCAM 2012+. Stations that do not have GibbsCAM will
need to run a standalone no-interface MSI file that can be freely distributed (however, be careful to review
the license agreement). You can download a 32-bit or 64-bit version of this standalone installer from Gibbs
Online Services: Software Downloads > Tools.
• Tutorial material has moved out of the user guides into individual PDFs. As of this release, most of the
tutorials have not yet been updated to demonstrate new functionality.
For More Information
The New in GibbsCAM v10 guide provides an overview of major enhancements and changes that occurred from
GibbsCAM 2010, v9.5, to GibbsCAM 2011, v10.0. The What’s Even Newer in GibbsCAM 2012+, v10.3 guide
provides an overview of major enhancements and changes that have occurred cumulatively over the three
v10.x releases: GibbsCAM 2011 (v10.0), 2012 (v10.1), and 2012+ (v10.3).
To subscribe to GCNews, point your browser at http://online.GibbsCAM.com (no log-in required) and click the
link in the right column: Subscribe/Unsubscribe to GCNews.
To Report an Issue
If GibbsCAM exhibits unexpected behavior: Save your current part, exit GibbsCAM and restart it, and try the
scenario again. If the behavior persists, please let us know.
To report an issue by e-mail
To report an issue by telephone (Monday through
Friday, 5:00AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time)
Support@GibbsCAM.com
• North America toll-free: (800) 654-9399
• Otherwise: +1.805.523.0004
To report an issue by fax +1.805.523.0006
To report an issue by mail
Gibbs and Associates /
323 Science Drive / Moorpark, CA 93021 USA
8