## Step 3: Modify PC-DMIS Gear Settings

From the PC-DMIS Gear Settings dialog box you can alter the general options for PC-DMIS Gear and PC-DMIS operation.

Clicking the Measure | Options menu option (or pressing F5) displays the PC-DMIS Gear Settings dialog box. Click OK to save your changes or Cancel to close the dialog box without saving.

PC-DMIS Options

PC-DMIS Gear Settings dialog box - PC-DMIS options tab

Items available from this tab provide general settings which determine how PC-DMIS displays warnings, controls the motion of your measuring machine, and PC-DMIS application visibility.

PC-DMIS Warning Message: Enable or disable various PC-DMIS warnings. Warnings with a check mark will be displayed when the associated PC-DMIS procedure warrants it.

Prehit Distance: Determines the distance from the theoretical point that the machine changes from Move Speed to the slower Touch Speed. For further information on any of these values consult the main PC-DMIS help file. Distance is given in current part units (inch or millimeters).

Retract Distance: This value determines the distance away from the measured point location that the machine changes from Touch Speed to the quicker Move Speed. Distance is given in current part units (inch or millimeters).

Touch Speed: This value determines the speed the machine will move when it reaches the Prehit Distance for the current measurement point. The value that is entered is a percentage of the maximum machine speed.

Move Speed: This value determines the speed the machine will move when moving around the gear. The value that is entered is a percentage of the maximum machine speed.

Clearance Distance: This value determines the distance the probe will retract in the XY direction. Distance is given in current part units (inch or millimeters).

Clearance Height: This value determines the distance the probe will retract in the Z direction. Distance is given in current part units (inch or millimeters).

Point Density: Determines the amount of allowable hits that will be created during a scan. Values are given in terms of points per inch or millimeter depending on part units.

Scan Speed: Allows you change the speed at which the CMM will scan you gear. The value that is entered is a percentage of the maximum machine speed. This is only used for an Analog Scan type.

PC-DMIS is visible: This option lets you specify whether or not PC-DMIS is visible during PC-DMIS Gear execution of probe qualification, gear alignment, and gear measurement. Until you become comfortable with PC-DMIS Gear and how it interfaces with PC-DMIS, select this option to have PC-DMIS visible.

Gear Options

PC-DMIS Gear Settings dialog box - Gear options tab

Startup Options - When you first startup PC-DMIS Gear, the following five elements will be displayed as selected.

Show Gear Splash Window: The PC-DMIS Gear Splash Window is displayed when you first launch PC-DMIS Gear. An example of the splash window is shown in the "PC-DMIS Gear: Introduction" topic.

Show Toolbar: When selected, the PC-DMIS Gear Toolbar is displayed.

Show Statusbar: When selected, the PC-DMIS Gear Statusbar is displayed.

Show Status Window: When selected, the PC-DMIS Gear Status Window is displayed.

Show Parameters Tree Window: When selected, the PC-DMIS Gear Parameters Tree Window is displayed.

Use point number to define scan when probe type is TTP: This check box determines whether or not PC-DMIS Gear uses a point number when scanning with a touch-trigger probe (TTP). When marked, the Points Number box in the Scan Setting dialog box becomes available. This lets you input the total number of points to use when performing a scan. When cleared, PC-DMIS Gear will use a Point Density value to define the number of scan points per mm. See the "Defining Scan Settings" topic.

Automatically save measured data after measurement: This check box determines whether or not PC-DMIS Gear automatically saves the measured data to a measured data file (.mes file) each time a measurement finishes. If marked, it uses a filename format of “Gear Name” + Date + Time for the .mes file. You can also manually export and import .mes files by selecting File | Export | Measured Data or File | Import | Measured Data. If cleared, PC-DMIS Gear will not generate a .mes file.

Display Adjacent Pitch Error (fu) in Report: This check box determines whether or not the Adjacent Pitch Error Curve is included in the report. If marked this appears as an additional page in the Gear Report window. See "Appendix A: Using the Gear Report Window".

Default working folder: Provides the default location to which gear files are saved. By default, this is the "Data" directory in the PC-DMIS Gear install directory.

Log file name: Provides the default location and file name to which log data will be saved. By default, this file is named GearLog.txt and is saved in the Data directory in the PC-DMIS Gear install directory.

Default language: Allows you to specify the default interface language (English or Chinese) for the PC-DMIS Gear application.

Output Setting

PC-DMIS Gear Settings dialog box - Output Setting tab

Send report Output to - This tab lets you define the output type and location for any generated reports. You can choose to send reports to a file and to a printer.

File - Marking this check box will send reports as a file to a directory defined by the Directory field. The file type is an electronic image file defined by the Format drop down list. The File Name area defines whether or not to use a static file name (a Fixed File Name) or to use a file name based off of a user-defined Naming rule. Using a naming rule, the file name is comprised of one to three segments: first, the GearID is set and present in your filename; second, you can either choose the serial number or the date and time; and third, you can choose either the serial number of the date and time, whichever wasn't used in the second segment.

Printer - Marking this check box will send reports to a printer defined in the Select Printer drop-down list.

Step 4: Create or Open a Gear File...