## Showing, Animating, and Moving Path Lines

PC-DMIS has the ability to generate colored lines on the CAD model in the Graphics Display window that show the path your probe will take on the part while the probe measures marked features. These lines are called path lines. Path lines will help you preview the path your probe will take and troubleshoot possible collision areas.

Viewing All Path Lines

To view path lines, select View | Path Lines. PC-DMIS will check each command and draw the path lines accordingly. You can cancel this process at any time by pressing they ESC key on your keyboard.

This shows the probe's route drawn on the part's graphical image

Viewing Path Lines from a Cursor's Position

By selecting View | Path Lines from Cursor, you can limit the displayed path lines to focus on the path for the feature where the cursor resides, for the feature that precedes it, and for the feature that follows it. This will only work with the Edit window in Command mode. You may find this most useful when stepping through a part program.

For example, suppose your part program has these features in this order: CIR1, CIR2, CIR3, CIR4, and SLT1. If you clicked on item CIR4 in Command mode, the Graphics Display window would draw path lines for CIR3, CIR4, and SLT1.

Example showing path lines drawn for the clicked feature, CIR4, its preceding feature, CIR3, and its following feature, SLT1

To modify the number of features that display their path lines within Path Lines from Cursor mode, edit the value in the Create Path Feature Count box located in the Animation tab of the SetUp Options dialog box. The default value is 1, meaning PC-DMIS will draw path lines for one feature preceding the current feature and one feature following the current feature. See the "Setup Options: Animation tab" topic in the "Setting Your Preferences" section.

The Path Lines from Cursor mode does not function with Auto Insert Moves operation (Operation | Graphics Display Window | Clearance Moves | Auto Insert Moves). If you perform an Auto Insert Moves operation, PC-DMIS will revert to displaying all the path lines. See "Inserting Clearance Moves Automatically" in the "Inserting Move Commands" section.

Viewing Path Lines for a Range of Selected Items

Another way of limiting the displayed path lines is to select a range of one or more features in the Edit window and show path lines used for only those selected features.

To do this:

1. In the Edit window select the range of features. Either click and drag the selection (if in Command Mode) or click on the first feature, press SHIFT and then click on the second feature to establish the range of features (if using Summary mode, you may also press CTRL instead of SHIFT).

2. Right-click in the Edit window. A shortcut menu appears.

3. Choose Selected Items Path Lines. PC-DMIS draws the path lines on the screen for the selected features and a check box appears next to the short cut menu item.

If you want to immediately select a different range of features. You need to right-click in the Edit window and clear the Selected Items Path Lines first and then re-select it for the new selection.

Changing a Path Line's Size

You can control the size of your path lines by using the Display Symbols icon
from the Graphics Modes toolbar and then modifying the Fixed Size value in the Symbols tab of the CAD and Graphic Setup dialog box
. Note, however, that during execution or collision detection operations, or during a part translation or rotation, PC-DMIS will draw the path lines as simple lines (without the defined diameter) in order to speed up these operations.

Changing a Path Line's Color

By default, path lines are displayed in a green color. To change the color, choose a color using the Path Lines Color box located in the Animation tab of the SetUp Options dialog box. See the "Setup Options: Animation tab" topic in the "Setting Your Preferences" section.

More:

Animating the Path

Regenerating the Path

Detecting Collisions

Moving Path Lines