## Executing and Debugging Part Programs Off-Line

The execution of part programs in off-line PC-DMIS is the same as in on-line PC-DMIS. The Edit window provides immediate access to all of the commands in a part program, making it as easy to fine tune an off-line part program as a program done on a CMM.

Please see the "Editing a Part Program" section for an overview of the many edit options in PC-DMIS.

It is the programmer's responsibility to pay careful attention to the probe animation to detect collisions and misplaced hits. The best way to do this is to use PC-DMIS's probe path and collision detection functionality to determine collision points between the probe and the part.

The Collision Detection menu option provides an animated graphical representation of the probe's path along the part. This option is a powerful tool for probe path editing and is very helpful in the off-line measurement procedure. To access this option:

1. Mark the features that will be used for the probe path editing in the Edit window of the applicable part program. (See "Marking Commands for Execution" in the "Editing a Part Program" section.)

2. Select the View | Path Lines option. PC-DMIS will display the path lines of the probe that were created during the learning portion of the part program.

3. Select Operations | Graphics Display Window | Collision Detection. PC-DMIS will begin moving an animated probe along the path lines showing any collisions in red on the part and in the Collision Detection dialog box. One execution has finished, a Collision List dialog box will display showing locations where collisions occurred. The "Showing, Animating, and Moving Path Lines" topic from the "Editing the CAD Display" section has additional information on using path lines and detecting collisions.

Manipulating Animation and Execution Speeds

You may also find it helpful to manipulate animation and execution speeds while debugging part programs. Several settings exist so that you can fine tune these speeds to meet your needs. See the "Setup Options: Animation tab" topic in the "Setting Your Preferences" section.