### Step 3: Perform an Offline Test

1. Start PC-DMIS NC.

2. Create a small part program and name it "Test".

3. Generate the NC program file by selecting Operation | CNC Programming | Create CNC Program menu option. PC-DMIS displays the Select CNC Machine dialog box.

Note: If you can't select the Create CNC Program menu option, then contact your PC-DMIS NC sales representative to ensure that your port lock is properly programmed to support the NC functionality

4. Select Test from the Select CNC Machine dialog box.

5. Ensure that the CNC Program File Name box points to the Cnc\Test subdirectory where you installed PC-DMIS NC and that it specifies a .cnc file name (Test.cnc).

6. Click OK to generate the .cnc program. PC-DMIS displays a processing message box and shows the path lines drawn in the Graphics Display window for the part program.

7. Using a text editor, open Test.cnc and verify that it contains commands. Close the CNC file and PC-DMIS NC.

8. Start the CNC Server application. You will see the Test machine inside the CNC Server.

9. Select Test from the list of machines. A Test 1 dialog box appears.

Test dialog box

10. In the Test dialog box, select the Send From File check box.

11. Click the … button. An Open dialog box appears. Navigate to the directory containing the Test.cnc file. Select the Test.cnc file and click Open. PC-DMIS displays the pathway to this file inside the Test dialog box (for example, C:\PCDMISW\CNC\Test\Test.cnc).

12. Click the Send button. The NC simulator will run. PC-DMIS NC will also run in the background, execute the CNC program, and then exit.

13. Adjust the Delay and Randomize sliders to affect the simulated data. Delay controls the rate at which simulated data is sent to the CNC server. Randomize allows adding random errors to each measured point. Therefore, not all of the data will be represented as nominals. This is useful when doing offline demos and adding data to DataPage.

14. Check to see if the program executed.

15. Look for a journal subdirectory where you installed PC-DMIS. For example, if the program name if PART1, the full path would be c:\pcdmisw\journal\PART1\Test1<datetimecode>.cnj

16. Open the journal file in a text editor such as Notepad. You should see data for the probing points generated by the Test simulator.

Note: The simulator merely returns a point at the end point of the probing move. Since probing moves are usually created to end inside the part surface, the probing points will be inside the surface of the CAD model. To make points on the surface, set the Prehit parameter in PC-DMIS NC to zero.

Note: Only marked features measured in DCC are processed. If the CNC file does not have all the measurements that are expected (and the path lines display is missing features), check that program has all desired features marked and the mode is set as DCC.

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