Program Settings

Description

In the global settings menu, various options for the software can be chosen. Each set of options are separated into different tabs in the settings menu.

Options that can be set here include: default part settings, results/output format, results/output settings, language, default storage locations, and more.

How To

To access the global settings, click the settings menu on the main tool bar. Click the global settings option in the drop down menu, as shown below.

General Tab

The library storage location, default part file storage location, language, touch screen, invert zoom, and combine bend settings can be adjusted in the general tab.

• Die, Material, and Export Template Storage: This folder will be the storage location for the dies in the die library, the materials in the material library, the templates created in the export template library, and the machines in the machine library. For the dies, materials, and machines, each library is stored as a single file. Each individual export template is stored as a single file.

• Part Files Default Storage Location: The folder listed here will be the default storage location for part files. This folder will be automatically opened in the Save Part window when a new part is being saved.

• Language Selection:
  
  The language of the software can be chosen here. As updates are made more languages will become available here. To select a language, click the drop down menu and choose a language from the list, as shown to the right.

Note: If a language is unavailable and you would like to see it in the software, please let us know! We'll try our best to add it to the available languages.

When any language other than English is selected, the language list button can be clicked. Click this button to open a list of all the words and statements in the software. Each item in the list can be edited by double clicking on the word or statement. When changes are made, every instance of that word or statement in the software will be affected. To save edits, click the save button.

Note: Whenever changes are made to the language list, a copy of the edited language list will be sent to us. This is to ensure that our master language list is as accurate as possible.

• Touch Screen: If a touch screen is being used to navigate the software, this option should be enabled. Click the checkbox next to the touch screen icon while a touch screen is in use.

• Invert Zoom: Invert zoom will switch the direction the mouse scroll wheel zooms. When invert zoom is enabled, scrolling up will zoom in and scrolling zoom will zoom out.

• Combine Bends: When the combine bends function is activated, if two 90° bends are created with none/very little straight length between them, they will be combined into one 180° bend. When in apex mode, the length between the two bends needs to be double the achieved CLR of the die. In the example below on the left, the CLR is 128, so 256 units of length are needed between the bends. To turn on combine bends, click the check box next to the combine bends icon.

Defaults Tab

The default notes, default cut-offs, and dimension display can be set in the defaults tab.

• Default Notes: The default notes given here will be added to the notes section on every new part design. To add default notes, type in the provided text area.

• Cut-off Start/End: The default cut-off values will be supplied in the cut-off fields of every new part design. To add start or end cut-off, enter values into the appropriate fields. See image below.

• Display Dimensions:
  
  The display dimensions check box controls whether the dimension markers and measurements are displayed on the part model in the part display. To have the dimensions displayed, check the box next to the display dimensions icon. While this box is not checked, just the part model and the apex lines/points will be displayed. See image to the right.

Results/Output Format

• Rotary Draw: This format is for standard rotary draw benders. These kind of benders have a die that spins and pulls the material around it. The dimension location is at the start of the bend and there is no fixed offset.

• Center Compression: This format is for center compression benders. The die can move, but doesn't rotate/spin and the material is pushed around it. The dimension location is at the center of the bend and there is no fixed offset.

• Rotary Compression: This format is for rotary compression benders. The die is stationary (No moving or spinning) and the material is pushed around the side of the die. The dimension location is at the end of the bend and there is no fixed offset.

• Length of Straight: This format will only include the straight lengths of tube. To get just straight lengths of tube when designing, this option must be chosen.

• Custom: The dimension location, fixed offset and can be chosen individually using the custom format.

• Dimension Location: This will determine where the end of the dimension will be placed. The start of bend, center of bend, or end of the bend can be selected. Click on a dimension location option to select it.

• Utilize Part Length: When the utilize part length check box is checked, the location values will be based off of the total length of the part. Each location values will be calculated by either adding or subtracting the original bend location value from the part length measurement. Click on the green plus to add the location to the part length or click the red minus option to have the locations subtracted from the part length. When the red minus option is selected, the location is essentially being measured from the opposite end.

• Fixed Offset: The fixed offset setting will allow a value to be added or subtracted from the location value. This will be necessary to apply when an indexing table is used with the machine. To add a fixed offset value, enter the offset value into the provided field. Click the green plus option for the offset value to be added to each location or click the red minus option for the offset to be subtracted from each location.

Results/Output Settings

• Decimal Tolerances:
  
  The decimal tolerance for the lengths, angles, and rotations can be adjusted here. The decimal tolerance controls how many digits will be allowed after decimals points for length, angle, and rotation values in the results table. In the tolerance options, each digit place is represented by an n.

For example, if the angle tolerance is set to n.nn and the actual angle is 90.539°, the angle will be rounded to 90.54°. If the angle tolerance is set to just n, then the angle would be rounded to 90°.

To change the decimal tolerance for the length, angle or rotation, click the drop down menu next to the appropriate option and select an option from the list. See image to the right.

• Rotation Settings:
  
  The rotation settings control how rotation values are interpreted. Rotation can be measured in incremental or absolute terms. Each rotation angle range can also be chosen.

• Incremental: Rotation angles will start from the end of the previous bend's rotation. Click the incremental rotation option to select it.

• Absolute: Rotation angles will always start from the very beginning of the angle scale. Click the absolute rotation option to select it.

• Angle Scale: The rotation scale will determine what the rotation angles will range between. The rotation scale will show where the angle measurements begin and where they end. Choose a rotation scale by clicking on one of the scale options. The rotation scales available are 0 - 360, 360 - 0, (-180) - 180, and 180 - (-180).

• Bender Type:
  
  The default bender type can be selected using the bend type button. This will open the bender type menu (Shown to the right). Seven bender types are available. Each type is represented by a tile that displays a short animation of what a bender of that type will look like while bending a part. To select the bend type for the machine, click on a tile. The selected bend type will be outlined in blue. Click the green check button to confirm.

Note: If the simulation plug-in is installed, the bender type chosen here will be automatically selected in simulation when the machine is chosen for the current part.