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Getting Started with CAM Assist

Getting Started with CAM Assist

Owned by Kevin Strider (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Sep 10, 2024 by Geoffrey Brennan
4 min read

Getting started in 5 steps

Getting started with CAM Assist is a simple 5-step process:

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Getting Started in 5 steps

If you follow along with the videos and/or step-by-step instructions featured below, you’ll use CAM Assist to generate a toolpath strategy for a demo part, using a [built-in] tool library.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1 - Install CAM Assist

CAM Assist for Fusion is available on the Windows and MacOS platforms.

For step-by-step instructions on installing the CAM Assist add-on, see the following:

Video
For an illustration of the rest of the ‘getting started’ process, see the YouTube video: Getting Started with CAM Assist.

Step 2 - Open a ‘Demo' part

CAM Assist provides you with 4 ‘Demo’ parts to help you get started.
The ‘Demo’ parts are available from the CAM Assist panel, which is located at the right-hand end of Fusion’s ‘Manufacture’ ribbon (as shown in the following screenshot).

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CAM Assist panel - in Fusion’s ‘Manufacture’ ribbon

  1. Hover over Open a Demo Part.

  2. Select one of the ‘Demo' parts:

    • Demo 1-3 - suitable for 3-Axis machining (see Machining Modes).

    • Demo 4 - suitable for 3+2 Axis machining.

  3. The selected ‘Demo’ part opens in Fusion in an aptly-named new tab.

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CAM Assist panel (expanded)

Step 3 - Select a ‘Tool library’ and ‘Target setup’

  1. Open CAM Assist

You can open CAM Assist by clicking:

  • The ‘CloudNC CAM Assist’ option of the CAM Assist panel.

  • The Large ‘CAM Assist’ icon in Fusion’s Manufacture ribbon.

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CAM Assist panel

  1. For Tool library:

    • Select ‘[Built-in] CloudNC CAM Assist Sample Tool (Inch)’

  2. For Target setups:

    • Ensure that at least one of the Setups is checked (for example, ‘Setup1’).

CAM Assist will compute a separate strategy for each checked ‘Target setup’

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'General' tab

Step 4 - Check ‘Tool library’ configuration

For more information, see the Tool Use tab.

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‘Tool use’ tab

Step 5 - Click Run

When you’ve finished configuring CAM Assist, click Run.

After you’ve clicked Run, CAM Assist:

  • Closes its user interface.

  • Uses the CAM Assist configuration to compute a toolpath strategy, which is applied to the each ‘Target Setup’ in the Fusion Browser (see the screenshot to the right).

 

CloudNC Cutting Parameters is available by right-clicking any operation toolpath in the Fusion Browser (see Cutting Parameters)

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Fusion - showing a CAM Assist computed toolpath strategy

Congratulations! You've used CAM Assist to create a toolpath strategy for a demo part, using a built-in tool library.

From this point, you can add, delete or modify any of the calculated toolpaths.

Next step

This guide showed you how to use one of CAM Assist’s built-in sample tool libraries to generate a toolpath strategy for a Demo part.

The built-in tool libraries are not limited to just ‘Demo’ parts, they can be used on any part.
However, the built-in tool library cannot be customized. Exporting a tool library (toolset) creates a ‘Local’ copy within Fusion, which can then be customized using the Fusion Tool Library (for details, see How to Export a Built-in Sample Toolset).

For more detailed information on the features and functionality of CAM Assist, refer to the CAM Assist for Fusion section.

 

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