Packing or Unpacking Tool Paths

You can pack a tool path to reduce the memory usage, thus freeing up memory for other activities. When working with machining operations that generate large tool paths (mainly 3 and 5-axis machining operations), it is useful to pack those tool paths to an external file. This external file is saved in a database during save, and restored back to the temp directory when reopening the machining process from the database.

Before you begin: Have a scenario with a tool path open. In this scenario we are using Point to Point.
  1. Right-click a tool path in the Activities Process Tree and select Pack Tool Path .
    Note: Pack Tool Path is not available for lathe, axial and probing machining operations, and is available for a copy transformation activity only if it is acting on one machining operation and creating a single copy.

    Messages are displayed in the Message Reporting box. The tool path is packed, example, the tool path data are streamed to a .tlp file in the temporary folder. A link is created between this file and the machining operation in the PPR context.

  2. Right-click it in the Activities Process Tree and select Unpack Tool Path in the context menu to unpack a tool path.
    The tool path data is brought from the file system into the machining operation. A message error is displayed if the .tlp file has been deleted or moved.
    Note: Select Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining > NC Machining Apps Common Services > Output, then select or clear the Pack tool path automatically after computation check box, according to your needs.