CAM experimental

Description

The CAM Workbench contains a set of hidden commands. They are hidden by default because they are experimental. A command can be considered experimental for any of the following reasons:

• It is incomplete.
• It is bug-ridden.
• It is unstable.
• It does not produce correct, stable, safe, paths.
• It is not a standard, regularly used command in the traditional CAM workflow.
• It is mature but has not yet been moved to the standard tool list.
• ... other reasons.

Enable experimental commands

To access the hidden experimental commands of the CAM Workbench, the user must enable them in the Parameter Editor.

1. Open the Parameter Editor via Tools → Edit Parameters...
2. Once in the editor the path is BaseApp → Preferences → Mod → CAM
3. To enable the CAM Area and CAM Area Workplane commands:
   • Right-click in the parameter list area and select New → New Boolean item from the context menu.
   • Name the new parameter: EnableAdvancedOCLFeatures (case-sensitive).
   • Set it to: True.
4. To enable the other experimental commands:
   • Again select New → New Boolean item from the context menu.
   • Name the new parameter: EnableExperimentalFeatures (case-sensitive).
   • Set it to: True.
5. Save the settings.
6. Restart FreeCAD.

Additional Information

Read more about the specific experimental commands on the wiki pages that link to this one.

User documentation

• Getting started
• Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
• Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate

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• Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
• Workbenches: Std Base, Assembly, BIM, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Material, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework

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• Addons: Addon Manager, External workbenches, Scripting and macros

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• Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub

CAM

• Project Commands: Job, Post Process, Check the CAM job for common errors, Export Template

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• Tool Commands: Inspect CAM Commands, CAM Simulator, Finish Selecting Loop, Toggle the Active State of the Operation, ToolBit Library editor, ToolBit Dock

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• Basic Operations: Profile, Pocket Shape, Drilling, Face, Helix, Adaptive, Slot, Engrave, Deburr, Vcarve

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• 3D Operations: 3D Pocket, 3D Surface, Waterline

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• CAM Dressup: Axis Map, Boundary, Dogbone, DragKnife, LeadInOut, RampEntry, Tag, Z Depth Correction

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• Supplemental Commands: Fixture, Comment, Stop, Custom, Probe, From Shape

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• CAM Modification: Copy the operation in the job, Array, Simple Copy

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• Specialty Operations: Thread Milling

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• Miscellaneous: Area, Area workplane

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• ToolBit architecture: Tools, ToolShape, ToolBit, ToolBit Library, ToolController

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• Additional: Preferences, Scripting