
To make it easy to learn the key combinations, users can keep Mastercam in learning mode so that the Tips bar comes up when the cursor is anywhere in the ribbon bar to list all the shortcut keys and functions available with the selected tool. Shortcut keys are customizable and consistent with previous versions, so users will feel at home with the new version. This feature is something you'd find in big-name, expensive modeling programs. The AutoCursor can also snap to an angle or find a tangent or perpendicular, horizontal or vertical line. When the mouse is moved over a point on an entity, such as the end or the midpoint, a small symbol appears next to the cursor, making it obvious what is under the cursor.

The values can be locked on the ribbon bar so users can create multiple entities with the same numbers to save time.Īnother handy tool is the AutoCursor. It then becomes a live entity, which is colored differently from a fixed entity so it's easily discernible. When geometry is dynamically created in the graphics window, the entity type selected is drawn with a dotted line until all the points are selected. With live entities, the command doesn't end until the user accepts the result.Īnother entity type is the phantom entity. Users must go back into the command or select the entity again to continue to design or change what was just done.

In some CAD applications, when a piece of geometry is created and values are added, the object is finished. Mastercam Design LT uses what it calls live entities-objects that are changeable. When a command is activated or an entity selected, new tools become active and ready for use. Mastercam rebuilt the sketcher interface so that it now has a streamlined, context-sensitive property bar that it calls a ribbon bar. Mastercam Design LT, formerly known as Mastercam Draft, is not a solid or surface modeler-it's a 3D wire-frame modeler. How Much Should You spend on design software? For those on a budget, Mastercam has just released Mastercam Design LT, and it offers real capabilities.

First Look Review: Mastercam Design LT 31 Oct, 2005 By: IDSA, Mike Hudspeth Cadalyst 3D Wire-frame Modeler
