CAM350 has a number of edit menu items. These edit features use a single click selection by default. But there are a number of options that allow you to do large scale edits much faster.
When you select an edit menu item, a number of things on screen change. At the top of the screen, the toolbar is populated with a number of check boxes and a few buttons. At the bottom left corner, a list of additional hotkey options appear as well. Finally the coordinate box can be used for precise copies and moves.
Hotkeys
The items on the lower left corner of the program window are selection hotkeys. The sample below appears when Copy is selected. But these options are available in most other edit commands as well.
‘A’ will select all displayed data.
‘W’ will open group mode, which allows you select data with a box. It also displays more options.
These hotkey items will adjust how the window selects data.
The first part is just general instruction on what to do next. Left click to place 1st corner of your selection box. This will update the text to ask for the second corner.
The hotkeys include a basic description.
I will toggle inside/outside mode. It will select data outside your selection box.
C toggles crossing mode. This will select data that crosses the selection box. All of these options are off by default.
Group Mode: W
Outside: W then I
Crossing: W then C
Outside Crossing: W, I, and C
Other standard hotkeys are also worth noting.
S = toggles grid snap
Z = toggles object snap
V= Toggles grid visibility
+ = zoom in on cursor
– = zoom out
Snapping to grid can sometimes get in the way of selecting data properly, turn it off it is a problem.
Object snap is generally a good idea in most cases. When object snap is active you can see a box appear around your cursor. This is the snap box. If the center of an object is in this box, then the cursor will snap to the center of it. You can adjust the size of the snap box using PageUp and PageDown keys.
The Control (Ctrl) key allows for additional selecting or deselecting. In an edit mode, holding the Ctrl key will allow you to continue selecting more data prior to going onto the next step of the edit command. If you click data that is already selected (highlighted in white) then it is deselected.
Toolbar items
Like the hot keys, the items that appear on the toolbar vary depending on which menu item is selected. But most of these items are the same across all edits.
Here is what appears when Edit | Move is selected.
From left to right we have the Grid size box. This is visible even when not in an edit command. You can adjust the size of the grid by either using the pull down menu, or by clicking into the window and typing in a new grid size.
The L0 is Line Snap. Clicking this button controls the angle formed during all types of line draw commands. The L represents “angle.” The selections are L0(any angle), L45ｰ or L90ｰ. When you change to L45 then cursor movement can only occur in 45 degree angles from the item(s) selected for the edit command. L90 only allows 90 degree movements.
The “Move To layers” button allows you to move items to another layer with no shift in X or Y. Copy has a similar option. After selecting data you can click this button and select the layer(s) you want to move the data to.
The checkboxes, when unchecked, will not allow that type of data to be selected.
Cmp = Components.
Drw = Draws
Flsh = Flashes
Drill = Drill
Mill = Mill
In most cases, you won’t have components at all. Component data is only present if you imported intelligent data. Gerber and DXF files will have no component data.
Clicking the Filter box opens the Selection Filters window.
The Dcode box is the main feature here. You can type in Dcodes to include or exclude. You can also set ranges as well. Dcode number only is used. If it is unsigned, then it is included. If it is expressed as a minus, then it is excluded. You can set a range with : and you separate rules with a , .
Examples appear in the user interface.
70 would just include 70. When a Dcode is included, all others are excluded.
11:20 would be Dcodes 11 through 20.
-20:30,25 would Exclude 20 though 30, but include 25. When items are excluded, all others are included.
One item to watch out for is the “raster filled” option under polygon filter. As a raster polygon is not drawn with a Dcode, it is not effected by the Dcode filter. So if you want to exclude raster polygon from your selection, make sure you uncheck the box.
There are other options in the Selection Filter box as well that will occasionally be useful. Text filter is not commonly useful as text (if present at all) is typically drawn the same way. Path filter is for NC data.
Finishing off the toolbar, we have the Prev button and Select All. The Prev button is useful in edits that involve multiple steps. When it is clicked you automatically select the data that was selected in the previously.
Select All will select all displayed data that is not prohibited by the checkboxes and filter.
The individual edit commands also have some unique options as well. These appear to the right of the grid size box. They are relatively easy to figure out.
Coordinate box
The coordinate box is useful for Copy and Move edits when you want to move the data to a precise location. The Coordinate box can be made visible with a double click on the coordinate display at the bottom right of the screen.
Once displayed the it can be moved around or docked with a tool bar. If you don’t see the coordinate box appear when you double click the coordinate display, it is already being displayed and probably docked somewhere.
After selecting data, you can type in the coordinates you want to move or copy the data to. Use the Tab button to change fields. Hitting Enter functions just as if you had clicked at the location typed in.
While Absolute movement (Abs) is default, you can also select the “Rel” button instead. It will allow you to type in a new location relative to the current location of the selected data.
Editing examples
Delete all uses of an aperture
1. Turn on the layers you want to effect.
2. Edit | Delete, select the filter button and type in the Dcode you want to remove.
3. Uncheck Raster Polygon.
4. Hit OK then Select all.
5. If the Dcode is used, you get a popup lists the number of Dcodes it will delete. Click “Yes” to do so.
Stepping data with Copy
1. Use Edit Copy, and then select your data.
2. Toggle L0 to L90, this way you can only place copies of your data in a 90 degree relation to the data you selected.
3. Change the number in the “Copies:” to be the numbers of copies you want. Click (or use the coordinate box) to place the first copies. The other copies automatically appear. At this point you have 1 row of your array.
4. Repeat the process selecting the row to complete your array.