When you open a part, CAM Assist takes you through it in stages across the top of the window: Overview, Assessment, Setups, Feature planning, Tools and Program. You check each stage, run CAM Assist, then review the program and send it to your CAM package.
The usual order
- Overview: the part opens here. It shows each stage's status and whether you're ready to run.
- Assessment: CAM Assist checks the part for problems. Choose the machine, material and configuration, and attach the part drawing to view beside the model if you have one.
- Setups: choose which setups to machine, the machining mode, workholding, and which toolpath types to generate.
- Feature planning: check the hole groups CAM Assist found, and choose which setups machine them if you need to.
- Tools: choose the tool libraries CAM Assist can use, and add AI-suggested tools.
- Click Run CAM Assist. Program opens and shows the operations as they're generated.
- Review and edit the program, then click Send to CAM package.
Click Next: at the bottom of a stage to go to the next one. You can also click any stage in the header, in any order. See The CAM Assist stages.
What CAM Assist does in the background
- The assessment starts as soon as the part opens, whichever stage you're on.
- AI tool suggestions start once the assessment has finished. They appear in Tools. See Get AI tool suggestions.
- Each stage keeps its status up to date as you change things. A stage that's Blocked stops the run; one that Needs attention doesn't.
When can I run CAM Assist?
The Run button is at the bottom of every stage, and you can click it as soon as nothing is blocked. You don't have to visit every stage first. Its label tells you where you are:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Run CAM Assist | Everything is ready. |
| Run with warnings (or Run with 2 warnings, and so on) | Some stages need attention. You can still run. |
| Regenerate program | There's already a program. Running again replaces it. |
| Run again | The program is up to date. |
| Retry CAM Assist | The last run failed, was cancelled or produced no program. |
If the button is greyed out, hover over it to see why. See Why can't I run CAM Assist?
What if I change something after running?
The program doesn't update by itself. Program out of date appears over the 3D view, and Program shows an Out of date chip. Click Regenerate to run CAM Assist again with your changes, or Later to keep the current program for now. You can still send the existing program; it uses the inputs from the last run.