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Mcam, where do you click on the circle to get the desired tool direction?

316head

Aluminum
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Location
finland
This is one of those things that I never figured out. When chaining circle, you get the arrow either pointing right or left (or up/down), depending on where you click. How is the direction determined?

With lines and arcs it is easy.
 
This is one of those things that I never figured out. When chaining circle, you get the arrow either pointing right or left (or up/down), depending on where you click. How is the direction determined?

With lines and arcs it is easy.

Determined by where you click closest to a Midpoint, Endpoint or Point. If you select one side or the other of the start point that is where the direction is determined. You also have to consider what offset you are using. There is a Reverse Path button if you want to toggle back and forth.
 
Yes, I know of reverse button and want to avoid that extra click to get the direction right on first try.

How do you know where the "endpoint" of circle is?
 
Yes, I know of reverse button and want to avoid that extra click to get the direction right on first try.

How do you know where the "endpoint" of circle is?

Are you curving geometry off of a solid? If so, then it depends on how that solid was created.

Or are you chaining off of new circular geometry that you've created yourself? In that case, seems like the endpoint is always at 3 o'clock by default. Then the direction is basically split into two quadrants - when chaining click the 12 o'clock quadrant to start your chain at 3 o'clock and cut CCW. Click the 6 o'clock quadrant to start your chain at 3 o'clock and move CW.

In chaining options you can set it to always chain closed contours in the CCW direction regardless of cursor position.

Also, if you have a circle and want to see where the break point is you can analyze that entity, it will show a graphic for center point and it will show a point position for that break point.
 
The start point of a circle is generally the 3 o'clock position. Click at 2 o'clock for counter clockwise and 4 o'clock for clockwise.
 
Anti clockwise for bore (arrow pointing in) will climbmill. Clockwise for outside (arrow pointing out, climb milling again
 








 
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