Stepover retract distance is used just to determine when to feed vs. rapid to the next toolpath. Note that this only applies to stepovers between toolpaths. Use Retract gap distance to prevent retracting over a gap in a toolpath. Stepover retract distance is a 3D distance. If not explicitly set, the stepover threshold is the tool diameter plus twice the allowance. For a rough operation, allowance in this context is the Finish allowance. For finish operation it is Leave allowance.
The practical use of this attribute is to prevent stepovers from climbing up or down a big wall. This image shows toolpaths before increasing Stepover retract distance.
This figure shows how the tool stays on the metal with an increase in Stepover retract distance.
