To create an arc, click Create > Arc. The following menu appears.
3 Points
Create an arc using three points.
The Select Point menu will be displayed for you to choose a location command to select each of three points.
The first two locations will be marked with small squares. SURFCAM will display the arc when the last location is indicated.
Center / Radius
SURFCAM displays the Create Arc dialog box for you to enter the radius, Start angle, End angle and Direction of the arc. Then the Select Point menu will be displayed for you to select the arc center location.
Center / Diameter
This command works the same as the Center/Radius command just described except that SURFCAM will prompt you for the diameter instead of the radius.
2 Points / Diameter
Create an arc of 180° by specifying the two end points of the diameter. SURFCAM will display the Select Point menu so you can select the two points. SURFCAM will create the 180° arc from the first point to the second in the counterclockwise direction.
Center / Start / End
Create an arc by specifying the center of the arc, the start point of the arc, and a point defining the angle of the arc. The Select Point menu will be displayed for you to select the required locations.
The distance between the center point and the start point that you specify is the radius of the arc.
The second point that you select will not usually be the end point of the arc. It will determine the central angle for the arc, that is, the degree measure of the arc itself. The arc will be created in the counterclockwise direction from the start point of the arc.
Tangent 2
Create an arc tangent to two elements. A second Arc menu will be displayed and you will be prompted to select the two tangent entities.
Tangent 3
Create an arc tangent to three elements. You will be prompted to select the three elements. The elements selected are restricted to points, lines, arcs and circles.
An arc with tangent points closest to the locations selected will be created. Use the Other command to select a different possibility, or Undo to delete the created arc.
Offset an arc by a specified distance from a location of your choice, or tangent to another entity.
Creating toolpaths that follow the contour of splines can result in the creation of more linear moves in the final G-code than is desirable. The From Spline command is used to create a new entity that approximates the original spline, but which can be machined more efficiently. The new entity is a series of connected arcs, each of which approximates a section of the spline. After using the From Spline command, both entities will exist in your drawing.
