Importing DMIS files into PC-DMIS

[LibertyMachine]

Hello all,

I am running PC-DMIS 2017 R2. I have the option of importing DMIS files, but I don't have any examples of that or how I could leverage that to my advantage (if there is one at all). Has anyone done such a task and what is involved and what is expected of the file format?

We have been using the CMM machine for several months with great success, and we are just now starting to look at the other options that are in the software and trying to learn as much as possible about the software.

I'm "guessing" that this would be a file produced by another CMM programming software that would be in a "neutral" format, much like a .step or .iges file would be to the CAD world?

Thanks in advance!

Seth

[Peter Fuller]

DMIS import is pretty straight forward, you're going to have to edit some things. Probes and angle will need to be created for every sensor select inside DMIS code, angles will probably need to be re-dimensioned, but generally speaking you should not have many issues between the code. Run it slow, debug it. Generally speaking if I have to train customers how to import a DMIS program it's usually about 20 minutes of instruction and testing before we are running the part.

[LibertyMachine]

Are there any sample files I could play with so I could start messing around with this concept? I looked in the install location for anything .dmo or .dmi but did not see anything

[neil.challinor]

To give you an idea of what DMIS code looks like you can switch the edit window to display in DMIS mode rather than COMMAND / SUMMARY mode. You have to enable it via the settings (F5) first though - from memory it's something like "use DMIS button in edit window". Once enabled you will be able to toggle between COMMAND, SUMMARY & DMIS modes for any program you have loaded. Some people like DMIS files because they can be written / read in notepad so, in theory, you don't need a licence to offline program - although you'd be limited to purely text input and have to visualise everything in your head (no CAD). This is how I used to program in my previous job before I joined Hexagon. It got the job done but it was painfully slow and gave me more than a few headaches - I much prefer PC-DMIS code and working with a CAD model - so much easier.

One thing I should mention, A lot of CMM companies have their own version of DMIS with subtle variation from it's "pure" form so even if you do get your hands on some programs, there will probably be some commands that don't translate well (or at all). Also, if they contain any custom macro's / sub routines you'll need those as well or the program won't work.

[Ego Murphy]

The only need that importing DMIS files meets (and poorly, at that... see below) is the need to convert a program(s) already written/developed/debugged in a different software to save you the dozens/hundreds/thousands of hours re-writing them from scratch in PC-DMIS.

If you do not have this need, my advice skip it. Concentrate on metrology and PC-DMIS programming best practices.

Dirt:
It's horrendous. I was testing it by exporting a known good PC-DMIS program into DMIS, then re-importing it. Holy cow it was nuts. It did cray-cray things like take a single 5-step Level-Rotate-Origins alignment and break it into 5 different alignments, each of which recalled the alignment that the original alignment had recalled - meaning the final alignment was merely a Z origin and all the other rather fooking important alignment steps were essentially skipped. Some of this can be alleviated by choosing the right BAS file to modify the importing (these BAS files are included in the installation) but nothing's perfect.

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

Keep in mind, Pcdmis is NOT dmis, never was, never will be.

[Schrocknroll]

I had some program from Virtual DMIS that I imported into PC-DMIS. It works OK but you'll want to look at each step of the program and you start learning what tweaks will be needed. If you are proficient at reading PC-DMIS code, then don't try it.

[AndersI]

DMIS was not intended to be a language humans use for programming, but a vendor-independent transfer language for both programs and measuring results - "Dimensional Measurement Interface Standard".

It can be useful if you have other software generating part programs (CAD/CAM software for example). It might take a while to configure both ends to cooperate, but when/if you get it there, it can be very productive.

I don't think it will help as much when going from one vendor language to another vendor language, as both ends will have added a lot of functionality that's not in the DMIS standard, which has to be fixed by macros/subroutines/magic...

[LibertyMachine]

It can be useful if you have other software generating part programs (CAD/CAM software for example). It might take a while to configure both ends to cooperate, but when/if you get it there, it can be very productive.

I will neither confirm nor deny my intentions with this topic I'm pursuing....

[Kp61dude!]

We attempted to import Virtual DMIS programs into PcDmis... we created the programs from scratch instead. Too much funny business already mentioned.