interiorCAD tools files or "Why do my drillings show up as pockets in NC code?"

interiorCAD is able to output NC programs for various different systems & machinery.

Each system or machine is described by a template file (a text file located in the folder Plug-Ins/XG Resources/NC-Export), which specifies how the different machinings are carried out on the machine. Though interiorCAD comes with some well preconfigured template files, it needs tweaking them to get the best output results.

Additionally, there is a tools file (a text file located in the folder Plug-Ins/XG Resources/NC-Export/Tools) for each template file. With the standard interiorCAD installation, the tools file has the same name as the template file. While the template file describes the syntax of a particular machine, the tools file contains information about the tools available.

If interiorCAD doesn't find a matching tool for a drilling, it automatically converts the drilling to a pocket.

Further documentation on tools files can be found in our Wiki. If you don't know the password, just click on the "interiorCAD manual" link on your desktop. It will open a web page where you can find the needed login information.