The Layer Dialog Box

The layer dialog box is accessible by double-clicking on the on any one of the layers listed in the layer column of the ACEconverter window.  This means, of course, that a DXF file must be loaded into ACEconverter before accessing the Layer dialog box.

This dialog allows the user to:

• Turn the layer off.  If this box is checked, no entities in this layer will be converted.
• Determine which direction to cut arcs and circles in this layer.  If "Doesn't Matter" is selected, upon priority optimisation the direction of each arc or circle will be automatically generated and optimized if the priority the layer belongs to is optimized. Otherwise, the arcs and circles default direction is counterclockwise.
• Set the Z offset of the layer.  This setting just offsets the value of all Z values by the number specified.  So if the drawing was made on the XY plane located at Z=0, the user could change this plane to be any Z value.
• Set the maximum depth per pass.  This setting allows the user to determine if more than one pass needs to be made during the machining process.  So for example, if your tool path is drawn at Z=-0.8 and the Max Z/Pass=0.25, then there would need be 4 passes generated in order the get to the proper Z depth of -0.8.
• Determine the character to be used in place of the Z character in the DXF file.  This can be very useful in 4 axis operations.  So for example, if the user's fourth axis is named W, this character can be set to W and this layer would be generated only for the fourth axis control.  This effectively allows the user to integrate his or hers fourth axis into tool path code yet not lose optimization by doing so.
• Determine which Priority the layer belongs to.  Each layer belongs to a priority.  The priority properties define the layer properties further.