Help Exporting Stylus Geometry from CMM to Planner

[[Dy...]]

Hi everyone,

I’m sure others have come across this issue, but after searching for a few days and trying various approaches, I figured it’s time to ask for help directly.

I’m trying to transfer our stylus system from our Contura G2 with VAST XXT RDS to ZEISS Planner, but I’m struggling with properly importing the full stylus geometry.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

Created the stylus system in SSC.

Exported the RC list from the Contura.

Imported the .ssc into Planner.

Imported the RC list into that stylus system and saved it as a new system.

The articulation and graphical orientations look correct, and all the RDS-CAA rotations came through as expected — but none of the actual stylus geometry (lengths, sphere sizes, etc.) came with it.

To work around this, I went back to the Contura and exported a .pcf file, hoping it might contain the necessary geometry. But now I’m stuck: I can’t figure out how to combine or import that .pcf file in a way that fills in the geometry for the system I already built in Planner. Manually entering the data isn’t ideal — we’ve got dozens of styli and angles used in our programs.

I did reach out to a ZEISS Applications Tech last week, who kindly pointed me to the Knowledge Base, but I haven’t had luck finding guidance specific to this issue.

If anyone has a method or workflow that’s worked for them, I’d be really grateful if you could share it.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best,
Dylan

[[To...]]

Don't give up yet.  I posted a "how to" on the forum sometime in the past.

[[Dy...]]

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Hi Tom,

I actually found that article online a couple of days ago—thanks for sharing it anyway!

One thing I noticed, though, is that the actual stylus geometry from the CMM isn’t included in the RC list. I was hoping there might be a way to transfer the stylus data (or even the .pcf file) without having to copy everything over manually. Then it hit me—maybe ZEISS made it this way on purpose. Maybe I’m trying to use Planner differently than it was designed... backwards.

I get that the whole point is to build programs offline, send them out, and then the operator swaps in the correct stylus system on the machine. In theory, it should run just fine. But working in reverse hasn’t been as straightforward.

What’s really tripping me up is how Calypso handles the X, Y, Z values and vectors, especially in relation to the .ssc files and Planner. If I could better understand how that mapping works, I’d probably have a clearer picture of where I’m going wrong.

I attached one last screenshot I took after manually entering the stylus geometry and re-qualifying everything. I only went that route because I was still getting collision alerts during simulation (probably a fat-fingered value somewhere—this program has been running smoothly for years). Now I’m just second-guessing what values should actually be in those X, Y, Z fields.

So I guess my real question is:
Should the X, Y, Z geometry and vector values in Planner match exactly with those on the Contura CMM?

Apologies if this comes across as a bit scatterbrained—I’ve just about pulled my hair out trying to make sense of it all.

But hey, I’m not giving up. I begged, borrowed, and pleaded for two years to get this extra Planner seat, and I will figure this out—one way or another! 😄 Thanks again for all your help and guidance.

Not sure I’ll get a chance today, but next on my list is to try creating a fresh program from scratch in Planner and sending it to the CMM to see if the same issues pop up.

All the best,
Dylan

 

[[To...]]

You offline stylus system data comes from the model you build the stylus system in Stylus System Creator.  You're just using the rotations from the RC List window to add them to the initial stylus from SSC.

[[Dy...]]

Ok, I think that tells me all i need to know to figure this thing out. I'm gonna start over, fresh, and keep this in mind. It could have been that i built the StarProbe incorrectly from the start and that's why i was getting the collision alerts.

[[Ni...]]

I do the following..

• Build up stylus in SSC creator
• Import to offline planner, create your indexes/RC list
• Verify the geometry is appropriately transferred to all of your 'new' styli
• Export the stylus system to PCF file
• Copy the SSC file to the work area of the next computer
• Import the PCF file

This has worked for offline and online planners for me, and seems to be the fastest way to transfer a stylus from one machine to another with the exact same names, geometry, indexes, SSC file, etc..