The CAM Browser is the placeholder for all your toolpaths. All toolpaths are organized in setup folders which describe the physical setup (e.g. your work coordinate system). A complete program is composed of one or more individual operations which contain the actual generated toolpath (cutter location information). For more complex setups, it can be useful to organize the operations into subfolders.
The ordering of the setups and operations within the CAM Browser is also the ordering that is generally reflected in the final NC program or when simulating the toolpath. Toolpath patterning and tool reordering are the only features that can influence the listed order.
The CAM Browser
Operation Warnings
After generating a toolpath in Autodesk HSM, the operation may sometimes be marked with an orange checkmark.
The orange checkmark indicates that a toolpath was generated successfully but with one or more warnings
To see what the warning is, right-click the operation and select Show Log from the pop-up context menu.
In the image below, the 2D Pocket operation cannot clear all selected areas because there is not enough room for a ramp with the given settings.
This displays the following warning in the Log:
Extended Information
Additional information can be shown in the CAM Browser alongside the name. Please refer to the To Display Extended Information in the CAM Browser Help topic to learn more about CAM Browser options.
Extended information
Keyboard Shortcuts
Many of the actions that are used often have keyboard shortcuts associated with them. The most common ones are the actions that appear on the right-click pop-up context menu in the CAM Browser.
Shortcut keys available in the CAM Browser include:
| Shortcut | Description |
| Ctrl+C | Copy selected operation(s) |
| Ctrl+V | Paste copied operation(s) |
| Ctrl+D | Duplicate selected operation(s) |
| Ctrl+G | Regenerate selected operations |
| Ctrl+L | Show operation log |
| Ctrl+A | Select All (items of same type) |
| Delete | Delete operations/folders/setup |
| F2 | Rename operation |
| Enter | Edit selected item |
Note that these shortcut keys only work when the CAM Browser has focus. To make sure that this is the case, click somewhere in the CAM Browser first.
When editing parameter values, the following shortcuts can be useful:
| Shortcut | Description |
| Enter | Save and recalculate parameter |
| Ctrl+Enter | Same as clicking OK in the Operations dialog box |
| Arrow Up | Increment numerical value at cursor |
| Arrow Down | Decrement numerical value at cursor |
In addition to these common keyboard shortcuts, there are also several places in Autodesk HSM where holding the Shift key modifies the normal behavior.
- Holding Shift while clicking OK for a strategy in the Operations dialog box skips the automatic regeneration of the operation.
- Holding Shift while hovering over a parameter field shows an extended tooltip that lists the formulas used for the parameter.
- Holding Shift while opening a document allows you to skip loading of toolpaths. Note that when saving, the previously generated toolpaths are lost.