topic Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part in HSM Support Forum

'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 21:17:58 GMT

I keep getting this error after updating some geometry on the SW part. The file is an SW file that I had already machined but came back to make some changes to the geometry and now it won't generate. This only happens on the "Flow" operations or "Scallop". Adaptive, Contour, Pocket and Face operations updated fine. It happens on new operations of Flow as well. I even saved the part as an .XT file then imported and tried again and I still get the error. I opened up a different file with flow operations and it seemed to work fine. I have HSMWorks 2018 R1.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

ivan.stanojevic — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 09:36:12 GMT

I would try to disable "Check geometry for faults" under the options tab.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 10:27:15 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

I'm sending you a file about this error. In SOLIDWORKS you can easily see which surfaces are faulty using the macro command. Could you give it a try?

Best regards ,

MEHMET CAN YILDIRIM

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:20:57 GMT

@ivan.stanojevic wrote:
I would try to disable "Check geometry for faults" under the options tab.

Didn't know that existed but sadly it did not work.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:22:23 GMT

Ran it on the assembly and the individual part and it says its okay:

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 20:55:51 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

Can you save it in different format and try again ? For example (x.t, iges, parasolid, acis)

Best regards,

MEHMET CAN YILDIRIM

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 21:16:48 GMT

It doesn't not work if I save as an .XT import than save as a Solidworks File, but it does work as an IGS and saved as an SW file. I didn't want to have to do this because I lost about 8 hours of programming but it is what it is. I have also been in contact with Autodesk Tech Support and the said it was going to go to their developmental team to find the root cause.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Laurens-3DTechDraw — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 05:51:48 GMT

With the original message, it said it has selected the bad face.

Nothing you could see was wrong with that face?

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 14:12:26 GMT

You won't loose 8 hours of programming if you just take your iges part and stick it into the assembly you are currently using.

just make a new job and make the flow cut from the import part, yes it's a bandaid but you don't have to completely reprogram a new assembly.

that is the power of assembly machining.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 15:45:35 GMT

Sadly it doesn't work as you say for operations requiring selecting faces as the faces are no longer referenced to the part once the disappear. Adaptive operations will work, but thats about it. I have about 45 different operations because it is a complicated 5th axis part. I will have to start from scratch using the IGES file in a new assembly.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 16:17:48 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Sadly it doesn't work as you say for operations requiring selecting faces as the faces are no longer referenced to the part once the disappear. Adaptive operations will work, but thats about it. I have about 45 different operations because it is a complicated 5th axis part. I will have to start from scratch using the IGES file in a new assembly.

what do you mean disappear?

you do not suppress any of the components in the assembly, just hide and show only!!

I do this all the time and never loose the toolpath associativity to anything I have used to control the toolpath.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 16:36:34 GMT

The part disappears when you swap out for another through replace component. All references are gone since it is new geometry. Like I said, it works for adaptive because you just select the new model through the job info, but all associated sketches used for contours or other toolpaths need to be rebuilt as well as all other reference geometry used for bottom, top, feed and retract planes. I'm not sure how it works for you but I have been using HSM for SW a year and half now and I have never been able to replicate what you describe.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:29:48 GMT

you do not swap out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you just add the iges import and then you have 2 parts in the assembly, the SW featured part and then the Dumb solid!!!

just use the import to cut the things the original will not, you make a new job with the import only not both parts, then post out from the new job for the areas that you need that the imported allows you to cut.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:35:28 GMT

Ohhh, gotcha. Ya that should work. Thanks.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:37:08 GMT

Hence why I said shouldn't take you 8 hours

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

dominic_vrolijks — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 22:45:25 GMT

Adding to this thread in 2022, I'm using HSMWorks 2023 R0.44039 in Solidworks 2022. I'm having this problem too. I was working through a complicated design yesterday, no problems. Come back a day later, and getting the degenerate face selection error. I found if I offset the faces I needed for the next operation, I could select these as the model and get the tool path to generate. I tried using the import IGES solid as mentioned above, but this didn't really work, as I needed to maintain the rest machining history. The technique that has saved me is protecting the toolpaths as I completed them in the machining.

Here's the original error without selecting the offset faces.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 22:57:32 GMT

Looks like you've deleted a bunch of stuff on the one part, looks like only surfaces, it might be the culprit for the error.

Not sure what your trying to do? is the top surface being cut or are you using it as a check surface?

pics of the toolpath tree would help or even the assembly with the parts so we cam see all the setting add see if we get the same error and try to fix.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

dominic_vrolijks — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 23:04:40 GMT

No Len, that's been my method to fix the issue. But I've just discovered if I go back in the feature history and update one of the features, which is a mirror body it is now working.

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

dominic_vrolijks — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 23:07:59 GMT

Here's my model, with some containment sketches. I'm using a rotary to machine all of this in one setup.

Here's my CAM tree to the start of today where the issue occurred;

Re: 'Degenerate Face' Error on SW part

lenny_1962 — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 23:12:53 GMT

How come you are not using Blend toolpath? might help you string some of those flow paths into one path...???

it is a much stronger path, I use the crap out of it for things like this.

You have to activate BETA Mode to use it.