Choosing the correct tool path type and a couple inconsistencies

[mstephensRN75T]

So I'm trying to make a simple piece - cutting a circle out of acrylic that has a pattern of small holes in it. So my first question is, what is the best tool path to get this circle cut? 

I've tried a few options and here are the issues I'm running into. Trace cuts along the center of the path, whereas I need to cut on the outside. I tried 2D contour and it will only cut the inside of the line, and I can't find the option to switch to the outside. So, what's the best option here? I'm imagining I would want a few small tabs on the bottom if possible to hold it in place for manual removal after the fact.

Some other questions more in general and not pertaining to this specific project only:

-Is there a simple way to pattern an entire project? Perhaps this will come down more to the CNC manufacturer, but in the case of this circle, for example, once I make one of them and test it, I'm going to want to make a large quantity, but having to start each one individually, moving the zero point along my stock piece, is obviously pretty tedious. A more difficult example - if I am trying to make multiple copies of something with a few tool changes, I want to do *all* the X bit cuts first before moving to the Y bit, so moving the zero at all would be dangerous at best. So yeah, any way to do this without literally duplicating the model in Fusion and creating new stock/tool paths?

-Is there a way to make the simulation of cuts looks like anything else than hideous green vinyl? I often cut things out of wood and would love a generic wood option just to have a better idea of how things look and without that insane glare the vinyl has.

-Most, not all, of my projects in Fusion will not give me the option to choose materials for speeds and feeds. Like, a couple times I will have a huge list of things to choose from. Most times, however, I will have "custom" and "default" and nothing else. Why is this happening? 

-I would love to share my file with you so you could see all this problems, but I hope you can help without that, because I'm having another issue where I cannot save or export. The dialog box pops up, I click the button, the box stays there and nothing happens. This has happened in the past as well at least a couple of times. I can interact with the program fine otherwise, including opening *and saving* other files. So I'm pretty sure the work I just did is about to be deleted. What's going on here? 

[anthony.spell]

I would typically go with an adaptive operation, but 3D pocket clearing will also yield great results. As far as the speeds and feeds part, it may be from where you are using a preexisting tool that you have setup to run for something else, so it is using what you previously did for that specific tool.

[anthony.spell]

Also, if it where me and I was going to be running this multiple times. I would make some soft jaws, and touch off at the bottom of the jaws to zero my z. This will allow you to always load a new work piece in the machine in approx the same location, while insuring your part height tolerances stay relatively consistent. As far as the simulation skin goes, I wouldn't have a clue.

[mstephensRN75T]

The tool choice is probably the issue there, thanks!

As for the multiple runs idea, what I was thinking of was running these in an array on the same, larger, piece of material. Like this circle thing is a filter for someone I share a lab with, so he just needs a bunch of these cut out of, ideally, a single piece of acrylic. So it would be cumbersome to cut a stock piece into all these smaller pieces, rather than just letting 40 of them cut at once, you know? If I have to duplicate the stuff in Fusion, it's not the end of the world, but I discovered recently that there is no quick way to select all tool paths (why doesn't drawing a marquee over them work? WHY???) so that's tedious as heck but not impossible. It just seems like something that people would have been demanding for a while now, you know?

[johnswetz1982]

Next to your setup button is one for [Pattern]. That will create a folder and you can drag all of your operations into that folder which will pattern them based on which kind you picked and the parameters of it.  

[ritste20]

As far as the green plastic vinyl look, you can change the stock display to ceramic and put colorization to material. Less abrasive on the eyeballs. Or set the stock to transparent and apply a wood appearance to the model.

Regards,

[mstephensRN75T]

How do I put colorization to the material? When I choose any of the material options under simulation, they just have a default color and no way to modify anything. Like, "Metallic Paint" is just bright red, nothing else.

When I change it to transparent and apply a wood material to the stock under the design workspace, I guess that's *slightly* better, but it's still only half visible.

[ritste20 · Accepted solution]

Colorization is kind of a weird way to call it what it is. You are very limited on color choices obviously but the colorization drop down is the methodology that the simulate tool uses to decide when to change a surface to a different color. It can separate color schemes by tools, operations, or if you select material then you have that finite list of metallic paint, ceramic, etc. It basically restricts it to one obscene color splotch instead of several. By setting the stock transparency checkbox then the part appearance will show through the cloudy box of your stock setup.

Hope this helps,