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Contents
  • Introduction
  • Basics
    • User Interface
    • Drawing and System tabs
    • Rotating and panning
    • Selecting objects
    • Toolpaths and gcode
    • Drawing Units
    • File Menu
    • View Menu
    • Tools Menu
    • Simple Example
    • Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Machining (CAM)
    • Machining Basics
    • Profile
    • Pocket
    • Drill
    • Engrave
    • 3D Profile
    • Lathe
    • Creating GCode
    • Machining Options
    • Edit Gcode
    • CAM Part
    • CAM Styles
    • Lead Moves
    • Holding Tabs
    • Side Profiles
    • Post Processor
    • Back Plotting
    • Tool Libraries
    • Speeds and Feeds Calculator
  • Drawing (CAD)
    • Entities
    • Layers
    • Transformations
    • Operations
    • Edit Polyline
    • Edit Surface
    • Edit Points
    • Creating Surfaces
    • Region Fill
  • Tutorials
    • Profile
    • Pocketing
    • Drilling
    • Bitmap Heightmaps
    • Text Engraving
    • 3D Profile
    • 3D Profile - Back face
  • Automation
  • Configuration
  • Appendix
    • What's New?
Documentation for the latest CamBam release is available here...

File Menu

File Open

CamBam can read the following drawing file types:

  • CamBam native file format (*.cb)
  • Autodesk DXF files - up to AutoCAD 2000 format (*.dxf)
  • 3DStudio files (*.3ds)
  • Stereo Lithographic 3D meshes (*.stl)
  • GCode files (*.tap,*.nc, etc)
  • Gerber file (*.gbr)

Unrecognised file extensions are presumed to be GCode files.

Use the File - Open menu option to open the required file or drag and drop files from Windows Explorer onto the CamBam window.

When CamBam is installed, it will be associated with (*.cb) files, so these can be opened by double clicking them from Windows Explorer.

CamBam will also attempt to open any files passed to the application via the command line.

File New

Creates a new blank file.

The interface will be reset, the default settings stored in the general configuration will be used.

Hint: If a Drawing Template is defined in the system configuration settings, this file will be used as template for the new drawing.

The drawing template can contain useful default settings such as Post Processor, Fast Plunge Height and Stock, as well as drawing objects and machining operations.

New from template

This will create a new drawing, based on an existing CamBam (.cb) file.

Template drawings are typically saved into the templates sub folder of the CamBam system folder. Use the Tools - Browse system folder menu to help find the templates location.

An example template drawing: nameplate.cb, is provided. This template allows the creation of a nameplate with raised lettering, commonly used for locomotive name plates. This template contains all the drawing objects and machining operations required. The default text can be quickly changed by double clicking the text object in the drawing view.

Changes made to a drawing based on a template will not affect the template file. To modify the template file, it will need to be opened from the template folder using File - Open.

Save, Save As

Save your work using the menu File / Save or Save As.

Depending on the value of the File Backups configuration setting, a number of backup files may be generated for each file. These backups are located in the same folder as the saved drawing and will have extensions such as .b1, .b2 etc. with .b1 being the most recent backup.

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