Changing the Shared Mastercam Folder to a Network Location
By default, Mastercam stores all information for your machines and libraries in a local folder on each computer, which is appropriate for a company with only a single user. When more than one computer is used, this set-up can cause problems as changes are not shared. With the Shared Directory in a network location, one copy of the Machine Definition, Post Processors, Tool Libraries and other files are used by everyone. This cuts down on post tweaks that don’t get saved on all the computers and inconsistent outputs between programmers. You can be confident that everyone is working from the same tool library with the same tool numbers, feeds, and speeds. If any changes are made, they are visible to all users.
There are advantages to moving the Shared Mastercam folder to a network location, but it must be done correctly for everything to work seamlessly. The default Shared Data path is “C:\Users\Public\Documents\Shared Mastercam 2020”, and there will be an additional folders required for any other versions you plan to continue using. Future versions will create additional folders, so plan accordingly. Depending on your current situation here is the process to consolidate everything.
Decide on Location
First, decide where to put the shared folder and make sure all users have sufficient permissions to access that folder. Check with your IT group to make sure the location is appropriate, has enough space for your data, and see if backups can be enabled for added security. If the folder location is not on a server, select a machine that is always on or can be turned on when that user is away from the office. Read/Write permissions for all users is recommended, but users can be set-up for read-only access when required. Create the folder with an appropriate name and make sure it is visible to all Mastercam users.
Configuration
You must configure Mastercam on each computer to use the new location. If Mastercam is already installed, simply open Mastercam 2020 and go to File > Configuration > Files, choose the ‘Shared Data Folder’ data path and browse to the new location for Shared Mastercam 2020. If multiple versions of Mastercam are still in use this process should be repeated for each version, and note that it will copy your local directory to that location so make sure to skip any files that are duplicates if you do not want them copied and review the final folder contents when this process is complete.
If you are installing Mastercam on a new machine you can change the ‘Shared Defaults Path’ during the installation process and it will be set-up to use the new location right away.
Once configured, the new path is stored in a configuration file typically located in ‘Documents\My Mastercam 2020\Mastercam\CONFIG\mcamx.config’. That config file can be directly edited or shared and contains all local configuration information for Mastercam. To confirm that the new paths are being used, open or start a new project and check the Files node under the machine definition.
Testing the Migration
If the Shared Data folder is mapped correctly, all other utilities and functions will operate normally. For example, the Migration Wizard will Migrate your Posts, Config files, Tool Bars, Tool Libraries, Op defaults and other files that make Mastercam unique to you from one version of Mastercam to the next making switching less painful. New to Mastercam 2020 you may begin to see .Mcam-Content files. These files are preprogrammed to extract the files into their correct locations in the Shared Mastercam folder and can contain Posts, Mill-Turn Machine files, Tutorial examples, or Tool Libraries just to name a few.
Note: If you are consolidating multiple separate users to one shared folder, it is a good idea to make a backup copy of each shared directory just in case local edits were made that might get lost or overwritten during the consolidation process. The consolidation process can be time-consuming if a lot of changes were performed separately on multiple machines, but if you follow this procedure before the second machine comes online, this should not be an issue.
About the author
M Scott Lindsay is a Mastercam user of 20+ years with machining backgrounds in the Job shop, Molding, and Medical fields. He has a habit of thinking outside the box and helping customers use Mastercam to its full potential. You can reach Scott on Twitter @MastercamExpert or Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/mscottlindsay
