CIMCO recently reorganized what comes with each tier of CIMCO Edit. Backplot simulation and the full set of advanced NC editing functions, block numbering, program transforms, and graphical toolpath editing, used to require the top tier. All of it is now standard in the entry tier, which is also why that tier now goes by CIMCO Edit Core instead of Standard. The name is the smaller part of the story. The bigger part is how much more is in the software now.
If you are running Core, here is what moved down and what it actually does.
Advanced NC Editing
A plain text editor treats G-code as characters on a line. Core’s NC Functions treat it as a program, which means it can be manipulated as one instead of retyped by hand. Block Numbers can be inserted or removed across a whole program or a selected range in a single pass. This includes special cases like starting a new sequence from a specific tool change, feedrate, or spindle speed value. Insert/Remove covers a long list of edits that used to mean a lot of manual find-and-replace: stripping block skip characters, normalizing spacing, removing comments or empty lines, or inserting a defined string at a precise location, before a matched line, after a matched line, or based on a regular expression pattern.
The Transform menu handles the math. Adjust Feedrate scales the entire program’s feedrate with a slider or a direct value instead of recalculating every line. Other Transform functions scale, mirror, rotate, or shift a program or a selected block the same way. The Info menu pulls program statistics, tool lists, and travel limits directly out of the code, so answering “what tools does this program use” or “what are the travel limits” does not mean reading the whole file.
Graphical editing ties this together with Backplot: select a toolpath segment visually in the simulation and jump straight to the corresponding line in the code, instead of scrolling to find it.
Backplot Simulation
Backplot is the feature most shops ask about first, and it is standard in Core now. CIMCO Edit includes two simulation engines, the original Standard engine and the newer Fast version, which is the default and handles complex, high-volume programs noticeably better on modest hardware. The simulation runs in the same window as the code: the NC program on one side, the toolpath rendering in the center, and a docking pane on the right with the Simulation Report, Navigation, Variables, and Geometry Manager tabs.
Backplot in Core covers toolpath visualization, tool display, and program error checking, catching a missing decimal point or a syntax error before it becomes a call from the shop floor. Highlighting syntax errors during simulation can be turned on directly in the Backplot setup. This means a bad line gets flagged the moment the program is run rather than discovered mid-cut.
NC-Assistant, File Compare, and Multi Channel
A few more capabilities round out what Core includes. The NC-Assistant Sidebar tracks the macro tied to whatever line or block is selected, showing its parameters as editable fields that update the code immediately. It lists every macro available for the current file type and macro group so inserting one does not mean hunting through a separate reference.
File Compare puts two versions of a program side by side and lets you step through the differences with Go To navigation instead of reading two files looking for what changed. Multi Channel support handles lathes and mill-turn machines with two or more independent channels, displaying them side by side with Wait code synchronization shown directly in the interface: matching codes in yellow, missing ones in purple.
None of these are new to CIMCO Edit. What is new is they now sit in the same tier as Backplot and the advanced NC functions, instead of being split across two different licenses depending on what a shop happens to need that day.
Turning It On
None of this requires a new purchase or license conversion. Once you install the latest version and your license shows CIMCO Edit Core, the features above are available. Advanced NC editing lives under the NC Functions menu. Backplot starts from the Backplot tab. And the simulation engine can be switched between Standard and Fast in the Backplot configuration under Editor Setup.
Have Questions or Need Help?
Check out our CIMCO Edit product page for even more information on both products.
If you’d to discuss further, or need help setting it up for your specific machines and controls, please reach out to our team here at Managed Solutions. We’ll be happy to walk through it with you.
+1 (925) 736-9114
managedsolutions.com
