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Joe’s TLDR Summary
CIMCO Edit is the industry-standard NC editor for CNC programmers, combining NC-Assistant macro automation, File Compare, advanced editing, full Backplot, and built-in DNC in one application that actually understands G-code. Core covers everyday NC editing and toolpath visualization. Ultra includes everything in Core and adds GPU-accelerated solid simulation, collision detection, stock verification, travel-limit reporting, and configurable Stop Conditions. For shops that need to verify the complete physical machine, Machine Simulation remains available as an add-on to Ultra.
As of September 1, 2026, CIMCO Edit Standard and Professional were replaced by CIMCO Edit Core and CIMCO Edit Ultra.
CIMCO Edit is available in two product levels based on the editing, Backplot, simulation, and program verification capabilities your shop needs.
CIMCO Edit Core provides advanced NC editing and full toolpath Backplot for everyday CNC programming and review.
CIMCO Edit Ultra includes everything in Core and adds high-performance solid simulation, collision detection, stock verification, travel-limit reporting, and configurable Stop Conditions.
Existing Edit Standard customers automatically qualify for Core, while existing Edit Professional customers automatically qualify for Ultra. No license conversion is required. To access the new features, install the latest version of CIMCO Edit.
For a complete overview of the changes, read our Complete Guide to Core and Ultra.
A programmer opens a new job on a shared PC at the CAM station. The post has been run, the program is on the network drive, and now someone has to check it before it goes anywhere near a machine. At a lot of shops, that still means reading G-code line by line, mentally modeling the toolpath, and hoping nothing was missed before the operator loads it.
At other shops, a program clears every visual check, looks perfect on screen, and still puts a holder into a clamp on the first real cut because nothing was watching for that specific kind of collision.
CIMCO Edit is built to close both gaps at whichever level your shop actually needs. Core covers the editing and Backplot work programmers do every day: writing and checking code, watching a toolpath run, comparing revisions, and managing multi-channel programs. Ultra adds another verification layer, including collision detection among the tool, holder, workpiece, and fixtures, along with stock verification and configurable Stop Conditions that can catch a physical problem before it becomes a repair bill.
We have implemented CIMCO Edit in shops of every size, from single-machine job shops to multi-plant manufacturers. The right tier comes down to one honest question: Does your shop need to see the toolpath, or does it need to be told when that toolpath is about to hit something it should not?
CIMCO Edit is a desktop application that runs on the PC, not on the machine control. It opens, edits, and manages NC programs for virtually any CNC control on the market, using CIMCO’s library of control-specific syntax definitions rather than forcing every program into a generic text format. It is licensed per seat, with both perpetual licenses and subscriptions available, and installs alongside the rest of the CIMCO software package if your shop also runs DNC-Max, NC-Base, or MDC-Max.
Both tiers share the same core editor. Core and Ultra differ in what happens once you move from editing the code to simulating and verifying what it will actually do. Core provides full toolpath Backplot, while Ultra adds solid simulation, collision detection, stock verification, and advanced Stop Conditions.
Neither tier automatically includes CNC-Calc or the Mazatrol Viewer, which are available as additional licenses. Machine Simulation is also a separate add-on available with Ultra. It models the complete physical machine rather than just the cutting process and is enough of its own subject that we cover it fully on its own page.
Before we look more closely at Core and Ultra, here are some of the everyday tools both versions share.
This is the feature I am most excited about when talking to shops. It is the one that tends to get the least attention because people assume it’s just a fancy tooltip system. It is not.
The NC-Assistant is a full macro and cycle management engine that can eliminate a huge chunk of repetitive, error-prone work that happens every time someone opens a new program. NC-Assistant is included in both CIMCO Edit Core and Ultra, giving shops at either product level a consistent way to build, reuse, and manage common blocks of CNC code.
The core idea is every shop has blocks of code they write over and over. Program headers. Tool change sequences. Spindle warmups. Canned drilling cycles. Probing routines.
Right now, most shops handle those in one of three ways:
1.) Someone types them from memory and occasionally fat-fingers a value.
2.) Someone copies them from an old program and forgets to update a parameter.
3.) Someone maintains a text file full of snippets they paste in manually.
All of these methods introduce errors. The NC-Assistant replaces all three with a single, consistent, prompted workflow.
On the NC-Assistant tab, there is a sidebar which lists available macros, organized by machine type and macro group. CIMCO Edit ships with a solid library of built-in cycles for ISO Milling, ISO Turning, Heidenhain, and others. But the real power is when you add your own.
Here’s an example. Say your shop uses a Fanuc VMC and every program starts with a specific safety block that sets your modal defaults, your work offset, and calls your tool length measurement routine. That block is 8 lines long and has 4 values that change per job: work offset number, tool number, spindle speed, and feed for the measurement pass. Right now, someone is either typing that by hand or copy-pasting it and editing manually.
With NC-Assistant, this is how you set that up once and never type it again:
1.) Open a program that already has your standard header block written correctly.
2.) Select those 8 lines.
3.) Go to NC-Assistant > Setup > Record Macro.
4.) Give it a name like “Job Start – Fanuc VMC” and click OK.
5.) The Macro Setup dialog opens. Here is where you define which values in this block are parameters, give them labels, set acceptable ranges, and mark which ones are required vs. optional.
6.) Click OK. This macro now lives in your library.
From this point on, inserting your header block is as follows:
1.) Open the NC-Assistant sidebar.
2.) Double-click “Job Start – Fanuc VMC”.
3.) Fill in four values in the dialog.
4.) Click OK.
Eight lines of correct code drop into your program. Every time. No typos and no wrong offsets left over from the last job.
This is the part that really saves time mid-program. Position your cursor anywhere on a macro block in your code. The Modify Macro icon in the ribbon becomes active. Click it, and the same parameter dialog opens pre-populated with the current values. Change what you need, click OK, and the code updates in place. You are never manually hunting through G-code looking for the right line to edit.
You can also use the NC-Assistant sidebar as a live inspector. Hover over any M or G code and a balloon tooltip pops up with a plain-English breakdown of what that code does and what its parameters are set to.
For anyone onboarding a new programmer or reviewing someone else’s code, this feature alone is worth the price.
Want to see how this works with a real shop workflow? Read Save Time with CIMCO Editor Macros Part 1 and Part 2.
PRO TIP FROM THE SHOP FLOOR:
Your macro library is stored as .MAC files in:
%appdata%\CIMCO 2026\CIMCOEdit\Types\
Those files are everything.
If you spend two days building out a clean macro library for your shop and then someone reinstalls Windows, those files are gone unless you backed them up.
Put that folder on a network share or in version control. Seriously. Two seconds of drag-and-drop now versus two days of rebuilding later is an easy trade.
Also worth noting: you can import and export individual .MAC files. This means your macro library is portable across machines and shareable across your team. If your lead programmer has a dialed-in set of macros, everyone else on the floor can have the same library in about 60 seconds.
File Compare is one of those features that earns its keep the moment something goes wrong on the floor and you need to determine whether the program running on the machine matches what engineering released.
Included in both Core and Ultra, CIMCO Edit’s File Compare puts two programs side by side and highlights every difference. Insertions, deletions, and changes are color-coded so you can step through them one at a time or view them all at once.
The smart part is what it ignores. Trivial formatting differences, such as block renumbering and whitespace, do not appear as changes. You are not left wading through false positives to find the one line that actually matters.
You can sync changes from one side to the other in either direction with a single keystroke. You can also save the comparison output to a text file if you need a record of what changed between revisions.
Real-world use case: A shop was running a family of similar parts on a VMC when someone modified one of the programs at the machine without documenting the change. When a dimension came back out of tolerance, nobody could identify what had been altered.
We pulled the program from the machine, loaded both versions into File Compare, and had the answer in about 45 seconds. One feedrate had been increased mid-program, apparently to save cycle time.
File Compare turned what could have been an hours-long investigation into a 45-second problem.
For configuration guidance and additional real-world applications, read our complete guide to CIMCO Edit File Compare.
Included in both Core and Ultra, the NC Functions tab is where CIMCO Edit earns its reputation as a programmer’s editor rather than just a viewer. These tools let you make global, intelligent changes to your code without touching it line by line.
Click any image to enlarge.
Click any image to enlarge.
See these tools in action in our Tech Tips on scaling feedrates in CIMCO Edit and removing a complete tool operation without counting lines.
Included in both Core and Ultra, CIMCO Edit provides direct DNC communication for RS-232 serial and FTP connections. You can send and receive programs from your CNC machines without leaving the editor or switching to a separate application.
Configure each machine once in DNC Setup, give it a recognizable name, and enter the appropriate protocol and port settings. From that point on, sending a program is a dropdown selection and one click.
The Transmit Status dialog shows live RS-232 signal states, bytes sent, and a real-time terminal view of the data stream. If a transfer hangs, you can see exactly where it stopped. For FTP connections, a split-window view provides local and remote directory browsers that work like a standard FTP client, all within the editor.
Important Note: The built-in DNC tools are a solid fit for a single machine or a simple shop setup. If you are managing a network of machines, need file approval workflows, or want centralized program management with revision control, this is where CIMCO DNC-Max steps in.
DNC-Max plays a much larger role in a connected shop floor and can function as the communication layer between your CNC machines and other manufacturing systems. CIMCO Edit’s built-in transmission is a great starting point, but it is worth knowing where the upgrade path leads.
Core is the foundation tier, and it is where most programming departments spend most of their day. It includes full NC editing built to understand code as a program rather than plain text. Transform functions to scale, mirror, rotate, or shift a program or a selected block without re-deriving the math by hand, and Info tools that extract program statistics, tool lists, and travel limits directly from the code instead of making someone hunt through hundreds of lines. Block number insertion and removal and graphical editing, selecting a toolpath segment visually and jumping straight to the corresponding line of code, round out the editing toolkit.
Core is the foundation tier, and it is where most programming departments spend most of their day. It includes full NC editing built to understand code as a program rather than plain text.
Transform functions let you scale, mirror, rotate, or shift a program or selected block without reworking the math by hand. Info tools extract program statistics, tool lists, and travel limits directly from the code instead of making someone hunt through hundreds of lines. Block-number functions and graphical editing, which lets you select a toolpath segment visually and jump directly to the corresponding line of code, round out the editing toolkit.
Backplot simulation is standard in Core. 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, with the NC program on one side and the toolpath rendering on the other.
Backplot provides toolpath visualization, tool display, and program error checking. It can help catch a missing decimal point, syntax error, incorrect coordinate, or unexpected tool movement before it becomes a call from the shop floor. What it does not cover is physical collision risk among the tool, holder, workpiece, stock, and fixtures. That is where Ultra picks up.
Core also includes File Compare, which 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 helps with lathes and mill-turn machines that have two or more independent channels, displaying them side by side with Wait-code synchronization shown directly in the interface.
Consider a shop running aerospace bracket work on a 3-axis vertical mill. Every new program can be checked at the programmer’s desk using Backplot before it reaches the machine. The machine-side dry run still happens, but more mistakes are caught upstream instead of while the machine is supposed to be cutting.
Here is a situation we have seen more than once. A programmer outputs a multi-axis program from CAM. The post processor has a quirk in it, and a rapid move sends the tool into the fixture at full speed.
Nobody catches it because verification in the CAM system looked clean and the program went straight to the floor. The result is a scrapped part, a damaged fixture, and a conversation nobody wants to have.
Ultra includes everything in Core and adds a verification suite that answers a question Backplot alone cannot. Not just, “Does the toolpath look right?” but, “Will it physically damage the tool, holder, fixture, or part while running?”
The Collision Settings panel lets you define exactly what counts as a collision and how closely the simulation checks for one. Tool/Workpiece Collisions can be limited to rapid moves, cutting moves, both, or turned off entirely. Because the tool is in near-constant contact with the workpiece during normal cutting, you do not want every legitimate cut flagged as a collision.
Collision Step Size controls how finely the simulation checks along the toolpath. Cutter Allowance helps filter out false positives caused by the small margin of error inherent in STL model geometry, allowing you to define how far a cutter can technically penetrate a surface before it counts as a real collision rather than model noise.
Holder Clearance is the collision most shops do not budget for because it never appears in a standard toolpath view. A tool can clear a fixture with room to spare while the holder above it does not. Ultra checks holder-to-stock and holder-to-fixture contact as part of the same collision pass, catching exactly the kind of crash that looks fine on screen and does not look fine on the machine.
Stock Verification Settings go a step further and identify material removed incorrectly even when there is no hard collision. Refine Edges improves the precision of the stock model. Rapid Collision checking flags material removed during a rapid move, which is almost always a programming error. The Stopped Spindle setting lets you determine what happens when the program attempts to remove material while the spindle is not turning.
Stop Conditions close the loop by automatically pausing the simulation at selected events, including a tool change, detected collision, rapid move into stock, stopped-spindle cut, holder-to-stock event, or exceeded travel limit. Instead of watching an entire cycle and waiting for something to go wrong, the programmer can review the moments that actually require attention.
Ultra checks the cutting process itself, including the tool, holder, workpiece, stock, and fixtures. It gives programmers another opportunity to identify costly problems while the program is still safely on the screen.
Important Note: Ultra vs. Machine Simulation
While Ultra checks the cutting process itself, it does not model the complete physical machine performing the work.
If your primary concern is whether the tool or holder will collide with the part, stock, or fixture, Ultra provides that verification within Backplot.
If your risk involves the machine’s own physical movement, such as a rotary head clearing the enclosure, a turret clearing the tailstock, or machine components moving around complex fixtures, that requires the separate Machine Simulation add-on. Machine Simulation uses a detailed 3D model to verify the complete machine, including its components, kinematics, and axis movements.
Available as an add-on to CIMCO Edit Ultra, we’ve covered Machine Simulation in-depth on it’s own page.
This applies once you are running Ultra, and it addresses one of the most common reasons shops stop using collision detection: too many warnings from routine cutting contact. Left at default settings, the simulation can bury you in false positives from routine cutting contact. Scope it instead.
1. Open the Simulation tab in the docking pane, expand Settings, and then open Collision Settings.
2. Set Tool/Workpiece Collisions to Rapid Moves only if your primary concern is rapid-into-stock errors. Contact between the tool and workpiece is expected during normal cutting and can otherwise flood the report with events that do not tell you anything useful.
3. Set Cutter Allowance to a small positive value to help filter out false positives caused by STL model imprecision rather than a genuine collision. A value around 0.1 mm can be a useful starting point for many models, but it should be adjusted for the accuracy and requirements of the job.
4. Under the Toolpath menu, enable Stop Conditions and select Holder To Stock and Tool And Models. These can identify collisions that a standard toolpath view alone will never show you.
5. Leave Hidden Model Collisions enabled unless you are deliberately excluding a component from the collision check. A fixture hidden for better screen visibility is still a physical object the tool can hit.
6. Run Check Collision and Limit Errors manually after any significant program revision rather than relying on it to re-run automatically. The scan is CPU intensive by design, so CIMCO Edit does not rerun the complete check after every keystroke.
For a deeper look at how these settings, reports, and Stop Conditions work, read CIMCO Edit Ultra: New Verification and Collision Detection Features.
PRO TIP FROM THE SHOP FLOOR:
The first instinct when a program reports a collision is often to assume the model is wrong, especially the first few times it happens.
Resist that instinct!
Investigate every warning as though it is real until you have a specific, repeatable reason to believe otherwise. The five minutes it takes to check is a alot cheaper than the alternative.
The honest answer is that most shops eventually want Ultra, but not all of them need it on day one.
Core makes sense for shops whose primary risks are coding mistakes: a syntax error, missed decimal point, incorrect coordinate, or wrong tool call that Backplot and program error checking will catch. If your programs run in familiar, lower-risk work envelopes on machines with generous clearance, Core may cover the failure modes your shop is most likely to encounter.
Ultra earns its keep the moment holder clearance, fixture geometry, stock verification, or rapid-move risk enters the picture. For shops running complex parts, tight clearances, or programs where a tool or holder collision could create an expensive problem, Ultra adds another level of verification before the program reaches the machine.
If the risk extends beyond the cutting process and into the movement of the machine itself, that becomes a Machine Simulation conversation. Dense multi-axis work, tight enclosures, rotary heads, turrets, tailstocks, and fixtures that change the machine’s clearance envelope may require verification using a complete 3D model of the physical machine.
The right choice comes down to where your actual risk sits:
Core: Does the code and toolpath look correct?
Ultra: Will the tool, holder, stock, workpiece, or fixture create a problem?
Machine Simulation: Can the complete physical machine perform the programmed movements safely?
CIMCO Edit rarely runs in isolation, at either tier. It often becomes the place where programmers review and prepare NC code before that program moves into the rest of the shop’s workflow. Most shops we work with pair it with DNC-Max for direct machine communication, and Edit’s built-in Transmission tab handles that connection without requiring a separate client.
If your shop is thinking about how NC programs, tool data, and machine communication fit together as a system rather than a collection of separate tools, CIMCO Software as Industry 4.0 Middleware, is a useful read.
For shops leaning on Core’s editing tools, Save Time with CIMCO Editor Macros, covers building a real macro library instead of rebuilding common blocks from scratch on every job.
For shops evaluating Ultra alongside quality documentation requirements, a collision-checked, stop-condition-verified program is a concrete artifact for AS9100 or IATF process control, a theme covered in, Ten Ways to Eliminate Waste in Advanced Manufacturing Using CIMCO Software.
If you are ready to look at the machine-level verification Ultra does not cover, CIMCO Machine Simulation, picks up exactly where this page leaves off.
SIMULATION & VERIFICATION OPTIONS
Core provides full Backplot for analyzing toolpaths before they reach the machine. Ultra adds solid simulation and advanced verification, while Machine Simulation extends that protection to the complete physical machine.
Smarter NC Programming & Editing
Both Core and Ultra help programmers edit, compare, troubleshoot, and standardize CNC code more efficiently, especially in high-mix or multi-channel environments.
Improved Tool & Process Management
CIMCO Edit helps teams organize tooling and simulation information, reuse proven setups, and maintain greater consistency from one program revision to the next.
Connected Shop-Floor Workflow
CIMCO Edit connects programming and the shop floor while working alongside DNC-Max, NC-Base, MDM, and other CIMCO products as your manufacturing workflow grows.
CIMCO Edit Core and Ultra both include the tools needed for professional NC program editing, including NC-specific functions, math, transforms, File Compare, NC-Assistant, built-in DNC, and full Backplot. Additional CIMCO products and add-ons can extend Edit into a broader programming, communication, program-management, and verification workflow.
CIMCO Edit Core and Ultra are available as perpetual licenses or subscriptions, and can be evaluated through a free 30-day trial.
Not sure which option is right for your shop? Contact us to walk through your current program mix, machine types, and where your actual collision risk sits. We can help you choose the right tier instead of guessing, and if Ultra is the right fit, help you understand how its verification settings should be scoped for the work you are doing.
Managed Solutions has been implementing and supporting CIMCO products since 2006. We know these tools inside and out, backwards and forwards, and we understand that the right answer is not always the most expensive option. It is the option that addresses the problems and risks your shop actually has.
The editor your shop runs every day matters. Make sure it is the right one, sized to the level of risk you are actually carrying.
Start your free 30-day Demo of CIMCO products today.
CIMCO Edit is a Windows desktop application for creating, editing, reviewing, simulating, and managing NC programs. It includes CNC-specific editing tools, File Compare, NC-Assistant, built-in DNC communication, and simulation capabilities based on the selected product level.
CIMCO Edit Core provides advanced NC editing and full toolpath Backplot. It is designed for shops that need professional programming tools and a clear visual review of the toolpath before sending a program to the machine.
CIMCO Edit Ultra includes everything in Core and adds GPU-accelerated solid simulation and advanced verification tools. These include collision detection, stock verification, safety checks, travel-limit reporting, and configurable Stop Conditions.
Core helps programmers edit code and visualize the toolpath. Ultra adds another verification layer that can identify physical risks involving the tool, holder, workpiece, stock, and fixtures.
CIMCO Edit Standard and Professional were replaced by Core and Ultra on September 1, 2026. Existing Standard users automatically qualify for Core, while existing Professional users automatically qualify for Ultra.
No license conversion is required. Existing Standard and Professional customers automatically qualify for the corresponding new product level. To access the new Core or Ultra features, install the latest version of CIMCO Edit.
No. Ultra verifies the cutting process within Backplot, including collisions involving tools, holders, workpieces, stock, and fixtures. Machine Simulation uses a detailed 3D model to verify the complete physical machine and its movements.
No. Machine Simulation is available as an add-on to CIMCO Edit Ultra. Shops that need complete physical-machine verification should plan on Ultra plus Machine Simulation.
CIMCO is the correct name. It is sometimes heard, searched, or entered as “Simcoe,” particularly when using voice-to-text. If you searched for Simcoe Edit, Simcoe Edit Core, or Simcoe Edit Ultra, you’re looking for CIMCO Edit. Core and Ultra are the two CIMCO Edit product levels introduced in 2026.
The CIMCO Edit product lineup got a refresh on September 1, 2026. CIMCO Edit Professional is now CIMCO Edit Ultra. Existing licenses carry the new
Having collision detection turned on in CIMCO Edit Ultra is only half the job. If you still have to run a full simulation from start
This Tech Tip explains how to use a regular expression (also known as regex) in CIMCO Edit’s Insert String feature to find matching patterns and