AUTO-CODE expands AutoCAD into the generation of machine tool control programs for manufacturing and production purposes. The type of machine tool programs generated are for computer numerically controlled [CNC] tools using standard M and G code word address programming formats.

AUTO-CODE can be used to program Mills, Routers, Lasers, Flame Cutters, Punch presses, Turning Centers (lathes), Wire EDMs, and similar machines.

AUTO-CODE operates inside AutoCAD using dialog boxes.  In most cases, the dialog box details will already be filled out based on your tool or machine setup selections.  When you select a predefined tool, all the details are read from a library file and placed into the appropriate dialog box location.  You can then override these values for special cases such as different materials or changes to the cutting tool. 

To create a CNC program inside AutoCAD, first draw the part to be machined at a one to one scale. Polyline's should be used to define contours and boundaries. Circles and block inserts used to define drill hole locations. The AutoCAD objects are drawn in 2D for most applications. For mills, objects can also be drawn in 3D using regular AutoCAD or the Mechanical Desktop extension if desired.

Next start the AUTO-CODE extension and select the machine tool interface to be used from a file browser dialog box.  If there is only one choice, it will be selected automatically.

Locate the zero origin of the machine tool on the drawing.  You can use the AutoCAD zero point or any other point on the drawing as the base point for the machine tool.  All output coordinates will be relative to this location.

The next step is to prepare the machine interface for the first operation.

A Settings Dialog box (example for mill shown below) contains all the basic parameters needed by the machine tool programming software.  All of the dialog boxes can be expanded or reduced to hold the information needed by the process. Click on the image below for a larger view of the Machine Settings Dialog Box for 3-axis milling.

After the tooling or machine settings are completed, it is time to select the geometry to be used for the operation.  Drilling and punching operations use circles or block insertions while contour cutting is best accomplished with polylines.  Pocket cutting and rough cutting work best with polylines for boundary descriptions.  The following dialog box images show how AUTO-CODE can be used in a variety of applications.

The tool selection and operations processes can be repeated as many times as needed to complete the job.  You might drill some holes first, then cut a contour.  Or you may just cut a lot of contours using different offsets and tool settings.  The sequence of operations is controlled by you so that the most productive utilization of the machine tools available can be reached.

The Generate NC button can then be selected to finish the program and create an ASCII text file with the M&G codes.  The file is ready to download to the machine tool to perform the cutting process. The posting process can be modified to match virtually any machine tool that uses a word address format for programming.  With additional customization, AUTO-CODE can support conversational languages as well as APT based systems.

The above are just the basic steps.  Obviously, with a software package of this depth there are mutliple ways to solve a problem.  For a more detailed demonstration of the program interface, please see the "Using AUTO-CODE" and "Tutorial"  options from bottom of the menu on the left of the screen.

AUTO-CODE is written entirely using Visual LISP and C++ with ObjectARX for the tightest integration into AutoCAD achievable.  You can expand the system to support new machine tool control features using Visual LISP or the internal AUTO-CODE pattern language for repeating operations (such as tool changes, activation of cutter compensation, and so forth).  New commands and patterns can then be added into the Machine Controls portion of the AUTO-CODE interface.