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FASTCUBE Shopfloor AssistantNC EditorRototranslation Panel

Rototranslation Panel

The Rototranslation Panel, located at the bottom of the NC Editor Panel, becomes active as soon as one or more points—or an entire regshape block—are selected. It is the primary tool for precise positional adjustments, allowing you to apply translations, rotations, or combined transformations relative to a chosen reference system (pivot point).

Whether you’re correcting misalignments or fine-tuning complex toolpaths, this panel provides full control over point positioning while keeping tool orientation unchanged (orientation can be modified separately through line-by-line editing in the NC Editor).

Transformations are calculated relative to the active reference system:

  • TCP (Tool Center Point), where the Manipulator acts as the pivot - the Rototranslation Panel works in tandem with the Manipulator and Manipulator Panel
  • Base Frame (G93 or custom frame), where transformations are applied relative to the fixed machine frame.

Once the “Accept” button is pressed, the transformation is committed, and the updated point positions are immediately shown in the 3D Viewer. This workflow ensures precision, consistency, and confidence in your edits before saving and validating the NC program.

📘 How to Use the Rototranslation Panel

The Rototranslation Panel permits the following transformation types:

  • Translation – Moves one or more points by applying an offset (dTx, dTy, dTz) relative to the active pivot point (TCP or Base Frame). During translation, only the position is updated — the tool orientation (A, B) remains unchanged.
  • How to apply a translation:

Step 1: Select the point or points you want to translate, either from the NC Editor or directly from the 3D Viewer.

Step 2: Choose the reference system (pivot point) — TCP or Base Frame — in the Rototranslation Panel.

Step 3: Enter the translation offsets (dTx, dTy, dTz) in the corresponding axis fields.

Step 4: Press Accept to apply the translation and update the 3D Viewer and NC program.

  • Rotation - Rotates one or more points around the active pivot point (TCP or Base Frame) by applying angular offsets (dRx, dRy, dRz). Only the point positions are affected — tool orientation (A, B) remains unchanged. Points follow an arc defined by the rotation axis and the pivot reference.
  • How to apply a rotation:

Step 1: Select the point or group of points you want to rotate in the NC Editor or 3D Viewer.

Step 1: Choose the reference system (pivot point) TCP or Base Frame — in the Rototranslation Panel.

Step 3: Enter rotation values (dRx, dRy, dRz) in degrees for the axes you want to rotate around.

Step 4: **Press “**Accept” to apply the translation and update the 3D Viewer and NC program.

  • Rototranslation - Applies a combined transformation that first rotates one or more points around the active pivot point (TCP or Base Frame), and then translates them along the rotated local axes. Tool orientation (A, B) remains unchanged throughout the process. The final point positions reflect both the rotational and translational adjustments and are written back into the NC program.

  • How to apply a Rototranslation:

Step 1: Select the point or group of points you want to transform -  from the NC Editor or 3D Viewer.

Step 2: Choose the reference system (pivot point) — TCP or Base Frame — in the Rototranslation Panel.

Step 3: Enter rotation values (dRx, dRy, dRz) to define the rotational component.

Step 4: Enter translation offsets (dTx, dTy, dTz) to define the movement along the rotated axes.

Step 5: Press “Accept” to apply the combined transformation. The updated positions will be immediately reflected in the 3D Viewer and stored in the NC program data.

🎯 Operator insights

  • Only point positions are modified — the tool orientation (A, B) remains unchanged for the full duration of the transformation.
  • Always check the active reference system before applying for any transformation.Using TCP vs. Base Frame produces very different results, so confirm the correct reference (pivot) is selected.
  • Use TCP for fine local adjustments, especially when refining toolpaths relative to the tool’s orientation or correcting subtle misalignments.
  • Regshape blocks maintain geometry automatically. When a regshape is selected, Rototranslation keeps the internal structure consistent across all points.
  • The manipulator moves only after Accept. If TCP is active, the manipulator resets to the updated first-selected point after each applied transformation.
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