Glossary
CNC, laser, CAM and 3D-relief terms as used in the i3D Workbench.
- Allowance
- Material intentionally left on the surface by an operation (stock-to-leave), removed by a later finishing pass.
- ATC
- Automatic Tool Changer — in MillX, the table of up to 10 tool definitions referenced by operations.
- Debounce
- A delay (500 ms) after the last slider movement before the server is called.
- DPI
- Dots per inch — resolution of the laser output toolpath.
- Draft (taper)
- Slight widening of a mold toward the opening so the product releases easily.
- G0 / G1 / G2 / G3
- G-code rapid move / linear feed move / clockwise arc / counter-clockwise arc.
- Lambertian
- Shading model where brightness depends only on the angle between surface and light — a natural matte look.
- Matcap
- Material capture — a sphere image used to shade a model quickly without lights.
- PBR
- Physically Based Rendering — realistic material shading with roughness and metalness.
- PLT / HPGL
- Plotter language (PU/PD/PA commands) used by cutters and plotters.
- Post-processor
- Set of text templates and header/footer sections that turn an abstract toolpath into the G-code dialect of a specific controller.
- Q (laser power)
- Word used in laser G-code to set power per segment; coloured in NC Viewer.
- Relief
- A 3D surface whose height is derived from the brightness of an image.
- Rest material
- Volume left by a previous operation; finishing restricted to it saves air-cutting.
- Stepover
- Lateral distance between adjacent toolpath passes, expressed as % of the tool diameter.
- Stock
- The raw material block (Material box in MillX) from which the part is cut.
- Tangential knife
- Cutting blade that is rotated by the machine to stay aligned with the cut direction.
- ZMap
- Height map computed by the server from the STL used for milling analysis.
- Zero plane
- Flat base added below a relief.