Twinwright Studio runs a digital twin of your CNC machine. You set the part up, make or open a program and run it in the twin before the real machine cuts. This chapter takes you from installing to a first part in about ten minutes.
Studio needs 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 (see System requirements).
TwinwrightStudio-<version>-setup.exe. You do not need administrator rights: Studio is installed for you.Studio is in the Start menu as Twinwright Studio. Installing for many computers, and what goes where: Installing and removing.
Studio opens in the Run workspace with the machine MC-1 · My workbench switched on. Nothing is asked.
The machine bar shows ALARM:11 and Next step: Home. This is normal: like a real machine, the twin does not know where its axes are until it has homed.
A new installation shows everything an engineer uses: all six workspaces, the curves and the colourings. If you only run programs, or teach, choose a level that shows less: Tools > UI level (see User levels).
Studio starts in your system's language when it has it (English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish), and otherwise in English. The units and the way numbers look follow your region.
To change them: Tools > Language / 语言 and Tools > Units. See Language and units.
The edition you have shows in the top bar, for example Learning. Click it, or use Help > Licence…, to see it.
| Edition | Adds |
|---|---|
| Learning | Pockets, contours, drilling, engraving and 3D parallel finishing; the whole twin, the editor and the AI |
| Maker | Adaptive clearing, every 3D finishing strategy, rest machining, two sides and several setups |
| Pro | Nesting, the program optimizer, reports (the inspection report, the setup sheet), inspection with the probe against the design |
Each edition has everything of the editions above it in the table. A feature of a higher edition shows with its edition's name. Click it to read what it does, and to start a trial or open the licence.
When a trial or a licence ends, Studio goes back to the Learning edition. Your projects, programs and the G-code you made keep working.
You can try the Maker and the Pro edition for 30 days each, once per computer.
Studio asks Twinwright's licence server for the trial once, sending the edition, a hash of the computer's fingerprint and Studio's version. When the trial ends, a notice in the Messages tab says so.
Open Help > Licence….
To activate online:
TW-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX). Case, spaces and hyphens do not matter.To activate a computer without the internet:
.twlic).Renew before it ends renews the licence online before it runs out. It sends only the licence's number, a hash of this computer's fingerprint and Studio's version.
Seats, moving to another computer and classrooms: Licensing.
The quickest first part is one of the example parts: Studio sets up the blank, the tools and the work zero for you.
The machine is already open: MC-1 · My workbench, in the Run workspace. Other machines are in File > Machine library….
Press Home (F3), or the key the machine bar suggests.
Result: the three axes find their home one after the other, in about 20 s. The machine bar shows No alarm.
If the machine bar shows E-stop, release it first (F1), then press Power on (F2) and Reset (F12).
The 3D view shows the tool cutting the blank. Feed hold (F6) pauses the program, Cycle start goes on.
For your own part, set the machine up in Setup (Alt+1) instead of loading an example:
See Setting up a job.
The machine must be homed and the spindle stopped.
With a touch probe, the probe card finds the zero for you (see Probing).
Then open your program (File > Open program…) and run it as above.
A ? on a panel opens this manual at that panel's chapter. Help > Documentation opens it at the start.