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Waterline

In one sentence: Generate horizontal constant-Z passes that follow the model silhouette at each Z level — ideal for steep walls and undercuts.

Overview

Workbench: CAM
Menu: CAM → Waterline
Command: CAM_Waterline
Shortcut: none

Requires OpenCamLib

Waterline requires the OpenCamLib (OCL) library to be installed.

Generates horizontal (constant-Z) passes at each Z level that follow the silhouette of the model — similar to contour lines on a topographic map. Well-suited for steep walls and undercuts where planar scanning produces poor surface finish.

Intuition

The Surface operation's planar scan moves the tool in long parallel lines. On steep walls, this means the tool passes are very far apart as measured on the surface (even though they are equally spaced in Z). Waterline follows the model outline at each Z level, keeping a consistent step-over even on vertical and near-vertical walls.

When to use it

  • Finishing steep walls and near-vertical surfaces.
  • Complementing Surface with a scallop-free approach on steep geometry.
  • Multi-pass finishing of tall, narrow features.

When NOT to use it

  • Requires OpenCamLib — unavailable without it.
  • For shallow, mostly-flat surfaces — Surface is more efficient there.

See also