How to generate lots of points on a freeform surface?

Indeed there is. You can probably do it with a freeform scan. But tried and true KISS approach would be to use the 3D grid and the snap to grid settings. 

To turn on.

To set the spacing

2mm spacing looks like this.

Turn on snap to grid.

Will get you vector points on a "surface"

Don't forget to use the "End" key to mash out these points as you go, click point, end, click point, end over and over. 

That worked perfectly. Thanks for your help.

Glenn

have they removed the U/V scan option in Pcdmis?  It's under the scan options.

It is still there.  

I will just go back to class now.... lol

My machine does not have a scanning head. I looked for the UV scan function and it's there but greyed out. I can't select it. Do any of the scan options work without a scanning head?

Thanks, Glenn

I think they are also locked depending which level of the Demon you are worshiping. I have CAD++ which has lots of stuff. 
Also your program must have a DCC command to program with them. 

I have CAD++ and I have a DCC command in the program. I'm probably doing something wrong but if I understand correctly, the scan function will command the CMM to generate hits within the described grid even without a scanning head? That would be very useful for me so I need to learn how to do it. Thanks again. Glenn

If you have CAD++ you should have the scanning options.

Even without a scanning probe you can define touch trigger point scans.

For your applicatiuon there are two options.

UV scan - will create a grid pattern of points on a CAD surface (or surfaces).  For this option you select the CAD surface(s) and PC-Dmis displays an internal co-ord system for each surface (with a U and V direction).  You can then specify how many hits in each direction, plus an offset in from the edge (in each direction, done as a value from 0 to 1).  The main issue with this is if you have multiple surfaces of different sizes you get a varying density of points across the surfaces.

My proffered option however is the Grid scan - this is similar and can work across multiple surfaces, but instead of each surface getting it's own UV axis system, you select the required surfaces, then drag a rectangle in the graphics window (which will give you an A and B direction).

You then specify number of hits in each direction (A and B) and you get an even spread of hits over selected surfaces within the rectangle.

Note, for some reason these always default to MASTER (make sure to change to FIND NOMS).

Thanks to everyone, this is great information. I tried the grid scan method and was able to generate my points. Now I have two new methods that I can use on freeform surfaces.

Glenn