A pocket clears material from inside a closed boundary down to the target depth. Anything you draw inside the boundary is treated as an island — the tool steps around it, so the island stays standing at full stock height. Pockets run as multi-pass cuts when the total depth exceeds the depth-of-cut from the tool preset.
Clearing strategy
Three patterns determine how the tool fills the area at each depth:
- Offset — concentric passes that follow the boundary inward, with each pass spaced by the preset's stepover. Produces the cleanest wall and floor finish; good default for most pockets.
- Line — straight parallel passes at a configurable angle. Fast on large open areas; small scallops at the walls.
- ZigZag — like Line, but bidirectional with linking moves at each end. Reduces non-cutting travel on long passes.
For Offset, Inside Out flips the order so the tool starts at the centre and spirals outward, which can help chip clearance on deep pockets in some materials. The Clearing Angle setting controls the line direction for Line and ZigZag (it has no effect on Offset).
Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Clearing Strategy | Offset, Line, or ZigZag. |
| Clearing Angle | Direction of the lines, in degrees. Used by Line and ZigZag. |
| Inside Out | For Offset clearing: start from the centre and work outward. |
Total depth, depth-of-cut, stepover, feed rate, plunge rate, and spindle speed all come from the assigned tool preset.
Tool requirement
A flat or ball endmill that can plunge, ramp, or helix into the material. V-bits and laser tools won't appear in the tool selector.
When to use
- Recesses, cavities, and inlay pockets
- Clearing material from inside a profile
- Removing a defined volume that has internal islands or features
- Any enclosed area that needs to be lowered to a known depth