How to determine where bit will start plunging and where it will retract?

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

For a keyhole we have a specific toolpath:

Carbide Create V7 Question- Keyhole toolpath

I’ve seen more and more references to people trying to work out how to make keyholes in CC. We’d be open to adding that as a toolpath in V7 so I’d like a little feedback. To simplify, we’d probably define the location with a circle, like the drilling toolpath, and then you’d define how tall you’d like the keyhole to be, and what direction from the center, Y+, Y-, X+, X-. We’d probably implement the toolpath as a plunge, line to the end and back, then a retract. We would not offer to “expand”…

Where a toolpath begins/ends is determined by the program, except for contour toolpaths associated with unjoined/open geometry — they will begin/end at the begin/end points.

You can verify where those points will be in the 3D preview: