3.1      Introduction

DELMIA provides the ability to read CATIA V5 files directly into DELMIA products. This feature is called V5 CAD Direct Access, and enables users to directly read V5 CATProducts and its component representation files into selected DELMIA products. Such component representations could be either a CATIA V5 CATPart, CATIA V4 or V5 .cgr, VRML file or an external format handled by V5, e.g., Pro/E and UG.

3.2      Supported Operating Systems and CATIA Versions

V5 Direct is supported on the IRIX, Sun, AIX HP-UX11 and NT4 platforms.

Supported CATIA V5 Versions are:

CATIA V5R8 SP4

CATIA V5R9

CATIA V5R10

For CATIA Version from V5R9 onwards the support is extended in a synchronized manner with V5 versions. The required libraries are packaged with Delmia V5R9 portfolio product D5I. So any configuration having Delmia product D5I will be supported irrespective of what is packaged in D5 products. For customers who don’t have Delmia portfolio product, the support will be restricted to V5R8 SP4.

3.3      Client-server Architecture

A V5Direct server is included with the DELMIA product for the purpose of V5 integration. The server is a stand-alone executable that provides services to read supported V5 data and convert it into various DELMIA data formats. The DELMIA client sends commands to the server through a socket communication protocol. When a user wants to access any V5 functionality, the DELMIA product automatically launches the V5Direct server using special run scripts. When a user exits the DELMIA product, or uses the DISCONNECT Button, the server is shut down. The server executable is licensed separately from the DELMIA product, and the user must have a "CATDIR" feature in the DELMIA license file to access any V5 functionality.

3.4      Setup and Configuration

The following steps address the configuration of variables in four files. These files are: license.dat, V5setup, .prodenvfig, and .prodpthfig.

The license.dat File

V5 Direct server also uses the CATDIR license feature, as does the CATIA V4 Direct server.

The V5Setup Script

V5Setup (V5setup.bat on NT) script is located in the V5 directory of the DELMIA product installation. The following variables are set in this file.

V5_CATIA_VERSION=${V5_CATIA_VERSION:-V5R8

To ensure that the CATIA V5 server is looking to the correct V5 version, the variable V5_CATIA_VERSION must be properly set. The version specified must match with the version of CATIA V5 installed on the system, which hosts the server process. There is no default value specified for this variable. It is mandatory to specify this variable for execution of V5 Direct Server.

V5_INSTALL_DIR=${V5_INSTALL_DIR:-/usr/DassaultSystemes/V5R8}

To ensure that the CATIA V5 server is using the desired V5 installation, the variable V5_INSTALL_DIR must be properly set. There is no default value specified for this variable. It is mandatory to specify this variable for execution of V5 Direct Server. The path specified in this variable is used to set the environment in which the V5 server is executed. This environment is set in $HOME/DelmiaV5SrvEnv.sh on UNIX platforms and in the Windows registry on NT platforms.

V5DENEB_SRV_DEBUG=${V5DENEB_SRV_DEBUG:-OFF}

This variable can be set to ON for a verbose output of the client-server communication.

The System Variables

The .prodenvfig File Variables

(where ".prod" represents the DELMIA product name)

CATIAV5_MODEL_SAG = 10

To determine the tessellation level of the imported V5 geometry, the CATIAV5_MODEL_SAG parameter must be set. If this variable has a value of 0 mm, then the DELMIA product will use a value of 0.02 mm, which is the lowest possible value. The value of 0.02 mm will give an extremely fine tessellated model in the DELMIA product that will require a large number of polygons. The retrieval time will be much longer with the 0.02 mm value as well. It is recommended that the user use a value near to 10 MM to obtain a quicker retrieval, a lower polygon count, and fair representation of the surface of each model.

The .prodpthfig File Variable

(where ".prod" represents the DELMIA product name)

CACHE$LIB = /usr/tmp/CACHE

The CACHE$LIB variable must be set in the .prodpthfig file in order to determine where the cache will be stored. If this variable is not set, the default behavior will store the cache in the ./CACHE directory. The CACHE$LIB variable assumes that the ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PART_CACHING is set to "ON" in the .prodenvfig file, which is a prerequisite before the cache is actually stored or accessed. If ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PART_CACHING is not set to "ON" the V5 server creates the parts in the user’s "tmp" directory, denoted by the environment variable TMPDIR if ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PART_CACHING is set to "OFF".

V5 Cache Management

V5 Cache Management MUST be ON for the V5 server to start. To switch this ON:

Start V5 on the server host.

For V5R8, V5R9, and V5R10

Go to Tools -> Options -> Infrastructure -> Product Structure -> Cache Management

Check the box next to "Work with Cache System".

Exit V5

3.5      Reading in Part Files

Ensure that the setup steps described above have been completed. V5 files may be accessed through the DELMIA product's internal PART$LIB, DEVICE$LIB, and WORKCELL$LIB library structure. The Configuration Files Guide provides explanations of these libraries.

Launch the DELMIA product. Each of the Buttons discussed below have the ability to retrieve V5 data. Notes are provided below to identify each Button with its unique $LIB.

When the product context is Assembly, any device retrieved will create an assembly Device. A dialog box will be displayed with default values for the assembly Device that can be altered by the user.

The CAD RETRIEVE OBJECT, DEVICE CREATE, and PART ATTACH Buttons will access the libraries defined using PART$LIB and the logical file names. Select the desired CATPart document OR .cgr file to retrieve

 The following attributes are represented in the DELMIA representation:

Tessellated Geometry (polygons).

Points are represented as named Coordinate System.

Axis Systems are represented as named Coordinate System.

Color is maintained.

User defined "Sag" is used to tessellate the CATProduct documents.

A single DELMIA Part is created in the DELMIA Workcell world as either the root Part of the Device or the attached Part.

The DEVICE RETRIEVE Button will access the libraries defined using DEVICE$LIB and the logical file names. Select the desired CATProduct document to retrieve. A Single Device is created in the DELMIA environment. The following are the attributes of this Device:

The V5 Product Structure is represented by the Kinematic Hierarchy in D5.

Each "Component" in V5 is represented as a DELMIA Part (A Component in V5 can be a CATPart document, a VRML file, a CGR file, a V4 model, etc.) V4 Model retrieval is enabled only on NT platforms.

Whether a Component refers to a multicad part (V4 model, UG, Pro/E, Ideas). A .cgr conversion of the multicad part is represented as a DELMIA Part. In this case the behavior of the V5 server is as follows: the user must have cached these parts in V5 prior to loading them into DELMIA.

        If the user has created cache for these parts before loading the CATProduct, the cached cgr is translated by V5 server.

        If the cache is not present, V5 server invokes the associated V5 multicad translator (ProeToNav for Pro/E, IdeasToNav for IDEAS, UgToNav for UG) to create cgr cache, if the settings for these are done in the shell from which user started the server. If the settings are not done, V5 server will replace these parts with dummy "nofile" nodes.

        If the cache is present, but out-of-date with respect to the original part, V5 server invokes the multicad translators(as above) to update the cache, if "Associative Mode" is turned on by the user in V5 settings. For setting this ON, do the following:

For V5R5

    Start V5 on the server host.

    Go to Tools->Options->General->Compatibility->External Formats.

    Check the box next to "Associative Mode".

    Exit V5.

User-defined "Sag" will be used to tessellate Component representations that can be retessellated. Component representations in .cgr and .wrl formats cannot be retessellated with a different Sag value.

Transformations in the Product Structure for each Component will be retained as Part transformations in DELMIA.

Geometry representations will be cached to disk if the user has turned caching ON in DELMIA.

The user can change the hierarchy in the DELMIA environment to assign Kinematics.

Components with multiple representations will retrieve the "active" representation.

The user can save the Device with associativity to the CATProduct document. This association will be stored as the CATProduct document filename, and the component representation (CATPart, .cgr, .wrl etc) filename for each relevant node in the Device.

The Device hierarchy in DELMIA contains an empty root. The name of a Device is the same as the name of the CATProduct. The name of each node is same as the name of the associated CATPart/cgr. The attached CATProducts will be shown as empty nodes with "nofile_Product name" as the name, with all CATParts/CGR attached to it.

Example Device hierarchy from a CATProduct in Device Retrieve context:

Device_name (CATproduct name)

|

|nofile_CATproduct name( root node )

        |CATPartname1

        |CATPartname2

        |nofile_CATProductname1( dummy node )

               |CATPartname3

|CATPartname4

The WORKCELL RETRIEVE Buttons will access the libraries defined using WORKCELL$LIB and the logical file names. Select the desired CATProduct document to retrieve.

A Single Device is created for the top level CATProduct. A new Device is created for every CATProduct referenced through the master CATProduct. The name of a Device is inherited from the associated CATProduct. These Devices have similar attributes to the Device Import described in previous paragraph. The referenced CATProducts are represented by Device Attachments in D5.

V5 CATProducts linked to D5 Devices will be replaced by their native D5 representation.

The user can save the Workcell with associativity to the CATProduct document. This association will be stored as the CATProduct document filename and the component representation (CATPart, .cgr, .wrl etc) filename for each relevant node in the Device.

The user may retrieve this Workcell again at a later time. In the course of retrieval, if it is detected that the V5 CATProduct associated with any Device has changed, a notification is given to the user. This notification is given at the end of a Workcell read for each affected Device. This notification occurs only if the user has flagged ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PART_CACHING to "ON". It is important to know that the latest changes from the CATProduct are not

propagated to the Device at this time. This is due to the fact that, during retrieval, the Parts are read from the cache (if "ON"). Therefore the user must update the Device or Devices manually if the latest V5 data is desired. The user may also choose to ignore this message. The Device update functionality is available via the V5 DEVICE UPDATE Button.

Example Device hierarchy from a CATProduct in Workcell Retrieve mode:

Device_name (CATproduct name)

|nofile_CATproduct name( root node )

        |CATPartname1

        |CATPartname2

        |CATProductname1( device )

             |nofile_CATProductname1( root node )

                   |CATPartname3

                   |CATPartname4

 

Support for retrieval of CATIA V4 Model (.model) files is provided for part/device/workcell retrieval on NT platforms. Part retrieval for model files works the same way as part retrieval for CATPart/cgr/vrml files. When you retrieve a Model file as device/workcell V5 server creates a single part device in the Device/Workcell world with the part name as the name of the model file. The geometry representation for the part is associated to the Deneb part created from the model file.

Example Device hierarchy for a Model file in Device Retrieve mode:

Device_name (Model filename)

|filename.model ( root node )

        

For example if the user retrieves "Clutch.model" as a device, the hierarchy would be:

 

O World

       |->Clutch ( Device )

|Clutch.model ( root node )

 

This V5 interface requires the use of a CATIA V5 license. This license will be "consumed" (in use) when the user accesses the first CATIA file. The license will be freed when the DELMIA product is terminated, or when the DISCONNECT Button is used.

The ASSEMBLY RETRIEVE Button will access the libraries defined using DEVICE$LIB.

With this functionality, the user can select a V5 CATProduct and directly retrieve it as a DELMIA Assembly Device. This direct assembly device retrieve is available only in V5 files. Enter: 1.Device Name 2.Default Linear Speed 3.Default Rotational Speed 4.Starting Assembled for the Assembly device. An assembly device is created from the selected V5 CATProduct with the specified attributes.

V5 Part Retrieval in Batch Mode

CATIA V5 files directly supported by V5 Direct option can be retrieved in batch mode using CATV5Converter.exe executable, which must be run using the script V5_read. This executable also allows for the creation of a workcell file from all of the retrieved CATIA V5 files. It will convert all V5 files in the given directory in the pdb format and store them in a directory structure similar to CACHE$LIB at the specified output location. The various arguments that can be used with runCatIn are described as follows:

Input

Three types of input can be passed to V5_read:

-i is used to specify a directory. For example:    V5_read -i <input_dir>s

-if allows for a single file to be specified as input. For example:    V5_read -if <input_file>

-r (with -i) allows for V5_read to operate on the current directory as well as all recursive directories.

Output destination

For PDB / Layout files :

The location in which to write the output can be specified via the -o option. For example:

    V5_read -if <input_file> -o <output_dir>

PDB/Layout files will be written in a similar directory structure as that of CACHE$LIB in the location specified by the option -o.

For WORKCELL files:

To create a workcell file with the retrieved V5 files, the workcell file name can be specified with the -w option. For example:

    V5_read -i <input_dir> -o <output_dir> -w wcl_filename

Mode

The user can choose to create a device or a part by specifying the mode using the -m option.

The valid values for -m option are

-m Dev/ Device :- for device mode.

-m Wcl/ Workcell :-for workcell mode.

The default mode is device.

Tessellation parameter

The sag value for the tessellation can be specified by via -t. For example:

    V5_read -i <input_dir> -o <output_dir> -t sag_value

A minimum of one input argument (-i, -if ) and one output argument (-o) are required to execute the V5_read script successfully. Failing to specify these options will terminate the process and display a message about the required usage of the utility.