Saving as V4 Data  

• Saving as V4 Data,
• Associativity,
• Create an error feature in CATPart if saving is incomplete,
• Associate Curves to Face Boundaries in V4 Model,
• V4 Model File Name,
• Small Edges and Faces Cleaning.

Saving as V4 Data

Writing Code Page

For a full scenario illustrating this functionality see "Saving Version 5 CATPart Documents As CATIA Version 4 Models" in the CATIA - V4 Integration User's Guide.

In Version 4, the declaration parameter catsite.WRITING_CODE_PAGE declares the code page to be stored in the Version 5 data to be written. The writing code page ISO-8859-1 is the default value so normally, unless another code page was already specified, you can go ahead with the save.

However, if you want to use a writing code page other than ISO-8859-1, open the WRITING_CODE_PAGE list in the V4 Declarations part of the dialog box (indicated by the arrow above), select the appropriate code page and click OK.

Model Dimension

It is possible to customize Model Dimension for V4 models generated in V5.

V4 tolerances will be computed according to V4 recommended values from this Model Dimension.  In V4, model tolerances can be modified through Standards > Model Function. The Model Dimension Parameter, which can be modified in CATIA V4, has an impact upon the precision of geometrical calculation. The value by default is 10000mm and it corresponds to the V4 value.

Before saving a V5 Part as a Model, you can change the Model Dimension parameter to fit your V4 standards. The whole set of tolerances will be computed from this Model Dimension according to the V4 recommended values.

The management of the resolution is different in V5 and in V4:

In V5 the main concept for tolerances is the Resolution which defines the minimum length of a valid object. It is fixed to 10^-3mm. The management of confusions ("Do two objects have the same geometry?") is a direct consequence of the resolution: if the distance between to geometric points is less than the resolution, the two points are considered to be geometrically at the same location.

In V4, tolerances are driven by the Model dimension. The most appropriate value to fit V5 resolution is 10000mm. Note that this is also the V4 default value.

Model Unit

Initial Model File Path

You may use an Initial Model; this means that you define a reference model which includes default values. To customize the environment (initialization values to modal parameters and management parameters), you need to create an Initial Model. Such a Model is often used to ensure that everyone in a company works with the same predefined standard values.

The Save As Model operation is able to take into account a V5 setting: a V4 Initial Model file path. Before saving a V5 CATPart as a V4 model, you can specify an initial Model file path in this setting:

The "Initial Model file path" setting can replace the following settings:

• The "WRITING_CODE_PAGE" setting,
• The "Model Dimension" setting,
• The "Model Unit" setting.

The "Initial Model file path" setting defines other V4 standards:

• The layer filters,
• The colors,
• Standards for SPACE elements: GENERAL and HLR standards can be taken into account. SPEC ELEMENTS standards cannot be defined,
• Standards for DRAW elements.

This information will be extracted from the Initial Model and added to the V5 generated model.

The customer can use environment variables:

The user pre-defines an environment variable:

• on Windows: set FILE_PATH_ENV=C:\Documents and Settings\xxx
• on UNIX: export FILE_PATH_ENV=/u/users/Documents and Settings/xxx

The name of the variable is chosen by the user.
The user fills the editor with a path containing this environment variable.

The user switches tab page or clicks OK. Then he comes back to the modified tab page: the path contains no environment variable anymore. Instead, the full expanded path appears on the tab page:

• any geometry, SPACE or DRAW,
• any applicative data,
• Internalized Project File.

Therefore, Initial Models used in CATIA V4 will not always be reusable directly in V5, and it will be generally easier to recreate a dedicated Initial Model for CATIA V5.

• On Windows OS, if the initial model contains elements that are not supported, the Save As Model operation will be aborted.
• On UNIX OS, this operation is allowed if the codepage of the model and the codepage of the session are identical.

Associativity

Associativity mode

• the Associative mode: there is no access to the No Solid Creation button because this option is only available with the Not Associative mode.
  If you check the Associative mode: you can create a model in Associative mode during the Batch migration or interactively. Applying a Save As Model operation on a Volume or a Surface means that the model keeps in memory the path of the Part and you can resynchronize the model after modifying the Part.
  You can launch the Associative mode whatever the CATIA components' nature is (volumic or not). Therefore, a standard Save as Model can be applied on non-volumic or non-surfacic elements.

• or the Not Associative mode: the No Solid Creation button can be checked.

The Not associative mode is the default value.

By default, the No Solid Creation button is not checked, which means that V4 solids will be created in V4 model. If you check this button, no V4 solid will be created; only V4 volumes will be generated in the .model:

Since the V4 solid is necessary for associativity, this option is only available for non-associativity.
It is advised to use this option only when high memory is required in order to create a V4 model.

Layer for not associative data:

Synchronization of the model: At each stage of synchronization, the non-associative elements created during the previous migration are added in the "bin" layer and the non-associative elements of the current CATPart's geometry are entirely re-created. In this way, the user, if the user wants, can delete all the old non-associative geometry by selecting  the "bin" layer in CATIA V4.

Identifiers of the non-associative elements: During the stage of synchronization, non-associative elements issued from the previous migration are moved into the "bin" layer and their identifiers are modified in order to know which migration number they come from. Each identifier is modified in that way: RxxxIDENT, where xxx is the migration number.
For instance, the identifier LINE.1 becomes R001LINE.1 at the first synchronization of the model. If we make two synchronizations, the model contains LINE.1 and the following identifiers R001LINE.1 and R002LINE.1.

Create an error feature in CATPart if saving is incomplete

• Never: if the user does not want to see this message and the error feature, he can click this option.

It is the default value.

• After user agreement: if he chooses this option, the following warning appears, asking if he wants to see the corresponding error feature in the Specification Tree.

Associate Curves to Face Boundaries in V4 Model

During the "Save As Model" operation, this option is available and the user can choose to associate (or not) Curves to Face boundaries in a V4 model or not.

In the Associate Curves to Face Boundaries in V4 model frame, you can select one of these options:

• None: it means never associate Curves to Face boundaries in a V4 model.

It is the default value.

• Only conics: Associate only Conics to Face boundaries in a V4 model.

• All V4 types: Associate all V4 Curves types to Face boundaries.

V4 Model File Name

By default, this option is cleared.

1. Check the option: File Name in Capital Letters.

2. Open a CATPart in CATIA V5.

3. Save the CATPart as a .model.

4. Open the .model in CATIA V5. In the File Selection dialog box and in then in CATIA V5, the model's name is in Capital Letters:

Small Edges and Faces Cleaning

By default, this option is cleared.

In the Small Edges And Faces Cleaning frame, a first choice can be activated or not:

• If it is not checked, the value used will be the V4 tolerance for Curves. This value appears in the grey editor.

• If it is checked, it is possible to enter another tolerance which must be lower than V4 tolerance for Curves and higher than 0.

The value of maximum gap must be positive. If it is not the case, a warning is displayed until a positive value is entered:

If the value chosen by the customer is higher than the V4 tolerance for curves, then this parameter will not be taken into account and the default value will be used.