CATIA QUESTIONS

How can I change the background on my Catia V5 window?

Replace C:\Program Files\Dassault Systemes\B13\intel_a\resources\graphic\icons\ClientMDIBackgroundNT.bmp with the new image.

What is the purpose of thick surface in CATIA V5?

The purpose of a Thick Surface is to model a solid to represent a constant thickness of material from a given contour. This can be used to model sheet-metal, plastic, or even a machined part that needs to mate with a defined surface.

Do we have layer concept in CATIA V5 like what we have in unigraphics and Pro-e?

Yes, however, the Layers have to be created before they can be applied to the geometry. Do not expect filters to function as they did in Catia V4. You can write a script to sort geometry into geometric sets based on layer attribute.

What is a UUID, and how does it affect my Catia work?

After researching the web for a generic answer, this is what I found: What is a UUID? UUID stands for a Universal Unique IDentifier. These are 128 bit numbers assigned to any object within a DCE cell which is guaranteed to be unique. The mechanism used to guarantee that UUIDs are Unique is through combinations of hardware addresses, time stamps and random seeds. There is a reference in the UUID to the hardware address of the first network card on the host which generated the UUID - this reference is intended to ensure the UUID will be unique in space as the MAC address of every network card is assigned by a single global authority and is guaranteed to be unique. (Alternate addresses might be a problem here, but the author has not tested creating a UUID on a machine with an alternate address set) The next component is a timestamp which, as DCE always moves clocks forward, will be unique in time.Just in case some part of the above goes wrong, there is a random component placed into the UUID as a catch-all for uniqueness.The timestamp component though is one of the reasons why DCE does not react well to clocks going backwards.A UUID may be generated using the uuidgen command, the following is an example of a generated UUID:- 58f202ac-22cf-11d1-b12d-002035b29092 This has come from a machine with the hardware address shown in the output of the command below:- lscfg -vl ent0 DEVICE LOCATION DESCRIPTION ent0 01-01 IBM ISA Ethernet Adapter Network Address.............002035B29092 From this it may be observed that the Network address of the ethernet adapter matches the last portion of the uuid. Dassault has made their applications permanently identified with a UUID by creating their Interface Definition Language file with the uuidgen command, giving it the "-i" option. What this means to us is that unless all files originate from a single point seed file (thus always having the same UUID), Component Replace and Drawing replace links will always fail.

Why can't I snap a DMU section to a plane in V5R12sp3?

This is a Catia regression. Create a small extruded surface and use the plane as the support. You will then be able to use this surface as your Geometrical Target.

My Assembly will not load or functions update.

Full Memory issue and V5 Parm Synch issue. Load and Update a few of the larger Products individually, and then the Top level Product. Create a Top level Parm and fx to drive the lower level parameters via KWA Parm Explorer.

How does a Power Copy work, and how do I create them?

A Power Copy allows you to create a feature, imbed rules and dependencies and then copy all of this information into a part as a single unit. For UG users, this is a 'Wave' and for V4 Users, this is similar to a 'Ditto'. There are a few rules to live by such as 1) Never reference H or V in sketches 2) Isolate indexing planes before using them to support a sketch 3) Provide isolated geometries that can lock the degrees of freedom down when copied into a part file 4) design the PC from the Users perspective (to fit their design process) 5) Emulate Best Practices and Decision Criteria with Rules and Checks 6) Chat with CatiaV5Dr on AOL AIM for additional Help.

How do you switch sketches on a part design?

1) Create a Curve Parameter 2) Create a String Parameter with 2 or more values 3) Create 2 Sketches 4) Create a Rule that watches the String Parameter and sets the Curve Parameter = 1 Sketch 5) Create a Pad that uses the Curve Parameter as it's profile 6) Chat with CatiaV5Dr on AOL AIM for additional help

 How can I change the startup CATIA Graphic to my company Logo?

Replace the C:\Program Files\Dassault Systemes\B12\intel_a\resources\graphic\splashscreens\CATIASplash.bmp with your own Company Logo!

Why can I not save an Iges or Step file when my Product is open?

First, check to see if you have the proper license checked out. Now, make sure that the Parts and/or Products are in Design Mode. This can be done Globally by unchecking the Work in Cache Mode option or by switching the desired data to Design Mode via the Right Click Contextual Menu.

How can I change the background on my Catia V5 window?

Replace C:\Program Files\Dassault Systemes\B13\intel_a\resources\graphic\icons\ClientMDIBackgroundNT.bmp with the new image.

 I am unable to read V4 Data that contains E3D Logical lines.

Deselect the radio button in Tools+Options+Compatibility+V4 Data Reading that says 'Open In Light Mode'. E3D has strong links to the Drafting views in V4 that require a complete load of the .model file to be viewed. I have not verified it, but suspect that the Tubing Module in V4 has the same issue when read into V5 due to it's similar architecture.

 Why do I lose CATDrawing links to Imported CATParts?

Non-Catia Data Migration - When dealing with Cad Data that did not originate in Catia, and basing CATDrawings on it, many issues will arise. The following workflow will reduce the number of issues due to STEP and IGES Import methods into V5. The root of the problem that is experienced while linking CATDrawings to CATProducts and CATParts of new versions of files is due to an encryption routine Windows that CATIA utilizes to create a unique identifier for each and every new CATPart and CATProduct that is created. This encryption routine creates and embeds an Object called a UUID which stands for Universal Unique IDentifier. These are 128 bit numbers assigned to any object within a DCE cell which is guaranteed to be unique. The mechanism used to guarantee that UUIDs are Unique is through combinations of hardware addresses, time stamps and random seeds. What that means to you and me is that the File Name that we see when we save the file or reference it to create a CATProduct or CATDrawing is NOT the ID that is being referenced by CATIA, and can therefore not simply be replaced with another file of the same name. Assuming that the Cad data is not originating in V5, the process for revising a CATPart (non-native) while maintaining links to CATDrawings is this: 1) Non-V5 Modeling------>2) STEP/IGES Export/Import------>3) New CATPart with Original UUID------>4) CATDrawing------>5) Non-V5 Modeling------>6) STEP/IGES Export/Import------>7) New CATPart with New UUID------>8) Copy/Paste from New CATPart with New UUID to Existing CATPart with Original UUID------>9) Open CATDrawing to verify link Basically, the concept is to establish the relationship from the CATDrawing Child file to it's Parent CATPart or CATProduct and maintain this relationship by changing the contents of the CATPart or CATProduct but re-use the original file so that it's UUID remains intact.

How do I display stresses in the sketch window?

Add this string to your environment file SHOW_CST_CHILDREN = 1

 How do I enable the Product to Part conversion?

Add this string to your environment file IRD_PRODUCTTOPART = 1

How do I enable Part Comparisons?

IRD_PART_COMPARISON = 1

How do I migrate a Solidm to CATPart?

Add this string to your environment file and paste 'As Spec' CATMigrSolidMUV4AsPart=1

How do I save a V5 Solid to a V4 Volume?

Add this string to your environment file V5V4SaveAsVolume=1

 How do I control the max gap in the automatic topology cleaner?

Add this string to the envirnment file V5V4CleanTolerance=0.01

How do I concatenate small surfaces with larger adjacent surfaces

Add this string to your environment file V5V4MaxSimplif=1

How do I save an entire CATDrawing as a single PDF?

Add the following string to your Environment file SAVE_AS_ONE_PDF=1

How can I add a logo or text to my part design?

Import the image into a CATDrawing and/or type text onto the lower left corner of a CATDrawing and then save it as a .dxf file. Close the CATDrawing and read the .dxf, and then Copy/Paste the lines into a sketch plane. From there, treat the sketch as a normal sketch and use Pad/Pocket, scaling or whatever to make it fit your needs. There is a shockwave viewlet on my website, if you would like to see this demonstrated.

Where can a CatiaV5 automation document be accessed via web?

Follow this link to the CAA Web site, and register for free access. http://www.caav5.com/developers/autofr.htm

 What is the difference in Knowledge Management and Knowledge Engineering?

Knowledge Management is the discipline of extracting, storing and balancing Intellectual Property in a parseable database. The act of leveraging this IP with Applications and Processes is Knowledge Engineering. In the simplest form, the use of a standards document by a designer is Knowledge Engineering. I reserve the term 'Knowledge Engineering' for the act of developing Software Applications leveraging Database Knowledge in order to compress design cycles by providing new efficiencies.

What is the difference in Knowledge Management and Knowledge Engineering?

Knowledge Management is the discipline of extracting, storing, classifying, balancing and maintaining relevant information for use in various tasks, one of which is Engineering. Knowledge Engineering is the discipline of leveraging this Knowledge by dissemination, automation, process inclusion, CAD connection, run-time document creation, and cross database connections for higher level analysis.

 What are the Best Practices for Power Copies?

Creating a PowerCopy As far as possible, minimize the number of elements making up the PowerCopy. When defining PowerCopies including sketches, use profiles constrained with respect to edges or faces rather than to planes. Additionally, set the option Create geometrical constraints off before sketching. Generally speaking, it is always preferable to use profiles both rigid and mobile. It is preferable to constrain elements with respect to external references such as faces, edges, reference or explicit planes. It is preferable not to use projections nor intersections in your sketch if you want to use your sketch in a PowerCopy. Avoid constraints defined with respect to reference planes. Before creating your PowerCopies, make sure that your sketch is not over-constrained. Make sure that your sketch is iso-constrained (green color). You can use non-iso-constrained sketches, but it will be more difficult to understand and control the result after instantiation. Create sketches on an axis system, in order to better control the Sketch position. Avoid access to sub-elements. Formulas are automatically included if you select all the parameters. For complex design, integrate knowledge rules. Managing inputs: Always rename your inputs to help the end user understand what he needs to select. A formula is automatically included in a Power Copy definition when all its parameters are included. Otherwise, i.e. if at least one parameter is not selected as part of the Power Copy, select the formula to make it part of the definition. If you do so, all the formula parameters that have not been explicitly selected, are considered as inputs of the Power Copy. Note that when including parameters sets containing hidden parameters in a PowerCopy, the hidden parameters are automatically instantiated when instantiating the PowerCopy. Preview: In a Part document, create only on

 How do I disable License errors at startup?

Add this Variable string to your Environment file CATLM_ODTS=1

How can I enable Wilson's spline curves?

Add this string to your Environment file L_WILSON_LAN=1

How do I display logs in DOS windows?

Add this string to your environment file CNEXTOUTPUT = console

I am working on a large tool,and need other designers to complete project on time. How do I work 1 tool with 3 designers? Merging seems to create more problems. Possiblly a PPR Hub, or does collaborative design work this way?

Your best bet is to sub-divide the work in the old fashioned way. Dassault has not provided a working collaboration toolset that I am aware of that allows multiple designers to work on different pieces of the Product structure. If you discover a way, share it with us all.

   1.  I have generated a fitting simulation video, but I need to reverse it. Manually re-sequencing all of the tracks will take me about 3 hours to reverse it so it assembles instead of dis-assembles. What video software do you use to edit these videos? I am hoping it may have a reversal feature.

   2. What is Fitting Simulation?

I have generated a fitting simulation video, but I need to reverse it. Manually re-sequencing all of the tracks will take me about 3 hours to reverse it so it assembles instead of dis-assembles. What video software do you use to edit these videos? I am hoping it may have a reversal feature.

      Try Photoshop Premiere, or another software package called Digital Video Editor (this may not be commercially available any more). Those are the only two software packages that I remember having the inverse play/record function. I can run your file through DV Editor if you would like to ftp it to me.

      Category: Fitting Simulation

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   2. What is Fitting Simulation?

      As the name implies, a user can create a step by step video sequence using the Compass that describes how components can be assembled or disassembled while analyzing Clash and Clearance. The resultant simulation can also be used to generate an AVI file. If there is interest, I can record a demonstration and post it on my Web site. The general concept is to create a Shuttle to use as a container for parts that travel as a unit, and record key frames in the form of Tracks as you move them relative to each other. This is different than Kinematics because no Joints are required.