User Guide

Using the Product

Default Translations

Default Translation – via the Unified Interface

The Unified Interface can be started via the Start Menu – if a shortcut was added during installation. Alternatively, the Unified Interface can be run via a Windows Explorer selection in:

<UI_installation_directory>\bin\Unified_Interface.cmd

The following interface will be launched:

The default layout is split into 4 primary areas, which can be altered to the users prefer:

The simplest way to translate from INVENTOR is to drag a file from the file Browser Pane on to the Active Configurations for the translation you require.

On completion, the Unified Interface will display the activity information and details from the log file created during the translation, if requested, in the Translation Activity and Output Log panes, respectively.

The generated output data can be located by selecting the translation from the Activity pane and opening the output folder:

Default Translation – via the Command Line

Running a translation via the command line can be carried out via the cad_run.cmd file located in the <installation_directory>\bin directory. The format of the command is as follows when translating from INVENTOR to JT:

<Translator_installation_directory>\bin\cad_run.cmd Inventor_JT -i <input_file> -o <output_file>

The example above will translate an Inventor sample file provided within the installation and produce the following screen output:

The file will be output to the target location. In this case:

C:\temp\test.jt

Translator Customization

The Theorem translator allows the information that is read from the source system and written to the target system to be tailored via a set of user specified arguments. Commonly used arguments are supported via the Unified Interface, with Advanced Arguments being described within this document for use in the Unified Interface or via the Command Line invocation.

Common Options for INVENTOR to JT

Within the Configuration Manager pane of the Unified Interface, arguments that can be specified when publishing INVENTOR data into JT are grouped into 3 areas:

• INVENTOR Read – Those arguments that affect how data is read from INVENTOR

• JT Write – Those arguments that affect how the data is written to JT

• General – Those arguments that are common to ALL Publishing activities regardless of source data

INVENTOR Read Arguments

The image below shows the INVENTOR Read arguments that are available, with their default settings:

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Project File	This allows the user to specify an Inventor project file (*.ipg) which details search paths for parts within an assembly amongst other Inventor settings. Command Line Syntax: Project [file_name]
Ignore Migration	This option allows the check for data migration to be omitted. Command Line Syntax: ignore_migration

JT Write Arguments

The image below shows the Write JT arguments that are available, with their default settings:

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Config File	Allows a JT configuration file to be specified. Please see JT Configuration File for a full description of the JT config file format. Command Line Syntax: -z [path_to_file]
Verbose Report	Defines the report. Default is ‘Config File setting’ Command Line Syntax: Config File Setting: Default No: -VerboseReporting false Yes: -VerboseReporting true
Output Units	Output unit definition. Default is ‘Config File setting’ Command Line Syntax: Config File Setting: Default As Input: -OutputUnits inputUnits Millimeters: -OutputUnits mm Centimeters: -OutputUnits cm Meters: -OutputUnits m Inches: -OutputUnits inches Feet: -OutputUnits feet Yards: -OutputUnits yards
Structure Output Type	Specifies the type of assembly structure to be output. Default is JT. Selectable options are: JT: Default PLMXML (with external references to JT files) STEP BOM (with external references to JT files) Command Line Syntax: JT: Default PLMXML: <See PLMXML Ref Type> STEP BOM: write_stepbom
PLMXML Reference Type	Only active if a Structure Type of PLMXML is selected. Selectable options are: PLMXML referencing JT Parts in the same folder PLMXML in addition to the JT Assembly File Command Line Syntax: 1: plmxml_only 2: write_plmxml
PLMXML Property Mapping File	Allows a Property Mapping file to be selected. Only active if a Structure Type of PLMXML is selected. (See Property Mapping Files for the file format) Command Line Syntax: plmxml_prop_map_file [File] Note! When this option is unset, the file “plmxml_property_mapping.txt” in the ‘data\jt folder’ will be used as the mapping file. This file contains lines with mappings that are mandatory for certain downstream applications and mappings to remove attributes used solely in the translation process. Therefore it is a good idea to start with a copy of this file when creating a new mapping file.
Brep Type	Specifies the BREP type in the resultant JT Files. Default is JT Brep. Selectable options are: JT Brep: Default XT Brep (Theorem) JT Brep (JT Open) Command Line Syntax: JT Brep: Default XT Brep (Theorem): xt_brep no_fixup JT Brep (JT open): jt_xt_brep
Explode Solids to Faces	A secondary option enabled when XT Brep (Theorem) output is specified. Explodes solids to faces. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: split_brep
Brep Wireframe	Store wireframe in the JT Brep. Default is YES. Selectable options are: Yes: Default No Command Line Syntax: No: no_brep_wire
Produce Tessellated Output	Convert Brep data directly to facetted data. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: tess_output
Expand Part	Process multi-solid parts as an assembly. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: expand_part
Reuse Solids	A secondary option enabled when Expand Part is set to re-use existing solids. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: reuse_solids
CAD Property Mapping File	A file containing a list of CAD properties and information on how they are mapped to the JT file. Not used by default. (See Property Mapping Files for the file format) Command Line Syntax: cad_prop_map_file [File] Note! An example mapping file is provide in the ‘data\jt’ folder. This file provides a good starting point when creating a new mapping file.

INVENTOR to JT General Arguments

The image below shows the General arguments that are available, with their default settings:

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Advanced	Allows any of the Command Line Advanced arguments documented below to be passed to the Unified Interface invocation

INVENTOR to JT Advanced Arguments

Theorem’s INVENTOR to JT translator has been configured with default settings that optimize the translation process. However, there are times when a satisfactory result cannot be obtained, so it may be required to deploy one or more Advanced Arguments to improve the translated result.

The following table describes useful Advanced Arguments that can be entered into the General Tab -> Advanced field:

Option	Description
Parasolid Tolerant Modelling	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output is specified. Enables Parasolid tolerant modelling. Default is ON Command Line Syntax: nopstolmodel – to turn off
Factor	Specify the factor level of Parasolid Tolerant Modelling when turned on. Default is 3. Command Line Syntax: pstolmodel 3
Sew Parasolid Bodies	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output is specified. Enables the sewing of Parasolid bodies. Default is ON Command Line Syntax: nosew – to turn off
Tolerance	Specify the tolerance for the sew command above. Default is 0.01. Command Line Syntax: pssew 0.01
Incremental Sewing	Enables incremental sewing when used with Sew Parasolid Bodies. Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: no_sew_increm – to turn off
Split Discontinuous Surfaces	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Splits discontinuous surfaces. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: brep_prep – to turn on no_brep_prep – to turn off
Force body creation (No check of Parasolid entities)	A secondary option enabled when XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Removes the checking of Parasolid entities. Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: nocheck – (force body creation without checking = Default) check – (doesn’t force the body creation - Parasolid checking is enabled)
Fix Degenerate Edges	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. On face create failure, check and fix any degenerate edges. Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: fix_degen no_fix_degen – to turn off
Specify a Face Edge Tolerance	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Specify an edge tolerance to be used when creating faces. Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: Please see Edge Tolerance below
Edge Tolerance	A secondary option used with Specify a Face Edge Tolerance where the tolerance value is assigned. Default is 0.000006. Command Line Syntax: face_edge_tol 0.000006
Fix small features in solids	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Remove small edges, sliver and spike faces from solid bodies. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: ps_fix_small – to turn on no_ps_fix_small - default
Fix small features in open solids	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Remove small edges, sliver and spike faces from open solids. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: ps_fix_osol – to turn on no_ps_fix_osol - default
Simplify Geometry	A secondary option to be used when Brep Type = XT Brep (Theorem) output specified. Simplify Geometry. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: simplify_solids – to turn on

JT Configuration File

Introduction

A configuration file contains the settings for your translations. The configuration file can be specified using the command line option -config or -z.

If this is not supplied the following config file will be used:-

tessINVENTOR.config in %TS_INST%\etc directory (where TS_INST = Installed directory)

The JT configuration file contains various sections, each containing different settings based on the section.

The Setup Section

The setup options in the configuration file define how your files are translated. The setup section is the first part of the configuration file and contains a series of standard translator options.

To edit setup options

1. Open an existing configuration file with a text editor.

2. Edit the configuration file options listed in the table below.

3. Save the configuration with a .config extension

Option name	Keywords	Example
EAITranslator	EAITranslator {	EAITranslator {
OutputDirectory	“path to directory”	OutputDirectory = “/home/<user>/”
CommonPartsPath	“path to directory”	CommonPartsPath= “/myaccount/jtparts/”
chordalOption	“RELATIVE” “ABSOLUTE”	chordalOption = “RELATIVE”
structureOption	“PER_PART” “MONOLITHIC” “FULL_SHATTER”	structureOption = “MONOLITHIC”
WriteWhichFiles	“ALL” “ASSEMBLY_ONLY” “PARTS_ONLY”	WriteWhichFiles = “ALL”
compression	true / false	compression = true
triStripOpt	true / false	triStripOpt = false
seamSewing	true / false	seamSewing = true
seamSewingTol	any integer	seamSewingTol = 0.001
includeBrep	true / false	includeBrep = false
brepPrecision	“SINGLE” “DOUBLE”	brepPrecision = “SINGLE”
autoNameSanitize	true / false	autoNameSanitize = true
updateChangedPartsOnly	true / false	updateChangedPartsOnly = false
verboseReporting	true / false	verboseReporting = false
writeAsciiAssembly	true / false	writeAsciiAssembly = false
singlePartsNoAssem	true / false	singlePartsNoAssem = false
smartLODgeneration	true / false	smartLODgeneration = true
autoLowLODgeneration	true / false	autoLowLODgeneration = true
numLODs	any integer	numLODs = 3
JtFileFormat	64,70,80,81,82,90, 91,92,93,94,95,100	JtFileFormat = “95”
includeULP	PASSTHROUGH TRUE FALSE	includeULP = “PASSTHROUGH”
ulpPrecision	Real Value	ulpPrecision = 0.001
close brace	}	}

The Level of Detail Section

The level of detail section of the configuration file contains the tessellation and simplification information for each level of detail in the file.

This section consists of several sets of level of detail (LOD) information, and the number of these sets depends on the number you specified on the numLODs line in the configuration file.

To edit level of detail options

1. Open an existing configuration file in a text editor.

2. Edit the configuration file options listed below.

3. Save the configuration with a .config extension

Option name	Keywords	Example
LOD	LOD “lod number” {	LOD “1” {
Level	any integer	Level = 1
Chordal	any number	Chordal = 0.001
Angular	any number	Angular = 25
Length	any number	Length = 1
Label	any string	“ud_FINE”
FeatureSuppression	any integer	FeatureSuppression = 0
Simplify	any number	Simplify = 0.60
AdvCompressionLevel	any number	AdvCompressionLevel = 0.0
ULP	true / false
close brace	}	}

The Filter Section

The filter section of the configuration file contains the filename and metadata filtering information. Edit this section if you want to change how the translator sanitizes filenames and filters metadata keys.

To edit filter options

1. Open an existing configuration file with a text editor.

2. Edit the configuration file options from the table below.

3. Save the configuration with a .config extension

Option name	Keywords	Example
Filter	Filter {	Filter {
FilenameSanitizeSet	“string of characters”	FilenameSanitizeSet = “abc123.”
FilenameSanitizeSetAdd	“string of characters”	FilenameSanitizeSetAdd = “4l”
FilenameSanitizeSetDelete	“string of characters”	FilenameSanitizeSetDelete = “c”
MetadataKey	“string of characters”	MetadataKey = “metadata key to exclude”
close brace	}	}

The Metadata section

The metadata section sets which metadata to attach to all parts, assemblies and nodes of the model.

Note

Be sure to add these options to the configuration file in pairs: one line to define the metadata key and one line to define the metadata value.

To edit metadata options

1. Open an existing configuration file (.CONFIG) in a text editor.

2. Edit the configuration file options shown in the table below.

3. Save the configuration with a .config extension

Option name	Keywords	Example
Metadata	Metadata {	Metadata {
AddToParts	“string of characters”	AddToParts = “<metadata key>” AddToParts = “<metadata value>”
AddToAssemblies	“string of characters”	AddToAssemblies = “<metadata key>” AddToAssemblies = “<metadata value>”
AddToAllNodes	“string of characters”	AddToAllNodes = “<metadata key>” AddToAllNodes = “<metadata value>”
close brace	}	}

The Special Section

The special section of the configuration file contains lines that are unique to this translator.

To edit special options

1. Open an existing configuration file with a text editor.

2. Edit the configuration file options shown in the table below.

3. Save the configuration with a .config file extension.

Option	Keyword	Example	Default Value
InventorOptions	InventorOptions {	InventorOptions {
ProjectFile	Full system file path	Windows example ProjectFile = “P:\apps\Inventor2009\Samples.ipj”	“”
IgnoreMigration	true/TRUE false/FALSE	IgnoreMigration = true	false
ReportFilename	Full system file path	Windows example ReportFilename = P:\caddata\translation\result\part55	Windows system C:%TEMP%\tscprogressyi
OutputUnits	mm millimetres cm centimetres m metre metres inches feet yards inputUnits	OutputUnits = mm	inputUnits
StructureOutputType	JT PLMXML PLMXMLJT	StructureOutputType = JT	JT
PLMXMLPropertyMappingFile	File Name	PLMXMLPropertyMappingFile = “mapping_file.txt”	“”
brepType	XT JT XTJT	brepType = XT	JT
ParasolidTolerantModelling	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ParasolidTolerantModelling = true	true
ParasolidTolerantModellingFactor	Any positive integer	ParasolidTolerantModellingFactor = 3	3
SewParasolidBodies	true/TRUE false/FALSE	SewParasolidBodies = true	true
SewParasolidBodiesTol	Any number	SewParasolidBodiesTol = 0.01	0.01
IncrementalSewing	true/TRUE false/FALSE	IncrementalSewing = true	true
IncrementalSewingNoOfIterations	true/TRUE false/FALSE	IncrementalSewingNoOfIterations = 5	5
ExplodeSolidstoFaces	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ExplodeSolidstoFaces = false	false
SplitDiscontinuousSurfaces	true/TRUE false/FALSE	SplitDiscontinuousSurfaces = true	false
ForceBodyCreation	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ForceBodyCreation = true	true
FixDegenerateEdges	true/TRUE false/FALSE	FixDegenerateEdges = true	true
FaceEdgeTol	Any number	FaceEdgeTol = 0.000006	0.000006
FixSmallFeaturesSolids	true/TRUE false/FALSE	FixSmallFeaturesSolids = false	false
FixSmallFeaturesOpenSolids	true/TRUE false/FALSE	FixSmallFeaturesOpenSolids = false	false
SimplifyGeometry	true/TRUE false/FALSE	SimplifyGeometry = false	false
BrepWireframe	true/TRUE false/FALSE	BrepWireframe = true	true
ProduceTessellatedOutput	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ProduceTessellatedOutput = false	false
ExpandPart	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ExpandPart = false	false
ReuseSolids	true/TRUE false/FALSE	ReuseSolids = false	false
CADPropertyMappingFile	File Name	CADPropertyMappingFile = “mapping_file.txt”	“”
SavedViewsViewSetName	“string of characters”	SavedViewsViewSetName	“SavedViews”
AnnotationPlanesViewSetName	“string of characters”	AnnotationPlanesViewSetName	“AnnotationPlanes”
Close brace	}	}

Property Mapping Files

Property mapping files are required for CAD property Mapping and PLMXML Property Mapping

A Property Mapping File is a comma separated text file containing information of how CAD properties from the source system will be mapped into the target file.

The format is as follows:

• Lines beginning with a “#” are treated as comment lines and are ignored.

• Any space characters will be treated as part of the item

• Lines containing a mapping must contain 6 items separated by 5 commas

The six items are:

Item	Description
Source name	The attribute name in the Source System
Target name	The attribute name in the Target File
Data derived from	0 - Do not convert 1 - Use the source value as given 6 - Use the source value as given and hide the property Note! Value 6 For CAD Mapping Files ONLY (Not PLMXML)
Default Value	Not currently used
Value Type	Not currently used
Default Units	Not currently used

An Example of a mapping file is shown below:

# Mapping from input attribute name to Target property name
#
# Line Format:-
# Source name,Target name,Data derived from,Default Value,Value Type,Default Units
# Data derived from:-
# 0 - Do not convert
# 1 - Use the source values as given
# 6 - Use the source value as given and hide the property
#
_ActivateBOM,NULL,0,0,,
_LastModifier,NULL,0,0,,
_Maturity,NULL,0,0,,
_PrdVersion,NULL,0,0,,
_ReferenceTimeStamp,NULL,0,0,,
_Responsible,NULL,0,0,,
COG M,ud_CAD_CENTER_OF_GRAVITY,1,0,,
COMPONENTS PRINCIPAL AXES ,NULL,0,0,,
DENSITY Kg/M^3,NULL,0,0,,
INERTIA MATRIX KgM2,ud_CAD_MOMENT_OF_INERTIA,1,0,,
INERTIA VOLUME M^3,ud_CAD_VOLUME,1,0,,
INERTIA WET AREA M^2,ud_CAD_SURFACE_AREA,1,0,,
MASS Kg,ud_CAD_MASS,1,0,,
PRINCIPAL MOMENTS KgM^2,NULL,0,0,,
FILESAVETIME,File Last Modified,1,0,,
LOCALE,LOCALE,1,0,,
Masterdata Version,Masterdata Version,1,0,,
Material Details,Material Details,1,0,,
PART_NUMBER,PART_NUMBER,1,0,,
MPARTNAME,Source Model Name,1,0,,
Source,SourceName,1,0,,