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 that can be altered to the user’s preference:

The simplest way to translate from SOLIDWORKS or JT 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

SolidWorks-JT

The format of the command is as follows when translating from SOLIDWORKS to JT:

<Translator_installation_directory>\bin\solidworks_jt.cmd <input_file> <output_file>

The example above will translate an SolidWorks 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:\demo\output\baseplate.jt

JT-SolidWorks

The format of the command is as follows when translating from JT to SOLIDWORKS:

<Translator_installation_directory>\bin\jt_solidworks.cmd <input_file> <output_file>

The example above will translate a JT 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:\demo\output\nist_ctc_04_asme1_ct5210_rd.SLDPRT

Default Translation – Interactively from SolidWorks

In the “bin” folder is a batch file called RegTheoremSWAddIn.bat. Run this to register the Theorem SolidWorks Add-In that will then be added on the next time SolidWorks is booted up.

The Add-In can save and convert the current SolidWorks file into the JT format using the <File><Save As> (see below)

In order to translate from within SolidWorks, the SolidWorks application must be started, so that the appropriate SolidWorks menus are loaded. Select the “SW>JT Options” or “JT->SW Options” tab to display the translator options.

This page takes you to the SW>JT or JT>SW Configurations

Note: Configurations are created from within the Configuration Manager or UI.

Theorem XR – Interactively from SolidWorks

If you have the Theorem Visualisation Pipeline server setup in your orgnisation, you can configure Solidworks to upload data interactively to the server.

Go to Add-Ins:

In the Add Ins window, find TheoremSolidworksSaveAsTDP and toggle on the Active check box and Start up check box:

For any part/assembly you have open in Solidworks, you can upload to the server by going to Theorem XR and selecting SW -> TheoremXR options:

The window panel on the left will display Configurations options which you can edit:

Read Motion: If the data includes animations you want to upload, select this box.

Wait for Upload: Provides user with prompt window If upload has failed/uploaded successfully.

ServerURL: enter the server you want to upload the data to.

User Email: the email for the server access.

User Password: Password associated with the email.

Sign In: Select this to sign In with the entered credentials.

Project: choose a specific Project folder you want to upload the data to.

Config: Select the optimisation config you want applied to the data when uploaded.

UploadType: Choose between Source (Solidworks), Intermediate (Viewer) or JT type of data you want uploaded. Depending on the option you choose, the data will be converted locally and then pushed to the server for final processing.

Conversion Type: Options on how the data is read before uploading to XR. The default is to read the data out into a Parasolid file.

After the desired Configuration options have been selected, press the ✔ to save the changes. Go to File > Save as and save the part/assembly as a .tdp file, this will then push the saved file onto the server and process for Theorem XR use.

Translate Customization

Translate 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 SOLIDWORKS to JT

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

1. SOLIDWORKS Read: Those arguments that affect how data is read from SOLIDWORKS

2. JT Write: Those arguments that affect how the data is written to JT

3. General: Those arguments that are common to ALL Publishing activities regardless of source data

SOLIDWORKS Read Arguments

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

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Read Colour	This allows the user to read the SolidWorks colour Command Line Syntax: Project [file_name]
Read PMI	Enables PMI data read from the SolidWorks file. (Default is OFF). Command Line Syntax: read_pmi – to turn on
PMI Associations	Switches on/off the association between the PMI and the geometry display in JT
Retain Assembly Structure	Enables Assembly Structure to be retained. Deselecting this option will remove all assembly structure and collapse ALL geometry into a single selectable object
Only read assembly structure	Enables Assembly Geometry to be removed This will translate the Assembly Structure only
Read Hidden Data	No showDefault – Data will be read as displayed in SolidWorks Read all hidden – Read hidden geometry/structure/pmi Read hidden structure – Read hidden assembly structure only Read hidden geometry – Read hidden geometry only Read hidden pmi – Read hidden pmi only

JT Write Arguments

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

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Config File	Allows a JT write 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]

SOLIDWORKS to JT Entity Mask

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

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Mask File	Specifies the Mask File to be written to, that can be referenced by future translations. A Mask file MUST be specified if masking is required. The first line in this file is OFF ALL ENT: Command Line Syntax: Mask <filename>
Entity Types Translated	Specifies a selection list from which to select which entity types are to be processed. The following types are available: “POI”,”LIN”,”ARC”,”CON”,”CUR”,”SUR”,”FAC”,”SOL” Command Line Syntax: Add any of the above to the specified mask file, one entry per line prefixed by the word ON, e.g.: ON POI to ensure they are considered in the translation
Layers Translated	Specifies a selection list from which to select which layers are to be processed. Command Line Syntax: A single entry of ON ALL LAY Must precede any Layer Mask command. Add a list or range of numbers representing layer to be processed to the specified mask file to ensure they are NOT considered in the translation e.g.: OFF LAY 114,149,166,167,168

SOLIDWORKS 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

SOLIDWORKS to JT Advanced Arguments

Theorem’s SOLIDWORKS to JT translator has been configured with default settings that optimise 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
Parasolid Trans Delete	This option causes the CADverter to check for any hidden bodies in the .sldprt file and delete these before exporting the .sldprt file to a parasolid .x_t file. This is because hidden bodies became visible in the export. This option will reduce the processing time for large assemblies. Command Line Syntax: parasolid_trans_delete
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
SolidWorks Configurations	Configurations allow you to create multiple variations of a part or assembly model within a single document. Configurations provide a convenient way to develop and manage families of models with different dimensions, components, or other parameters. configuration <Configuration Name> cause the specified configuration to be applied to the component prior to conversion configuration <File Name // ; separated list of Configurations> converts the part using the named configurations where this list can be specified on the command line separated by ; or in a file and saved as OUTPUT_PNAME_CONFIGURATION NAME all_configurations causes all configurations to be converted and saved as OUTPUT_PNAME_CONFIGURATION NAME
Speedpaks	A SpeedPak configuration is essentially a subset of the parts, faces, reference geometry, sketches, and curves of an assembly. speedpaks_on speedpaks_off (default)

Common Options for JT to SOLIDWORKS

Within the Configuration Manager pane of the Unified Interface, arguments that can be specified when publishing JT data into SolidWorks are grouped into 2 areas:

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

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

JT Read Arguments

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

Each of these options is described below:

Option	Description
Read Wireframe	Read JT wireframe data. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: read_wire_frame
Read Points	Read JT point data. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: read_points
JT Data Selection	Select Brep or tessellated data read. Default is ‘Brep Preferred (then fine facet)’. Command Line Syntax: Brep Preferred (then Fine Facet): brep_pref Brep preferred (then Fine Tristrip): brep_pref_tri Brep Only: brep_only Fine Tristrip: fine_tristrips Coarse Tristrip: coarse_tristrips Fine Facet: fine_facets Coarse Facet: coarse_facets
ULP Processing	How to process ULP data in the JT part. Default is ‘Use Default Tessellation’. Command Line Syntax: Use Default Tessellation: Default Tessellate ULP: tess_ulp
Config File	Config File for Brep or ULP tessellation. Command Line Syntax: -z [path to file]
Retain Assembly Structure	Enables Assembly Structure to be removed. Selecting this option will remove all assembly structure and collapse ALL geometry into a single selectable object
Convert XT Brep surfaces to NURBS	Read XT Brep surfaces as NURBS surfaces (else read in native form). Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: noprep – to turn off
Convert XT Brep Edge Curves to NURBS	Read XT Brep edge curves as NURBS curves (else read in native form. Default is ON. Command Line Syntax: rd_native_edge – to turn off
Filter via layer filter	Supply layer filter(s) separated by commas and double quoted. Default is OFF. Command Line Syntax: layer_filter

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:

tessSOLIDWORKS.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 TRUE false FALSE	compression = true
triStripOpt	true TRUE false FALSE	triStripOpt = false
seamSewing	true TRUE false FALSE	seamSewing = true
seamSewingTol	any integer	seamSewingTol = 0.001
includeBrep	true TRUE false FALSE	includeBrep = false
brepPrecision	“SINGLE” “DOUBLE”	brepPrecision = “SINGLE”
autoNameSanitize	true TRUE false FALSE	autoNameSanitize = true
updateChangedPartsOnly	true TRUE false FALSE	updateChangedPartsOnly = false
verboseReporting	true TRUE false FALSE	verboseReporting = false
writeAsciiAssembly	true TRUE false FALSE	writeAsciiAssembly = false
singlePartsNoAssem	true TRUE false FALSE	singlePartsNoAssem = false
smartLODgeneration	true TRUE false FALSE	smartLODgeneration = true
autoLowLODgeneration	true TRUE false 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
SolidWorksOptions	SolidWorksOptions {	SolidWorksOptions {
ProjectFile	Full system file path	ProjectFile = “P:\apps\SolidWorks2009\Samples.ipj”	“”
IgnoreMigration	true/TRUE false/FALSE	IgnoreMigration = true	false
ReportFilename	Full system file path	ReportFilename = P:\caddata\translation\result\part55	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,,