########################### How to use Tetra4D Automate ########################### **Running Tetra4D Automate** ============================ Tetra4D Automate can be triggered using a command line. Along with the Tetra4D Automate application path, the following arguments can be specified: .. list-table:: :widths: 10 20 40 30 :header-rows: 1 * - # - Identifier - Type of file - Required * - (1) - -pdfin - Tetra 4D Enrich PDF template - Yes if (2) isn't specified * - (2) - -htmlin - HTML template used to export 3D to HTML - Yes if (1) isn't specified * - (3) - -libdir - Installation folder (where the A3DLIBS.dll is located) - No * - (4) - -3dfilein - Source 3D file - Yes if (12) isn't a xml file and (1) is specified * - (5) - -3doptions - XML file: Conversion settings - Yes * - (6) - -xmlattribsin - XML file: Import of meta-data - No * - (7) - -xmldatafield sin - XML file: Values to populate text fields - No * - (8) - -xmlimport - XML file: Definition of a table - No * - (9) - -attachfile or -attachlist - File to be attached in the PDF, or Text file containing a list of files to be attached - No * - (10) - -outfpwdopen - Specification of a password that will be required to open the PDF document - No * - (11) - -outfpwdright - Specification of a password that will be required to change the document permission settings - No * - (12) - -outfname - Output file name and format - Yes * - (13) - -outlog - Log files - No .. important:: (1) Tetra4D Automate supports the same CAD formats as Tetra4D Converter The CAD formats that are available for with one installation of the product are specified by the license provided with the Serial Number. (2) Tetra4D Automate exports 3D PDF and HTML files. The ability to export to other CAD formats like STEP, IGES… is available optionally. The availability of the optional export to a neutral format is specified by the license provided with the Serial Number. Example of command line: .. code-block:: batch "C:\Automate.exe"^ -pdfin "C:\Template_Automate_PartList.pdf"^ -3dfilein "C:\_micro engine.CATProduct"^ -xmldatafieldsin "C:\MicroEngine_Import_TITLEBLOCK.xml"^ -xmlattribsin "C:\MicroEngine_Import_ATTRIB.xml"^ -3doptions "C:\automate_settings_manual.xml"^ -outfname "C:\Tetra4D_Micro_Engine_PartList.pdf"^ -outlog "C:\Tetra4D_Micro_Engine_PartList.log" Conversion process ================== During the conversion of the CAD files into a PDF document by **Tetra4D Automate**, the following operations are performed: - The CAD data are read according to the specified conversion settings XML file, - The 3D object from the specified PDF template is replaced by the read CAD data, - The external information defined by XML files if any (attributes, title block) are read - The Tetra4D Enrich widgets present in the template (Carousel of Views, Table) are updated based on the new 3D data and the read XML attributes file, - The generic actions (text output on part selection, change of rendering mode…), if any, are updated, - The text fields (title block) are updated based on the specified title block XML file if any, and on the new 3D data. Method to trigger a conversion ============================== Along with the source CAD files to be converted into PDF, it is required to prepare the following files to trigger a conversion. PDF Template file (required) ---------------------------- .. important:: Tetra4D Automate requires a template created by Tetra4D Enrich. The PDF document used as a template must be created using Tetra4D Enrich, and must contain at least a 3D annotation. Conversion Settings XML file (required) --------------------------------------- XML file containing various settings for converting 3D file to PDF such as background color, importing element, etc. Parts attributes definition XML file (optional) ----------------------------------------------- XML file containing part attributes. If some of the meta-data to be put in the PDF document are managed by another application (such as ERP, PLM…), so not present in the CAD files, Tetra 4D Automate enables to import them through an XML file and map them to the 3D. Please refer :doc:`Parts attributes definition XML file` in details. Text fields values definition XML file (optional) ------------------------------------------------- XML file defining text information to populate text fields (title-block) in the PDF document. Please refer :ref:`XML file to define values to populate text fields` in details. Table definition XML file (optional) ------------------------------------ XML file defining a table (having multiple rows, columns, and a title row). If the contents of the table to be shown in the PDF document is managed by another application (such as ERP, PLM…), Tetra 4D Automate enables to import it using an XML file, and to map the rows of the table with the 3D. Please refer to :ref:`XML file to define a table` in details. Conversion settings =================== Four samples of conversion settings files are provided with the setup of tetra4D Automate. Please refer to the :doc:`features` for detailed explanations about these samples. Conversion setting file structure --------------------------------- The structure of the settings is based on three main sections: - CAD files Import parameters, - Export parameters, - PDF parameters. The different settings and options are presented below. CAD files import Parameters --------------------------- This section provides all the CAD data reading parameters and options that are meant to define what CAD entities are considered during the CAD data reading phase. **General** ~~~~~~~~~~~ Specifies what information are considered during the reading phase. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - ReadSolids - Import solids - true: Import, false: Not imported * - ReadSurfaces - Import surfaces - Same as above * - ReadWireframes - Import wireframes - Same as above * - ReadFeature - Import feature - Same as above * - ReadPmis - Import PMI and views - Same as above * - ReadAttributes - Import Attributes - Same as above * - ReadHiddenObjects - Import hidden objects - Same as above * - ReadConstructionAndReferences - Import construction and references - Same as above * - ReadActiveFilter - Import active filter - Same as above * - ReadDrawings - Import drawings - Same as above * - ReadGeomTessMode - Import geometry (B-rep) and/or polygon (tessellation) - | 0: Geometry only | 1: Both geometry and tessellation | 2: Tessellation only * - DefaultUnit - Default Unit - | 0: Point | 1: Inch | 2: Millimeter | 3: Centimeter | 4: Picas | 5: Foot | 6: Yard | 7: Meter | 8: Kilometer | 9: Mile | 10: Unknown * - LoadStructureOnly - Load only the assembly structure - true: Not supported, false: Import the full assembly **VIEW filtering** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Specifies if the native CAD views have to be filtered. **Remarks:** - The views filtering feature applies to the following CAD formats only: - Inventor - CATIA V5 .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - IgnoreSubAsmViews - Specifies if the views that are defined in the sub-levels and the components of an assembly are retained in the PDF document or if they are ignored - true: All views from sub-levels are ignored, false: All views are read * - FilterViewsByName - Enables to define a rule to filter the views according to their name. Mode: Defines the filtering mode. Criteria: Defines the string of character that will be used to identify the views - | Mode: 0 = No Filtering | 1 = Views matching with criteria are kept | 2 = Views matching with criteria are ignored. Criteria: String of characters **PMI** ~~~~~~~ Specifies how the PMIs will be displayed in the PDF document. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - AlwaysSubstituteFont - Specifies if the PMI font defined in the CAD is used or substituted by another one - true: Substitutes the font, false: Use the CAD font * - SubstitutionFontValue - Substitution font - Name of font * - NumberOfDigitsAfterDot - Number of decimal places to use for numeric values if no decimal information is specified in the CAD file - 0 ~ 5 * - DefaultUnit - Units of measure of the PMI to use if no unit information is specified in the CAD file - | 0: Point | 1: Inch | 2: Millimeter | 3: Centimeter | 4: Picas | 5: Foot | 6: Yard | 7: Meter | 8: Kilometer | 9: Mile | 10: Unknown * - AlwaysUseDefaultColor - "true" to substitute the color of PMI defined in the CAD file by the new color specified in - true: Yes, false: No **ProprietaryFontDirectories** The fonts are usually retrieved from system folders. These paths enable to specify additional locations for fonts. **DefaultColor** If AlwaysUseDefaultColor is set to “true”, the DefaultColor key defines the color of the PMIs. The color is defined with RGB values: - Black: Red="0" Green="0" Blue="0" - White: Red="1" Green="1" Blue="1" **Tessellation** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Specifies the quality of the tessellation. **Remarks:** - The tessellation attributes are defined in the “Import Parameters” section because tessellation is calculated during the reading of the CAD data. - Note that depending on the CAD format, the tessellation might be read directly from the native CAD data. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - TessellationLevelOfDetail - Quality of tessellation - | 0: Extra low | 1: Low | 2: Medium | 3: High | 4: Extra high | 5: User defined | 6: Controlled precision * - ChordHeightRatio - Chord height ratio - 50 ~ 10000 * - AngleToleranceDeg - Angle tolerance degrees - 10 ~ 40 * - MinimalTriangleAngleDeg - Minimal triangle degrees - 0.01 ~ 2147483648.00 * - MaxChordHeight - Max chord height - 1 ~ 30 * - Accurate - Accurate Tesselation or not - true: Yes, false: No * - KeepUVPoint - Specifies if we want to keep the UV points - true: Not supported, false: No * - UseHeightInsteadOfRatio - Use Height instead of Ratio - true: Yes, false: No * - MaximalTriangleEdgeLength - Maximal edges' length of the triangle in tesselation - **Remarks:** - If TesselationLevelOfDetail is set in between 0 to 4 (included), all the other values are ignored. - If TesselationLevelOfDetail is set to 5 or 6, then the other attributes must be defined. **Assembly** ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Defines the CAD files reading strategy and enable to specify additional folders to look for child parts if they are not found in the main assembly folder or sub-folders. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - UseRootDirectory - Use the root directory to look for sub-assemblies and child parts - true: Yes, false: No * - RootDirRecursive - Look for sub-assemblies and child parts into the root directory sub-folders recursively - true: Yes, false: No **SearchDirectories** Enables to specify additional search directories. **PathDefinitions** Enables to specify additional search directories by selecting a text file. **Multiple Entries** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enables to specify the configuration to be read if the file contains different configurations. **Incremental loading** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The only supported value is “false”. **Specific** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enables to define some format specific parameters. **Export Parameters** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section provides settings that define the format of the document to be created: - Choice of the export format, - Export settings The A3DExportSettings value specifies the export format. Note that the 3D PDF (value 0) is the default format and that all the other formats are optionally accessible. .. list-table:: :widths: 40 30 30 :header-rows: 1 * - Format - Attribute - Value * - RemoveExtension - Removes the extension - true: Yes, false: No * - PDF (PRC) - - 0 * - STEP - - 1 * - IGES - - 2 * - JT - - 3 * - 3MF - - 4 * - STL - - 5 * - VRML - - 6 * - PARASOLID - - 7 * - HTML - - 1000 **Export to PDF (PRC)** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Defines the compression options for the export to 3D PDF format. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 40 30 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - CompressBrep - Activates the compression of the Brep or not - true: Yes, false: No * - CompressTesselation - Activates the compression of the tesselation or not - true: Yes, false: No * - CompressBrepTol - Specifies the tolerance for the Brep compression - 0.01 to 0.1 **Export to other CAD formats (Step, Iges…)** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Defines the export options for the selected export format. **Export to HTML Format** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Convert a 3D PDF file in interactive HTML files. To visualize the HTML output file in your browser, see “Description of the script: 50_start_ConvertToHTML.bat”. **Security settings** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Defines the export options for the selected export format. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 40 30 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - Printing - Enables print feature and defines printing quality - true: High quality print, Low: low quality print, false: No printing * - Edit - Enables the Edit feature - true: Yes, false: No * - Comments - Enables the Comment feature - true: Yes, false: No * - DocAssembly - Enables edit the document (page insertion, merging) - true: Yes, false: No * - Fill and sign - Enables to fill fields and to use the Sign feature - true: Yes, false: No * - Copy - Enables to copy the contents of the document - true: Yes, false: No * - Secure - Enables to modify the security settings of the document - true: Yes, false: No * - SaveAs - Enables to "save as" the document - true: Yes, false: No * - Templates - Enables to use the document as a template - true: Yes, false: No **Remarks:** - Some of these options may prevent the document’s JavaScript to run. **PDF Parameters** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section provides parameters that apply only for the export to 3D PDF. **Colors** ~~~~~~~~~~ This section enables to define an index of colors that can be referenced by other settings. **Remark:** The colors are defined by RGB values. The colors can be selected in the index based on the order. First color is 0. Example: .. code-block:: xml : White : Black : Green … **RectData** ~~~~~~~~~~ Will be documented in a future version of the document **Artwork Data** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These settings are related to display of PMIs and the orientation of the default view. .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - JavaSriptFileName - Not used - * - AnimationStyle - Not used - * - ActivatePMICrossHiglight - Activate PMIs Cross Highlight - | true: yes | false: no * - AddPMISemanticInformation - Add information about PMIs semantic - | true: yes | false: no * - ChangePMIColor - Specifies if we want to change the PMI's color - | true: yes | set to PMIColorIndex | false: no * - PMIColorIndex - Color of the markup of the artwork if ChangePMIColor=true - Index in list color * - AddStandardViews - Enable the creation of 6 standard views: Left, Top, Front Right, Bottom, Back in Orthographic projection mode - | true: yes | false: no * - DefaultViewOrientation - Specifies which type of default view's orientation we want to use - | 0: Default Acrobat | 1: Default CatiaV5 | 2: Default Creo | 3: Default Inventor Inch | 4: Default Inventor Flat | 5: Default Inventor mm | 6: Default Nx | 7: Default SolidEdge | 8: Default SolidWorks | 9: User defined * - DefaultViewVerticalAxis - Definition of the vertical axis to be used in the default view if DefaultViewOrientation=9 - | 0: X Axis | 1: Y Axis | 2: Z Axis * - DefaultViewVerticalRotation - Rotation angle of the model on vertical axis - 0-360 * - DefaultViewHorizontalRotation - Rotation angle of the model on horizontal axis - 0-360 **AnnotData** ~~~~~~~~~~~~ These settings are related to the 3D annotation: - Background color and lighting - Rendering mode - Data tree and 3D toolbar visualization .. list-table:: :widths: 30 35 35 :header-rows: 1 * - Attribute - Description - Value * - OpenModelTree - Specifies if we want the model tree to be open when the 3D annot is activated - | true: yes | false: no * - ShowToolbar - Specifies if we want the 3d toolbar to be show - | true: yes | false: no * - Lighting - Default light - | 0: Current light | 1: No light | 2: White light | 3: Day light | 4: Bright light | 5: Primary color light | 6: Night light | 7: Blue light | 8: Red light | 9: Cube light | 10: CAD optimized light | 11: Headlamp light * - RenderingStyle - Default rendering style - | 0: Transparent bounding box | 1: Solid | 2: Transparent | 3: Solid wireframe | 4: Illustration | 5: Solid outline | 6: Shaded illustration | 7: Bounding box | 8: Transparent bounding box outline | 9: Wireframe | 10: Shaded wireframe | 11: Transparent wireframe | 12: Hidden wireframe | 13: Vertices | 14: Shaded vertices * - BackgroundColorIndex - Default background color (Index of color specified in Colors, Top is 0) - 0 ~ * - TransparentBackground - Specifies if the 3D annotation has a transparent background (False recommended) - | true: yes | false: no * - ActivateWhen - Specifies when the 3d annotation will be activated - | 0: remain inactive until explicitly activated by a script or user action | 1: be activated as soon as the page containing the 3D Annot is opened | 2: be activated as soon as any part of the page containing the 3D Annot becomes visible * - DesactiveWhen - Specifies when the 3d annotation will be deactivated - | 0: remain active until explicitly activated by a script or user action | 1: be deactivated as soon as the page containing the 3D Annot is opened | 2: be deactivated as soon as any part of the page containing the 3D Annot becomes invisible * - AppearanceBorderWidth - Border width in points - 0 ~ * - PosterImageIndex - Not documented - * - ArtWorkIndex - Not documented -