3D PLM Enterprise Architecture

Data Access - File

Document Understanding

A description of Non-V5 Documents Import/Export
Technical Article

Abstract

This article describes some of the non-V5 documents that are supported by Dassault Systèmes and explains their characteristics.


General Information

Non-V5 Documents can be converted with CATDocumentServices:

The V5 Documents are described in the Overview article [3].

The detail of the elements that are imported/exported and the particular settings can be found in the User documentation for each format.

Below is an overview of two of them, processing 3D Exact Brep Geometry with graphical attributes and Product Structure.

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3D-IGES Format

IGES, the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification, is an ANSI standard to represent and exchange 3D and 2D data.

See also: http://www.iges5x.org and http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/iges

3D-IGES files can have the extensions: .igs or .IGS (2D-IGES files: .ig2 or .IG2).

OpenDocument

In standard mode, an IGES file imported into V5 generates a CATDocument of type "igs" and a Part Document [3].

With user settings to create a product structure (in IGES.CATSettings), the result of import can be a CATDocument of type "igs" and a Product Document with its associated Part Document(s) [3], depending on the input data to be converted.

SaveAs

A V5 Document (CATPart, CATShape or CATProduct) exported to the IGES format will generate an IGES Document (all data in the same file).

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STEP Format

STEP, the Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data, is a comprehensive ISO standard (ISO 10303) that describes how to represent and exchange digital product information.

See also: CAx Implementor Forum: http://www.cax-if.org and http://www.prostep.org

STEP files can have the extensions: .stp , .step , .STP or .STEP .

OpenDocument

A STEP file imported into V5 generates a CATDocument of type "stp" or "step" and either a Part Document or a Product Document with its associated Part Document(s) or Part and Product Document(s) [3], depending on the input data to be converted and the user settings.

SaveAs

A V5 Document (CATPart, CATShape or CATProduct) exported to STEP may generate one or more STEP Documents, depending on the input data to be converted and the user settings.

Some STEP Documents can have references to external native V4 or V5 files (.CATPart, .cgr , .model).

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References

[1] Loading a Document
[2] Exporting a Document Format Type
[3] Document Overview (Description of Part and Product Documents)
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History

Version: 1 [Jan 2009] Document created
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