Adding a New Type

X-CAD Design Management does not support creation of custom types from existing based types using web user interface unified typing tools. In a customized or customer specific environment, if you have access to MQL then it is possible to create new types that are derived from existing base types.

This task describes how to add new types in Connector for AutoCAD.

  1. Define a custom type.

    For example, define a new type "ACAD Engine Drawing" that is derived from parent type "MCAD Drawing" or "ACAD Drawing". Choose an appropriate parent type depending on the planned use of the new custom type.

  2. Register the new custom types. For more information, see Registering Your Own Administrative Objects in the Studio Modeling Configuration Guide.
  3. Add types to policies.
    1. Determine the policy that will be used to govern these types.
    2. Open the MQL and search for the policies that govern the major type and versioned type.

      To list the available GCOs with their Bus ID and revision, run the following command

      MQL>temp query bus *Global* * * select id;

      To modify a GCO attribute from a GCO, run the following command

      MQL>modify bus <busname> <attributename> "<attribute value>";

      For example, to modify GCO attributes for Connector for AutoCAD GCO with Bus ID 12345,

      MQL>modify bus 12345 MCADInteg-RenameFilesInServer True;

      Tip: For modifying attributes with multiline values, use Notepad++ or any text editor to specify the command with multi-line values on multiple lines with each value in double quotes. Copy paste the entire command to MQL command line to run the command.

    3. Edit the policy that will govern the iteration using the "Governed Types" tab, add the new created type as governed type to this policy.
    4. Edit the policy that governs the revision and using the "Governed Types" tab, add new created type as governed type to this policy.

      Perform this step only if any direct or indirect parent type of the new created type is not already added as governed type. If any direct or indirect parent type of the new created type is already added as a governed type, then the new created type need not be explicitly added as governed type.

      For example, to use the "AutoCAD Design" and "AutoCAD Versioned Design" policies:

      Add the type "ACAD Engine Drawing" as governed type to "AutoCAD Versioned Design" policy.

      "ACAD Engine Drawing" need not be added explicitly to "AutoCAD Design" policy, as "CAD Drawing" that is an indirect parent of "ACAD Engine Drawing" is already added as a governed type to this policy.

  4. Add mappings to GCO using the following steps:
    1. Using the MQL, search the Global Config object for AutoCAD integration.
    2. Open the Edit Attributes dialog box.
    3. Search the MCADInteg-TypeFormatMapping attribute and add the following line to the existing mapping:

      Syntax

      <CAD Type>|<Custom type>,<format>

      For example,

      component|ACAD Engine Drawing,drw

      assembly|ACAD Engine Drawing,drw

    4. Search the MCADInteg-TypePolicyMapping attribute and add the following lines to the existing mapping:

      Important: If the custom type is governed by multiple policies, mention the policy names in comma separated format.

      Syntax

      <Custom type>|<Revision object policy 1>,<Revision object policy 2>

      For example,

      ACAD Engine Drawing|AutoCAD Design,Design Policy

    5. Search the IEF-Pref-MCADInteg-DefaultTypePolicySettings attribute and add the following line to the existing mapping:

      Notes:
      • In case the custom type is going to be governed by multiple policies, then this mapping will define which one of them will be the default policy.
      • In case the custom type is going to be governed by a single policy, then this policy name should be mentioned as default.

      Syntax

      (DEFAULTVALUE)<Custom type>|<Revision object policy>

      For example, (DEFAULTVALUE)ACAD Engine Drawing|AutoCAD Design

    6. Search the MCADInteg-BusTypemapping attribute and edit the existing mapping for the CAD type to specify the 3DEXPERIENCE platform type that should be used for a particular CAD type.

      Syntax

      <CAD Type>|<Custom type 1>,<Custom type 2>

      For example,

      assembly|ACAD Engine Drawing,ACAD Drawing

      component|ACAD Engine Drawing,ACAD Drawing

      Important: A single CAD type can be mapped to multiple ENOVIA types. When data of this CAD type is saved to 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the ENOVIA type that occurs first in the list is considered to be the default type of the object whenever the object of the mapped CAD type is saved to 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

      This default type change be changed using the Type Selection on Save.

      For example,

      If the mapping is specified as, component|ACAD Engine Drawing,ACAD Drawing and an AutoCAD drawing is saved to 3DEXPERIENCE platform, it is saved to an object of type "ACAD Engine Drawing".

      If the mapping is specified as, component|ACAD Drawing,ACAD Engine Drawing and a simple AutoCAD drawing is saved to 3DEXPERIENCE platform, it is saved to an object of type "ACAD Drawing".