About Specifications Features and Objects Types

The design intent is captured in the specification feature, you can generate automatically 3D models either with Capture Component Specifications command (Civil Engineering section of the action bar) in part context, or with Change Level of Development command in part and product contexts (with a valid license for Building and Civil Assemblies and the appropriate assigned role).

For more information, see Civil Engineering 3D Design Access to Content.

Component specifications are associated with reusable components (object types). Defining component specification features lets you capture technological and geometrical information needed to generate 3D models. Other commands can use component specification features to automatically or manually generate 3D models. In the component-based design approach, the component is modeled with the help of an object type. An object type can be called component in this context.

Capture Component Specifications command involves components, object types, specification patterns, specification features, specification sets, and input patterns. You should understand these terms when using the component- based design approach.

Component

In the component-based design approach, otherwise stated a component corresponds to an object type. An object type can contain:

• A feature-based design that is a user feature template or a power-copy
  Note:

  Note: If a power copy is used in the Object Type and then instantiated in the Capture Component Specification, it creates new results every time there is a parametric design update for feature result.

• A product-based design that can contain either a product reference (3D part or assembly product) or an engineering template (that always contains a product reference), or both.

A component is also called an object type-based component. The picture below illustrates the content of an object type-based component that is defined within a standalone resource table (not linked with Data Setup).

Object type

See the above definition.

Specification Feature

Also referred to as component specification feature, or component specification, or specification, or anchor (in Smart Mechanical Components). It is an extended axis system feature containing technological and geometrical information needed to automatically generate 3D models in part and product contexts. This type of feature specifies an object in terms of attributes and main characteristics. A specification can be exposed at feature-level as user feature or at product-level.

When a component specification is created (by clicking Ok in the Capture Component Specifications dialog box), it is automatically published. For more information, see About Specifications Features and Objects Types.

Specification Pattern

Also referred to as component specification pattern. It is a set of component specifications that share some common properties and that can be created and edited as one entity. A specification pattern is represented by a private geometrical set called specification set (marked 0 in the figure) that contains a mandatory specification pattern (marked 1) and 0 to N optional input patterns (marked 2).

Specification Set

A private geometrical set containing a single specification pattern. Optionally, it can contain input patterns. Each input pattern must contain as many input elements as the number of specification features included in the specification pattern. Specification patterns and input patterns can be aggregated under a specification set only. They cannot be created or copied pasted into other geometrical set or body elements.

Input Pattern

An input pattern is useful to define inputs for all specification features of a specification pattern. Its result is an input pattern that contains a list of geometrical input elements and shares some common properties. All input elements of an input pattern are created and edited as one entity.

Patterned Specification Features and Individual Specification Features

Specification features of a specification pattern are called patterned specification features. Consequently, specification features which do not belong to a specification pattern are called non-patterned specification features— also referred to as individual specification features. Patterned specification features and non-patterned specification features are created by different options in the Capture Component Specifications command. They have both different lifecycles and context menus.

About Specification Features

Specification features can be classified as patterned specification features and individual specification features. Patterned specification features are grouped in a specification pattern that is aggregated under a specification set. A specification set and specification pattern consists in a pair with the same lifecycle. If the object type is associated to a specification pattern, input patterns can be created in the specification set for inputs defined in the object type.

A specification feature is assigned a specialized publication.

Capture Component Specifications publishes a specification feature along with specific component-based technological information. Note that this specific component-based technological information is required for using other component-based commands such as Component Placement and Change Level of Development available in Building and Civil Assemblies. If you delete the publication and create it again with the Create a Publication command, the component-based technological information in the newly created publication is lost.

Component Specification Feature Publication Rule

If a specification feature is created under a 3D representation, Capture Component Specifications publishes it under a 3D representation (see left figure).

If a specification feature is created under a 3D representation (skeleton type) that is instantiated under a product, Capture Component Specifications publishes it under the 3D representation (see right figure).

This option is specific to specification patterns (as opposed to input patterns). It is useful when instantiating sequential elements along an alignment such as adaptive deck segments or spans that need a second axis system as input to instantiate components.

If you select Change last Specification into Axis System check box, the last specification feature is replaced by its axis system.

Consider the following example containing three deck segments. By default, four deck segment specification features are created, as shown in the left figure above. Only three deck segments need to be created. Select Change Last Specification into Axis System so that the last deck segment specification feature is changed to an axis system. If needed, this axis system can be used as input for the last deck segment, especially when defining a Sequential Next Axis pattern. For more information, see Defining Input Patterns.

If the selected object type contains a feature-based model or a product-based model or both, you can access the Content Specification section.

Status icons (red, orange, green) help you complete the component specification. The information boxes displayed reflect the selected object content and can vary. For example, if the selected object type contains meta-inputs, the information is given in the instantiation mode box.

When specifying and editing inputs for instantiation from the Content Specification box, you can create input patterns on the fly with respect to the type of input you have selected. You select the input patterns from a list. The table below describes the input patterns that are available in the list, with respect to the input types.

Input types	Available Input Patterns from the list (Edit by Set check box selected)
All	Selection pattern
Point	Selection pattern Projection pattern
Axis system	Selection pattern Curvilinear Linear pattern Sequential next axis pattern (If the Change last Specification into Axis System option is selected).

The Capture Component Specifications dialog box is composed of multiple windows that are displayed with respect to the selection option. In the main window, you can only work on one specification pattern, or with non-patterned specification features of a same geometrical set. The list view enables you to work in an advance mode.

The List window enables a quick access to several specification patterns and other non-patterned specification features. Within the list view, you can define different types, object types and other inputs for different specification features of the same pattern. This advanced mode is useful when you need to assign different object types to different specification features of a given pattern. The picture below shows a typical example of the list view.

The cells are color-coded as follows:

• Blue: identifies a selected cell. If more than one cells are selected, all selected cells are identified with this color.
• Dark grey: Meaningless cell, no results will be displayed for this cell.
• Red: Corresponds to cell that needs mandatory input data. When updated, the cell turns grey and shows up the name of the selected input.
• Light grey: You can perform actions. A simple click can trigger actions and context menus.

The cells are associated with specific context menus.

You can define automatically the name of specification features by using Data Setup.

You can define a business rule that implements a business logic opening id specific to the Component-Based Design Resources set. You can customize the business rule associated to the Customize Specification Feature Naming Rule(CATComponentBasedDesign_NamingRule).This business rule will be used to customize the name of specification features. See Customize Specification Feature Naming Rule (CATComponentBasedDesign_NamingRule).