Publications

Publications can be exported to V5 through the DownwardCompatibility batch.

This page discusses:

Main Principles

Ports are created in 3DEXPERIENCE but are managed as publications in the 3DEXPERIENCE user interface. Publications defined for references with a multirepresentation can be exported to V5.

The use of publications in V5 document links is strongly recommended to ensure links stability in case of minor 3DEXPERIENCE changes and reexport of 3D Shapes to V5.

Two types of ports can be exported through the DownwardCompatibility batch:

  • Ports defined under a 3DEXPERIENCE terminal reference (i.e. a reference without any child) linked to the geometry of a CATPart or a CATShape.
  • Ports defined under a 3DEXPERIENCE representation are exported either to CATParts, or to CATProducts associated with CATShapes. These representations can be instantiated in intermediate references.

These ports are defined on terminal geometry or on terminal geometrical sub-elements.

  • If the same representation reference is exported to a CATPart, then the 3DEXPERIENCE port will be exported to the resulting CATPart:



  • A CATShape document cannot contain any publication definition. Therefore, if a representation reference with geometry pointed to by a port defined in the same representation is exported to a CATShape, then the V5 publication will be created inside a CATProduct or a CATPart and will be linked to the CATShape geometry:



  • The 3DEXPERIENCE port defined under a representation reference and the 3DEXPERIENCE port in the parent reference are exported under the same V5 product container. Therefore, if several 3DEXPERIENCE ports can be exported from different product structure levels under the same V5 reference, this might create publications with identical names. To avoid this, a port under a representation reference is exported with a V5 name which is the 3DEXPERIENCE name suffixed by the identification string of the representation reference it comes from. For a port under a terminal reference, it is exported with a V5 name which is the 3DEXPERIENCE name without any suffix.

    If no identification string has been explicitely defined, the PLM_ExternalID of the representation reference is used.

  • The DownwardCompatibility batch cannot create ports of a port (this could occur in case of a port defined under a terminal reference linked to another port defined under a representation reference). This means that the port of a port will not be exported and you will only get the port from the representation reference. This avoids the creation of two publications linked to the same geometry.
  • When exporting to the same V5 document two ports from two different product structure levels (a terminal reference and one of its associated representation references) linked to the same geometry, note that both ports are created and no check is performed.

For detailed information about converting multirepresentations, see Multirepresentation Conversion with the DownwardCompatibility Batch.

Example 1

Three ports are defined under a terminal reference: two of them are linked to the geometry of a 3D shape and the other one is linked to the geometry of the previous ports (therefore, it is a port of a port).

There is also a port on the representation. This port has already been used by a port on a reference.

All these ports are exported as publications to V5, except the port of a port.



Where:

  • Main representation criterion is OBF = OBF2
  • Identification string = OBF.

In V5, only publications defined under a main representation will be resolved. Publications defined under alternate representations will only be resolved after opening the CATShape or activating the CATShape through the Manage Representations command.



Example 2

Two ports: one is defined under an intermediate reference, and the other one is defined on the representation on the intermediate reference.

Only the port defined on the representation is exported.



Where Identification String = OBF.



Associativity

Impacts are identified during synchronization:

  • If there is a naming conflict between a publication to be created by the DownwardCompatibility batch and an already existing V5 publication (not created by the batch), then the V5 publication is previously removed so that the publication name is reused during the 3DEXPERIENCE publication export. Otherwise, the V5 publication is kept.
  • If the V5 document type changes, new V5 documents will be created without the already created publications. Therefore, the publications will be created again, except some of them which will not be created because of the type changes.
  • Other deletion, creation or update criteria remain unchanged.

Publications on Geometry

Publications linked to geometry are converted by the DownwardCompatibility batch.

  • Publications of sub-geometrical elements which have been relimited on the final brep are not exported by default in As Result mode. (to export "As Result", see Publication on Intermediate Geometry)
  • Publications of intermediate geometry are not exported by default in As Result mode (to export As Result, see Publication on Intermediate Geometry).
  • Publications must belong to a terminal reference (i.e. representation reference), or a representation. If the representation is not under a terminal reference, its linked publication is exported to a file but not to a database. When exporting to a database, publications are created in CATParts only.
  • Publications cannot reference construction features by default in As Result mode (to export As Result, see Publication on Intermediate Geometry).
  • The geometry Show/No Show status is kept.
  • The sub-elements of the geometry can be published (e.g. vertex, edge, or face of a body) and exported. In case of export in As Result mode, they must belong to the resulting geometry.
  • Publications of reference planes and axis systems are taken into account.
  • Publications of points, curves, and surfaces belonging to a geometrical set are taken into account.

The following types of publications are not converted:

  • Publications linked to other publications.
  • Publications which are not linked to geometry (e.g. ports of parameters).
  • Properties associated to publications, except the publication name.
  • Extensions associated to 3DEXPERIENCE publications.

Publication on Intermediate Geometry

Publications linked to geometry belonging to an intermediate state of the geometry (and not to the final result) are processed by the DownwardCompatibility batch.

This functionality is activated when selecting the Convert Publications on Intermediate Geometry option in the advanced options of the DownwardCompatibility batch. This option is needed when exporting in As Result mode only. In As Specs mode, these publications are always exported.

Selecting this option means that an additional geometry is created in V5. This additional geometry is pointed by V5 publications resulting from 3DEXPERIENCE publications linked to intermediate geometry. However, the behavior differs if the option is activated in the first place or not:

  • When the option stays selected or cleared, the synchronization updates the intermediate geometry and the pointing publications.
  • When the option is selected, the intermediate geometry and the pointing publications are updated.
  • When the option is selected or cleared after a first export, then the geometry and the publications in V5 remain unchanged as long as the 3DEXPERIENCE geometry remains unchanged as well.

    To take the activation or deactivation of the option into account without changing the 3DEXPERIENCE geometry, you need to delete the generated V5 file so that it can be re-created, or you need to modify the 3DEXPERIENCE geometry to be exported.

Warning: Publications pointing intermediate geometry are exported only if the result is a CATPart. They are not exported if the result is a CATShape: in that case, they will be ignored by the DownwardCompatibility batch so that the batch does not fail.

The Publication of Operated Bodies section details how the various types of publications are processed by the DownwardCompatibility batch.

Publication of operated bodies are processed like publications of intermediate geometry with the same option.

Publication of Operated Bodies

Operated bodies with a published geometry can be converted to V5 through the DownwardCompatibility batch.

An operated body is a body used in a Boolean operation (a construction technique joining two or more bodies into a single new object). For more information, see Part Design User's Guide: Associating Bodies: About Boolean Operations.

Below are two tables providing information about the result of the DownwardCompatibility batch depending on the type of publication (i.e. of one body or of one face):

Publication of one body...Result after running the DownwardCompatibility Batch
... of a result of a Boolean operationThe result is correctly published in V5
... of a body + operation of the body afterwardsThe publications are created and plugged (i.e. the image of the published face in 3DEXPERIENCE is retrieved)
... of the part body + operation in the part bodyThe geometry of the Boolean operation (i.e. not the initial geometry of the part body) is correctly published in V5
Publication of one face...Result after running the DownwardCompatibility Batch
... of a result of a Boolean operationThe face is correctly published in V5
... of a face of a body + operation of the body afterwards + the face is neither modified nor deletedThe face is correctly published in V5
... of a face of a body + operation of the body afterwards + the face is deletedThe publications are created and plugged (i.e. the image of the published face in 3DEXPERIENCE is retrieved)
... of a face of a body + operation of the body afterwards + the face is modifiedThe publications are created and plugged (i.e. the image of the published face in 3DEXPERIENCE is retrieved)

Important:
  • Additional features imported in V5 are displayed in No Show mode.
  • This applied to solid objects only (i.e. Part Design), not to Generative Shape Design objects.
  • Publications of sub-elements' faces are not taken into account.
  • Publications of axes or edges might not be as expected.