About Annotation Sets

An annotation set is the container for the technological and geometrical product specifications defined using 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features.

Annotation sets embed a drafting standard that controls the graphic presentation and defines the standard (ISO or ASME) to be used for the syntactic and semantic validity checks of all 3D annotations below annotation sets.

This page discusses:

See Also
About Standards
About the Location of Standard or Generative View Styles Files

Standards

Standards (such as ISO, JIS, ASME, etc. or company standards) specify the properties and styles of tolerancing and annotation elements such as dimensions and annotations. These standards are applied to all elements of a given type within a 3D shape, as well as in all parts or products that use the same parent standard.

Standards are controlled by an administrator. As each standard is defined in an XML file, you can customize globally the appearance and behavior of tolerancing and annotation elements.

Standards in the 3D Tolerancing & Annotation app are those used and customized in the Drafting apps: they are 2D standards transposed to 3D. As they are defined for the Draftingapps, some standard parameters apply only to Drafting apps. However, a great number of parameters apply to both the 3D Tolerancing & Annotation and Drafting products.

In a 3D shape, when a standard is already embedded in the document, for example when a 2D layout has been created with the 2D Layout for 3D Design app, this standard is reused when the first annotation view is created, otherwise the default standard specified in the settings is taken into account.

Important:

When you enter 3D Tolerancing & Annotation app and the current 3D shape embeds a standard, the Graphic Properties options are reset according to the standard.

Once the first view has been created, modifying the standard file will not affect the 3D shape, but the other standard-based features will be affected, for example the 2D layout feature.

Specifications

For an annotation set, you can specify whether the specifications generated are either engineering specifications or manufacturing specifications. The specified property is converted as manufacturing attribute for FTA requirement specification and the generated FTA requirements.

Based on the selection of this option, the manufacturing property of the annotation features appear as To manufacture or Manufactured. For more information, see Manufacturing Properties.

Update

The annotation set object is automatically updated during the update process, but you can exclude the annotation set object to reduce the time of the update process.

To deactivate the annotation set object in the update process, right-click this one in the tree and select annotation_set_name object > Deactivate Update.

To activate the annotation set object in the update process, right-click this one in the tree and select annotation_set_name object > Activate Update.

Duplication Rules when Importing an Annotation Set

When using Import Annotation Set to create new annotation set from an existing one, duplication rules are applied to create 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features.

Geometry

Geometries involved in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are rerouted with respect to the comparison of geometrical characteristics.

Important:
  • Equivalent geometries are processed by their order of appearance in the tree in the target 3D part .
  • As soon as an equivalent geometry is found, affected 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are rerouted.

    If no equivalent geometry exists, affected features are not rerouted and will be invalid (views will not be associative).

    • Equivalent geometry of a point is:
      • A point.
      • With the same coordinates in the axis system of the target 3D part as the original point.
    • Equivalent geometry of a line is:
      • A line.
      • With the same curvilinear length.
      • With the same center of gravity coordinates in the axis system of the target 3D part as the original line center of gravity.
      • With the same tangent vector at its center of gravity as the original line at its center of gravity.
    • Equivalent geometry of a face is:
      • A face.
      • With the same surface.
      • With the same center of gravity coordinates in the axis system of the target 3D part as the original face center of gravity.
      • With the same normal vector at its center of gravity as the original face at its center of gravity.
  • There is no geometry rerouting capability for 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features linked with PartBody/Bodies, Pad/Pocket, Groove/Shaft, Hole, Axis System, User Feature or Technological Result features.

    Affected 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are not rerouted and will be invalid.

3D Tolerancing & Annotation Features

All 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features in the reference annotation set are duplicated even if there are not necessarily displayed.

Not Displayed Features

Rules applied to features that are not displayed during duplication.

  • 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features in No Show retain this status.
  • 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features layer is retained.
  • Annotation Set switch on/switch off status is retained.

Naming

Rules applied for naming features during duplication. Names of 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are retained.

For geometrical link features of 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features, names are partially retained.

  • Group Of Surfaces and User Surface feature names are retained.
  • Geometric Component names are not retained and a default name is created.

Constructed Geometry

Rules applied to constructed geometry features during duplication.

  • Constructed geometry features are duplicated, but for imported constructed geometry features created from Version 5, only those created since Release 14 can be imported in Version 6.
  • Thread constructed geometry feature is rerouted when a threaded technological feature, a threaded hole or a thread is found, otherwise the Thread Constructed Geometry feature is invalid.

Parameters

Rules applied to parameters during duplication.

  • All parameters in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are duplicated.
  • Formulas in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are not duplicated, but their values are retained.
  • Attribute links in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation Text features are not duplicated, but text content is retained.
  • Links to generative parameter are not retained.
  • Tabulated geometrical tolerances based on length parameters, with their name displayed in the callout, are duplicated, but valid only if a parameter with the same name already exists in the target 3D part.

Captures

Rules applied to capture features during duplication.

  • Cameras in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation captures are not duplicated although captures point of views are kept.
  • Capture links to Body and Geometrical Set are not retained.

Offset/Aligned Section View/Cut

Rules applied to Offset/Aligned Section View/Cut features during duplication. The sketch referenced by an Offset or an Aligned Section View or Cut feature is duplicated and isolated when all of its component views cannot be rerouted to the lines of the same sketch.

Ditto Type Note Object Attribute

Rules applied to Ditto Type Note Object Attribute features during duplication. An instance of a ditto type Note Object Attribute is duplicated, but its link to the document of the reference Note Object Attribute is removed. But It is already linked to the drawing document containing the corresponding detail.

Duplicated Features that Cannot Be Rerouted

Rules applied to features that cannot be rerouted during duplication. The behavior of 3D Tolerancing & Annotation duplicated features that cannot be rerouted on the geometry of the edited document is the following:

Annotation Features

Rules applied to annotation features that cannot be rerouted during duplication. The annotations features are duplicated but are invalid.

Construction Geometry Features

Rules applied to construction geometry features that cannot be rerouted during duplication. The Construction Geometry features are duplicated but are invalid.

Restricted Area

Rules applied to restricted area features that cannot be rerouted during duplication. The restricted area features are duplicated but are invalid.

Annotation Views/Planes

Rules applied to annotation views/planes features that cannot be rerouted during duplication. The Annotation Views/Planes are duplicated but the associativity to the geometry is lost.

Symmetry

3D Tolerancing & Annotation features can be rerouted on geometries created by symmetry, using the same symmetry plane.

Merge of Annotation Sets

3D Tolerancing & Annotation features can be merged in an existing annotation set.

All rerouted 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features are duplicated, except for datums where naming is checked with the following rules:

  • The original datum is not linked with a reference already in-use by an existing datum:
    • The original datum label is not used, the duplicated datum is not modified.
    • The original datum label is already in-use, the duplicated datum is modified using the first free label.
  • The original datum is linked with a reference already in-use by an existing datum:
    • The target datum is linked with a datum reference frame:
      • The original datum and its datum reference frame are not duplicated.
      • Annotations linked with original datum are rerouted with the target datum.
    • The target datum is not linked with a datum reference frame:
      • The original datum is linked with a datum reference frame, the target datum is replaced by the original datum.
      • The original datum is not linked with a datum reference frame:
        • The original datum is not duplicated.
        • Annotations linked with original datum are rerouted with the target datum.

About PowerCopy of Annotation Sets

This section provides information about using PowerCopy to copy an annotation set from one document to another.

An example of the use of PowerCopy of annotation sets is available here.

What is PowerCopy?

PowerCopy allows you to copy a set of features.

PowerCopy is provided by the 3D Templates Capture app but is integrated as a separate command within the 3D Tolerancing & Annotation app (Insert > Advanced Replication Tools > PowerCopy Creation...).

Using PowerCopy is a two-stage process:

  1. Define a PowerCopy by selecting the features you want to copy.
  2. Instantiate the defined PowerCopy into a context. The result is a PowerCopy instance that contains all the components of the original features you copied.

About Defining a PowerCopy

This section explains what is and what is not included in a PowerCopy definition.

  • When you insert an annotation set in a PowerCopy definition, all the 3D annotations in the Annotation Set node in the tree are embedded in the PowerCopy definition.
  • The standard used by the annotation set is also embedded in the PowerCopy definition.
  • Any features that are pointed by the annotation set you select are seen as inputs of the PowerCopy definition, even if you do not select them directly.

About Instantiating a PowerCopy Definition

This section explains what is and what is not copied into the target document. An instantiation target must be selected for each annotation input.

  • When you click OK to instantiate the defined PowerCopy, all the annotations embedded into the PowerCopy are copied into the target document.
  • If the target document already has an annotation set, the annotations embedded in the PowerCopy definition are added to the existing Annotation Set node in the tree.
  • If the target document contains a standard, the standard must be compatible with the standard embedded in the PowerCopy definition. If they are not compatible, the PowerCopy cannot be instantiated and an error message is displayed. If they are compatible, the most recent standard will be used.
  • Any links between annotations are maintained.
  • The presentation of annotations is maintained.
  • You cannot instantiate a PowerCopy into the document from which it was defined.
  • Any Attribute Links attached to annotation text features are removed (but the original attribute link text is retained).

About Previous Versions of PowerCopy

This section explains the implications of using PowerCopy definitions from previous versions of CATIA.

  • A PowerCopy defined in CATIA V5 can be transferred to CATIA V6 via FBDI (File-based Design Import).
  • A PowerCopy defined (or imported from CATIA V5) in CATIA V6 versions prior to R2011x can be instantiated.
    • It is instantiated using the initial definition of a PowerCopy defined in creation version.
    • When modifying it, the same behavior as for a PowerCopy created from CATIA V6 R2011x is applied: you can select only the whole annotation set.