About Generative View Styles

One Generative View Style Per View

When you create a view using a generative view style, you can specify the XML file that is associated with this view. Within a drawing/layout, you can only associate one generative view style to a given view, but you can use several generative view style files by associating different files to different views.

Standalone Drawings

The values of the parameters in the specified XML file are embedded into the CATDrawing/layout document when a generative view style is applied to a view. Each drawing/layout contains an embedded copy of the generative view styles it uses. The drawing is therefore stand-alone. This makes it possible for users, projects, or companies to exchange CATDrawing/layout documents without needing to send the generative view style file along.

Administrator-Controlled Access and Modification

The Working with Standards and Generative View Styles the location of the generative view style files as well as the ability to modify existing ones. For example, the administrator can define a single generative view style, and prevent users from modifying it.

Administrator-Controlled Authorized Styles

The administrator defines the list of authorized generative view styles, in the Drafting standards XML file.

Generative View Style File Available by Default

By default, a predefined generative view style file is delivered. This file is located in install_root/resources/standard/generativeparameters /DefaultGenerativeStyle.xml.

Administrators can customize this file to define their default generative view styles. They can also use this file as a template for creating new generative view styles.

They can add as many generative view style files as required. See Working with Standards and Generative View Styles for more information.

Important: Do not delete the DefaultGenerativeStyle.xml file: it contains all generative view style parameters. Furthermore, it is used as a default if a parameter happens to be missing from a custom view style file (in this case, the corresponding parameter defined in DefaultGenerativeStyle.xml is used instead). In case the DefaultGenerativeStyle.xml file cannot be found, the app uses its own default parameter instead.

Editing the Generative View Style File

The generative view style files can be edited using an interactive editor. This editor provides an easy-to-use graphic interface to let you customize the parameters included in the generative view style file. For information on how to customize the parameters included in the generative view style file, see Setting General Generative View Style Parameters.

The interactive editor is available in Me > Preferences > Standards. (It is the same editor with which you can customize the Drafting standards). For more information on how to use this editor, see the Customizing Standards chapter in the 3DEXPERIENCE Native Apps.

Important: Make sure you use the Standards editor available in Me > Preferences > Standards when modifying and customizing the XML generative view style files. Using other editors (such as text editors) may alter the consistency of the generative view style XML files, and may make them unusable.

Update of a Newer Version of a Generative View Style File

Once a generative view style is assigned to a view, it is embedded into the drawing/layout. That is if you update the GVS file, the style of the view itself is not modified and it remains as it was when the view was created.

To modify the style used by the view, you need to update the newer version of the generative view style XML file into the drawing/layout. To do so, select Me > Preferences > Generative View Styles. In the dialog box, select the generative view style to update and click Update .

Note the following points:

• The newer generative view style completely overrides the older version of the generative view style in all views that use this generative view style.
• If the drawing/layout contains views that use other generative view styles, these views are not affected by the import.

When you update a newer GVS, the views created on a previous release using the default GVS can have the benefit of the new styles and parameters added in the latest release.

To Sum-Up

For this scenario, create a drawing view with a generative view style according to the following procedure:

1. Create View 1 using the generative view style defined in Style1.xml.

2. As a consequence, Style1.xml is embedded into the drawing.

3. Then, when a given parameter cannot be retrieved from Style1.xml, DefaultGenerativestyle.xml is embedded into the drawing.

4. Finally, the missing parameter is retrieved from DefaultGenerativestyle.xml.

Important: If a given parameter cannot be retrieved from the default XML file, a predefined and non-modifiable value is used instead.

Update of a generative view file is as follows:

1. View 1 has been created using the generative view style defined in Style1.xml that was embedded into the drawing.

2. Update the current Style1.xml file with the latest version of the external Style1.xml file and thus the XML file is overridden.

3. As a consequence View1 refers to updated Style1.xml.

Create Views Using Generative View Styles

When generating a view from the 3D, users can choose to use one of the styles defined by the administrator. See Creating a View using Generative View Styles.

Switch a View to Another Generative View Style

Once a view has been created using a specific generative view style, it is possible to switch this view to another view style. See Switching a View to Another Generative View Style.

Apply the Generative Style of a View to Another View

You can apply the generative view style used to create a given view to another view. See Applying the Generative Style of a View to Another View.

Apply a Generative View Style to a View

You can apply a generative view style to a view that was created without one. See Managing Generative View Styles.