About Reports

Converter for IGES offers several tools to follow the conversion.

This page discusses:

Report and Error Files

Report and error files give you information about the import or export, and help you solve problems. Always check the report and error files after a conversion: Some problems may have occurred without been visually highlighted.

At Import

Two files are generated at the end of import.

These files are created in a location referenced by the USERPROFILE variable on Windows. Its default value is Profiles\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Dassault Systemes\CATReport on Windows (user being you logon id).

Report File

Its name is name_of_file.rpt. It provides references about the quality of the transfer.

Example:

E:\tmp\SettingsCatia\Authoring\CATReport\MyFile.rpt
 Input: \\MyFolder\MyFile.igs
***** FILE IGES INFORMATION : START SECTION  *****
START RECORD GO HERE.
 ***** FILE IGES INFORMATION : GLOBAL SECTION *****
Product identification from sender               : CNEXT - IGES PRODUCT
File name                                        : MyFile.igs
System I.D.                                      : IBM CATIA IGES - CATIA Version 5 Release 14 
Preprocessor version                             : CATIA Version 5 Release 14 
Number of binary bits for integer representation : 32
Single precision magnitude                       : 75
Single precision significance                    : 6
Double precision magnitude                       : 75
Double precision significance                    : 15
Product identification for the receiver          : Product1
Model space scale                                : 1
Unit flag                                        : 2
Units                                            : MM
Maximum number of line weight gradations         : 1000
Width of maximum line weight in units            : 0
Date & time of exchange file generation          : 20040217.174814
Minimum user-intended resolution                 : 0.001
Approximate maximum coordinate value             : 10000
Name of author                                   : bmt
Author's organization                            : DS
Version number                                   : 11
Drafting standard code                           : 0
Data & time model was created/modified           : 20040217.174814
Mil-specification ( protocol W.E.I.Y.I. )        : 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DETAILED CONVERSION~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
#19  Surface.1  Type: 144   Transferred correctly
#37  Surface.2  Type: 144   Transferred correctly
#55  Surface.3  Type: 144   Transferred correctly
...
#263  Surface.4  Type: 144   Transferred correctly
===================================================== 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONVERSION SUMMARY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
OK=Transferred
KO=Not transferred
NS=Unsupported
OUT=Out of size
DEG=Degenerated
INV=Invalid
 ------------------------------------------------------------
|  Entity Type  |  OK  |  KO  |  NS  |  OUT  |  DEG  |  INV  |
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| 144           |   22 |    0 |    0 |     0 |     0 |     0 | 
| PRODUCT       |    1 |    0 |    0 |     0 |     0 |     0 | 
 ------------------------------------------------------------
|  Result       |   23 |    0 |    0 |     0 |     0 |     0 | 
 -------------------------------------------------------------
====================================================== 
Transcription time in seconds: 1.233000

When invalidities are detected in the input geometry, all the invalid faces (and all the elements of their geometry) are put in a specific Geometrical Set named invalid Input Geometry. These faces are shown as invalid in the report file.

Error File

Its name is name_of_file.err. It list the errors that occurred during the transfer.

Example:

E:\tmp\SettingsCatia\Authoring\CATReport\MyFile.rpt
 Input: \\MyFolder\MyFile.igs
***** FILE IGES INFORMATION : START SECTION  *****
START RECORD GO HERE.
 ***** FILE IGES INFORMATION : GLOBAL SECTION *****
Product identification from sender               : CNEXT - IGES PRODUCT
File name                                        : MyFile.igs
System I.D.                                      : IBM CATIA IGES - CATIA Version 5 Release 14 
Preprocessor version                             : CATIA Version 5 Release 14 
Number of binary bits for integer representation : 32
Single precision magnitude                       : 75
Single precision significance                    : 6
Double precision magnitude                       : 75
Double precision significance                    : 15
Product identification for the receiver          : Product1
Model space scale                                : 1
Unit flag                                        : 2
Units                                            : MM
Maximum number of line weight gradations         : 1000
Width of maximum line weight in units            : 0
Date & time of exchange file generation          : 20040217.174814
Minimum user-intended resolution                 : 0.001
Approximate maximum coordinate value             : 10000
Name of author                                   : bmt
Author's organization                            : DS
Version number                                   : 11
Drafting standard code                           : 0
Data & time model was created/modified           : 20040217.174814
Mil-specification ( protocol W.E.I.Y.I. )        : 
============================================
*** = Processing new independent element
* = Intermediate processing
!! = Independent element K.O.
! = Intermediate error
--------------------------------------------
<I> = Information
<W> = Warning
<E> = Error
--------------------------------------------
[0000] = Message identifier : 0000
[T=xxx] = Entity Type Step : xxx
[#0000] = Entity identifier number : 0000
============================================
Actual display level : Customer
============================================
***<I> [0498] \\MyFolder\MyFile.igs
============================================
   <I> [2011] The Product Reference has been created. The value of its PLM_ExternalID attribute name is Product1_22943
   <I> [2010] The 3D shape representation has been created. The value of its PLM_ExternalID attribute name is Product1_33080
--------------------------------------------
***<I> [0555] Beginning Import...   ***
***PROCESSING ELEMENT [T=144] [#19]
   <W> [0076] [T=142] [#17] There is no Parametric Curve for this boundary. Only 3D Curves can be used
   <I> [0776] [T=144] [#19] The entity name is Surface.1
...
***PROCESSING ELEMENT [T=144] [#263]
   <W> [0076] [T=142] [#261] There is no Parametric Curve for this boundary. Only 3D Curves can be used 
   <I> [0776] [T=144] [#263] The entity name is Surface.4
	o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o
<I> [0500] Product1 is correctly created, You can save this document
--------------------------------------------

At Export

Two files are generated at the end of export.

These files are created in a location referenced by the USERPROFILE variable on Windows. Its default value is Profiles\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Dassault Systemes\CATReport on Windows (user being you logon id).

Report File

Its name is name_of_file.rpt. It provides references about the quality of the transfer.

Error File

Its name is name_of_file.err.

Troubleshooting

Below are some information to solve errors.

At Import

Invalid input file
If you cannot import the IGES 3D file and receive an "invalid input file" error message instead, chances are that the IGES 3D file is indeed a poor quality. Contact the provider of the IGES 3D file and ask for a more decent file.
Too many cuts or invalidities
If a message indicates that making a face boundary C2 continuous results in too many cuts, or if invalidities are detected in the imported data, refer to About Geometry Quality Enhancement. If necessary, use Shape Healing to heal the data.
Run time exception
If importing the IGES file ends with a Run Time Exception, it is obviously a bug that was not fixed on the release you are using. Consider upgrading or contact your local support.
Low memory state
If you receive a warning message and your IGES file is not totally converted, there is not enough memory to convert the file completely and all the remaining entities are skipped. We recommend that you use Windows NT4SP06 (and above) for large IGES files, with at least 1 GB of RAM and 2 GB of SWAP.
KO faces

The import of the IGES file was successful, but with KO faces that were moved to the NoShow section. This means that some geometry contained in the IGES file could not be re-created.

  • Try to import the IGES file using a different import option. See About Geometry Quality Enhancement and About the Representation of Face Boundaries.
  • If there are still KO faces, consider repairing those faces using the techniques described in Repairing KO Faces.
  • Even with correct IGES options, you still have a KO Face: in the KO-Body, you have only one not-cut B-Spline Surface (no curve); in the .err file, you can read: 
    <W> This file contains INVALID DATA according to the IGES Norm 
      <W> Some loops have no 3D Curve
    The IGES File is invalid and has 2 problems:
    • First, there is NO 3D Curves Representation.
    • and the 2D Curves Representation is incorrect.
    For the 2D Curves, the Entity Use Flag, in the Status Number, should be "05" for "2D-Parametric". In the IGES File, this flag is "00", which means 3D Curves. Replace the incorrect flag "00" by "05" for all 2D Curves in the IGES file.

IGES file dimensions multiplied by 25.4
The most common cause for this problem is an incorrect header of the IGES file where the dimension system used by the provider cannot be read, resulting in "inch" considered as the default system. All the dimensions are multiplied by 25.4.

Either edit the IGES file manually, or ask the provider of the IGES file to provide a good quality file.

At Export

Errors at export
The .rpt file shows there are some KO faces at export, this may be caused by a corrupted representation:
  • Use the CATDUA utility to check and repair the representation itself.
  • If, despite all, you still get KO faces when exporting to IGES, contact your local support.
Exported IGES file will not open with your CAD package
Try to export your content with each available options for Curve and surface type. See About Exporting Curves and Surfaces for more information. The BSpline option may give better results with some CAD systems and the Standard option give better results with others.
If the result still does not open with the receiving system, check that the representation is not corrupted and use the CATDUA program to upgrade the representation.
Finally, if the result is still not the expected one, it could be a problem with the CAD receiver system itself.
Parts of the assembly lost at export
If some portions of the product are lost at export:
  • Remove any foreign parts from the product (STL files, or Parasolid files...etc). Those files contain only visualization information, that cannot be exported as IGES file.
  • If you have V4 .models in the product, migrate them before exporting to IGES.
Changes to V4 data not taken into account

Exporting V4 data does not provide the expected result, e.g. invisible content, or changes of colors or graphic attributes are not taken into account:

  • The V4 status is the one taken into account, not the one modified in 3DEXPERIENCE.
  • To make those changes effective, you need to make those changes in a V4 session, save the data in V4 and re-import them to 3DEXPERIENCE.

Note: To export a large assembly in IGES, select required Cache options
in the Preferences.