Routing Through Physical Branches

You can route a logical connection or other routable objects such as net, net group, wire, cable and logical harness, through existing physical branches and route components. For this, you need the CATIA 3D Electrical Design license.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
Routing through Existing Pathways

Route Through Physical Branches

You can route a logical connection or other routable objects through physical branches.

Before you begin: Create or open a logical description of your system with logical and physical electrical components, logical routables, shapes and branches.
  1. In the 2D view, select the logical connection or logical object you want to route.
    A context toolbar appears.

    In the 3D view:

    • The shapes at the ends of the logical connection are highlighted.
    • A line representing the logical connection between the shapes appears.



  2. In the context toolbar, click Manual Route and then select the branch or branch segments through which you want to route the connection.
    In the 3D view:
    • The segments are highlighted.
    • The Route Attributes dialog box is displayed and shows the computed length of the route in the branch segments you have selected.
  3. In the Route Type field, select Physical.
  4. Optional: Enter values for Segregation and User Length.
    These attributes are the same for logical and physical routables.
  5. Select a physical branch.
  6. Click anywhere in the work area when done.
    The branch segments are associated with the logical routable that is now routed.

Route Through a Physical Component

This section describes how to define a physical component as a component through which logical connections and other routable components can be routed.

You will use the Manual Route command combined with the LSR_ValidatePhyRouteComponent business rule.

Before you begin: Create or open a logical description of your system with logical and physical electrical components, logical routables, shapes and branches.
  1. Ensure that the LSR_ValidatePhyRouteComponent business rule is correctly configured and placed in the appropriate directory (see Related Topics).
  2. To define a physical component as a route component:
    1. In thetree, right-click the physical component you want to use as a route component and select Properties.
    2. In the Properties dialog box, under the Representation Reference tab, enter RouteComponent in the Description box.
    3. When finished, click OK.
    You can now combine the physical component with branches to route logical connections and other routable components.
  3. In 2D graph, select a logical routable.
    A context toolbar appears.
  4. Click Manual Route and in the 3D view, select the branches and the physical component (in this example the logical shape is the sphere).

    Although the physical component is not a branch segment, you can select it and use it as such because of the steps you have taken earlier:

    • You defined the physical component as a route component.
    • You configured the LSR_ValidatePhyRouteComponent business rule correctly and placed it in the appropriate directory.



  5. Click anywhere in the work area to validate.
  6. In the 2D graph, select the logical connection to see the cross-highlight in the 3D view.

    In the image above, you can see that the physical 3D Representation is highlighted as part of the route (and is therefore a route component).
  7. Optional: Once the component is selected, set the routed length using the LSR GetLengthOfPhyRouteComponent business rule.

    Note: The LSR GetLengthOfPhyRouteComponent business rule allows you to define the routed length of a component which has previously been assigned as a route component using the LSR_ValidatePhyRouteComponent business rule.
    Important: If you do not give a route length, it is not considered as an error while computing the route length.

The routed length value is added to the RoutedLength attribute of the routing connection.