About 3D Annotations in Graphic Mode

Annotations comply with some rules at export.

At export:

• With AP203 ed2 and AP214 ed3 3D annotations are exported to the STEP file as polyline PMI.
• With AP242 ed1 3D annotations are exported to the STEP file as tessellated PMI.

Each annotation is exported as an ANNOTATION_OCCURRENCE in STEP, with its type and its user name.

Each view is exported as an ANNOTATION_PLANE, with the lists of the annotations it contains and the 3DEXPERIENCE view name. The type of view is not kept. Each annotation is related to one ANNOTATION_PLANE, and only one.

Each capture is exported as a DRAUGHTING_MODEL with the list of annotations it contains and its name and the capture camera (viewpoint).

• An entity is considered as visualized by a capture if and only if it is visible on the screen when the capture is displayed: The entity and the hierarchy of its geometrical set are in Show.
  Notes:

  • The visibility status of tessellated geometry and thread construction geometry is not supported.
  • If there is no geometry associated to the capture, all the geometries of the part are considered as visible in this capture.
• The capture is exported as a DRAUGHTING_MODEL which takes the user name of the capture and points to each annotation the capture contains.
• The viewpoint associated to the camera is exported as a CAMERA_MODEL_D3 according to the Recommended Practices.

  The original is on top, the result is below.

  
  
  

The 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features that are in the NoShow are exported in STEP whatever the STEP Show/Noshow option is.

When the 3D annotations under Import is selected, PMI Graphic Presentation entities are imported "as result" annotations belonging to a Result Annotation Set.

Import of PMI Semantic Representation entities is explained in About 3D Annotations in Authorable and Graphic Mode

• With AP203 ed2 and AP214 ed3 3D annotations are imported to 3DEXPERIENCE as polylines
  
  
• With AP242 ed1 annotations are imported as specified in the STEP file, either as polylines
  
  or as tessellated
  
  

The annotations:

• Are created with their original type and user name. However, due to mapping constraints, the type may be different as the original one in some cases.
• Can be filtered by type and capture.
• Can be highlighted together with the related geometrical entities.

The ANNOTATION_PLANE is used to create the views.

The DRAUGHTING_MODEL is used to create the capture.

Construction geometry comply with some rules.

The construction geometry is made of:

• Points (apex, centers)
• Lines (axis)
• Planar faces
• Cylindrical faces.

At export:

• Construction geometry entities are exported like standard geometrical entities as follows:
  • Point -> STEP Point
  • Line -> STEP Line
  • Planar face -> STEP Face
  • Cylindrical faces -> STEP Faces.
• These STEP entities are organized in the STEP file according the STEP Recommended Practices.
• These entities are not taken into account in the computation of the validation properties.

At import:

• The geometrical entities that are identified in the STEP file as construction geometry are imported as standard geometrical entities, regrouped into a dedicated additional geometrical set named Construction geometry:
  • This geometrical set has a transparency attribute so that the geometrical entities looks like the native construction geometry (transparent by default).
  • When you export this part again, the construction geometry found in the geometrical set is processed as standard geometry.

A part resulting from a STEP import and containing result annotations can be exported to STEP.

The annotations and their link to the geometry are taken into account:

• First import:
  
  
• Import of the exported result annotations: Modification of the part resulting from STEP import by adding a new yellow annotation.
  
  

Some limitations apply to 3D Tolerancing & Annotation.

• Annotations inside a V4 model are ignored.
• The Annotation Set in the tree is not strictly preserved in the STEP exchange.
• The annotations that are not related to a view are not exported:
  • Restricted Area (no visualization; its underlying geometry is exported)
    
    
  • Datum Reference Frame (no visualization)
  • Distance, Maximum Deviation (not included in the part definition)
• The 3D Tolerancing & Annotation type/subtype is not always preserved in the STEP exchange (the icon may change in the tree after import):
  • The distinction between non semantic dimension and semantic dimension is not preserved.
  • The distinction between non semantic datum and semantic datum is not preserved.
  • Some specific tolerances such as a pattern location become general tolerance in STEP and NOA back in 3DEXPERIENCE.
  • Some specific dimensions such as chamfer dimensions become linear dimensions.
• The order of the annotations in the tree is not always preserved.
• The presentation of the annotation is not strictly respected:
  • Except with AP2142 ed1, for the characters in a text and the extremities of arrows, the filled areas are exported as polylines representing the outline of the filled areas.
    
    
  • For the texts displayed with the option text parallel to screen, the option is not taken into account at STEP export.
  • For the Node Object Attribute (NOA) the filled areas are exported as polylines representing the outline of the filled areas.
    
    
  • The 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features that are in the NoShow are exported in STEP whatever the STEP Show/Noshow option state. By default, the NoShow geometry is not exported. It can be exported optionally as NoShow STEP entities. This behavior is not relevant for the annotations because the visibility is an internal attribute used by the 3D Tolerancing & Annotation filtering capabilities.
• When the annotations are in a layer, this information is not preserved in the exchange. The use of captures instead of layers is recommended to organize them.
• The links enabling the cross highlight capabilities are not always preserved:
  • When an annotation references a geometry contained in another representation (case of 3D Tolerancing & Annotation assembly features), the links are not preserved.
  • When an annotation is linked to a vertex inside a solid or a surface, this link is not taken into account in the exchange.
  • The links between annotations are not taken into account in the exchange:
    • When you pick a geometric tolerance, you do not highlight its referenced datum or dimensions (see example below).
      
      
  • For an annotation pointing to a thread, the links between the annotation and the thread are not managed at STEP export. At import of the STEP file, the cross highlight does not work:
    • Initial model:
      
      
    • After export/import:
      
      
• Capture STEP exchange limitations:
  • The standard predefined camera that can be used for positioning the captures are not taken into account at export.
  • A capture works like a visualization filter; it contains annotations but can also include geometric elements that are displayed only when the capture is displayed. The STEP DRAUGHTING_MODEL representing the capture can be seen as a visualization filter only for 3D Tolerancing & Annotation.
    • For STEP files with captures and geometrical sets, displaying a capture activates the visualization of the geometrical sets.
    • For STEP files with captures without geometrical sets, displaying a capture activates the visualization of the geometrical sets that had been automatically created. Their organization may be different from the original.
    • The visibility status of tessellated geometry and thread construction geometry is not supported.
    • If there is no geometry associated to the capture, all the geometries of the part are considered as visible in this capture.
  • The display capture function is automatically displaying annotations so that the texts are in the right sense to be read from the camera viewpoint. The annotations are reversed if needed (see example below in the red ellipse). This capability is not active for light annotations resulting from the STEP import.
  • Example:
    • Native part:
      
      
    • Native part capture: This annotation is automatically reversed according to the capture camera in the native part.
      
      
    • STEP open capture: This annotation was not reversed according to the capture camera in the STEP open part.
      
      
• The 3D Tolerancing & Annotation features and the Annotation set can be put in a layer. This information is not taken into account by the STEP exchange. The recommended practice for organizing FTA features is to use captures and not layers.
• Construction geometry limitations:
  • At import, the construction geometry is not imported as construction geometry in the Result Annotation set but in a specific Geometric Set.
  • If you export again the imported part in STEP, the construction geometry is managed as standard geometry.
• The 3D Annotation properties are not taken into account in the exchange:
  • The D&T feature name is the name of the set of geometrical entities involved in the geometrical link of the Annotation.
  • The standard representation displays the 2D annotation without arrows.
• The result annotations are not modifiable and cannot be deleted.
• If you create new annotations, they appear in a new regular annotation. Idem if you create a view or a capture.
• You cannot put a result annotation into a regular capture.
• Double-clicking a capture does not apply display capture.