BricsCAD Communicator settings

The Communicator section in the Settings dialog box allows you to customize the behavior of the related commands:

  • setting environment options.
  • control the import/export of data.
  • toggling post-processing operations.

Settings are applicable when the EXPORT and IMPORT commands engage one of Communicator file formats.

Import settings

Product structure

Name: ImportProductStructure

Description: Determines how the imported entities will be structured and whether it will form a soup of entities, a block hierarchy or an assembly structure.

Values:

  • [0] None: Creates a flat structure without blocks in the modelspace of the target database, regardless of whether the imported data have an assembly structure or not.
  • [1] As blocks: The imported data have an assembly structure, which will be converted into a hierarchy of plain blocks; so the structure will be preserved, while the assembly metadata are lost. If the imported data is composed of entities only, they are placed in the modelspace of the target database.
  • [2] As mechanical components: In this mode, data will be translated into BricsCAD assembly data, the structure and its properties (physical materials – BLMATERIALS command). If the imported file has no assembly data, a mechanical component will be created in the BricsCAD target document root anyway.

Translate colors

Name: ImportColors

Description: Determines how the colors of the imported entities will be assigned: either as true colors or as matching the current color palette.

Values:

  • [0] To RGB: All entity colors will be converted to RGB, regardless of the current palette.
  • [1] To RGB if no matching palette index: If the entity color is found in the palette, then the entity gets an index color. Otherwise, it is given a true color.
  • [2] To nearest palette index: For any true color of the imported entity, the nearest match is searched in the palette and this index color is assigned to the entity.

Product and manufacturing information

Name: ImportPMI

Description: Determines whether product manufacturing information is imported. Currently such information is imported as exploded data (lines, text, ...) instead of compound entities (e.g. annotations).

Values: on/off checkbox.

Perform stitching

Name: ImportStitch

Description: In some cases, imported geometry represents solid geometry as a set of separate surfaces. In order to be able to work with solid operations on the imported geometry, the DMSTITCH command has to be applied. If this setting = ON, the DMSTITCH command is executed automatically when the geometry is imported.

Note:
  • Stitch operations are time-consuming when importing large files.
  • Check the IMPORTIGESSTITCH setting, which can set an override for the IGES file format.

Values: on/off checkbox.

Repair model on import

Name: ImportRepair

Description: Applies operations, similar to the DMAUDIT command, in order to improve the quality of the imported geometry. Geometry modeled in CAD systems which use a kernel different from ACIS, often needs to be healed because of possible flaws.

Values: on/off checkbox.

Perform simplification

Name: ImportSimplify

Description: Applies operations similar to the DMSIMPLIFY command:

  • Convert imported splines into canonic surfaces.
  • Simplify topology (remove imprinted edges) if possible.
Note: Also check the ImportIgesSimplify setting, which can set an override for the IGES file format.

Values: on/off checkbox.

Hidden parts

Name: ImportHiddenParts

Description: Defines how hidden (invisible) entities in the imported geometry are processed.

Values:

  • [0] Import and hide: All entities are imported; invisible entities are hidden. Note that currently there are no user tools to make these hidden entities visible again.
  • [1] Import and set visible: All entities are imported and visible with regardless of the visibility in the source file.
  • [2] Do not import: Hidden entities in the source file are not imported.

Creo options

Alternate search paths

Name: ImportCreoAlternateSearchPaths

Description: This setting is taken into account when Creo files are imported. The value is a set of semi-colon (;) delimited, fully qualified paths used to search for missing assembly references during product structure import operations.

Values: string; if empty, the search is performed in the folder of the imported file only.

IGES options

  1. Perform stitching

    Name: ImportIgesStitch

    Description: In some cases, imported geometry represents solid geometry as a set of separate surfaces. In order to be able to work with solid operations on the imported geometry, the DMSTITCH command has to be applied. If this setting = ON, the DMSTITCH command is executed automatically when the geometry is imported. This setting determines whether a stitch operation has to be applied to imported entities when the format of the source file is IGES.

    Note:
    • Stitch operations are time-consuming when importing large files.
    • For file formats other than IGES, the ImportStitch setting applies.

    Values: on/off checkbox.

  2. Perform simplification

    Description: Determines whether a DMSIMPLIFY operation has to be applied to the imported geometry when the source file format is IGES

    Note: For other formats, see the ImportSimplify setting.

    Values: on/off checkbox.

  3. Inventor options

    Alternate search paths

    Name: ImportInventorAlternateSearchPaths

    Description: Setting is taken into account when Inventor files are imported. The value is a set of semi-colon (;) delimited, fully qualified paths used to search for missing assembly references during product structure import operations.

    Values: string; if empty, the search is performed in the folder of the imported file only.

  4. NX options

    Alternate search paths

    Name: ImportNxAlternateSearchPaths

    Description: Setting is taken into account when NX files are imported. The value is a set of semi-colon (;) delimited, fully qualified paths used to search for missing assembly references during product structure import operations.

    Values: string; if empty, the search is performed in the folder of the imported file only.

  5. SolidEdge options

    Alternate search paths

    Name: ImportSolidEdgeAlternateSearchPaths

    Description: Setting is taken into account when SolidEdge files are imported. The value is a set of semi-colon (;) delimited, fully qualified paths used to search for missing assembly references during product structure import operations.

    Values: string; if empty, search is performed in the folder of the imported file only.

  6. SolidWorks options
    • Map SolidWorks Y to BricsCAD Z axis

      Name: ImportSolidWorksRotateYZ

      Description: Corrects the difference between the SolidWorks and BricsCAD coordinate systems. If unchecked, imported geometry in BricsCAD is rotated by 90 degrees compared to its position in SolidWorks.

      Values: on/off checkbox.

    • Alternate search paths

      Name: ImportSolidWorksAlternateSearchPaths

      Description: Setting is taken into account when SolidWork files are imported. The value is a set of semi-colon (;) delimited, fully qualified paths used to search for missing assembly references during product structure import operations.

      Values: string; if empty, search is performed in the folder of the imported file only.

  7. STEP options

    Map Y to BricsCAD Z axis

    Name: ImportStepRotateYZ

    Description: Corrects the difference between coordinate systems in different coordinate systems, i.e. SolidWorks and BricsCAD. This can be helpful to prevent undesired rotation when the origin CAD of STEP file is known, i.e. if it is SolidWorks.

    Values: on/off checkbox.

Export settings

Product structure

Name: ExportProductStructure

Description: Determines whether the assembly structure will be preserved in the target document.

Values:
  • [0] No product structure: Exports a flat structure without components in the target document, whether the BricsCAD document has a product structure or not.
  • [1] Export product structure: Exports the BricsCAD product structure data (if existing) to the target document.

Hidden parts

Name: ExportHiddenParts

Description: Determines if invisible entities are exported or not. Entities can be invisible because of:

  • the result of the HIDEOBJECTS command.
  • sitting on a hidden layer.
  • owned by an invisible component.

Values:

  • [0] Export and hide if possible: Exports hidden entities. If the target format supports hidden entities, hidden entities in the source document will be hidden also in target document.
  • [1] Do not export: Invisible entities are skipped.

STEP options

STEP export format version

Name: ExportStepFormatVersion

Description: Allows you to select the available specifications of the STEP format.

Values:

  • [0] AP203: Selects AP203 protocol.
  • [1] AP214: Selects AP214 protocol.
  • [2] AP242: Selects AP242 protocol.