Work Package Exchange

Work Package Exchange

Overview

Conventions

Getting Started

Requirements How Does the Work Package Exchange Application Work? Accessing the Work Package Exchange Application

User Tasks

Defining the Reconciliation Using the Work Package Exchange Application Decision Support Tools

Applying Reconciliation Rules Saving the Documents in the VPDM Use Cases

Use Case 1: Reconciling a Product Structure Use Case 2: Reconciling a CATPart and a CATDrawing Use Case 3: Reconciling a Sub-Assembly

Methodology

Reconciling Product Structures Containing Parts Reconciling Product Structures Containing Models

Interface Description

Customizing CATIA-ENOVIA Work Package Exchange

Reconciliation

Frequently Asked Questions

Customizing the Reconciliation Session Working with the Work Package Exchange Application Miscellaneous

Index

OverviewThis book is intended for the user who needs to become quickly familiar with the Work Package Exchange application. Note that this book applies both to the CATIA - ENOVIA Work Package Exchange 2 and the ENOVIA - VPM Work Package Exchange applications.

This overview provides the following information:

● Work Package Exchange in a Nutshell

● Before Reading this Guide

● Getting the Most out of this Guide

● Accessing sample documents

● Conventions Used in this Guide

Work Package Exchange in a Nutshell

In the industry, suppliers are greatly involved in the design and the manufacturing of goods. Since early design, manufacturers (OEM) need to exchange data with their suppliers. This design and manufacturing process is becoming more and more global in nearly all industries.

● The OEMs need to extract information from their information systems such as CAD documents, assembly structures, drawing and part definitions, to enable suppliers to receive the working context (such as a part of the 3D representation of a car) and/or a set of documents that will be updated.

● The suppliers send the result of their work with updated or new CATIA documents, assembly structures, drawings or applicative data (kinematics, numerical command) to the OEMs.

● The OEMs re-import this data into the corporate information systems.

Many companies use CATIA in collaboration with ENOVIAVPM or ENOVIALCA. To ease those exchanges between Suppliers and OEMs, several methodologies are proposed in this context:

● Exchanges using neutral file format such as STEP AP203/AP214 exchanges

● ENOVIA partial replication (for instance ENOVIAVPM multi-site)

● Supplier connected through a remote connection to their OEMs

● CATIA Native file exchanges

This application delivers a solution for supplier integration that enables the user to exchange CATIA design stored in a VPDM: ENOVIA VPM V4, ENOVIA VPM V5, or Smarteam. The methodology used is based on the "Extract/Reconcile" paradigm where CATIA data is extracted from the OEM repository as CATIA file documents and re-integrated, after the supplier completed the design and after reconciling them using the Work Package Exchange application.

Before Reading this Guide

Before reading this guide, the user should be familiar with the basic Version 5 concepts such as document windows, standard and view toolbars. We therefore recommend that you read the Infrastructure User's Guide that describes generic capabilities common to all Version 5 products.

Getting the Most out of this GuideTo get the most of this guide, we suggest that you start reading the step-by-step Getting Started tutorial.

Once you have finished, you should move on to the User Tasks section.

The Customizing section, which explains how to set up the options, will also certainly prove useful.

Accessing sample documentsTo perform the scenarios, you will be using sample documents contained in either the online/Wpeug/samples

folder.

For more information about this, please refer to Accessing Sample Documents in the Infrastructure User's Guide.

Conventions Used in this Guide

To learn more about the conventions used in this guide, refer to the Conventions section.

ConventionsCertain conventions are used in CATIA, ENOVIA & DELMIA documentation to help you recognize and understand important concepts and specifications.

Graphic Conventions

The three categories of graphic conventions used are as follows:

● Graphic conventions structuring the tasks

● Graphic conventions indicating the configuration required

● Graphic conventions used in the table of contents

Graphic Conventions Structuring the Tasks

Graphic conventions structuring the tasks are denoted as follows:

This icon... Identifies...

estimated time to accomplish a task

a target of a task

the prerequisites

the start of the scenario

a tip

a warning

information

basic concepts

methodology

reference information

information regarding settings, customization, etc.

the end of a task

functionalities that are new or enhanced with this release

allows you to switch back to the full-window viewing mode

Graphic Conventions Indicating the Configuration Required

Graphic conventions indicating the configuration required are denoted as follows:

This icon... Indicates functions that are...

specific to the P1 configuration



Graphic Conventions Used in the Table of Contents

Graphic conventions used in the table of contents are denoted as follows:

This icon... Gives access to...

Site Map

Split View mode

What's New?

Overview

Getting Started

Basic Tasks

User Tasks or the Advanced Tasks

Workbench Description

Customizing

Reference

Methodology

Glossary

Index

Text Conventions

The following text conventions are used:

● The titles of CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA documents appear in this manner throughout the text.

● File -> New identifies the commands to be used.

● Enhancements are identified by a blue-colored background on the text.

How to Use the Mouse

The use of the mouse differs according to the type of action you need to perform.

Use thismouse button... Whenever you read...

● Select (menus, commands, geometry in graphics area, ...)

● Click (icons, dialog box buttons, tabs, selection of a location in the document window, ...)

● Double-click

● Shift-click

● Ctrl-click

● Check (check boxes)

● Drag

● Drag and drop (icons onto objects, objects onto objects)

● Drag

● Move

● Right-click (to select contextual menu)

Getting Started

The 2 products EWE and WPE (EWE - CATIA - ENOVIAVPM Work-Package Exchange 2, WPE - ENOVIA - VPM WORK PACKAGE EXCHANGE) are dedicated to extract a work package from ENOVIAVPM and ENOVIA V5 VPM and re-integrate it through a reconciliation tool. After extraction from ENOVIA, EW1 (CATIA - ENOVIA WORK PACKAGE EXCHANGE 1) is required to read and edit this work package in a CATIA environment. Only data extracted using EWE and WPE products, edited with EW1 product or new data could be re-integrated in ENOVIAVPM and ENOVIA V5 VPM.

RequirementsHow Does the Work Package Exchange Application Work?

Accessing the Work Package Exchange ApplicationGetting Familiar with the Work Package Exchange Application Interface

Requirements

ENOVIA VPM V4

When working with ENOVIA VPM V4 and the Work Package Exchange application, the following options must be enabled:

Instance persistency management

The storage of Instance name from CATIA V5 is a pre-requisite. (One specific VPM variable needs to be set)

Immediate commit The Immediate Commit function can be used as of VPM 1.5 PTF15, with CATIAV5 R11GA. It does not require any declaration parameter and is the default behavior.

● For VPM-V5 "combinations" prior to PTF15-R11GA:Structure changes made from CATIA V5 must subsequently be committed using

the Save work icon.Inconsistencies may result in the database if you decide to close the PSN without committing one or more changes.

● For PTF15-R11GA or any VPM-V5 "combination" following PTF15-R11GA:When structure changes are saved, the dialog box displayed by the Save work

icon appears automatically:

The save process is suspended until you click on:

● OK: All operations listed in the dialog box are committed and the save process continues.

● Cancel: No operation listed is processed on the VPM side and the save process stops. On the CATIA V5 side, all operations (tree structure, geometry, publications, etc.) are earmarked to be resaved in VPM at the next save.

● If an error occurs during processing:

❍ All the changes in the PSN are canceled.

❍ On V5, an error message indicates the type of error.

❍ You can then correct the error. You then relaunch the save which will take into account all previous changes as well as the correction just made.

ENOVIA VPM V5

To know more, see the Accessing VPM Navigator section in the VPM Navigator User's Guide.

How Does the Work Package Exchange Application Work?

The Work Package Exchange application is a tool developed to allow users to re-import CATIA data as file documents into their VPDMs. It is most commonly used by OEMs to exchange data with their suppliers and to re-import the updated data into their VPDMs.

The reconciliation process is divided into 3 main steps as described below.

Step 1

1/2 The OEM extracts the information that he wants to exchange with his supplier from his VPDM. He sends this data as a set of CATIA V5 files to his supplier for modification. This way he can exchange both design context (read only data) and Supplier Work Package (data to be designed by the supplier). The supplier creates/updates the design in CATIA V5 and sends the result files to his OEM.

3 To re-import or import the received data into his VPDM, the OEM opens the data in CATIA and uses the Work Package Exchange application.

4/5 Mapping the Objects to Reconcile

For each object to be reconciled, the user needs to find out if the object loaded in session already exists in the VPDM. To do so, he can:

● Run a query: He selects an object in the Objects to reconcile tree, selects a query criterion, and launches the query. The result displays in the VPDM Objects window: A list of objects that match the criteria and with different version numbers display. To map the objects to be reconciled, the user selects a VPDM object in the result list.

● Use the VPDM View: He performs a query on the root product, which triggers the initialization of the VPDM view, then he selects the VPDM View tab. This view enables him to display a VPDM instance tree (equivalent to the Objects to reconcile tree in the CATIA view.) To map the objects to be reconciled, the user selects the object in the CATIA view and the target object in the VPDM view. Note: Objects in Publications exposed mode cannot be directly mapped using the VPDM view. For those objects, the user must perform a query.

When the mapping is done, the icon associated to the object in CATIA turns to from a red disk to a yellow half disk. To help the user make his decision, 2 decision-support tools are provided:

● The Characteristics tab which enables him to compare some pre-defined characteristics of the objects.

● The 3D Viewer which enables him to visually compare the object loaded in session with the object stored in the VPDM.

Step 2 6/7 Setting the Reconciliation Parameters

For each object to be reconciled, the user must specify:

● The destination VPDM: A VPDM system where to save the data (ENOVIA VPM V4, ENOVIA VPM V5)

● The storage mode (Publications Exposed or Structure Exposed)

● The reconciliation rule: A reconciliation directive indicating if the object is to be considered as a new object (New), if the VPDM version is to be kept (Reload) or if the CATIA version will replace the information stored in the VPDM repository (Overwrite).

Step 3 8/9/10 Simulating the Reconciliation

When he has finished setting reconciliation rules for all documents, the user can simulate the reconciliation. To do so, he selects the Compare view.The Instance Tree comparison enables him to identify the impact of the reconciliation on the product structure stored in his VPDM that is to say to identify the identical instances, the instances that were moved, the instances that exist only in CATIA, and the ones that exist only in the VPDM.

Applying and Saving the Reconciliation

The saving process is divided into 2 different steps:

● The user clicks the Apply button: The reconciliation rules are applied to the documents loaded in CATIA. Only the objects displayed in CATIA are modified.

● The user selects the Save in ENOVIA command to save the modifications of the documents in the VPDM repository. The VPDM repository is updated.

Accessing the Work Package Exchange Application

This topic shows you how to access the Work Package Exchange application. The Work Package Exchange application can be accessed from the following workbenches:

● Product Structure

● Part Design

● Generative Shape Design

● Drafting

There are 2 methods to access the Work Package Exchange application:

1. Open the product you want to

reconcile.

2. From the File menu, access the Desk

command. The Desk window displays.

3. Right-click the document you want to

reconcile and select the Launch

Document Reconciliation command

(see picture opposite). The Reconcile

Window displays.

Note that this method enables the user to select the product or sub-product that he wants to reconcile in the Desk window.

- Or -

1. Open the product you want to reconcile.

2. In the menu bar, select View -> Toolbars -> Reconcile. The Reconcile toolbar displays:

3. Click the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ). The Reconcile Window displays.

Note that this method is global, that is to say, the user cannot select a sub-product to be reconciled. The reconciliation occurs at the root product level.

1. In CATIA, open the TowHook.CATProduct file.

2. In the menu bar, select View -> Toolbars -> Reconcile. The Reconcile toolbar displays:

3. Click the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ). The Reconcile window displays.

To know more about the Work Package Exchange application window, see Getting Familiar with the Work Package Exchange Application Window.

User TasksThis topic gives you the road map to follow when carrying out a reconciliation. The reconciliation process can be divided into 3 main phases:

Step 1 Mapping the Objects to reconcile

● Selecting the Destination VPDM

● Performing a Query

● Using the VPDM View

Step 2 Setting the Reconciliation Parameters

● Defining Reconciliation Rules

● Selecting the Storage Mode

Step 3 Simulating the reconciliation

● Simulating the Reconciliation

Applying Reconciliation Rules and saving the Documents in the VPDM

● Applying Reconciliation Rules

● Saving the Documents in the VPDM

Use Cases

Defining the Reconciliation

Note that the Work Package Exchange application supports the following files types: CATPart, CATProduct, models, and CATDrawing.

● Mapping the Objects to Reconcile

❍ Selecting the Destination VPDM

❍ Performing a Query

❍ Using the VPDM View

● Setting the Reconciliation Parameters

❍ Defining Reconciliation Rules

❍ Selecting the Storage Mode

Mapping the Objects to Reconcile

Selecting the Destination VPDM

The user selects the VPDM:● VPM V4

● VPM V5

Performing a Query

● For each object loaded in CATIA that is to be reconciled and mapped to an already existing object saved in the VPDM, the user performs a search to check if the searched object already exists in the VPDM.

● Note that the query depends on the selected VPDM.

Performing a Simple Query

Note that this query mode is available only if ENOVIA VPM V4 is selected in the Destination VPDM list.

Simple queries enable you to search for an object in the VPDM by specifying its name. A simple query allows you to specify a string that will be searched for. If a part of the object attribute is identical to the specified value, the object displays in the result dialog box.

To perform a simple query, proceed as follows:

Select VPM V4 in the Destination VPDM scrolling list, click the Query button. The Simple VPM Query dialog

box displays. The fields are already pre-set:

● Environment: Default environment. For more information, see the VPM User's Guide.

● Object type: Part/Document (this field cannot be modified).

● Search string: CATIA document or Part name. To set the length of the string, see Defining the Number of Characters of the Search String.

2. Click OK to launch the search.

When a user who logs to VPM with a specific VPM Profile (profiles are managed by the administrator, who attaches the appropriate profiles to the users) performs a query, the objects attributes that can be returned by the query are limited to the set of objects he can access depending on his profile.

Performing an Easy Query

This query mode is available only if the user selected ENOVIA VPM V5 in the Destination VPDM scrolling list. Note that the Easy Query function is identical to the Easy Search in the VPM Navigator.

To perform an easy query, proceed as follows:

1. Select VPM V5 in the

Destination VPDM

scrolling list, click

the Query button.

The Easy VPM Query

dialog box displays.

The fields are

already pre-set:

❍ Type: Type of

the selected

document. It

can be a

CATProduct, a

CATPart, and

a PRC. (This

field cannot be

modified).

❍ Search string:

CATIA

document or

Part name. To

set the length

of the string,

see Defining

the Number of

Characters of

the Search

String.

2. Click OK to launch

the search.

Note that the * wildcard is supported when entering a search string.

Performing a query using the Query by object ID criterion

This query mode is available only if the user selected VPM V5 in the Destination VPDM scrolling list.

To perform a query using the Query by object ID criterion, proceed as follows:

1. Select ENOVIA VPM V5

in the Destination

VPDM scrolling list,

click the Query button.

The Query by object Id

dialog box displays.

The fields are already

pre-set:

❍ Type: Type of the

selected

document. It can

be a Product, a

Part, a CATPart.

(This field cannot

be modified).

❍ Search string:

CATIA document

or Part name. To

set the length of

the string, see the

Reconciliation

settings.

2. Click OK to launch the

search.

Using the VPDM View

Enables the user to display a view of the objects stored in the VPDM corresponding to the CATIA view. The tree that displays is based on the result of the VPDM search.

Setting the Reconciliation Parameters

Defining Reconciliation Rules

A Reconciliation Rule is a set of information required to reconcile the documents and/or Parts loaded in session

with the ones stored in the VPDM repository. The user needs to select one of the 3 following reconciliation rules:

● Overwrite in VPDM: The object loaded in the CATIA session overwrites the one stored in the VPDM.

● Re-load from VPDM: The VPDM object version is kept. Note that this reconciliation rule is available only if the object is saved in Publications Exposed storage mode.

● New Object in VPDM: The reference object is considered as a new object in the VPDM.

● Note that the user must define a rule for each Part/Document to be reconciled. The Work Package Exchange application deduces from the assembly structure comparison (between the CATIA and the VPDM assembly view) how the assembly structure is going to be saved in the VPDM repository.

● Note that the user can simulate the product structure modification impact by activating the comparison evaluation to identify which instances will be created, deleted, or moved. To know more, see Simulating the Reconciliation.

Selecting the Storage Mode

For each object to be reconciled, the user selects the appropriate storage mode:

● Publications

Exposed: The document is kept and saved in the ENOVIA/VPM vault. In this context both Product and Part document files are saved in the vault. The product structure is not viewed inside the ENOVIA repository.

● Structure Exposed: The document is not kept in the ENOVIA/VPM vault. In this case, the product structure is saved in ENOVIA/VPM and the Product document files will not be saved in the vault. Other documents such as Part and Drawing document files are saved in the vault.Note that this storage mode is only available for CATProducts.When working with ENOVIA VPM V5, the assembly root should always be a product.

● If a CATProduct document is to be reconciled using the Structure Exposed storage mode, all upper CATProduct documents will be stored using the Structure Exposed mode.

● If a CATProduct document is to be reconciled using the Publications Exposed storage mode, all CATProduct documents referenced by it will be stored using the Publications Exposed mode.

Note that when selecting the storage mode, only the combinations shown below are supported.

Root Product Instance of a Component

Instance of Root Product

Document

1 Publications Exposed Yes No Yes Yes

2 Structure Exposed Yes Yes Yes No

Simulating the ReconciliationThe instance identification that occurs when comparing the document is customizable. To know more, see the CAA documentation.

Once you are done with the definition of the reconciliation rules, you can compare the document loaded in session and the product structure stored in the VPDM vault. To do so, select the Compare view in the Reconcile Window scrolling list.

The Compare view that displays presents a merged view of the CATIA and the VPDM product structure. This comparison enables the user to define the impacts of the reconciliation on the Product structure stored in the VPDM after applying reconciliation.

In this mode, the user can identify identical instances, modified positioning, object available only in CATIA or only in the VPDM.

● Note that the Compare view is available at any time (even before selecting a reconciliation rule).

● Only CATIA objects can be selected and the comparison will not consider objects considered as New objects.

The results of the comparison displays:

● In the tabular view where a new column Compare displays along with the status of the document:

❍ New: The instance does not exist in the VPDM and is therefore considered as new

❍ Deleted: The instance does not exist in the product to reconcile and will be deleted from the VPDM.

❍ Moved: The instance position will be modified.

❍ Identical : Both documents (CATIA session and VPDM) are identical.

● In the Objects to reconcile tree:

This tree displays the files making up the selected .CATProduct file. Note that the different components display along with an icon indicating their status:

Indicates that an instance was added.

Indicates that an instance is to be deleted.

Indicates that the instances are identical.

Indicates that the instance was moved.

Refers to a CAProduct saved in Structure Exposed storage mode. A rule is applied to a part.

Refers to a Part contained in a CATProduct saved in Publications Exposed storage mode.

Indicates that the mapping between the CATIA and the PDM object is one, but the reconciliation rule is not set.

Indicates that the reconciliation rule is not set.

Using the Work Package Exchange Product Decision Support Tools

Using the Work Package Exchange Application Decision Support Tools

To help users determine the impact of the reconciliation, 2 tools are available:

● The Characteristics: Enables the user to compare some pre-defined characteristics of the objects loaded in session and stored in the VPDM.

● The 3D Viewer: Enables the user to visually compare the object loaded in session with the object stored in the VPDM.

Checking the Characteristics of the ObjectsFor each document loaded in CATIA that is to be mapped to an already existing document saved in the VPDM repository, the user can use the Characteristics comparison performed between both objects (the one stored in the VPDM repository and the one loaded in CATIA) to make his decision.

To check the characteristics of the objects to be reconciled, click the Characteristics tab and press the Compare button.

Only the publications are checked: The publications of the CATPart stored in the database are compared with the publications located on the root ASM product of the corresponding CATIA V5 document.

The Status column indicates if the publications are identical for both objects (OK) or if changes were made (KO) and the list of publications is displayed.

Note that this functionality is available for ENOVIA VPM V4. You can implement new characteristics using CAA in ENOVIA VPM V4 and ENOVIA VPM V5.

● VPDM 3D View

When the Dependant option is checked, the VPDM 3D View point is synchronized on the CATIA 3D View, and both objects display in the same position. The 3D viewer view points are identical.

Note that the 3D visualization is available:●

● For VPDM view on CATPart and CATIA V4 models using the .cgr files extracted from DMU Cache and

● For CATIA view for CATProduct, CATPart and CATIA V4 models.

Displaying the Documents to be Reconciled in the 3D Viewer

It is possible for the user to visually compare the documents to be reconciled by clicking the 3D Viewer tab. The selected document displays in 2 views:

● CATIA 3D View

Applying Reconciliation Rules To apply the reconciliation rules to the documents loaded in CATIA, click the Apply button. Nothing has been modified in the VPDM repository; only the content of the CATIA session has been modified.

Saving the Documents in the VPDM To save the modified objects in the VPDM:

● Click the Save in Enovia icon in the Enovia VPM toolbar or the VPM V5 toolbar when working with ENOVIA VPM V5. The documents loaded in CATIA are saved in the VPDM repository and the requested modifications are applied.

● Use the File->Save command or the File->Save All command when working with ENOVIA VPM V4.

Use CasesUse Case 1: Reconciling a Product Structure

Use Case 2: Reconciling a CATPart and a CATDrawingUse Case 3: Reconciling a Sub-Assembly

Use Case 1: Reconciling a Product Structure

The scenario described below aims at illustrating the standard reconciliation process. ● The manufacturer sends the skate board to be modified to his supplier. This skate board is already saved

in the VPDM. It is made up of a board, of 2 axis and of 4 wheels that have the same size.

● The supplier sends back the modified skate board to the manufacturer: The board shape is modified and the back wheels are larger. The manufacturer now wants to reconcile both CATProduct files using the Work Package Exchange application.

● Before carrying out this scenario, make sure you have checked:

❍ The Work with the cache system option (Tools->Options->Infrastructure->Product Structure->Cache Management).

❍ The Reconcile option (View->Toolbars.)

● To carry out this scenario, you will need to following documents:

The Skate-100-ABC-1001.CATProduct document must be saved in the VPDM before beginning the reconciliation process. In the scenario described below, they correspond to the skate board that the manufacturer sends his supplier for modification.

● Axle-010-JKL-1031.CATPart

● Board-010-DEF-1009.CATPart

● Wheel-010-GHI-1021.CATPart

● Hub1-010-DEF-1001.CATProduct

These documents listed below are those that will be reconciled using the Work Package Exchange application.

● Axle-010-JKL-1031.CATPart

● Board2-010-DEF-1011.CATPart

● Wheel-010-GHI-1021.CATPart

● Wheel-Large-010-GHI-1026.CATPart



● Skate2-100-ABC-1002.CATProduct

1. Open the Skate2-100-ABC-1002.CATProduct file and click the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ).

The Reconcile window displays.

2. Click the root object (skate-100-ABC-1001) in the Objects to reconcile tree, select the Query by

object ID query in the Query Criteria scrolling list and click Query.

3. Enter Product in the Type field and Skate* in the VPM Query window. Click OK: Skate-100-ABC-1002

displays in the VPDM Objects window.

4. Click the VPDM View tab. The following view displays enabling you to display the list:

5. The following items were re-designed by the supplier, and you want to save them. Select them in the

CATIA view and click the New object in VPDM icon ( ).

❍ Board 2: The manufacturer wants to keep the old board version.

❍ Hub2-010-DEF-1002: This object is new and does not exist in the VPDM.

❍ Wheel-Large-010-GHI-1026: This object is new and does not exist in the VPDM.

6. Click the following items in the CATIA View and click the Overwrite in VPDM icon ( ).

❍ Skate2-100-ABC-1002: Overwrites the skate stored in the VPDM.

❍ Board-010-DEF-1009: Overwrites the board stored in the VPDM.

7. Click the following items in the CATIA View and click the Reload from VPDM icon ( ).

❍ Axle-010-JKL-1031: The manufacturer wants to keep the original axle.

❍ Hub1-010-JKL-1031: The manufacturer wants to keep the original hub.

8. Click the Apply button to apply the simulation.

9. Close the Reconciliation session and from the File menu, select the Save All command.

Use Case 2: Reconciling a CATPart and a CATDrawing

The scenario described below aims at illustrating the following reconciliation process.

● The OEM creates a jig saw and wants his supplier to create the CATDrawing file of the saw switch (see picture opposite). He sends the switch CATPart to his supplier.

● The supplier sends back the generated CATDrawing to the OEM. In the mean time, the OEM has modified the switch, so that generated CATDrawing file does not match the switch stored in the VPDM anymore.

● The supplier launches a reconciliation session and saves the CATDrawing in the VPDM. The CATDrawing will be automatically updated when sent to CATIA along with the switch to match the switch.

This scenario starts when the supplier sends back the .CATDrawing file to the OEM.




● Make sure you have selected ENOVIAV5 in the View -> Toolbars menu.

To carry out this scenario, you will need to following documents:

Jig_saw_switch.CATPart is the file that the OEM sends to his supplier in order to have the CATDrawing generated.

Jig_saw_switch.CATDrawing is the drawing generated by the supplier and sent back to the OEM.

Jig_saw_switch2.CATPart is the document that was modified by the OEM and he wants to keep in his VPDM.Prior to carrying out the scenario described below, rename this file into Jig_saw_switch.CATPart and save this CATPart file in your VPDM.

1. Click the Connect to ENOVIA LCA icon ( ) to connect your ENOVIA VPM V5 database.

2. Open the Jig_saw_switch.CATDrawing file along with the Jig_saw_switch.CATPart file and click

the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ). The Reconcile window displays.

3. In the Actions toolbar, select the Destination PDM: ENOVIA LCA V5.

4. Click the Jig_saw_switch.CATDrawing object in the Objects to reconcile tree, and click the

New icon ( ) since this file is new and is therefore not already saved in the VPDM.

5. Select the Jig_saw_switch.CATPart in the Objects to reconcile tree and select the Easy query

option in the Query scrolling list and click the Query button: The Easy Query VPM window

displays.

6. Click OK: The

corresponding part displays

in the VPDM Objects field.

7. Since the more up-to-date part is the one stored in the VPDM, click the Reload ( ) button.

This way, the object that will be kept in the VPDM is the one that is already saved.



Use Case 3: Reconciling a Sub-Assembly

The scenario described below aims at illustrating the following reconciliation process.

● The OEM creates an assembly (1), a skate board, and wants his supplier to create a sub-assembly, the back wheels in this scenario.

● To do so, he sends the work package (2) as well as the working context (3) to his supplier.

● The supplier modifies the work package (4) and sends only this modified work package to the OEM (5).

This scenario starts when the supplier sends back the .CATDrawing file to the OEM.

This symbol is used throughout the scenario to symbolize the OEM.

This symbol is used throughout the scenario to symbolize the supplier.




● Make sure you have selected ENOVIAV5 in the View -> Toolbars menu.

To carry out this scenario, you will need to following documents:

Board.CATProduct Hub1.CATProduct Hub2.CATProduct Hub3.CATProduct

Board2.CATPart Wheel.CATPart Axle1.CATPart

1. Open the Board.CATProduct file.

2. Insert a component that will be used by the supplier to create the back wheels. To do so,

from the Insert menu, select the New component command. The new component is

added to the specification tree.

3.

4. Right-click the new component in the specification tree and select the Properties

command. Rename the new component into WorkPackage. Click OK when done.

5. Send the files to the supplier.

1. Design the back wheels and send the Hub2.CATProduct file to the OEM.

5. Click the Connect to ENOVIA LCA icon ( ) to connect your ENOVIA VPM V5 database.

6. Open the Hub3.CATProduct and rename it into Workpackage.CATProduct.

7. Click the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ). The Reconcile window displays.

8. In the Actions toolbar, select the Destination PDM: ENOVIA LCA V5.

9. Click the Workpackage root in the Objects to reconcile tree and select the Query by object

ID in the Query scrolling list.

10. Click Query and enter work* in the Query window and click OK to launch the query.

11. The workpackage stored in the VPDM displays in the VPDM Objects view.

12. Click the Overwrite icon ( ) to replace the old workpackage with the one sent by the

supplier.



MethodologyThis section provides methodology on the following topics:

Reconciling Product Structures Containing PartsReconciling Product Structures Containing Models

Reconciling Product Structures Containing Parts

● Standard Mode

❍ Data Exchange: OEM->Supplier

❍ Data Exchange: Supplier->OEM

● Delta Mode

Standard Mode

In this mode, the OEM sends all the data to his supplier and the supplier sends back the data he received to the OEM.

Data Exchange: OEM->Supplier

1. Extract the relevant information to be exchanged such as Product structure and CAD data from the

VPDM: This enables you to exchange both design Context (read only data) and Supplier Work Package

(data to designed/detailed by the supplier).

2. Save on disk using the CATIA Save As... or Save Management... capabilities.

3. Send the extracted data as a set of CATIA V5 documents to the supplier.

4. The supplier will create/update/delete data in CATIA V5 and send the updated data to the OEM.

5. The data will be re-integrated when received from the supplier into the VPDM using the Work Package

Exchange application (see methodology below.)

Data Exchange: Supplier->OEM

The interactive reconciliation panel enables the user to define reconciliation rules for documents loaded in a CATIA session in order to integrate the received data into the VPDM following the following steps:

1. The user displays the documents to

be reconciled using the File->Desk-

>Launch Document Reconciliation

command and selects the chosen

document for its reconciliation.

- Or -

The user displays the document to be

reconciled and click the Launch

Reconciliation icon ( ) in the current

workbench.

2. The user sets the VPDM destination (VPM V4 or VPM V5) both for documents and parts.

3. In order to determine if the object already exists in the VPDM, the user performs a query. To do so, he

selects a query criterion in the Query tab by selecting a criterion for searching document/part inside

the VPDM repository among the criteria available in the Query Criteria list. Queries list will be VPDM

dependant & object type dependant.

It is not possible to select several criteria with boolean expressions to combine criteria. Users should develop their own criteria for the corporate business rules to be taken into account as well as the VPDM customization.

2. For each object to be reconciled, the user selects the storage mode (Publications Exposed or Structure

Exposed) and one of the reconciliation rules:

❍ Overwrite in VPDM

❍ Re-load from VPDM

❍ New Object in VPDM

depending on how this document will be exposed in his VPM (Publications Exposed or Structure

Exposed) and the VPDM object to be mapped to.

4. The user displays the search results

and selects the VPDM candidate for

document/Part reconciliation.

Note that the characteristics display

can be customized.

The status OK/KO of the

characteristic is the result of the

comparison, in term of publications,

between the document to reconcile in

session and the selected document

stored in database. Depending on the

result, the user decides if he wants

the reconciliation to occur or not. To

know more, see Checking the

Characteristics of the Objects.

5. The user selects the reconciliation options among the ones available for each Document/Part in the

list. Note that:

❍ the New object in VPDM option can be selected without performing a query.

❍ the 3D Viewer is available for CATIA CATParts\CATProducts and models. It is available

for the VPDM with the cache only for CATParts and models.

6. When the user has defined a reconciliation choice for all documents/parts to be reconciled, he presses

the Apply button. Nothing will be saved (committed) in ENOVIA before the user uses the File->Save

command.

It is strongly recommended to refer to the ENOVIAVPM and ENOVIA LCA best practices and User's Guides to know more about these VPDMs.

Delta Mode

The objective of the Delta mode is to enable a supplier to send his OEM only the documents that have been modified since the previous update. In the current release we support this process only for CATPart and CATIA V4 document. For those documents that are not found at loading time (broken links), the Work Package Exchange Application will enable the user to view them and to define a Reload From VPDM reconciliation rule. So after Applying the reconciliation rules, the broken links will be replaced with the documents selected by the end-user.

In the graphic opposite, the OEM sends initial data to Supplier.

The supplier sends the modified files:

● Sub-assembly P1.

● Instance M12.1 is moved.

● M11.model & C13.CATPart are modified.

● M12.model & C14.CATPart are not sent since they were not modified.

Reconciling Product Structures Containing .Models

When reconciling a .model file, the Re-load from VPDM option is automatically selected. Model files stored in the OEM's VPDM should not be modified by the supplier.

Interface Description

To access the Work Package Exchange application, select the File->Desk->Launch Document Reconciliation command or click

the Launch Reconciliation icon ( ). Note that the Reconcile option must be enabled (in the menu bar, select View ->

Toolbars -> Reconcile).

The interactive reconciliation panel enables the user to define reconciliation rules for documents loaded in a CATIA session.

Click the hot spots to access the related documentation.

Actions Toolbar

The actions toolbar enables the user to perform the following actions on the objects to reconcile:

● Setting Reconciliation Rules

● Selecting the Storage mode

● Choosing a Container (optional)

● Selecting the Destination PDM

● Selecting the View Type

Setting Reconciliation Rules

Toolbar enabling the user to define if the object to store is to be considered as a new object (New), if the VPDM version is to be kept (Reload) or if the CATIA version will replace the information stored in the VPDM repository (Overwrite).)

Overwrite in VPDM: The object loaded in the CATIA session overwrites the one stored in the VPDM repository.

Re-load from VPDM: The VPDM object version is kept.

New Object in VPDM: The object is considered as a new one.Note that this reconciliation rule is available only if the object is saved in Publications Exposed storage mode.

Selecting the Storage mode

See Defining the Reconciliation.

Choosing a Container (ENOVIA VPM V4 only)

When CATProduct documents are saved in Structure Exposed storage mode, you can decide to save the applicative data using an

application container. To do so, click the Save Application Container icon ( ).

To know more about application containers, see the Managing DMU V5 Application Data in ENOVIAvpm topic in the ENOVIA-CATIA Interoperability User's Guide.

Selecting the Destination PDM

See Defining the Reconciliation.

Selecting the View Type

This scrolling list enables the user to select a view type:

Part & Document: Both tabular and graph views represent the CATIA reference view. All CATIA documents, root products and the first level in the reconciliation session are represented.

Instance: Both tabular and graph views represent the CATIA Product structure view, i.e. objects presented with instances.

Compare: Both tabular and graph views represent a merged CATIA/ENOVIA Product structure. In this mode, end-users will identify identical instances, modified positioning, existence only in CATIA or existence only in VPDM.This comparison will enable to forecast the impacts of the reconciliation on the Product structure stored in the VPDM after applying the reconciliation and saving the data both in CATIA & VPDM system.The Compare view will be available at any time (even before selecting any reconciliation rules) and objects with no reconciliation rule defined will be analyzed as New object.In this context, only CATIA objects can be selected.

Objects to reconcile tree This tree displays the files making up the selected .CATProduct file. Note that the different components display along with an icon indicating their status. To know more, see Simulating the Reconciliation.

Note that the items displayed in the objects to reconcile tree depend on the selection made by the user:

● Part & Document

● Instance

● Compare

Query AreaThe available query criteria depend on the selected storage mode.

● VPM V4: Simple Query

● VPM V5: Easy Query and Query by object ID.

To know more, see Performing a Query.

VPDM ViewEnables the user to display a tree based on the expand of the VPDM root product corresponding to the CATIA root product. Note that this tree only displays after a query has been performed.

List View - 3D Viewer - Characteristics tabs

List View

This view is a tabular view of the reconciliation tree.

Tabular View

Document: Indicates the name and the path of the document.

Environment: Indicates the database selected by the user: ENOVIA VPM V4 or ENOVIA LCA V5.

Compare: Displays only if you selected the Compare option in the View type scrolling list. Indicates the status of the objects after saving them in the VPDM.

Mode: Indicates the storage mode applied to the documents: Publications Exposed or Structure Exposed.

Rule: Indicates the rule applied to the document: Overwrite in VPDM, Re-load from VPDM, or New Object in VPDM.

ID: Indicates the name of the displayed object.

Type: Indicates the type of the displayed object: Part and/or Product if Part & Document is selected in the scrolling list or instance if Instance is selected in the scrolling list.

3D Viewer

This tab enables the user to visually compare the object loaded in session and the one stored in the VPDM.

● Dependant: If checked, the 3D viewer view points will be identical.

Note that the 3D visualization is available:

● For VPDM view on CATPart and CATIA V4 models using the .cgr files extracted from DMU Cache and

● For CATIA view for CATProduct, CATPart and CATIA V4 models.

Characteristics

This tab enables the user to access the comparisons result after comparing the document loaded in session in CATIA and the document stored in ENOVIA. Note that only the publications are checked.

The publications of the document stored in the database (ENOVIA VPM V4) are compared with the publications of the corresponding CATIA V5 document. So the Status tab indicates if the publications are the same in both documents (OK) or if changes were made (KO).

To add new characteristics when working with ENOVIA V5 and ENOVIA V4, see the CAA documentation.

Customizing CATIA-ENOVIA Work Package Exchange

Before you start your first working session, you can customize the way you work to suit your habits.This type of customization is stored in permanent setting files: these settings will not be lost if you end your session

1. Select the Tools -> Options command. The Options dialog box displays.

The Options dialog box displays.

2. Choose the Infrastructure category in the left-hand box.

3. Click the Collaboration Infrastructure tab. The following tabs display.

This tab lets you define the Reconciliation.

4. Change these options according to your needs.

5. Click OK when done to validate your settings.

Reconciliation

This tab deals with the following categories of options:

● Query

● Environment

Query

Number of characters taken into account for the query

Enables the user to define the number of characters that will be taken into account when querying the database.

By default, the value is set to 20.

Environment

There are 3 options available for customizing the environment.

● Environment

● Authorized rules for Publications Exposed mode

● Authorized rules for Structure Exposed mode

Environment

Enables the user to select his working environment.

VPM1: By default, the working environment is VPM V4.

ENOVIA5: By default, the working environment is VPM V5.

By default this option is set to VPM V5.

Authorized rules for Publications Exposed mode

Enables the user to select the reconciliation rules that will be available in the Reconciliation session when selecting the Publications Exposed storage mode.

New: The user can save new objects in the VPDM.

Load: The user can reload objects from the VPDM.

Overwrite: The user can overwrite the objects stored in the VPDM by those loaded in session.

By default, all options are enabled.

Authorized rules for Structure Exposed mode

Enables the user to select the reconciliation rules that will be available in the Reconciliation session when selecting the Structure Exposed storage mode.

New: The user can save new objects in the VPDM.

Overwrite: The user can overwrite the objects stored in the VPDM by those loaded in session.

By default, all options are enabled.

Frequently Asked QuestionsCustomizing the Reconciliation Session

Working with the Work Package Exchange ApplicationMiscellaneous

Customizing the Reconciliation SessionThis section gives you information about the Work Package Exchange Application customization.

● Can I inhibit some reconciliation rules?

● Can I add new characteristics?

● Can I add new queries?

Can I inhibit some reconciliation rules?

Yes. To do so, access the Reconciliation tools options (Tools->Options->Infrastructure->Product Structure->Reconciliation), and uncheck the reconciliation rule that you want to inhibit.

Can I add new characteristics?

Yes. You can implement your own characteristics by implementing the CATIPDMCharacteristicScm interface. This interface enables you to activate the comparison (based on specific information) of the CATIA V5 object and the selected counter part in the ENOVIA repository. To know more, see the CAA documentation.

Can I add new queries?

Yes you can. To know more, see the CAA documentation.

Working with the Work Package Exchange Application

● What is the use of the Work Package Exchange Application?

● What is the use of the container?

● What is an instance compared to an object?

● What is the use of the VPDM view?

● What is the difference between the Objects to reconcile tree and the Compare view?

● When reconciling objects, shall I load all documents in session?

● Is it possible to reconcile all types of documents?

● When reloading data from the VPDM, how can the Work Package Exchange application determine that the objects are identical?

● Is it possible to use wildcards in queries?

● Is it possible to version an object using the Work Package Exchange application?

● Is it necessary to set a reconciliation rule for each object to be reconciled?

● What is the use of the Apply button?

● What is the difference between the Instance view and the Part&Documents view?

● Is data saved in the VPDM when I click the Apply button?

● I cannot display the VPM View in the 3D Viewer. What can I do?

● When shall I use the File->Desk command and when shall I use the Launch Reconciliation icon ( )?

What is the use of the Work Package Exchange Application?

This product delivers a solution for supplier integration that enables the user to exchange CATIA design stored in a VPDM. The methodology used is based on the "Extract/Reconcile" paradigm where CATIA data are extracted from a VPDM as CATIA file documents and re-integrated, after the supplier completed the design and after a reconciliation process using the Work Package Exchange application.

What is the use of the container?

These containers enable users to save applicative data. Note that it is available for ENOVIA VPM V4 only.

What is an instance compared to a Part?

The Part is the instance reference. For example, a user might want to use a wheel (which is a Part). He might want to use 4 instances of this Part to design a car.

What is the use of the VPDM view?

The VPDM view is used to display an assembly stored in the VPDM. Note that this view is available only after performing a query on the root product in the Objects to reconcile tree.

What is the difference between the Objects to reconcile tree and the Compare view?

The Objects to reconcile tree shows the objects loaded in session that the user wants to reconcile whereas the Compare view shows a simulation of the reconciliation depending on the rules set for each object to reconcile.

When reconciling objects, shall I load all documents in session?

Yes. Note that the design mode must be activated. If not all documents to be reconciled are loaded in session, the Work Package Exchange application will load them.

Is it possible to reconcile all types of documents?

No, only CATParts, CATDrawings, CATProducts and CATIA V4 models are supported.

When mapping data, how can the Work Package Exchange application determine that the objects are identical?

The user performs a query that checks that the part numbers of the object loaded in session and the one stored in the VPDM are identical. He can also use the Characteristics tab to check if the publications contained in both documents are identical or not.

Is it possible to use wildcards in queries?

In ENOVIA VPM V5, you may use the * wildcard.

Is it possible to version an object using the Work Package Exchange application?

Yes. To do so, proceed as follows:

● Create a new version in the VPDM.

● Open the document in CATIA and click launch the Work Package Exchange application.

● Map the object to reconcile with the new version of the object.

● Select the Overwrite reconciliation rule.

Note that the methodology described above applies for VPM V4 only. For VPM V5, the user can choose to version the Part when saving the Reconciliation result in ENOVIA.

Is it necessary to set a reconciliation rule for each instance to be reconciled?

No, the reconciliation applies at the reference level. So if you perform a query on an instance, it will propagate to the identical instances.

What is the use of the Apply button?

Taking into account the reconciliation rules set by the user, the Apply button will apply on the products and the documents the necessary information to prepare the save operation in the PDM System. Note that after clicking Apply, these documents lose their "File based" origins and thus can no more be manipulated as file documents.

What is the difference between the Instance view and the Part&Documents view?

These views are 2 different product representations.

● The Instance view provides the user with a representation of the assembly using its instances (like in CATIA).

● The Part&Documents view shows the documents and the references contained in the assembly (like in VPM V4).

Is data saved in the VPDM when I click the Apply button?

No. The Apply button "prepares" the CATIA session for the user reconciliation choice to be taken into account when saving the session to the PDM.

For example, if the user chose the Re-load from VPDM option for a CATPart, the CATPart file loaded in the CATIA session will be replaced by the one stored in the VPDM when clicking the Apply button.

I cannot display the VPDM View in the 3D Viewer. What can I do?

Make sure that the Work with the cache system option is on (by default, the cache is not activated).Otherwise, select the Tools -> Options command, click Infrastructure -> Product Structure to the left of the dialog box that appears and check the option.Do not forget to restart your session after turning on the cache. Activating this option sets the visualization mode as the work mode.

When shall I use the File->Desk command and when shall I use the Launch

Reconciliation icon ( )?

It depends on what you want to reconcile. If you want to reconcile a whole product structure, use the Launch Reconciliation icon. If you want to choose the document (sub-assembly, part...), use the File->Desk command.

Miscellaneous● Which license do I need to use the Work Package Exchange Application?

● Can I access the Work Package Exchange Application from all workbenches ?

Which license do I need to use the Work Package Exchange Application?

For the Work Package Exchange application to be available you will need the following license:

● EWE for ENOVIA VPM V4

● WPE for ENOVIA VPM V5

Can I access the Work Package Exchange Application from all workbenches ?

The Work Package Exchange application can be accessed from the following workbenches:

● Product Structure

● Part Design

● Generative Shape Design

● Drafting

To know more, see Accessing the Work Package Exchange Application.

Index

Symbols.CATDrawing

.CATProduct

.models

Aaccessing the work package exchange application

applicative data

applying reconciliation rules

Bboolean expression

Ccache system

characteristics comparison comparison

deleted

identical

moved

new

customizing settings

Ddata exchange

delta mode

standard mode

defining a reconciliation rule

defining the reconciliation

delta mode

destination VPDM

Eeasy query

Iimmediate commit

instance persistency management

Mmethodology

reconciling product structures containing parts

Nnew object in VPDM

O

overwrite

overwrite in VPDM

Pperforming a query

performing a query using the Query by object ID criterion

performing a simple query

performing an easy query

product structure

publications exposed

Qquery

by object id

easy query

simple query

Rreconcile window reconciliation

defining

reconciliation rule

new object in VPDM

overwrite in VPDM

re-load from VPDM reconciling

.CATProduct

.models

drawing

product structure

sub-assembly

reconciling a CATDrawing

reconciling a Product structure

reconciling a sub-assembly

re-load from VPDM

requirements

Ssaving documents in the VPDM

selecting the destination VPDM

selecting the storage mode

simple query

standard mode

status column

storage mode

publications exposed

structure exposed

structure exposed

sub-assembly

Wwork package exchange application

accessing

Work Package Exchange

Documents

Transcript of Work Package Exchange