This is Part 3 in this series of transitioning macros from CATIA V5 to the 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX) platform. In this post we will talk about the 3DX services.
For reference, here are all of the blogs in this series:
Part 1: Framework
Part 2: Creating, Opening, and Saving Files
Part 3: Services
Part 4: Product Modeler
Part 5: Part Modeling and Drafting
Part 6: Selections
Part 7: Deployment
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What if you want to program an operation that is not related to the type of content you’re working with? Such as measuring distance, or calculating inertia, or creating a section?
In V5 scripting, you would use either GetWorkbench or GetTechnologicalObject methods, with keywords such as “Inertia”, or “Sections”, or “SPAWorkbench”, etc., which would return you a handle for the object that has all the functions you’re looking for.
But in 3DX, you have to use a “service”.
A Service object in 3DX gives you access to object-independent operations and there are two categories of Services.
Session-level Services
The first category is called Session-level Services. These apply to any type of content, or even when there is no open content on the screen. Here’s the list of the most important session-level Services:
- PLMNewService: Creates new content
- PLMOpenService: Opens existing content from the DB
- PLMPropagateService: Saves modified content to the DB
- SearchService: Searches the DB for content
- VisuServices: Works with Windows, Cameras, Viewpoints, etc.
The session-level services belong to the root object (CATIA) and are obtained by calling the GetSessionService method. For example, the following code could be used to get a hold of the PLMNewService:
01: Dim oServ As PLMNewService
02: Set oServ = CATIA.GetSessionService("PLMNewService")
The examples of using the session-level services for working with the PLM database have been presented in Part 2 or this blog post series – just look it up!
Editor-level Services
The second category is called Editor-level Services. Those apply only to specific PLM types, and here’s the list of the most important ones:
- MeasurableService: Taking distance or other measurements
- InertiaService: Inertia measurements
- InterferenceServices: Clash analysis
- SectionService: Cross-sectioning
- DrawingService, DrawingGenService: Drawing-related
The editor-level services belong to the Editor object and are obtained by calling the GetService method, with a proper keyword.
Example: Obtaining Coordinates of a Point
As an example, let’s consider using the MeasurableService to obtain coordinates of a point.
The object diagram as well as the measured item types and contexts are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1
The first step is to get a hold of the MeasurableService for the active Editor:
01: Dim oEditor As Editor
02: Set oEditor = CATIA.ActiveEditor
03: Dim oServ As MeasurableService
04: Set oServ = oEditor.GetService("MeasurableService")
Next, we get the Measurable object for the point we want to measure:
05: Dim oMeasPoint As MeasurablePoint
06: Set oMeasPoint = oMeasurableService.GetMeasurable(<point>, CAAMeasurablePoint)
Now we can measure coordinates in part context:
07: oMeasPoint.SetMeasurableContextType PartContext
08: Dim dX1 As Double: Dim dY1 As Double: Dim dZ1 As Double
09: oMeasPoint.GetPoint dX1, dY1, dZ1
Or in product context:
10: oMeasPoint.SetMeasurableContextType ProductContext
11: oMeasPoint.GetPoint dX1, dY1, dZ1
Example: Measuring Mass and CoG Position
Similarly, the below code could be used to measure the mass and the CoG position for the model in session.
' Editor and Service
01: Dim oEditor As Editor
02: Set oEditor = CATIA.ActiveEditor
03: Dim oServ As InertiaService
04: Set oServ = oEditor.GetService("InertiaService")
' Inertia object for the active object in session
05: Dim oInertia As Inertia
06: Set oInertia = oServ.GetInertiaElement(oEditor.ActiveObject)
' Mass and COG
07: Dim dMass As Double
08: dMass = oInertia.GetMass
09: Dim dX As Double: Dim dY As Double: Dim dZ As Double
10: oInertia.GetCOGPosition dX, dY, dZ
And that’s all I have for you about the 3DX Services! In my next post, I’ll be explaining the Product Modeler, which is probably the most convoluted subject in 3DX automation.
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