Autodesk Alias What's New

Transcription

1 Autodesk Alias 2013 What's New February 2012

2 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder. Trademarks The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries: 123D, 3ds Max, Algor, Alias, Alias (swirl design/logo), AliasStudio, ATC, AUGI, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Learning Assistance, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Simulator, AutoCAD SQL Extension, AutoCAD SQL Interface, Autodesk, Autodesk Homestyler, Autodesk Intent, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, AutoLISP, AutoSketch, AutoSnap, AutoTrack, Backburner, Backdraft, Beast, Beast (design/logo) Built with ObjectARX (design/logo), Burn, Buzzsaw, CAiCE, CFdesign, Civil 3D, Cleaner, Cleaner Central, ClearScale, Colour Warper, Combustion, Communication Specification, Constructware, Content Explorer, Creative Bridge, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, Design Doctor, Designer's Toolkit, DesignKids, DesignProf, DesignServer, DesignStudio, Design Web Format, Discreet, DWF, DWG, DWG (design/logo), DWG Extreme, DWG TrueConvert, DWG TrueView, DWFX, DXF, Ecotect, Evolver, Exposure, Extending the Design Team, Face Robot, FBX, Fempro, Fire, Flame, Flare, Flint, FMDesktop, Freewheel, GDX Driver, Green Building Studio, Heads-up Design, Heidi, Homestyler, HumanIK, IDEA Server, i-drop, Illuminate Labs AB (design/logo), ImageModeler, imout, Incinerator, Inferno, Instructables, Instructables (stylized robot design/logo),inventor, Inventor LT, Kynapse, Kynogon, LandXplorer, LiquidLight, LiquidLight (design/logo), Lustre, MatchMover, Maya, Mechanical Desktop, Moldflow, Moldflow Plastics Advisers, Moldflow Plastics Insight, Moldflow Plastics Xpert, Moondust, MotionBuilder, Movimento, MPA, MPA (design/logo), MPI, MPI (design/logo), MPX, MPX (design/logo), Mudbox, Multi-Master Editing, Navisworks, ObjectARX, ObjectDBX, Opticore, Pipeplus, Pixlr, Pixlr-o-matic, PolarSnap, PortfolioWall, Powered with Autodesk Technology, Productstream, ProMaterials, RasterDWG, RealDWG, Real-time Roto, Recognize, Render Queue, Retimer, Reveal, Revit, RiverCAD, Robot, Scaleform, Scaleform GFx, Showcase, Show Me, ShowMotion, SketchBook, Smoke, Softimage, Softimage XSI (design/logo), Sparks, SteeringWheels, Stitcher, Stone, StormNET, Tinkerbox, ToolClip, Topobase, Toxik, TrustedDWG, U-Vis, ViewCube, Visual, Visual LISP, Voice Reality, Volo, Vtour, WaterNetworks, Wire, Wiretap, WiretapCentral, XSI. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Disclaimer THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. "AS IS." AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.

3 Contents Chapter 1 What s New in Alias Chapter 2 General improvements General Disclaimer Installation and Licensing Documentation changes Changes to the user interface Changes to tool control windows Layer Categories window revamped Visibility status now saved in bookmarks New Transform CV Lock Step Size option New option to delete active locators only Tabbing to a numerical field now selects the entire number Comma now accepted as period on keyboard number pad Customer Involvement Program (CIP) now available on the Mac Autodesk Exchange App Store and App Manager Chapter 3 Visualization Ability to add diagnostic shaders to shelves or marking menus Ability to rotate the light in Diagnostic Shade Ambient Occlusion on meshes iii

4 Chapter 4 Evaluation New Angular Deviation tool Enhancements to Parting Line tool Enhancements to Iso Angle tool Chapter 5 Modeling New Profile tool New Skin tool Enhancements to Multi-Surface Draft Enhancements to Panel Gap tool Enhancements to Align tool Ability to fit curves to visual cross-sections Enhancements to transitional surface tools Enhancements to geometry editing tools Enhancements to trimming tools Enhancements to selection in various tools New Undo All options for some surfacing tools Construction Plane options are now shelvable Chapter 6 Data Transfer New ICEM EDF file import and export Explicit specification of LOD tolerances in JT export Support for export of PTC Granite version 7.0 files New File Release option for CATIA 5 export Chapter 7 Data Management Autodesk Vault integration Log into a Vault Log out of a Vault Open Files from a Vault Check files into a Vault Check files out of a Vault Undo a file checkout Launch the Vault Client Set Application Options Chapter 8 Fixed Limitations Modeling Issues Sketching Issues Chapter 9 What s Where New tools iv Contents

5 Renamed tools Obsolete tools Contents v

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7 What s New in Alias We are pleased to provide you with the latest version of Autodesk Alias software. Alias delivers new functionality and fixes to software limitations. Click the following links to view movies that highlight the new and changed features of Alias2013 Trim, Trim Convert and Screen Management Improvements Insert Curve on Surface Align and Multi-Surface Draft Profile Tool Skin Tool 1

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9 General improvements 2 Describes general changes and new features. General Disclaimer Wherever we mention that the default value for an option has changed, this may not be visible to you if you are using existing user preferences from an older version of Alias. User preferences for Windows XP are located in C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Autodesk\Alias\UserPrefs2013. User preferences for Windows 7 are located in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Alias\UserPrefs2013. User preferences for Mac OS are located in /Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/Alias/UserPrefs2013. If the folder does not already exist, it is created the first time Alias 2013 launches. The following dialog appears: Choose Defaults to accept the new default preferences. 3

10 Installation and Licensing Autodesk Maya software now included with Alias Automotive Industry-leading Autodesk Maya software is now included with Alias Automotive, bringing additional value to conceptual designers. A rich feature set of polygonal and subdivision modeling tools, along with data-sharing capabilities, help speed early conceptual design and provide workflow interoperability between conceptual mesh modeling in Maya and Class-A surfacing in Alias. Export a Maya file to Alias 1 Choose File > Export All. 2 Type a file name. Be sure to include the.wire extension. 3 Select SPF_DCE as the file type. 4 Click Export All. Installation documentation available online only Installation Help, Readme, and System Requirements documents are available online only. They are no longer available on the installation media. If you are offline and click a help link during installation, a page opens in your browser. The page instructs you to connect to the Internet and provides links to the installation documents. Help removed from installation We removed Alias Help from the installation. Now, by default, Alias Help is available online on Autodesk WikiHelp. Autodesk WikiHelp is a documentation wiki where you are invited to share your expertise with other authors who provide information about Autodesk documentation. If you do not have access to the internet, you can download Alias Help from and install it locally. 4 Chapter 2 General improvements

11 Documentation changes Some documentation changes were made this release. To open help for the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and control windows, click the menu icon on the title bar and select Help. Changes to the user interface Start Alias using the Modeling workflow interface You can now select to use the Modeling workflow interface when you start Alias. When you are prompted to select an initial workflow, click Modeling. You can switch the Default, Paint, or Visualize workflow interfaces at any time using the Preferences > Workflows menu. Alias opens in Perspective layout By default, Alias now opens in the Perspective layout rather than the All Windows layout. You can continue to access orthographic views from the Layouts menu or using the ViewCube. Documentation changes 5

12 New screen management features We introduced new interface features to help you make the most of your screen space. Made the Control Panel a separate window. Removed the diagnostic shading section from the Control Panel. By default, the Diagnostic Shade window now opens at the bottom of the Control Panel. To open the Diagnostic Shade window, choose ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading. Removed empty space to reduce the sizes of option boxes and control windows. Added the ability to: Collapse/expand the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and control windows. To collapse/expand, click the arrow, or double-click the title bar. To choose which direction to collapse/expand the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and control windows, click the arrow on the title bar and select an arrow. 6 Chapter 2 General improvements

13 To collapse/expand the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, or control windows automatically, click the menu icon on the title bar and select Auto Hide. With Auto Hide selected, only the title bar displays until you move your cursor over it. To open help for the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and control windows, click the menu icon on the title bar and select Help. Attach the Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and some windows to the edges of the application window so they move with the application window. Attach them to each other so they can be moved and closed as a group. NOTE Only windows that can remain open regardless of the current action can be attached. Option boxes and tool control windows cannot be attached. Shift-drag the title bar until the edge snaps to the edge of the application window, panel, palette, shelf, or window. If you are attaching items to each other, the title bar of the stationary panel becomes a darker shade of gray, indicating that it is the parent panel. A light blue line also displays where a panel joins the parent. Changes to the user interface 7

14 When you drag the parent panel, the attached panels move with it. When you close the parent panel, all panels attached to it also close. To reopen the group, open the parent panel. Change the orientation of the Palette or Shelves by resizing them to the desired orientation. 8 Chapter 2 General improvements

15 NOTE The last size and collapsed/expanded states of Control Panel, Palette, Shelves, and control windows are remembered when you reopen them. Consistent input colors across surfacing tools We added tool interaction and user interface color preferences (Preferences > Interface > User Colors). Changes to the user interface 9

16 Changes to shelves What's New shelf The What's New shelf opens when you first launch Alias. It includes all the tools that are new or have been updated in this release. If you close the What's New shelf, reopen it by choosing Help > What's New Shelf. Custom shelves for Modeling workflow interface We populated the Modeling shelves with tools used for class A surfacing. 10 Chapter 2 General improvements

17 Custom marking menus for Modeling workflow interface Stages and Category buttons moved to prompt line We moved the Stages and Category buttons from the layer bar to the left of the prompt line so you can turn off the horizontal layer bar when using the Object Lister. Changes to tool control windows Reset added to all tools We added a Reset button to all the tool option boxes. If you have not saved custom options for a tool, Reset restores the installed option settings. If you have saved custom options, Reset restores your saved settings. Consistent control window layout We rearranged some options in the following control windows to make surfacing tools more consistent with each other: Rail Surface tool Square tool N-sided tool Changes to tool control windows 11

18 Surface Fillet tool Symmetric Fillet tool Freeform Blend tool Profile Blend tool Fillet Flange tool Tube Flange tool Tubular Offset tool Panel Gap tool Multi-surface Draft Options in these control windows are now arranged following this layout: Tool-specific controls Explicit Control Options Flow Control/Range Surface Structure Control options 12 Chapter 2 General improvements

19 Changes to tool control windows 13

20 Renamed continuity types We renamed the continuity types in the following tools: Align tool Rail Surface tool Square tool Freeform Blend tool Profile Blend tool Fillet Flange tool Tube Flange tool Surface Fillet tool Symmetric Fillet tool Original name for continuity type New name for continuity type Position G0 Position Tangent G1 Tangent Curvature G2 Curvature Circular G1 Circular Renamed Auto Recalc options and Recalc buttons We renamed the Auto Recalc option to Auto Update and the Recalc button to Update on the surfacing tool control windows. Layer Categories window revamped The Windows > Information > Layer Categories window now looks and feels like the Object Lister window. 14 Chapter 2 General improvements

21 New or changed functionality includes the following: You can now expand a category to view the layers that belong to it, by clicking the little arrow to the left of the category name. You can drag and drop layers from one category to another using the middle mouse button. You can also drag and drop layers from the Object Lister to the Layer Categories window in the same way. To make a category visible/invisible, click the category icon (instead of the "eye" icon in the old window). To make a specific layer visible/invisible, click its icon (small square). To pick a category or layer, click its name (instead of the "pick" icon in the old window). Holding Shift or Ctrl (Control for Mac) works for additive selection. There is a Search & Pick box at the top of the window which works like the one in the Object Lister. Visibility status now saved in bookmarks In addition to shading, annotation, and view information, bookmarks can now remember which objects are visible and invisible. In Windows > Bookmark Lister, double-click the New Bookmark icon to open the option window. Visibility status now saved in bookmarks 15

22 When the Remember visibility option is selected: New Bookmark remembers the visibility state of everything in the stage, including all objects, layers, and categories. When viewing or publishing a bookmark, the objects, layers, and categories that were invisible when the bookmark was created are invisible. Objects that were visible show as visible. The visibility of objects that were created after the bookmark was saved is not affected by retrieving the bookmark. When the option is not selected (default), the old bookmark behavior applies and the visibility state is ignored. New Transform CV Lock Step Size option We've added a new Lock step size option to Transform CV. 16 Chapter 2 General improvements

23 When Step size and Lock step size are selected, you cannot move selected CVs by dragging the mouse. You can move them only by clicking or using the arrow keys on the keyboard. New option to delete active locators only The Delete Locators Options window (Delete > Delete Locators a new option, Delete Active Locators. ) has When this option is selected, only the active locators are deleted. The other two options become unavailable in the window. Tabbing to a numerical field now selects the entire number In previous releases, when you tabbed from one numerical field to another, the cursor was positioned in the center of the number populating the field. Now when you tab to a numerical field, the number is selected so you can immediately type to replace it. New option to delete active locators only 17

24 Comma now accepted as period on keyboard number pad When using the number pad on your keyboard for numerical input (for example, when using a German keyboard layout), the comma is now accepted as a period. Customer Involvement Program (CIP) now available on the Mac CIP is now available on the Mac. CIP is a program that improves the way Autodesk designs software and measures product performance and quality. It provides a way for customers to become involved in helping make Autodesk products meet their needs better. If you choose to participate in the program, Alias will automatically send Autodesk information about what features you use most, any problems you encounter, and other information helpful to the future direction of the product. For more information, see Customer Involvement Program. Autodesk Exchange App Store and App Manager We added a command to launch the Autodesk Exchange App store, where you can install Autodesk Exchange Apps and 3rd party Apps for Alias. Choose Help > Autodesk Exchange Apps. 1 Find the plug-in you want and click it to view details. 2 Click the Free, Install, or Trial button. If you are not signed in already, you are asked to sign in using your Autodesk ID. Accept the Terms of Use and License Agreement. The plug-in begins downloading to your computer. After the plug-in is downloaded, the installer starts automatically. NOTE There is no progress bar. If the plug-in is large, downloading may take a while without giving you any feedback. 18 Chapter 2 General improvements

25 We also added the Autodesk Exchange App Manager, where you can view, update, uninstall, and get help on Autodesk Exchange Apps downloaded from the Autodesk Exchange Store. Choose Utilities > Autodesk Exchange App Manager. Right-click an App from the list to: Access Help Install updates Remove and uninstall the App Access the App's provider website Click the Icon View or View icon to: Toggle between the list view and icon view A red exclamation mark in the icon view indicates the availability of an update. Access Autodesk Exchange from the bottom of the Autodesk Exchange App Manager dialog box to view Apps available for Autodesk Alias. For more information about the Autodesk Exchange Store, see Autodesk Exchange Apps FAQ. Autodesk Exchange App Store and App Manager 19

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27 Visualization 3 This version of Alias presents improvements to rendering. Ability to add diagnostic shaders to shelves or marking menus You can now create customized copies of diagnostic shaders by middle mouse button dragging them from the Diagnostic Shade window to shelves or marking menus. On a shelf: To customize shader settings, double-click the shader icon. To rename a shader, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) and double-click the shader icon. On a marking menu: To customize a shader, select the shader option box. To rename a shader, choose Preferences > Interface > Marking Menus and double-click the shader icon. Ability to rotate the light in Diagnostic Shade You can now rotate the light and see the shading update interactively when using the following diagnostic shading tools: Multi Color, Random Color, Horizontal/Vertical, and User Defined Texture. 21

28 In Multi Color and Random Color, we replaced the Lock Light Position check box with a Link Light to Camera check box with the reverse logic. It is selected by default, replicating the previous default behavior of linking the light to the camera position. Horizontal/Vertical and User Defined Texture also have this check box, which is a new feature for these modes. Previously, there was no way to unlink the light from the camera position. Clearing the Link Light to Camera check box locks the light at the current camera position and displays two sliders, Light Azimuth and Light Elevation, that let you rotate the light. Azimuth values range from -180 degrees to 180 degrees and rotate the light horizontally. Elevation values range from -90 to 90 degrees and rotate the light vertically. The center of rotation is calculated at the moment Link Light to Camera is cleared. It corresponds to the tumble center used when tumbling with Alt + Shift + left mouse button (with Tumble Center set to World Point in View > World Move Camera >Tumble). 22 Chapter 3 Visualization

29 NOTE Setting a point-of-interest (POI) on the geometry or doing a View > Look At modifies the tumble center. Multi Color shading with light located at camera position. Ability to rotate the light in Diagnostic Shade 23

30 Multi Color shading with light azimuth = and light elevation = Selecting Link Light to Camera again relinks the light to the camera position. The sliders are hidden once more and their values reset to zero. This implementation gives you the ability to manipulate the diagnostic shading light without exiting your current tool. Since diagnostic shading modes can now be dragged to a shelf with customized settings (see Ability to add diagnostic shaders to shelves or marking menus (page 21)), you can set the light position independently for each of the four modes: Multi Color, Random Color, Horizontal/Vertical and User Defined Texture. Ambient Occlusion on meshes Alias now supports Ambient Occlusion on meshes. 24 Chapter 3 Visualization

31 Evaluation 4 Describes changes to Evaluation tools New Angular Deviation tool This new tool, found under Locators > Deviation > Angular Deviation, lets you check for G1 (tangent) continuity between surfaces, regardless of whether positional continuity has been achieved, and displays angular deviation. 1 Choose Locators > Deviation > Angular Deviation. 2 Select the boundaries between two sets of surfaces by clicking them (the pick chooser may appear), or box-selecting them. All the surfaces in a set must be connected. Additionally, if they are tangent continuous, they can be selected all at once by turning on Chain Select. NOTE You can select surface edges, trim edges, and surface curves. 3 Click Accept. A G1 locator is displayed. If tangent continuity is achieved, the locator shows a green T. If it is not achieved, the locator shows a yellow T. You can also display the maximum angular deviation and/or a comb between the surfaces. The tool options are similar to Evaluate > Continuity > Surface Continuity options. 25

32 Angular Deviation Options Check Spacing By Arc Length - Check the continuity at equally spaced points along the surfaces, determined by the Distance Between Checks option. # Per Span - Check the continuity at a number of points in each span equal to the value of the Number Per Span option. Dragging the middle mouse button also lets you interactively change the number of check points. Show Max. Labels If this option is selected, points of maximum tangency angle are shown. These labels only appear if part of the boundary has tangent discontinuities that are out of tolerance. Show Edge Labels If this option is selected, indicators (labeled "T") showing areas of discontinuities are initially displayed along the boundaries. Red symbols indicate areas of maximum discontinuity. Blue symbols indicate areas of minimum discontinuity. 26 Chapter 4 Evaluation

33 Show Comb If this option is selected, comb lines are displayed for tangency breaks. Auto Scale This option only appears if Show Comb is selected. When Auto Scale is selected (default), the scale of the deviation combs is automatically calculated to be proportional to the size of the object. When this option is not selected, a Comb Scale slider appears (see next). Comb Scale This slider allows you to set the scale of the comb at the time of creation. It is only available if Auto Scale is not selected. Dragging the left mouse button also lets you interactively adjust the comb scale. Chain Select If this option is selected, selecting a surface curve also selects all other surface curves that are tangent continuous with it. An example Below are two sets of surfaces. The Surface Continuity tool shows that the longer surface fails to achieve positional continuity with its neighbors (top). The Angular Deviation tool can still be used to check tangent continuity and show angular deviation between those surfaces (bottom). New Angular Deviation tool 27

34 Enhancements to Parting Line tool The Evaluate > Parting Line tool has undergone some important improvements in this release. You can now evaluate in-draft and out-of-draft regions along both directions of the pull vector. This is useful since a mold often separates in both directions. In the control window, you can specify both a Positive Draft Angle and a Negative Draft Angle (or select Link Values so that the positive and negative values mirror each other). Vector Options let you specify the pull vector direction. The options are similar to other modeling tools, including X, Y, Z, View, Picked, and Manip options. The latter is automatically selected when using the manipulator. The default direction is along the Z axis (as before). The Direction Type, Pull Direction, and Vector/Plane fields have been removed. 28 Chapter 4 Evaluation

35 When Create Curves is selected, selecting the Parting Line (0 degree) option displays the zero-degree line (where the mold separates) in addition to the positive and/or negative draft lines. Shade Surfaces is a new option that lets you shade the regions with different colors, as with Draft Angle diagnostic shading. When Shade Surfaces is on, Tolerance Zone sliders are enabled below the positive and negative Draft Angle values to specify positive and negative angle tolerance zones between the in-draft and out-of-draft regions. Up to five colors can be used to show the different regions, as shown in the image below. 1 Positive in-draft region 2 Positive tolerance region 3 Out-of-draft region 4 Negative tolerance region 5 Negative in-draft region A Positive draft line B Parting line (0 degree) C Negative draft line Output from the Parting Line tool showing both shaded display (1-5) and curves-on-surface (A-C). P = Pull direction. The old Tolerance slider has been renamed Display Tolerance. It is available only when Visual is selected, to emphasize the fact that it applies to the display of visual curves only. Enhancements to Parting Line tool 29

36 Selection workflow Surfaces can now be selected, box-selected, or de-selected (by clicking on them a second time) after entering the Parting Line tool. The box selection obeys the mouse button settings in Preferences > Selection Options. However, box selection cannot be used to select meshes, or input vectors. Those still require single mouse clicks. NOTE When box selecting, be careful not to mouse down on a mesh, vector, or surface, as the tool does single picking on mouse down. Changes to Draft Angle diagnostic shading The Draft Angle diagnostic shading options in the Diagnostic Shade window now include additional fields for a negative draft angle and negative tolerance zone angle when Negative Draft is selected. Performance enhancement If Construction History Updates During Transforms is selected (in Preferences > Performance Options) curves-on-surface created by the Parting Line tool temporarily become visual curves during the interactive updates to provide faster redraw. Curves-on-surface do not temporarily become 30 Chapter 4 Evaluation

37 visual curves if the curves-on-surface have locators on them, are used in trimming, or if the transformation requires the tessellation to be recomputed (for example, in Transform CV). NOTE This performance enhancement also applies to the Iso Angle and Highlights tools. Enhancements to Iso Angle tool We added a new option to the Evaluate > Iso Angle tool to create actual curves-on-surface from iso-angle lines instead of visual-only curves. The curves-on-surface can be used for modeling operations such as geometry creation, trimming, or measuring. To create curve-on-surface geometry from the iso-angle lines, select Create curves, and then select Geometry. Performance enhancement If Construction History Updates During Transforms is selected (in Preferences > Performance Options), curves-on-surface temporarily become visual curves during the interactive updates to provide faster redraw. Curves-on-surface do not temporarily become visual curves during interactive updates if the curves-on-surface have locators on them, are used in trimming, or if the transformation requires the tessellation to be recomputed (for example, in Transform CV). Enhancements to Iso Angle tool 31

38 NOTE This performance enhancement also applies to the Parting Line and Highlights. 32 Chapter 4 Evaluation

39 Modeling 5 Describes changes and improvements to modeling tools to help speed your workflow. New Profile tool Profile is a new surface creation tool for easily creating and modifying extruded surfaces with maximum control over section transition and location. It's found in the palette under Surfaces > Swept Surfaces. With Profile, you create a surface by sweeping a profile along one or more path curves (rails). The profile is maintained relative to the coordinate system, the path normal, or defined vectors. A profile is composed of one or more planar curves. It can have sharp bends and can be closed. Rails can include curves and surface curves. Rails must be position and tangent continuous. They can be closed. You can use multiple tangent continuous rail curves with chain select or by making additional selections before accepting the rail input. 33

40 Create profile surface 1 Choose Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Profile. The Profile Control window opens. 2 Select the curves or surface curves that make up the profile, and click Accept. 3 Click the curves or surface curves that define the rail, and click Accept. 4 Click Build. Profile Control options Profile Orientation The orientation of the profile as it sweeps along the rail defines the surface output. Parallel The profile frame is set to travel parallel to profile plane. Radial The profile frame pivots to maintain the same angle relative to the rail curve normal. 34 Chapter 5 Modeling

41 Surface Normal The orientation of the profile frame is determined by the normal direction of an adjacent surface at the closest point between the rail curve and the surface. Explicit Control Select this option to display control options which allow you to explicitly specify the degree and number of spans of the profile surface in both the U and V direction. Match Parameterization Select this option to use the input geometry for the profile parameterization. Explicit Control Options (Length) U Degree Degree of the profile surface in the U direction (along the rail curve). (Section) V Degree Degree of the profile surface in the V direction (along the profile section). Maximum Spans If Surface Type is set to Multiple Surfaces, this value specifies the maximum number of spans for each surface in profile surface group. Modify Range Modify Range Select this option to define a portion of each rail as input for the profile surface using range manipulators, or using the Start and End sliders. Setting the Start and End sliders to 0.0 and 1.0 resets the original extent. New Profile tool 35

42 Surface Structure Surface Type Multiple Surfaces A separate surface is created for each of the profile curves you selected, and the surfaces are grouped. Single Surface A single surface is built. Bezier Surfaces This option only appears if Surface Type is set to Multiple Surfaces. If it is selected, each surface will be a Bézier patch. Bézier patches have a single span, and their maximum degree in the U direction is set through the Explicit Control section. The default is the degree of the rail curve. Short Edge Tolerance To prevent adding spans that are too close to each other, the system will not allow spans of a linear distance less than the Short Edge Tolerance. Control Options Auto Update Updates the new surface automatically as you change the values in the Profile Control window. Chain Select If this option is selected, selecting a surface curve also selects all other surface curves that are tangent continuous with it. New Skin tool In this release, we added an enhanced Skin tool to the Surfaces palette. The enhanced Skin tool has all the capabilities of the original Skin tool (renamed Skin 2012), but also includes the following features: Ability to select a set of curves with G1 continuity to define a single curve set input. Chain selection, to simplify the selection of G1 adjoining curves in a curve set. 36 Chapter 5 Modeling

43 A manipulator handle to define the extent of each curve set. Proportional Crown option that lets you define the height of the surface above or below the ruled surface between two defined curve sets. Ability to input multiple curves sets to "loft" a surface. An option to redefine the construction of a surface through Explicit Control. Initial surface fitting that is based on the curve set with the most complex parameterization (to meet the tolerance). Output surfaces are grouped under the Skin node. Basic Workflow 1 Choose Surfaces > Skin Surfaces > Skin. The Skin Control box opens. 2 Click the first curve or curve set to select it. If Chain Select is on, G1 continuous curves are selected. 3 Click the next curve or curve set. New Skin tool 37

44 To remove the curve or curve set from the selection, click the curve again. 4 Click additional curves or curve sets to add them. 5 Click Build. The surface is created based on the parameterization of the first selected curve. If Modify Range is selected, arrow manipulators appear on the skin surface at each curve or curve set. If you select a curve or curve set, the selection is removed from the input and the surface is recreated. Optional deviation displays between input curves and the surface. Degree and spans of the surface are displayed in numerical fields of the Explicit Control option is selected. If you modify explicit control degree and/or spans, the surface is refit to a new parameterization and the deviation display is updated. If you modify the location of the range manipulator, the surface is fit to the new extent and the deviation is displayed between the extent of the surface and input curves. If you select Undo All, the surface is removed. If you select Next, you are prompted to select the first curve or curve set. 38 Chapter 5 Modeling

45 Skin Control Options Proportional Crown Select this option to raise or lower the midpoint of the surface between two input curve sets so that the height or crown of the surface is proportional to the distance between the curves. This option is not available when more than two curve sets are selected. Explicit Control Select this option to specify the exact degree and number of spans in the new surface(s). New Skin tool 39

46 Explicit Control Options These options are availably only when Explicit Control is selected. U/V Degree The degree of the new skinned surface in the U and V directions. Values range from 1 to 7. U/V Spans The number of spans for the skin surface in the U and V direction. Flow Control Start/End Defines the extent of the surface through a snapping point on each input curve set. You can define the range manipulator snapping points to be at the following locations: Default The extent of the surface is defined as the closest point from one curve set endpoint to the second curve set. This maintains the control layout "normal" to curve sets. Extend The end of the surface can be extended to match the endpoint of the opposite surface. This also maintains the control layout "normal" to curve sets. Connect Ends The endpoint of the initial curves set is connected to the endpoint of the second curve set. Connect Ends is the default construction. Start and End labels also appear on the model. Clicking these labels lets you cycle through the possible flow control values. These values are identical to the values found in the control window, and the settings are kept synchronized. Modify Range Select this option to use range manipulators to define a portion of each curve set as input for the surface. Surface Structure Surface Type Single Surface A single skin surface is built. Multiple Surfaces A separate surface is created for each of the input curves you selected, and the surfaces are grouped. Bezier Surfaces This option only appears if Surface Type is set to Multiple Surfaces. If it is selected, each surface will be a Bézier patch. Bézier patches have a single span, and their maximum degree in the U direction is set through the Explicit Control section. Short Edge Tolerance In the case of cross-knot insertion, the system does not allow spans of a length smaller than the Short Edge Tolerance. Topology Open Leave the resulting surface open. Closed Connect the first curve to the last curve to create a closed (periodic) surface. 40 Chapter 5 Modeling

47 Control Options Auto Update Automatically update the surface as curves are added. Create History Save the history of the new surface for later editing. If you turn Create History on, when you modify the curves that were used to create the surface, the surface updates. Continuity Check Select this option to see the level of continuity between the newly created surface(s) and the original surface(s). P Positional continuity T Tangent continuity C Curvature continuity Deviation Select this option to display the maximum deviation indicator (displays only if Deviation is not 0). Chain Select If this option is selected, selecting a surface curve also selects all other surface curves that are tangent continuous with it. Enhancements to Multi-Surface Draft New manipulators to edit length, angle, and direction You can now use the Multi-Surface Draft tool manipulators to change the Length and Angle, and to reverse the direction of the new surface(s). 1 Drag the arrow head to change the length of the surface. 2 Drag the dot at the middle of the manipulator to change the Angle/Draft Angle of the surface. 3 Click the Flip arrow head to reverse the surface direction. Enhancements to Multi-Surface Draft 41

48 4 Shift-click the input curve to add manipulators. Move a manipulator along the curve by dragging the dot at the base of the manipulator. Remove manipulators by shift-clicking them. NOTE The Variable option has been removed from the Multi-Surface Draft Control window. New draft vector manipulator A new manipulator now appears on the model to let you adjust the direction of the draft vector (pull direction) interactively in Draft mode. Use the straight dotted lines to align the draft vector with one of the main X, Y, Z axes, or the dotted arcs to rotate it around X, Y, or Z as usual. Tangent continuity checking between draft surfaces We added a new option to the Multi-Surface Draft control window called Inter Surface Continuity. Checking on this option displays continuity locators between the output surfaces, indicating whether they are tangent continuous. As with the Surface Continuity tool, green T locators indicate that the surfaces are tangent continuous while red/yellow T locators indicate they are not. As usual, the Continuity Angle tolerance from Preferences > Construction Options is used when testing for tangent continuity. In order 42 Chapter 5 Modeling

49 to exclude "corners" from the check, a Tangent Angle Maximum option becomes available when Inter Surface Continuity is checked on. If, at any check point along a shared boundary, the angle between surface normals is larger than this value, then tangent continuity is not reported along that boundary. The default is set to 30.0 degrees. In addition: If, at any check point along a shared boundary, there is a gap larger than the Topology Distance tolerance (in Construction Options), then that boundary is not checked. Only natural (non-trimmed) edges are checked. Draft surfaces built from the curves forming the letter "S" showing tangent inter-surface continuity check. Enhancements to Multi-Surface Draft 43

50 Enhancements to Panel Gap tool Addition of a center line option We added a new Center line option to the Panel Gap tool. It centers the gap over the input curves. The original option, which builds the primary geometry at the location of the input curves and positions the gap on one side or the other, is now called Primary side. Support for G2 fillet continuity The primary and secondary fillets now have a G2 Curvature option. Setting Primary radius or Secondary radius to G2 Curvature makes available the same control options we added to Surface Fillet last release: a Form 44 Chapter 5 Modeling

51 factor slider, and the ability to specify either the Center radius or Tangent offset of the fillet (Form factor = Center radius / Tangent offset). By default, both Primary radius and Secondary radius are set to G1 Tangent with radii values of 10.0, producing tangent continuous circular fillets, as before. Primary fillet is shown in red, and secondary fillet is shown in green. Enhancements to Panel Gap tool 45

52 Ability to snap to curves when adjusting the range The arrow manipulators that appear when modifying the Primary and Secondary fillet-flange ranges now snap to curve intersections according to the options set in the Curve Snap Options window. New manipulators for primary and secondary vectors When Variable geometry is checked on, you can control the width of the gap, or the direction of the primary and secondary flanges by placing and adjusting manipulators along the gap. We have added the following features to this functionality: A label called Create Manip [Gap] now appears on the model near the center of the input curve when Variable geometry is checked on. Clicking on [Gap] toggles between [Primary Vector], [Secondary Vector], then back to [Gap]. This determines the type of manipulator that will be created when clicking the input curve. The behavior is the same as setting the Create Manip option in the control window. Clicking a primary or secondary vector displays full manipulator controls, including arcs for X, Y, and Z rotations, axes for alignment along X, Y or Z, and a small circle for unconstrained motion in all directions. Only manipulators of the type indicated by the Create Manip label can be modified. Others are drawn in grey. The prompt line gives feedback while using the manipulator controls. NOTE The primary and secondary vectors can still be aligned to existing vector objects as in the previous release. 46 Chapter 5 Modeling

53 Enhancements to Align tool The following improvements have been made to the Object Edit > Align > Align tool. Switching between Align operations on opposite ends of a curve or surface If you have aligned both ends of a curve, or opposite ends of a surface, you can now edit either one of the two alignments without having to exit the Align tool and use Query Edit to retrieve the construction history on the first end. To switch between the alignment operations, simply click the [Activate] label that appears under Other Align next to the other end. Enhancements to Align tool 47

54 Maintaining Blend settings between uses of the tool The Blending Options (Extra CV Rows and Blend factor) are now remembered between invocations of Align. As a result, instances of the Align tool with different blend settings can be stored on a shelf. Ability to fit curves to visual cross-sections Previously, you had to promote visual cross-sections to geometry before you could fit curves to them. Now, when clicking on a visual cross-section from within Curve Edit > Fit Curve, the following happens: 1 The visual section is automatically promoted to section data, using tolerance settings from the Promote tool in the Cross Section Editor. 2 A NURBS curve is fitted to the section data, and its construction history is connected to the section data (and not to the surface, mesh, or visual section). 3 The fitted curve and the promoted section data are grouped. 4 The section data is templated. 48 Chapter 5 Modeling

55 Degree 3 curves fitted to a visual Z cross-section on a mesh. You can modify the inputs (degree, spans, and so on), as with any other fitted curve. If you click Reset after fitting a curve, the curve and the templated section data are both deleted. If you exit the tool, the fitted curve has construction history linked to the section data. You can choose Query Edit, then select the curve to re-enter the Fit Curve tool as usual. If the construction history is removed, the templated section data stays behind. Enhancements to transitional surface tools Fillet Flange, Tube Flange, Surface Fillet, Symmetric Fillet, and Freeform Blend all benefit from improved interaction and shape control in this release. Consistent G2 behavior in Fillet Flange and Tube Flange Fillet Flange and Tube Flange now use a Form factor slider to control the shape of the fillet when Continuity is set to G2 Curvature. You can specify either the Center radius or Tangent offset of the fillet (Form factor = Center radius / Tangent offset). The Use Peak Curvature options have been removed. Enhancements to transitional surface tools 49

56 These changes make the behavior of those tools consistent with Surface Fillet and, as of this release, Panel Gap (see Enhancements to Panel Gap) (page 44). Flip manipulator added to Fillet Flange and Tube Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange and Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange now have a flip manipulator, in the shape of a blue arrow, which appears on the input surface curves after they are selected. Clicking the manipulator has the same effect as checking/unchecking the Flip option in 50 Chapter 5 Modeling

57 the control window: it flips the side of the surface on which the fillet and flange are built. Modify Range option and manipulators We added a Modify Range option to the control windows of the following tools: Surface Fillet tool Fillet Flange tool Tube Flange tool Freeform Blend tool Selecting this option causes blue arrow manipulators to appear on the fillets/flanges. Drag these arrows to modify the extent of the fillets and flanges across the input surfaces. (The arrows become yellow when selected.) You can drag the arrows all the way to the edges of the input surfaces. You can also use the Start and End sliders instead of dragging the arrows. Setting the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0 resets the original extent. NOTE When this option is not selected (default), the fillets and flanges extend to the edges of the input surfaces. Enhancements to transitional surface tools 51

58 Label toggles for Flow Control options The following tools now display labels on the model, associated with the Flow Control options in the control window. Clicking the labels lets you cycle through the possible values. These values are identical to the values found in the control window, and the settings are kept synchronized. Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Surface Fillet Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Symmetric Fillet Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend 52 Chapter 5 Modeling

59 Ability to snap to curves when adjusting range added to Symmetric Fillet tool The arrow manipulators that appear when modifying the fillet ranges now snap to curve intersections according to the options set in the Curve Snap Options window. Enhancements to transitional surface tools 53

60 Enhancements to geometry editing tools We added some handy options to the Extend, Insert and Offset tools. New Extend tool option to extend curves and surfaces by a percentage The Extend tool has a new option that allows you to extend curves and surfaces by a specified Percentage (relative to the original object). 54 Chapter 5 Modeling

61 New Insert tool option to create a curve-on-surface at a specific U or V value We added an option to the Insert tool to create a curve-on-surface at a specific U or V value. 1 Choose Object Edit > Insert. 2 Select Curve on surface and click Save or Go. 3 Do one of the following: Click-drag from an edge to place the curve-on-surface visually in the U or V direction. Type a parameter value in the Prompt Line for an exact U or V location. Press Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or Control + Command (Mac) and click to snap to a patch edge or curve. Press Alt (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click to snap to the mid-point (in parametric distance) of a span. 4 Click Go. Enhancements to Offset tool When offsetting curves and curves on surface with Object Edit > Offset, you can use the new direction manipulator to choose the direction of the offset. Click the arrow head to flip the direction. Enhancements to geometry editing tools 55

62 Enhancements to trimming tools Improvements include the addition of an Intersect option for 3D trimming, and some display changes. Trim and Trim Convert tools now support intersections The Trim and Trim Convert tools now support intersections. We added an Intersect option to the Trim Control window (Surface Edit > Trim Surfaces ) and the Trim Convert Settings window (Surface Edit > Trim Convert ). With this option selected, you can pick a surface and generate a trimming curve automatically from the intersection with the target surface. You can use the Project or Intersect method in a single trimming operation by toggling back and forth between them. 56 Chapter 5 Modeling

63 Changes to CV display for Trim Surface and Trim Convert tools When you leave the Trim Surface tool, CVs do not display on the trimmed surface (CV display OFF). When you leave the Trim Convert tool, CVs always display on the trim converted surface (CV display ON). Trim tool divide indicators now yellow The Trim > TrimDivide indicators are now yellow, to distinguish them from the other indicators. (The Keep indicators are blue and the Discard indicators are dark red.) Enhancements to trimming tools 57

64 Enhancements to selection in various tools Selection methods have been improved for the Query Edit, Pick CoS, and Set Planar tools, as well as for picking shells. Filter added to Query Edit pick chooser A filter has been added to the pick chooser in Object Edit > Query Edit to remove items from the list that do not have history. The only items that now show up on the pick chooser list are items that have history and can be edited. New options for picking curves-on-surface Visual curves-on-surface can now be picked independently from geometry curves-on-surface through the new Pick > Object Types > Curve on Surface option box. 58 Chapter 5 Modeling

65 Select the type of curves-on-surface you want to pick. Both are selected by default. Visual curves-on-surface are produced by tools such as Cross Section Editor, Parting Line, Highlights, and so on. Left: Geometry curve-on-surface. Right: Visual curves-on-surface. Chain Select added to Set Planar tool We added the Chain Select option to the Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set Planar tool. If this option is selected when you select a curve/surface edge, all curves/surface edges that are tangent continuous are selected. Enhancements to selection in various tools 59

66 Click an edge to chain select all tangent edges. Box-select curves with Selection Options enabled to add or remove individual curves. Ability to Face Select shells If Face selection is turned on in Preferences > Selection Options, you can now select shells by clicking on their faces (that is, inside the wireframe) in the same way as surfaces. Surfacing tools respect Selection Options The following tools now support Selection Options: Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Surface Fillet Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Symmetric Fillet Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Profile Blend Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tubular Offset Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Panel Gap Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft NOTE The two new tools, Profile and Skin, also support Selection Options. 60 Chapter 5 Modeling

67 New Undo All options for some surfacing tools We have added the Undo All button at the bottom of the control windows for the following tools: Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Rail Surface Surfaces > Boundary surfaces > Square Surfaces > Boundary surfaces > N-sided This lets you completely undo an operation and delete the surfaces created by the tool without leaving the tool. Many of the newer surfacing tools already have this feature. Construction Plane options are now shelvable You can now add Construction Plane options to shelves. Instead of selecting the plane type from the bottom of the view window, you select the plane Creation type from the Construction > Plane option box. The plane Creation type remains selected until you change it in the option box or click a shelved version that has a different type selected. New Undo All options for some surfacing tools 61

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69 Data Transfer 6 Describes changes and new features in data transfer. New ICEM EDF file import and export You can now import ICEM EDF files into Alias and export them back into EDF format. The following types of EDF data are brought into Alias: surfaces curves layers construction planes To open an ICEM EDF file 1 Choose File > Open or File > Import. 2 Under EDF Options, choose open/import options. Import Molecules As Groups Imports ICEM molecules as Alias groups. Logfile Output Creates a log file of the results in the same directory as the EDF file. The file has the name [filename].edf.edf2alias. 3 Click Open File or Import File. 4 Select an EDF file from the file browser. 5 Click Open. 63

70 To export an Alias file to ICEM EDF format 1 Choose File > Export > Active As or File > Save As. 2 Select EDF as the file format. 3 Under EDF Options, choose export options. Export Groups as Molecules Exports Alias groups as ICEM molecules. Logfile Output Creates a log file of the results in the same directory as the Alias file. The file has the name [filename].edf.alias2edf. Order Parts by Sorts Alias layers exported to ICEM parts by Layer Position, Layer Number, or Alphabetically. 4 Click Save. 5 Select a location and enter a file name in the file browser. 6 Click Save. Explicit specification of LOD tolerances in JT export You can now specify an absolute value for each LOD (level of detail) tolerance right in the JT export option window. The option window for File > Save As and File > Export > Active As (with File Formats set to JT) displays a tolerance slider for each level of detail required. For example, if Levels of Detail is set to 1, only one tolerance slider is available, while if Levels of Detail is set to 3, three tolerance sliders are available, one for each level, as shown below. 64 Chapter 6 Data Transfer

71 Command-line utility: AlToJt For the AlToJt translator, the tessellation tolerance for the first level of detail is specified through argument -t <tol> (where tol is the tolerance value expressed in centimeters). We added two optional arguments, -t1t and -t2t, to specify absolute tolerance values for the second and third levels of detail respectively. Hence, a command line specifying all three tessellation tolerances looks like this: AltoJt -t 0.1 -t1t0.5 -t2t1.0 -i <input wire file> -o <output Jt file> If any of -t, -t1t, or -t2t is not specified, default values of 0.01 cm, cm, and 0.1 cm are used respectively. If using a scheme configuration file to provide the argument values, the format is as follows: ; this ui-symbol controls Tessellation Tolerance for first LOD (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tesselation_tol" 0.1) ; this ui-symbol controls Tessellation Tolerance for second LOD (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tesselation_tol1" 0.5) ; this ui-symbol controls Tessellation Tolerance for third LOD (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tesselation_tol2" 1.0) Explicit specification of LOD tolerances in JT export 65

72 Assigning labels to LODs If you want, you can assign labels to the levels of detail. These labels are saved in the JT file, and appear in the JT Export option window. There are two ways of assigning labels: 1 By setting these environment variables to the required names: ALIAS_JT_LOD0_LABEL (first LOD) ALIAS_JT_LOD1_LABEL (second LOD) ALIAS_JT_LOD2_LABEL (third LOD) For example: ALIAS_JT_LOD0_LABEL=Fine 2 By un-commenting and setting the following name-value pairs in the scheme configuration file: (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tess_lod0_label" "Fine") (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tess_lod1_label" "Medium") (ui-symbol "mo_eai_tess_lod2_label" "Coarse") Labels specified through a scheme configuration file override the environment variables when the scheme file is: Specified as the value of the -f argument in the AlToJt command line. Called dt_jt.v.scm and located in ALIAS_LOCATION\Scheme\Modeling. This file provides the default values for the JT Export options in the Alias application. You need administrator privileges to modify it. NOTE ALIAS_LOCATION is where Alias is installed, typically Program Files\Autodesk\Alias Chapter 6 Data Transfer

73 Only the first 15 characters of the label names appear in the option window, although all are saved in the JT file. Allowed characters are letters (upper and lower case), numbers, underscore ("_") and white spaces. Support for export of PTC Granite version 7.0 files You can export Granite Version 7.0 files in this release of Alias. 1 Choose File > Save As or File > Export > Active As. 2 Select PTC Granite as the file format, and beside Granite Version, select Granite 7.0. New File Release option for CATIA 5 export CATIA V5 export options now include Release 21 as a new choice for the File Release option. This option specifies the release of the CATPart file. Other possible releases are 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and is now the default. 21 is also a possible value (and the default) for the -r argument of the AlToC5 command-line utility. Support for export of PTC Granite version 7.0 files 67

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75 Data Management 7 Describes changes and new features in data management and collaboration. Autodesk Vault integration In this release of Alias, we've added the ability to access your Autodesk Vault Server from within Alias. Autodesk Vault manages all your design and engineering files, regardless of the file type. Files can be Autodesk Alias, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Moldflow, 3Ds Max, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, or any other file used in a design's lifecycle. You can organize all of your files and keep them in one location for easy access. All file versions are retained, so you never misplace or replace past versions. The vault stores each version of a file, along with all the file's dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as you work on it. The vault also stores file properties such as the user name, date, and comments for rapid searching and retrieving. In a design team, all the files and associated data are stored on the server so all users have access to the information and its history. Each member of a team must have a unique login name and password. Team members check out files to prevent more than one member from editing the same file at the same time. Once a file is checked back into the vault, team members can refresh their local copies of the model file to get the latest version from the vault, so all members of the design team work together. The Autodesk Vault integration with Alias brings the basic file management functionality of Autodesk Vault into the designer's environment. You must have the Autodesk Vault Client installed and set up properly on your local machine for this functionality to work. For details, contact your system administrator. 69

76 When the Vault Client is installed, the Vault Server menu appears on the File menu. Using the Vault Server commands in Alias, you can: log in and out of your Vault Server open Alias files from Vault Server check Alias files in and out of Vault undo the checkout of files checked out of Vault launch Vault set check in options NOTE When working with Autodesk Vault, it is important to understand that the way you currently have your files organized may not be suited for a vaulted environment. The very nature of a data management system requires that some planning be done to optimize file access and organization. We recommend all users not familiar with data management solutions to contact their Autodesk Authorized Reseller or Autodesk Professional Services for additional advice. Log into a Vault vaultlog into a vaultvault loginvault accessvault server status To work with a vault, you must log into the Vault server. You must have an account established for you to log into the vault. It is important to log into the server with a unique user name and password assigned by the server administrator to maintain a secure working environment. Contact the administrator of your server for your account information and server location. Log into a Vault 1 Choose File > Vault Server > Log In. The Autodesk Vault Log In dialog box appears. 2 Enter the user name and password assigned to you by your vault administrator. 3 Enter the name of the computer where the server is installed. 4 Enter the name of the vault database you want to log into. The names of the last several databases that were accessed are retained in the drop-down list. You can select the name of the vault from the list or click the expansion button to see the complete list of previously 70 Chapter 7 Data Management

77 accessed vaults. If you do not know the name of the vault, contact your system administrator. 5 To log into the server automatically next time you start Alias, select the Automatically log in next session check box. When you are logged into a vault, Vault Status displays in the Alias address bar. Log out of a Vault logout of vaultlogoutvault logoutlog out of vault Logging out of Vault Server closes your connection to a vault. You can log back into the same vault using the same account, a different account, or log into a different vault. NOTE Your account information can be saved so that you are automatically logged in to the vault the next time. 1 Choose File > Vault Server > Log Out. 2 In the Log Out Was Successful dialog box: Click Close. To log back into Vault Server, click Log In. Open Files from a Vault open from vaultvaultopenvault files You can open any Alias file already stored in a vault, or place a file that is stored in vault into the current working folder. When you open a file from vault, you can choose to view it or check it out. You must check out the file to make modifications to it. The file is temporarily stored on your local drive while you make the changes. Local copies that are not checked out are read-only. Each of the following conditions must be met to open a file from the vault for editing: You must be logged into the vault that contains the file you want to edit. Autodesk Vault integration 71

78 The file must be in a checked-in state. It cannot be checked out to another user. You must have permissions to check out the file for editing. If the working copy of a file (the file stored in your working folder) is older than the version in the vault, you are prompted to replace the working copy. If the working copy is currently checked out, it is not replaced. NOTE If a file is not available for editing, you are notified as soon as you attempt to check out the file. Files that are locked cannot be checked out of the vault. For more information on locking and unlocking files, see File Locking in the Autodesk Vault Client Help. Open an Alias.wire file from a Vault 1 Choose File > Vault Server > Open from Vault. NOTE If you are not logged into the vault, the Vault Log In dialog box displays. You must be logged into a vault to open a file from that vault. 2 In the Open from Vault file dialog box, locate and select one or more files to open. You can also search the vault for files. Click Find to locate files in the vault. From the search results list, select one or more files to open and then click OK. 3 From the Open drop-down list, choose to either open the file(s) read only, or open and check out the file(s). If you selected multiple files, each file opens in its own stage. NOTE If you click Open without choosing an open option, the last setting you chose is applied. Import an Alias reference file (.wref) You can import Alias reference files (.wref ) files from the vault. Imported reference files are added to the reference files list for the current stage of the open Alias file. Normal rules apply with respect to duplicate and out of date references. 72 Chapter 7 Data Management

79 NOTE In this release of Alias, you cannot import a.wire file directly from the Vault as a reference file. To get reference files into the vault, you must first translate and import them in Reference Manager. When you check in your.wire file, associated.wref files are also checked in. 1 Choose File > Reference Manager to open Reference Manager. 2 In Reference Manager, choose File > Import From Vault. The Open from Vault dialog box opens. NOTE Import From Vault is available only when you are logged into the vault. If you are not logged into the vault, choose Log In from the Alias File > Vault Server menu. 3 In the Open from Vault dialog box, locate and select one or more files to open. You can also search the vault for files. Click Find to locate files in the vault. From the search results list, select one or more files to open and then click OK. 4 From the Open drop-down list, choose to either open the file(s) read only, or open and check out the file(s). If you selected multiple files, each file is added as a reference file in the current stage. NOTE If you click Open without choosing an open option, the last setting you chose is applied. Open from Vault options Look in Shows path of the active directory. Find Displays the Find dialog so you can search for a file in the vault. Locations Shows the top-level of the current vault database as the root. Navigate to the file you want to open. File list The main window shows folders defined in the active vault. Double-click a folder to show the files it contains, and then navigate to the file you want to open. File name Specifies the file to open. Enter a file name or select a file from the listed files. Autodesk Vault integration 73

80 NOTE If the file name is italicized, then it is a historical revision with a different file name. This feature is available in Vault Workgroup, Vault Collaboration, and Vault Professional. File of Type Filters file list to include only files of a specific type. Click the arrow to show list, and then highlight to select a file type. Open options Click the down arrow next the Open button to select an Open option and open the file. Open Open the file(s) you selected using the last Open option you chose. Open (Check Out) Opens and checks out the file you selected. Open Read Only Opens the file you selected in read-only mode. NOTE Only the files that are not currently checked out are downloaded. If the working copy of a file is older than the version in the vault, you are prompted to replace the working copy. If the working copy is currently checked out, it is not replaced. Cancel Cancels the file open operation and closes the dialog box. Check files into a Vault vaultcheck-incheck in Use Check In for adding files to the vault for the first time and to check in a file that you have checked out. If Embed images on check in is selected in OptionsOptions, all file texture and environment images used in the file are embedded into the.wire file. This ensures that the texture and environment images are available when the.wire file is opened on another machine. You cannot check Stage sets (.stg) into the vault. NOTE You must be logged into the Autodesk Vault Server to check files in and out of the vault. You can check in your updates and keep the file checked out to you by selecting the Keep files checked out option on the Check In dialog box. When you are finished with your edits, check the file back into the vault. This makes the file available for another user to check out and for other team members to get the latest version of the file. 74 Chapter 7 Data Management

81 Check a file into a Vault 1 Open the file you want to check into the vault. 2 Choose File > Vault Server > Check In. If you have not saved the file prior to attempting check in, you are prompted to save and continue. 3 If the file you are checking in is not under the cone of the working folder, the Select Vault Location dialog box appears. Select a vault folder in which to check the files and click OK. 4 In the Check In dialog box, specify: if you want to keep the file checked out for further editing whether or not to delete the local copy of the file once it is checked in to the vault whether or not to create and attach a preview image of the file 5 Enter any notes in the comment box. 6 Click OK to complete the check-in and to close the dialog box or click Cancel to cancel the check into the vault operation and close the dialog box. If the file you are checking in is under the cone of the working folder, but an equivalent folder does not exist in the vault, the folder is created automatically when the file is checked in. You can release your reservation on a file in the vault by using the Undo Check Out command. Check in options Keep files checked out Keeps the files checked out after you check them into the vault. You can check in your changes so that others can get your latest changes, and continue to work on the files. Close files and delete working copies Deletes the local copy of the file once it is checked in to the vault. If there are restrictions on a file that prevent it from being deleted, you are notified that the file cannot be deleted. Deleting working copies ensures no version conflicts later, but requires a new download when you check the file out again, even if no changes were made to it. If this option is selected when checking in a host file, all of the children will be deleted as well. NOTE Do not turn on Close files and delete working copies when checking in files if you are using a shared working folder. Deleting the working copy from a shared working folder may delete files accessed by other users. Autodesk Vault integration 75

82 Create visualization attachment Select this option to create an image (.dwf) of the project as it is being saved. This file is used by the Vault Client for previewing files. Attachments are only created for files that have changed or for files that do not have.dwf files published already. Enter comments to include with this version Text entered here is added to the Comment property and associated with this version of the file in the vault. Check files out of a Vault vaultcheck outcheckout Checking out a file copies the file version in the vault to your local working folder. Once a file is checked out, it can be edited. Only one member of a team can check out a file at one time. No one else can modify a checked out file until it has been checked back into the vault. Launch the Autodesk Vault client application to see who has a file checked out. The person who checked out the file is listed in the User Name column. You can check out files for editing when you Open Files from a Vault (page 71). If you have already opened a file from the Vault as Read Only, you can check it out using the Check Out command. Once you are finished editing a file, you can check the file back into the vault to store your changes or Undo Checkout to cancel any changes and return the file to the Vault as the version it was before you checked it out. Check out a file that is already open as Read Only Choose File > Vault Server > Check Out. You can now edit the file. The Vault Status displays in the Alias address bar. Undo a file checkout vaultundo checkout Undo Check Out returns the open checked out file to its original state in the vault before the checkout. Any changes made to the file are not stored in the vault. 76 Chapter 7 Data Management

83 Undo a file checkout Choose File > Vault Server > Undo Checkout. Launch the Vault Client launch Vaultopen Vault While you can perform essential Vault functions from within Autodesk Alias, you must use the Autodesk Vault client for vault administration and file maintenance. Launch the Vault Client. Choose File > Vault Server > Go To Vault. Set Application Options vaultoptionsvault optionsvault application options The Options dialog box allows you to customize which files are checked in when you check a file into the vault. Access Vault application settings Choose File > Vault Server > Options. Options Embed images on check in Select this option to embed all file texture and environment images used in the file into the.wire file. This ensures that the texture and environment images are available when the.wire file is opened on another machine. Autodesk Vault integration 77

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85 Fixed Limitations 8 Lists important customer issues that have been addressed in this release. Modeling Issues Resolved issues related to modeling tools. Hidden faces in shaded mode cannot be selected inadvertently When a model is shaded and Face Selection is turned on, faces that cannot be seen in the view now cannot be selected inadvertently. Panel Gap Create Manip issues resolved Gap manipulators now better reflect the centered/offset gaps. When you create a variable gap: Manipulator placement is now followed. Only one set of manipulators is active at one time. Keypoint lines now display four decimal places in the Information Window The Length/Radius and Angle/Sweep fields in the Information Window for Keypoint lines now display four decimal places instead of 3. 79

86 Vector Options respect construction plane axes in Align Every Align workflow that requires specifying a direction through the Vector Options now uses the X, Y, and Z axes from the construction plane, if one is set. The following rules apply: Projections always respect the current coordinate system. If a projection was made in one set of coordinates (construction plane), and is later query-edited in a different one, the Refresh Vector button in the control window can be clicked to update the projection. If a construction plane is moved after creating a projection, nothing happens automatically. If the surface is query-edited later, the Refresh Vector button lets you refresh the projection. 80 Chapter 8 Fixed Limitations

87 Projection Align along Z in global coordinate system After setting a construction plane and clicking Refresh Vector, the projection is updated. Modeling Issues 81