3D PLM Enterprise Architecture

Overview of customization capabilities

ENOVIA is fully integrated with CATIA. Inside the PLM Architecture, one can deploies customization pattern that are located either on the LCA server side or either on CATIA cleint side.

 Customization is made of Declarative pattern or/and Programmatic pattern. 

• One typical declarative pattern on ENOVIA server side is the definition of customizations of the ENOVIA Data model which is mainly done in using the RADE/DMC tool. The customized data model are then put in action in the CATIA client side, where those data can be created or modified by end user under the control of Integration facilities.
• One typical declarative pattern on the client side is the definition of the attribute mapping that Integration software put in action to define which ENOVIA attribute will be associated with  which CATIA Attribute.
• One typical programmatic pattern on the ENOVIA server side is the implementation Object domain events. They are triggered by the CATIA client when some operations are performed on the server like modifying ENOVIA object attribute, changing ownership, ... It implies CAA API programming
• One typical programmatic pattern on the CATIA client side is witing CAA command code either for VPM Navigator purpose or for CATIA Product Structure. This provides end user with dedicated command that will help him creating product structure compliant with customer rules regarding specific ENOVIA data model customization.

Below is the overview of customization pattern that can be deployed on server or on client in the context of ENOVIA V5 VPM.

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ENOVIA Server considerations

The ENOVIA LCA Server provides capabilities for customizing  many feature for the client using it. Although the same ENOVIA Data modeler are used from LCA Navigator client (EBOM application) or ENOVIA V5 VPM client (CATIA Product structure), there are differences in the way cusotmization operates in a specific client context. There are specific customization feature for LCA Navigator and specific customization for ENOVIA V5 VPM. Hereafter we explain main differences in the customization of the server:

• LCA Navigator client & related applications are not CAA opened. however most of the operations triggered by those client application are encapsulated into dedicated server code offering specific customization capabilities. Typically server customization feature related to LCA Navigator client GUI does generally apply to ENOVIA V5 VPM GUI.

  Moreover, many events, one is triggering on the server when working with LCA Navigator application are never triggered on server when working from the CATIA client because they are specific operations involved by specific LCA Navigator application commands (i.e. Cut or Paste event).

• ENOVIA V5 VPM & related applications are CAA opened, they provide CAA client modeler API and CAA User Exit API that can be customized on the client side. Typical ENOVIA V5 VPM GUI customization is operated on the client by specific client customization.

One of the main customization feature offered on the server is provided by the RADE/DMC application. It enables adding attributes to many of the ENOVIA Server data modeler objects. Although the data customization is possible on the server for both client, there are restriction in the RADE/DMC feature that are supported by one or the other client. For instance, attribute list and customer relations are not supported by ENOVIA V5 VPM.

Other customization feature are defined only in the server, like People & Organisation Masks, Lifecycle status, ... From client point of view the customization is working the same.

People & Organization Securities are defined on the server. Security context are customizable the same, but one must pay attention that there're might different securities implied from one or the other client, because the involved security processes are in relationship with the involved modeler capabilities. Nevertheless basic security processes are supported the same: Create, Update, Delete, Write, Lock, ChangeStatus, ...

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ENOVIA V5 VPM client architecture

As explained above, ENOVIA V5 VPM uses the ENOVIA LCA Server and put in action several data modeler. Hereafter some terminolgy to better understand the relation between the ENOVIA LCA modeler & the CATIA modelers.

• Part: an ENOVIAV5 part (named Part Reference in the ENOVIA LCA GUI, as provided by the LCA PRODUCT modeler) can correspond to
  . either a CATIAV5 root product (top of the specification tree in the CATIA GUI) in a CATPart or CATProduct document
  . or a CATIAV5 component-type node in a CATProduct document which is not kept in ENOVIAV5 (save option “Structure Exposed”)

• Document: an ENOVIAV5 document (named Document Revision in the ENOVIA LCA GUI, as provided by the LCA DOCDIR modeler) corresponds to most of CATIA documents (CATProduct, CATPart, catalog, CATDrawing, CATAnalysis…). Document Master (DM) / Document Revision (DV): to manage versioning, ENOVIAV5 handles documents with these 2 different types of objects: several Document Revisions can exist for a given Document Master

• Domain: ENOVIA V5 standard and customized data schemas organize different ENOVIA objects into Domains. Domains have names, standard ENOVIA V5 objects can be derived in a customized domain by adding customer-defined attributes to the standard object. The standard domain name for documents is DOCDIR.

Hereafter is the picture explaining how the client architecture is delivered. It helps to understand the typical user process & components implied when working in ENOVIA V5 VPM context

On the above picture, User is navigating on the persistent ENOVIA data (light blue window). He can open the data in the Authoring session (dark blue window), and work for hours modifiying those data. Hundred of modifications can then be propagated (saved) all at once on the server. Hereafter we present the main client component supporting this user data modification process.

VPM integration

VPM integration provides

• The underlying software for managing Open/Save of ENOVIA data in CATIA It offers CATIA facilities like attribute mapping to decide whether such ENOVIA domain attribute should be mapped on CATIA Product Modeler or document Modeler attributes.

• Once opened in CATIA, those Data can be modified by many application like Product Structure, Assembly design, Part design ....

  As long as data are opened in session, no ENOVIA server modification are applied, but are recorded in the form of long transaction to be further "replayed" to ENOVIA Server when the user will order saving. Only at that time the ENOVIA server will be involved, and all modifications will take effect and be committed at once. During that time, many ENOVIA Server feature are implied like P&O Securities,

• The connectivity with the ENOVIA server involving from CATIA the required conversion & calling the required ENOVIA modeler capabilities to reflect what has been done during the CATIA Session.

VPM Navigator

VPM Navigator provides

• GUI to Access to persistent data thanks to dedicated navigation facilities like queries or expand graph.

  Queries or Expand Graph are interfaced with the server & fully support P&O Mask customization on the server side.

  Many ENOVIA modeler objects can be seen there, much more than CATIA may natively operates: like ENOVIA GCO, Configuration Handler, Effetivities, Actions, ...

• GUI to Manage the CATIA session data in providing Filtered Open in CATIA or Save with Action from CATIA tools.

  It provides dedicated Open behavior that matches CATIA User needs &  Decision support to better manage the CATIA session content & the relationship with ENOVIA.

  One one the Decision support tool is obviously save management implying ENOVIA Mapping when creating data, or ENOVIA Versioning when an ENOVIA data is already frozen, ENOVIA configuration modification through Action, ....

  It also provides End User with Relational tool to address CATIA cooperative design processes & dependancy analysis.

  Moreover it also provides dedicated tools to reconcialite design with latest version of a CATIA design object.

• GUI to Manage persistent data in short transaction. It consists of operations that are directly applied to the ENOVIA Server & automatically commited.

  It provides modification of Data attribute without needing to open in CATIA any data.

  It also provides some advanced ENOVIA cooperative feature Locking, or changing ownership or lifecycle manipulations.

Authoring Applications

Authoring is one of the many application available in CATIA:

• It can be Product Authoring as provided by the CATIA Product Structure Application. It can also be Assembly Design. Notice those application may suppport Native ENOVIA PRODUCT Modeling,  implying ENOVIA Product (PRC), ItemInstances, Part,  AseemblyRelations and so forth.

• It can be also pure Mechanical Design Authoring as provided by CATIA Part Editor or Shape Modeling as provided by CATIA GSD applications. Those are interfaced with ENOVIA DOCDIR documents. Notice that CATPart are Documents but also contains ENOVIA Part corresponding to the CATIA Product side of the CATPart.

• It can also be pure Evaluation Activities as offered by CATIA. Review activities on Product are interfaced with ENOVIA PRODUCT  Technological Packages. FEM activities are supported by CATAnalysis CATIA Document wich are interfaced with ENOVIA DOCDIR.

Notice that all these CATIA applications have their own CAA offering. These offering may deal with Extending the Application GUI in including new CAA Commands in the applications. They may also deal with CATIA Authoring API that stand for the client modeling API for ENOVIA.

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In Short

ENOVIA V5 VPM offers component that suport ENOVIA plug & play in CATIA

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References & Quick References

History

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