RAND North America

Exploring CATIA V5 Macros

Jason Curtis, PLM Application Engineer

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Macros in CATIA V5

• CATIA V5 on Windows
• Can be automated with a with any application which can connect to
Windows COM Objects:
• VBA (Excel,
(Excel Word
Word, CATIA
CATIA, etc.)
etc )
• VBScript
• JavaScript
• Vi
VisuallB
Basic
i 6
6.0
0
• Microsoft Visual Studio.NET
• others
• CATIA V5 on UNIX
• Emulators allow for VBScripts to be run (no interface building tools)

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Introduction

• How do macros work?

• Dassault Systemes has “exposed” several CATIA objects so that
they can be created, manipulated, and deleted by COM
compliant applications
• Understanding this CATIA object structure is the key to being
able to automate many different aspects of CATIA V5

Action
VB/External Type libraries Dynamic Link
p
performed in
Application (* tlb)
(*.tlb) Libraries (*.dll)
(* dll)
CATIA

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Introduction

• Rules
• Visual Basic (or other applications) MUST
reference type library files that make the
application “aware” of all of the CATIA
functions that have been exposed.
• Th
There are currently
tl over 40 off th
these ttype
libraries – they are broken up by discipline (i.e.
surface design, part design, etc.).
• Only the type library for the discipline that you
are going to use should be created.
• The type libraries are changed with each
release of CATIA V5, so the correct type
libraries MUST be used with the correct
version of CATIA V5.
• Not all CATIA V5 functions have been exposed
in the type libraries.

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Object Oriented Programming

• Definitions
• COM (Component Object Model) – The Microsoft standard
technology to share objects between applications.
• Object – An entity (in CATIA or VB). Points, Pads, Parameters,
etc. are all examples of CATIA objects.
• Property – A characteristic of an object. For example, the name
of a PartDocument is a property of that object.
• Method – An action that an object can perform. For example
PartDocument.SaveAs() is an action that the object can perform.
• Collection – A group or list of similar objects which are put
together for a specific reason.

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Object Oriented Programming

• Declaring variables
• All objects that are used in VB need to be “declared”
declared .
• “Dim objPartDoc As PartDocument”
• Setting variables
• Once an object is declared, it must also be “Set” to an instance of
the object before it can be used.
• “Set objPartDoc = CATIA.ActiveDocument”
• To give a value to a variable that is not an “object”, you cannot
use the “Set” keyword
Dim intCounter As Integer
intCounter = 32

• Why all the dots? (.)

• The dot (.) character is simply a way to differentiate an object
from itit’ss properties or methods
methods.
• CATIA.Documents.Item(1).Name

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Developing new code

• Copy from existing program that already works.

This is the easiest way…
way
• Record a Macro in CATIA V5.
• Does NOT work for all functions/workbenches.
• Macros need to be “cleaned” because many times extra
code is produced which is not needed.
• If you need “Dim”
Dim statements, use CATScript when you
record, otherwise use MSVBScript.
• Use the Object Browser and other Help to develop
new code
code.

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Creating Macros

• In-process
• The script interpretation is performed using the
scripting engine(s) hosted by CATIA
• MS VBScript
• CATScript
• VBA (intelli-sense)

• Out-process
• Performed from another application running in
another
th process (MS Word/Excel,
W d/E l VB.Net,
VB N t etc.)
t )
• Must access CATIA through tlb’s
• Example: CATIA Caption
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Recording Macros

• In-process only
• DON’T: Switch workbenches while recording a
macro.
• DON
DON’T:
T: Record more than is absolutely necessary.
• DON’T: Use the UNDO button when recording a
macro.
• DO:
DO Be
B aware off CATSettings
CATS tti when
h recording.
di
• DO: Exit sketches before stopping recording.
O C
• DO: Check
ec eac
each macro
ac o a
after
te it’s
t s recorded.
eco ded
• Example: “New Part” Dialog box

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Simplifying Macros

• Powercopies
• Macros can reference and use powercopies
• Many powercopies can be used together
Dim oFact
Set oFact = oPart.GetCustomerFactory("InstanceFactory")

Dim iPoint As Object

Dim oInstance As ShapeInstance
F i = 1 tto oSel.Count2
For S lC t2
oFact.BeginInstanceFactory “Hole", "C:\Templates\Powercopies\Hole.CATPart"
oFact.BeginInstantiate
oFact.PutInputData "Point", iPoint
oFact.PutInputData
p “Surface”,, iSurface
Set oInstance = oFact.Instantiate
oFact.EndInstantiate
oFact.EndInstanceFactory
oPart.Update()
N t
Next

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Extending Capabilities

• Powercopies
• Powercopies/Reactions can run macros
• Knowledge advisor Rules, Reactions, Checks,
etc can be included in powercopies
etc.
Tips & Tricks

• Be sure that you understand how to do something

interactively in CATIA V5 BEFORE you try to
automate it through scripting
• Use some form of “standards” in naming g variables,
either company standards or Microsoft standards –
this will help greatly in debugging code and in
transferring and reusing code for other applications
• Set up and keep a “library” of standard functions
(i.e. starting CATIA, creating a Part Document,
selecting elements, etc.)

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Thank you!

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© 2008 RAND North America. All rights reserved. rand-na.com
rand-na.com