SteelVis

User’s Guide

https://www.nist.gov/publications/steelvis-users-guide Recent changes to SteelVis are not documented

in the User’s Guide that was written in 2011.

Four Programs

1. CIS2_VRML.exe - SteelVis graphical-user-interface (GUI) version (64-bit). Click on the icon to start or
drag and drop a CIS/2 file on the icon

2. ctv.exe - SteelVis command-line version, no GUI (64-bit). From a Command Prompt, change to the
directory where ctv.exe is located and enter: ctv C:/pathname/mycis2file.stp For command line
options, enter: ctv -help

3. CIS2_VRML-32.exe, ctv-32.exe - 32-bit versions of the two programs above

Directory pathnames with accented or non-English characters

There might be a problem running SteelVis from a directory with accented, non-English, or symbol
characters in the pathname. The following directory would cause problems because of the accent in Teśt
- C:\Users\NIST\Documents\Analyzer\Teśt. Run the software from a directory without any special
characters in the pathname.

Running SteelVis

SteelVis will prompt you if you want to add shortcuts on the Desktop and in the Start Menu. A VRML
viewer is needed to display the VRML files (3D models) that SteelVis generates from CIS/2 files. Follow
the instructions in Viewing VRML Files to download and install a VRML viewer.

Generating IFC Files

Options for generating IFC files are found in the IFC and More IFC tabs.

Sample CIS/2 files

Six sample CIS/2 files are included with SteelVis and are found in the '...\CTV\sample' directory. For an
explanation of the files, see Help > CIS/2 Test Files. Other sample CIS/2 files are available in SteelVis
under Help > Sample CIS/2 Files (zip)

CIS2 File Analyzer

The CIS/2 File Analyzer is no longer available. Use the STEP File Analyzer instead.
https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/step-file-analyzer
Disclaimers

This software was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology by employees of the
Federal Government in the course of their official duties. Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United
States Code this software is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. This
software is an experimental system. NIST assumes no responsibility whatsoever for its use by other
parties, and makes no guarantees, expressed or implied, about its quality, reliability, or any other
characteristic.

Vendors of various software applications with CIS/2 export capabilities have supplied the sample CIS/2
files. The sample CIS/2 files do not necessarily reflect the current CIS/2 export capabilities of the
software packages represented nor are all software packages that have implemented CIS/2 represented.
NIST assumes no responsibility whatsoever for their use by other parties, and makes no guarantees,
expressed or implied, about their quality, reliability, or any other characteristic.

Any mention of commercial products or references to web pages in this software is for information
purposes only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST. For any of the web links in
this software, NIST does not necessarily endorse the views expressed, or concur with the facts
presented on those web sites.

Although SteelVis checks for many syntax errors and should create a VRML model that looks correct, it
does not imply that the CIS/2 file conforms to the CIS/2 schema. Conformance to the schema can be
checked with other tools. A VRML model that looks correct also does not imply that the CIS/2 file
follows recommended practices, software implementer’s agreements, or that it can be imported into
another CIS/2 application.

In addition to errors in a CIS/2 file, VRML models that look wrong might be caused by SteelVis having to
lookup, parse, or approximate cross section dimensions that are not explicitly specified in the CIS/2 file.
A VRML model that looks wrong might also be caused by some VRML viewers not correctly supporting
some of the features used in the VRML files generated by SteelVis. Many of these problems are
reported in the Status tab.

The success in importing an IFC file generated by SteelVis into an IFC application depends on the IFC
options selected, how well the application imports the IFC file, and how that information is converted to
the application's internal representation. When generating an IFC file potential issues with the IFC file
are reported in the Status tab.

Why are the directories and command-line executables named CTV?

• CIS/2 To VRML

For more information, contact: Robert Lipman, robert.lipman@nist.gov