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Table of Contents
 CATIA Analyzer 9
Chapter 1. Introduction to the CAD/IQ
Who should use this manual? 9
How is this book organized? 9
 11
Chapter 2. Overview of CAD/IQ
What is CAD/IQ? 11
Analyzer 12
Database 12
Viewer 12
Intended Uses of CAD/IQ 13
What Problems Does CAD/IQ Address? 13
Structure 13
Accuracy 14
Realism 14
What Files are Created 14
IQR Files 14
IQL Files 15
IQC Files 15
IQP Files 15
 CATIA Analyzer 16
Chapter 3. Getting Started With the CAD/IQ
Entering CATIA 16
Open your Model 16
Chapter 4. Setting Preferences 19
Preferences Panel 19
Select Configuration File 20
CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 2

Select Output Directory 20
Scale Factor 21
Analysis Message Output 21
Analysis File Reminder 21
Setting Colors 22
Listing Preference Settings 23
Saving and Reading Preference File 23
Chapter 5. Creating a Configuration File 24
General Settings 25
Graphics Generated 25
Entities Analyzed 25
Resolution 25
Length Units 26
Angle Units 26
Diagnostics 27
Categories 28
Diagnostic Parameters 29
Chapter 6. Analyzing your Model 34
Methods 35
Selecting Faces 35
Analyzing Your Model in Batch Mode 36
Chapter 7. Using the Diagnostic Panel 37
Panel 37
Chapter 8. Using the CATIA View Function 38
The FILE Menu 39
AUTO OPN 39
INFO 39

PREVIEW 39
OPEN 40
SAVE 40
CLEAR 40
The PANEL Menu 40
LAUNCH 40
APPLY 41
CANCEL 41
The DISPLAY Menu 41
ON / OFF / ONLY 41
ALL 41
HOT 41
WARM 41
FLAGGED 41
SWAP 42
SELECTED 42
PICK 42
The SELECT Menu 42
ONE 42
MORE 42
UNSELECT 42
CLEAR 42
FLAG ON 42
FLAG OFF 43
The GEOMETRY Menu 43
SELECTED 43
EDGES 43

Chapter 9. Using the Help Menu 44
Help Menu 44
RES CNTR 45
USERS GD 46
INTRO 46
OVERVIEW 46
STARTING 47
PREFS 47
CONFIG 47
ANALYZE 47
DIAG EDT 47
VIEW 47
REPORTS 47
DIAGS 47
HELP 48
Search Capability 48
Context Sensitive Help 49

Chapter 10. Reports 50
Summary Report 51
Detailed Report 52
Chapter 11. Diagnostics 53
Gaps 55
Large Edge Gap 56
Configuration Editor Parameters 58
Examples 58
Large Vertex Gap 60
Examples 61
Model Structure 66
Free Edge 66
Free Vertex 67
Examples 68
Over-Used Edge 69
Examples 70
Over-Used Vertex 71
Reversed Edge on Curve 72
Examples 74
Reversed Edge in Loop 75

Reversed Face Normals 77
Examples 78
Solid Void 79
Unrealistic Geometry 80
Narrow Region 80
Examples 81
Narrow Step 90
Examples 91
Non-Tangent Edges 98
Non-Tangent Faces 99
Examples 100
Sharp Edge Angle 101
Sharp Face Angle 103
Examples 105

Short Edge 113
Examples 114
Small Edge Rad of Curvature 116
Examples 117
Small Face 118

 CATIA Analyzer
Chapter 1. Introduction to the CAD/IQ
Who should use this manual?
This manual is designed for two types of users:
• A 3D CAD user who is interested in identifying downstream problems caused by

geometric anomalies generated during model creation.
• A CAD/CAM/CAE application support person who is interested in quantifying the
shape-related requirements of applications such as rapid prototyping, numerical
control toolpath generation, data exchange, and finite element modeling.
How is this book organized?
The remainder of this book is organized into the following chapters:
Chapter Description
Chapter 2. Overview of CAD/IQ Describes CAD/IQ CATIA, the problems it

addresses, and intended uses of the
software.
Chapter 3. Getting Started With the Describes how to enter CATIA, open your
CAD/IQ CATIA Analyzer model, and access CAD/IQ.
Chapter 4. Setting Preferences Describes how to set user-defined

preferences.
Chapter 5. Creating a Configuration File Describes how to create a configuration file,

which is used as the basis of your analysis.
Chapter 6. Analyzing your Model Describes how to start the CAD/IQ

Analysis.
Chapter 7. Using the Diagnostic Panel Describes how to control what diagnostics
and markers are displayed.
Chapter 8. Using the CATIA View Describes how to make sure you display
Function the information you want displayed.

Chapter 9. Using the Help Menu Describes several ways to get help using
CAD/IQ CATIA.
Chapter 10. Reports Describes the reports associated with the

IQR file
Describes all possible diagnostics that you

can run against your model.
Chapter 11. Diagnostics


Chapter 2. Overview of CAD/IQ
Current engineering design applications that rely on 3D CAD models often do not work because of
geometry problems found in many production models. Often the problem occurs when a
downstream application tries to use a CAD model. These downstream applications can be finite
element modeling/analysis, numerical control toolpath generation, rapid prototyping, data
exchange, visualization, packaging, and others. What happens is these downstream applications
are not successful in using the CAD model and cannot accomplish their task.
These problems arise because a CAD designer doesn’t take the geometric requirements of the
downstream application into account. If the downstream process doesn’t work, the downstream
user may request an improved version of the CAD model from the designer or may repair or
recreate the model from scratch. Any changes needed to create a usable model must be
communicated back to the product designer for approval before the downstream process can be
completed.
Not all models have problems. But the ones that do can cause delays and additional effort. Using
CAD/IQ product, CAD users and managers are better equipped to correct models to reduce or
eliminate these problems.
What is CAD/IQ?
CAD/IQ is a next generation software tool for analyzing CAD model integrity and interoperability
with downstream applications and CAD/CAM/CAE systems. CAD/IQ analyzes 3D CAD models
clearly identifying anomalies providing extensive statistics about each entity. Simply, CAD/IQ
helps you define the criterion to determine what is “good” and what is “bad” quality of a CAD
model. In addition to defining a criterion, it helps you to test the CAD models against your defined
criteria.
Often problems exists that the CAD system does not detect. With CAD/IQ, an extensive set of
diagnostic checks are performed on the native CAD model. The results of this analysis is
presented to the user graphically. Using the CAD/IQ results, a CAD designer can then pinpoint
and correct problems with the surface or solid model before sending it to a downstream user.
Identifying and correcting geometry anomalies early in the design phase shortens the overall
product development cycle. Downstream users are able to use the CAD data the first time, every
time avoiding delays and costly model recreation.
The CAD/IQ software consists of:
• Analyzer
• Database
• Viewer

Analyzer
The Analyzer:
• Selects and configures diagnostics

• Runs an analysis on one or more CAD models
• Extracts edge and shaded representations of the model
• Writes analysis results/graphics to one database for each CAD model
• Runs interactively or in batch mode
Database
The database contains the geometry and the results from the analysis of your CAD files.
Viewer

The Viewer:
• Reads diagnostic results display images from the database

• Filters analysis results as specified by the user
• Graphically identifies model quality problems
• Summarizes analysis results
Intended Uses of CAD/IQ
The philosophy behind CAD/IQ is similar to that of a manufacturing assembly line: control
throughout your process by resolving the sources of problems. The CAD model (the product),
moves from one point to the next as in an assembly line. If you want the output of the assembly
line to meet your requirements, then you need to control the quality at every point. If you have
model quality standards, like those reported by CAD/IQ, you’ll have fewer constraints.
CAD/IQ is your tool to measure the quality of your CAD models. It can gauge whether the models
can be successfully used by other applications. It also gives you a clear indication of when you are
justified in rebuilding your model.
The alternative – not using CAD/IQ - means certain model quality problems. For example:
• Larger file size

• Longer update time
• More update failures
• More detail feature failures (blends, drafts, fillets)
What Problems Does CAD/IQ Address?
The functional quality of a CAD model is measured by how well it satisfies the topological and
geometric requirements of the native modeling system and all applications that will use the model.
Functional quality problems fall into three general areas:
• Structure
• Accuracy
• Realism
Structure
Structural problems include loop orientation inconsistencies, missing geometry and intersecting
geometry. Structural errors violate the solid modeling application's own rules for what constitutes a
correct model.
Structural errors also can cause modeling programs to crash without warning, sometimes after
the actual error has been made. Structural errors can cause problems because the downstream
application assumes that the structure is good when it isn’t.

An example of a structural error is a face with an edge that isn't shared by another face. In a
manifold solid volume, such edges shouldn’t exist because they cannot physically be
manufactured. If these errors aren’t fixed, manufacturing and analysis programs may not be able
to use the models.
Accuracy
Accuracy problems are the inconsistencies between theoretical/analytical representations vs. the
approximated numerical representations of the CAD geometry. Accuracy requirements place
limits on gaps between geometric entities such as vertices, edges, and faces that are adjacent.
They can also limit the minimum and maximum sizes of trimmed entities such as edges, faces,
and surfaces. This often leads to precision errors while computing the geometry.
Accuracy errors occur because different solid modelers use different tolerances for their
geometric representations.
Since downstream application tolerances may vary from that of the solid modeler, NC toolpath
and finite element mesh generation programs can fail. They can uncover gaps in geometry that
are too small to be seen in shaded or hidden line images of a model. The translation between
programs can also fail if the maximum allowable tolerances between surfaces and edges in the
exporting program are larger than those of the importing program.
Realism
Realism errors include transition cracks and sliver faces. Transition cracks in solid models, like
physical cracks in engineering materials, are nearly invisible gaps between features of a model.
Like physical cracks, they may not extend completely through the object. Sliver faces result
because some values fall just outside the CAD system’s tolerance, but are too small to be
realistic.
Additional restrictions on the realism of model features are added by many concurrent engineering
applications. Since the downstream applications are designed to solve realistic problems, the
small unrealistic features cause the application to fail. Examples of realism problems are faces
(surfaces) with near zero area and edges with near zero length.
What Files are Created
There are four types of files associated with CAD/IIQ:
• IQR Files
• IQL Files
• IQC Files
• IQP Files
IQR Files
Running CAD/IQ generates several types of results files, all of which are compressed into one
archive file. The archive file has the extension of “.iqr”. When you open the iqr file in the Viewer,
all of the following files are uncompressed automatically.

The Analyzer places the iqr file in the output directory that you specify. The Viewer places
extracted files in the same directory that contains the iqr file. Even if you launch the Viewer from
one directory and open a model in another directory, the extracted archive files are still placed in
the same directory as the iqr file.
IQL Files
IQL, or Log, files collect all the process messages that are generated when running an analysis on
your model. For example, a few lines of a log might include:
Building Entity List
Generating Edge Graphics
Writing to file:
Processing Face Area
Processing entity: 20
Processing entity: 40
This may be useful to read if you suspect that there may have been errors, but not severe enough
to stop the process.
IQC Files
The configuration files (IQC) contain all parameters and their associated values which control the
operation of the Analyzer. The parameter settings are stored with the results that are generated
by the Analyzer and can be examined in the Viewer to see what settings were used when the
results were generated.
IQP Files
The IQP file a preference file that you created and saved. The IQP extension is added to the
name of the model file.

 CATIA
Chapter 3. Getting Started With the CAD/IQ
Analyzer
Before you begin…
Be sure to have a licensed version of CATIA.
Entering CATIA
Installations start CATIA in different ways. If you do not know how to start it, contact your systems
administrator for instructions. Once you are in CATIA, you have access to CAD/IQ.
Open your Model
Use CATIA's File pull-down menu to open the model you want to analyze.

Select the name of the model you want to analyze.

If CAD/IQ does not appear on the CATIA function palette, use the Keyboard function to add it.
You'll notice that the CAD/IQ menu structure appears to the left of the main menu. You can now
proceed to set your preferences, edit your configuration file, analyze your model or view the
results of an analysis.

Chapter 4. Setting Preferences
Setting Preferences lets you choose the configuration file to use for the analysis of your current
model. It also lets you select a directory for all files created by CAD/IQ. You can enter a scale
factor and select the type of messaging you'd like to see displayed to the screen during the
analysis. The Preferences menu also lets you change the colors of the diagnostics markers. You
can also use this menu to read in, save, or list a preference file.
Preferences Panel
Using the Preferences Panel, you can indicate which configuration file you want to use, where you
want your output saved, the scale factor to use, the type of messages you want to receive
regarding the progress of the analysis, and whether you want to receive file reminders.

Select Configuration File
Select a Configuration file to use. If you do not have one, you can create one using the CFG EDIT
menu.
Before you analyze your files, if you need to adjust the analysis settings to values other than their
default assignments, you will need to create a configuration file. The configuration file contains
several parameters that define the behavior of the Analyzer. If you haven't already created a
configuration file, use the Configuration Editor to do so (see Chapter 5. Creating a Configuration
File). If you have created and saved one, use the Preferences dialog to open the saved file.
Select Output Directory
The Analyzer generates many output files. You can specify a location for all output by selecting
the pathname. The buttons on the right help to navigate to the directory you want to use as the
output directory. For best performance, select the output directory on a disk that is local to the
machine on which you are running CAD/IQ.

Scale Factor
A scale factor is provided to allow adjustments for conditions such as mismatched units when
viewing files created in other CAD systems or models. It should typically remain set to 1.
Analysis Message Output
The Analysis Message Output lets you select the type of messaging you'd like to receive during
the analysis.
• Normal - Brief status messages (announcements of the current diagnostic)

• Verbose- Detailed status messages about diagnostic behavior
• Silent- Only errors
Analysis File Reminder
The Analysis File Reminder for Foreground and Partial is displayed informing you that the
analysis will be run on the current session’s geometry.

The Analysis File Reminder for background analysis is displayed informing you that the analysis
will be run on a saved file and not the current session’s geometry.
Setting Colors
The marker colors are set to discriminate between hot (severe) and warm (moderate) problems.
By default, the severe problems are problems that must be resolved and are displayed in red.
Moderate problems are problems that should be resolved are displayed in yellow. Cyan is the
default color for special (flag) markers. These colors are set up by default. Using this color chart,
however, you can change any colors for any markers.

Listing Preference Settings
To see what preferences have been set, you can select PREFS / LIST from the CAD/IQ menu. A
preference settings listing will be displayed showing all settings.
Saving and Reading Preference File
You can save your preference files and reuse them with other CAD/IQ sessions. Select Save to
save a Preference file. Enter a name for the file. The default extension is .iqp. When you want to
reuse it, simply read it in using the Read command from the CAD/IQ menu.

Chapter 5. Creating a Configuration File
The CAD/IQ Configuration Editor allows you to create a configuration file, which is used as the
basis of your analysis. You have many options that provide you with broad control over which
elements are analyzed, what types of viewable result information is generated, and finer control
over which types of diagnostics are run and with what validity requirements. You can also disable
diagnostics that have more intense calculations requiring more computational time.
To bring up the Configuration Editor, select CADIQ/CFG EDIT.
From here you can create a configuration file to use for an analysis. You can also load a
configuration file and review its settings.

General Settings
The general settings let you choose exactly what type of CAD entities you want to analyze and
what type of graphics to generate.
Graphics Generated
The settings on the left side of the Configuration Editor let you determine what data you'd like to
generate for the model that you are analyzing. Your choices are:
• Face Graphics - Generate a shaded representation of your CAD model which can be seen in
the CAD/IQ Viewer. For complex geometry models (models containing NURBS geometry
and/or complex shapes), generating face graphics may take a long time to complete and
create a very large results file. If processing times are longer than desired, it is recommended
that you turn this option off and re-run the analysis. The CATIA CAD/IQ Viewer does not use
the face graphics information.
• Edge Graphics - Generate an edge-based representation of your CAD model which can be
seen in the CAD/IQ Viewer. Edge graphics generation is required if you want to display
marker graphics which identify problem areas in your model. It is recommended that this
parameter be turned on.
• Marker Graphics - Generate marker symbols which are used to graphically highlight the
results of the diagnostics.
CAD/IQ will generate only the types of graphics you request. By default, all three are turned on.
Entities Analyzed
The settings on the right side of the Configuration Editor let you determine what entities you want
analyzed. Your choices are:
• Solid - analyze solid entities

• Surface - analyze surface entities
• Hidden - analyze hidden entities (NOSHO in CATIA models)
By default, solid and surface entities are turned on and hidden entities are turned off.
Resolution
• Face Resolution - This is an approximation tolerance value used to generate face graphics.
The smaller the value, the smoother the resulting shaded display will be in the Viewer. A
larger value results in a coarser shaded display. Small values require more processing time.
• Edge Resolution This is an approximation tolerance value used to generate edge graphics.
The smaller the value, the smoother the resulting edge graphics will be in the Viewer. A larger
value results in a coarser edge graphics display. Small values require more processing time.

Length Units
You can set the length units for the display. Select a unit type from the displayed list. Choices are:
• Same as model - same units as used in the design of the model

• cm
• in
• m
• mm
Model units are the units that are assigned to the model in the native CAD system. The units set
here are for display in the Viewer and are independent of the CAD units. The diagnostics convert
the values from native CAD model units into the selected display units. All diagnostic values that
are length related (gaps, curvature, area, length, etc.) are affected by CAD model/display unit
conversion. The default length units are mm.
Angle Units
You can set the angle units for the display. Select a unit type from the displayed list. Choices are:
• Same as model - same units as used in the design of the model

• deg
• rad
Model units are the units that are assigned to the model in the native CAD system. The angle
units set here are for display in the Viewer and are independent of the CAD units. The diagnostics
convert the values from native CAD model units into the selected angle units. All diagnostic values
that are angle related are affected by CAD model/angle unit conversion. The default angle units
are deg.

Diagnostics
The Diagnostics tab of the Configuration Editor lets you select the diagnostics that you want to run
and also lets you set parameters for each of the diagnostics.

Categories
There are three categories of diagnostics:
• Gaps
• Model Structure
• Unrealistic Geometry
To see the names of the diagnostics within the categories, click on the category name. For
example, if you click on the Gap, the individual gap diagnostics will be displayed.

From there, click on the type of gap and the parameters will be displayed on the right side of the
panel. For example, if you select Large Edge Gap, the following parameters will be displayed for
you to edit.
Diagnostic Parameters
For most of the diagnostics you must define what values represent extreme or severe problems in
the model. The most severe of these are known as “hot” values that represent a “no-go” situation
for a given diagnostic. For example, edges smaller than 0.001 mm could represent an entity that
is too small for the CAD system. Such an entity could cause accuracy problems in data exchange,
or could result in the creation of a narrow step region in the model after regeneration. Other less
severe problems in the model are known as “Warm” values. These values represent extreme
conditions that are close to being a “no-go” condition and usually represent problems that might
need to be addressed. CAD/IQ finds and highlights both hot and warm problems. The highlighting
is accomplished by the creation of graphic symbols and markers that are overlaid on the model in
the CAD/IQ Viewer. CAD/IQ can also keep track of all values that occur within a specified range. It
simply counts or tabulates the number of values seen but does not highlight those values.
Most diagnostics require that you define three ranges - or zones - that are used to identify hot,
warm, and tabulated values. Typically, the hot zone will be a subset of the highlighted region, and
the highlighted region will be a subset of the tabulated region. One way to think about this is to
define a total region of interest for a given diagnostic. Then subdivide that region into a smaller
region that defines values in an extreme condition. Further subdivide the previous region to define
values which are the most severe and which represent a no-go condition. Or conversely, you may
want to begin by identifying the hot zone – the most severe problems. Then you could define a
somewhat larger region to capture those values that are close to being hot. Finally, you may want
to know how many edges fall into an even larger region.
Using the Short Edge diagnostic as an example, you may decide that any edges shorter than
0.001 mm represent a no-go condition which must be highlighted so that they can be resolved.

Further, any edges less than 0.02 mm are small enough to warrant some attention so they too
must be highlighted. You may also want to know (by count only) how many edges are less than
0.1 mm. The Configuration panel for the Short Edge diagnostic presents three sets of text entry
fields that let you define three regions, defined below.
Define the Hot zone (Low/High)
This parameter creates the range of values that define the “hot” Short Edges. In our example,
you would enter 0 and 0.001 into the two text fields.
Highlight all lengths between (Low/High)
This parameter creates the range of values that define which edges are to be highlighted. The
highlighted region almost always includes the hot zone as well. The idea is that all values found in
the highlight zone are highlighted as either warm or hot. A warm value is defined to be any value
found to lie inside the highlight zone but outside of the hot zone. This general definition allows the
flexibility of having the hot zone occur anywhere inside the highlight zone. By default hot values
are displayed in red and warm values are displayed in yellow in the CAD/IQ Viewer. In our
example, you would enter 0 and 0.02 into the two text fields.

Tabulate all lengths between (Low/High)
This parameter creates the range of values that define a “watch” region for Short Edges. What
this means is that any Short Edge whose value is found to lie inside this range will be counted.
The total count is saved and appears in the reports created by CAD/IQ. In our example, you would
enter 0 and 0.1 into the two text fields.
Some CAD systems can return a negative length for either extremely small edges or any
corrupted edges. In either case, all negative edges should be highlighted and marked as hot. In
order to do that in the example described above, the value in the first text field for all three regions
would be changed from a 0 to a very large negative number, -1e+20, for instance. This allows
CAD/IQ to find all negative edge lengths.
At a minimum, nearly all diagnostics require that you define the three ranges or zones as
described above. Some diagnostics require additional parameters. These are described below.
All configuration parameters for all the diagnostics have been given default values that should
work for many different CAD systems and models. There are also some diagnostics that don’t
require any additional parameters. The remaining parameters are listed alphabetically and
described below.
Define sample distance limits
This parameter is used by the Narrow Region diagnostic to control the distance between sampling
points in a candidate narrow region. The magnitude of these two values balances the refinement
of the boundaries of the narrow region versus the speed of calculation. Higher values cause faster
performance but coarser boundaries.

Define sharp edge angle limits (90 to 180 deg)
This parameter is used by the Narrow Region diagnostic to define the sharp edge angle that
defines the closed end of a pointed narrow region.
Define smooth edge angle limits (-90 to 90 deg)
This parameter is used by the Narrow Region diagnostic to define how smooth the transition must
be between edges so that a narrow region boundary can extend across multiple edges.
Edge sampling max chordal deviation
This parameter controls the number of points that will be used when measuring values along an
edge. The smaller the number the more points that will be used. Keep in mind that creating points
on edge curves is numerically intensive. This parameter is used by several diagnostics.
Find edge face gaps / Find face face gaps
These two toggles are used by the Large Edge Gap diagnostic. This diagnostic finds large gaps
that occur either between an edge and its connected face or that occur between two faces along
their shared edge. These two toggle buttons are used to define which combinations to search for.
Find vertex edge gaps / Find edge endpoint gaps / Find vertex face gaps
These three toggles are used by the Large Vertex Gap diagnostic. This diagnostic finds large
gaps that occur between a vertex and its connected edges and faces. Several combinations of
vertex/edge/face gaps are searched for. These three toggle buttons are used to define which
combinations to search for.
Find pointed / rectangular / pinched narrow regions
These three toggles are used by the Narrow Region diagnostic. This diagnostic identifies narrow
regions that occur as pointed, rectangular, or pinched narrow regions. These three toggle buttons
are used to define which types of narrow regions to search for.
Highlight open shell free edges as warm
This parameter is used by the Free Edge diagnostic to control whether or not to highlight all free
edges on open shell entities as warm.
Highlight open shell reversed normals as warm
This parameter is used by the Reversed Face Normals diagnostic to control whether or not to
highlight all reversed normals on open shell entities as warm.

Ignore individual faces
This parameter is used by the Free Edge diagnostic to control whether or not individual faces are
to be analyzed.
Ignore closed free edges (single or linked)
This parameter is used by the Free Edge diagnostic to control whether or not it will ignore closed
free edges.
Ignore vertex loops (poles)
This parameter is used by the Free Vertex diagnostic to control whether or not vertex loops are to
be ignored.
Link adjacent free edges
This parameter is used by the Free Edge diagnostic to control whether or not it will link together
adjacent free edges. For example, on the boundary of an open shell this toggle can be used to
report a single free edge instead of a free edge for each edge on the boundary.
Link adjacent over-used edges
This parameter is used by the Over-Used Edge diagnostic to control whether or not adjacent over-
used edges are to be linked together. For example, on the boundary of an internal face this
toggle can be used to report a single over-used edge instead of an over-used edge for each edge
on the internal face.
Point coincidence tolerance
This parameter is used by the Reversed Edge in Loop diagnostic to set a distance whereby points
are considered coincident. Points that are separated by less than this value will be considered
coincident.

Chapter 6. Analyzing your Model
After setting your preferences, selecting or creating your configuration file, and opening up your
model, you'll want to select a method for analyzing your model.

Methods
You have three options on how you want to run the analysis:
• Background - analyzes the entire model in the background so that it doesn't interfere with your
work that you're doing on the screen.
IMPORTANT!
The Background method analyzes the model as it was last saved on disk.
If you have changes in your current session, but have
not saved those changes, they will NOT be analyzed!
• Foreground - analyzes the entire current model as you watch the processing
• Partial - analyzes a selected portion of the model to analyze. Select the portion using any of
CATIA's selection methods to select *FAC elements
Selecting Faces
There are other options you can use to add faces to or remove them from the analysis. When
you're satisfied with your selection, begin the analysis.
• Add - Use to add additional faces to be analyzed.

• Remove - Use to remove a face from the list of faces to be analyzed.
• Expand - Include all the neighbors (adjoining faces) to the current face selection.
• Clear - Use to clear the entire list of faces.
• Begin – Use when you've selected the faces and are ready to begin the analyzing process,
select Begin.

Analyzing Your Model in Batch Mode
To analyze a model in batch mode, you can start the CAD/IQ Analysis Launcher outside CATIA.
Go to the directory where you want to run the analysis and enter:
cadiq
at the command line.
From the CAD/IQ Analysis Launcher, select either CATIA or Parasolid, whichever CAD system
you are using. Then, enter the name of the model file you want to analyze.
You can enter a configuration file if you'd like.
Enter the Output directory. By default, all results files will be placed in the directory in which you
launch the Analyzer. If you want the results to go elsewhere, enter the directory path here.
The name of the results file, by default will be the name of the model file, with an .iqr extension.
You must use the .iqr extension, but you can enter any name you wish for the name of the results
file.
The logging options determine how much information you want to see during the analysis. By
default, normal is selected.

Chapter 7. Using the Diagnostic Panel
The Diagnostic Panel lets you control what you see on the screen. Using this panel, you can
display the markers for one or more diagnostics, you can see only warm values, only hot values,
or all values. You can even flag particular values to highlight a particular problem.
If you are using the CAD/IQ Viewer, you'll display this panel by selecting Diagnostics Panel
either from the View pull-down menu or from the icon. If you are using the CATIA embedded
Viewer, you'll select CADIQ / VIEW / PANEL / LAUNCH.
Panel
The Diagnostics Panel only lists the diagnostics that are found by the analysis. The panel below
shows that the CAD/IQ analysis found 43 instances of problems in the Non-Tangent Edges
category. Out of the 43 found, 0 were hot. The analysis also found 8 instances of Short Edge
Faces Problems, of which all 5 were hot and 3 were warm.
For detailed descriptions of this panel, see Chapter 6 of the CAD/IQ Viewer User’s Guide.

Chapter 8. Using the CATIA View Function
This chapter describes the Viewer part of the CAD/IQ CATIA product. The VIEW menu has the
following choices:
• FILE
• PANEL (See Chapter 7. Using the Diagnostic Panel for a full description of the Diagnostic
Panel)
• DISPLAY
• SELECT
• GEOMETRY

The FILE Menu
The FILE menu is available for managing IQR file data. IQR files may be opened, saved, or
interrogated.
AUTO OPN
AUTO OPN automatically opens the most recently created IQR file corresponding to the active
model. Three different files are possible for the current model: background analysis
(YOURNAME.model.iqr), foreground analysis (YOURNAME.model.fg.iqr), and partial face
analysis (YOURNAME.model.pf.iqr).
INFO
INFO displays information about the current model and any previously run analyses. You can see
who created these files and the date and time they were last saved. This window displays the
most recent IQR file as the candidate for being Auto Opened and will have a warning if this file is
older than the model file, indicating that the data could be out of date.
PREVIEW
PREVIEW displays summary information (see Chapter 10. Reports) about any IQR file on disk.

OPEN
While the AUTO OPN function will open an IQR file corresponding to the current model, the
OPEN function reads data from an arbitrary file on disk even if created from another model or
another CAD system. If you do not have a model that describes the analyzed part you can use
the VIEW / GEOMETRY menu to create wireframe geometry for the analyzed part’s edges.
SAVE
The SAVE command stores all markers (including those you have flagged) into the opened IQR
file.
CLEAR
CLEAR removes all markers from the current session and returns memory (which saves the
diagnostic data between CADIQ menu selections) to the system.
The PANEL Menu
To manipulate markers by diagnostic, you must bring up the Viewer panel. (See Chapter 7. Using
the Diagnostic Panel for a full description of the Diagnostic Panel)
LAUNCH
LAUNCH brings up the Viewer panel.

APPLY
APPLY updates the CATIA screen to match the changes made to the markers in the Viewer
panel.
CANCEL
CANCEL removes the Viewer panel from the screen. This action also happens automatically if
any other CADIQ menu is selected.
The DISPLAY Menu
Using the DISPLAY menu, you can determine which markers you want displayed. You can
display all or some markers based on their severity (HOT / WARM), current query state
(SELECTED) or marking for special attention (FLAGGED). All DISPLAY functions within CATIA
operate on markers regardless of diagnostic. To change the visibility or appearance of markers
based on their diagnostic, you must use the VIEW / PANEL menu. Marker colors can be set in the
Preferences menu (see Chapter 4. Setting Preferences.)).
ON / OFF / ONLY
These three menus are similar. They allow you to make certain markers visible, make markers
invisible, or make some markers visible while making all other markers invisible at the same time.
ALL
(ON / OFF / ONLY) All markers in the current session regardless of severity or current visibility.
HOT
(ON / OFF / ONLY) Hot markers by default are displayed in red and they indicate a severe
problem in the model.
WARM
(ON / OFF / ONLY) Warm markers by default are displayed in yellow and they indicate a
moderate problem in the model.
FLAGGED
(ON / OFF / ONLY) Flagged markers by default are displayed in cyan and they are markers that
you call out as special. You can flag hot or warm markers. Markers can be saved as flagged in the
IQR file, so if you send this flagged file to someone, they can open it and see the special flags that
you set.

SWAP
(ON) Reverses the visibility of all markers. Whatever was visible is made invisible and vice versa.
This is similar to the SWAP operation in the CATIA NOSHO function.
SELECTED
(OFF / ONLY) Markers that have been selected have their text changed from lowercase to
uppercase and have any corresponding edges highlighted.
PICK
(OFF) The user picks markers from the screen to turn off.
The SELECT Menu
SELECT lets you pick markers from the screen to query their numeric results values and highlight
their edges of interest, or change their flag status.
ONE
ONE lets you pick one marker from the screen. The marker's text changes to uppercase, its
related edges are highlighted, and its numeric value is displayed and the bottom left of the CATIA
window.
MORE
MORE lets you pick multiple markers from the screen. The markers text will change to uppercase
and their related edges become highlighted.
UNSELECT
UNSELECT lets you pick multiple markers from the screen. The markers text is returned to
lowercase and their related edges are returned to normal display.
CLEAR
CLEAR returns all selected markers to normal display.
FLAG ON
FLAG ON lets you pick one or more markers from the screen to be displayed in the Flag color
(default cyan).

FLAG OFF
FLAG OFF lets you pick one or more markers from the screen to be displayed in their normal Hot
or Warm color.
The GEOMETRY Menu
The GEOMETRY menu choices are the only ones that modify your current model by creating
geometry that remains when you exit the CAD/IQ function. Geometry is created on the active
model’s current layer. Before any such geometry is created, a window appears displaying the
number elements that will be created and prompts you to confirm before proceeding.
SELECTED
When you exit the CAD/IQ function, all markers are removed from the display. The SELECTED
function will create permanent geometry in the active model representing selected marker texts
and highlighted edges.
EDGES
EDGES creates permanent geometry representing the edges of the model as analyzed. You can
use this to confirm the shape of the part or to view an analysis of a part that you do not have a
model for.

Chapter 9. Using the Help Menu
The HELP menu provides several ways to get information on any CAD/IQ topic. You can go
through the Resource Center, open the user’s guide, or go straight to the topic in question.
CAD/IQ also provides a search capability within the user’s guide and context sensitive help.
Help Menu
Select HELP from the main CAD/IQ menu to list your options.

RES CNTR
Select RES CNTR from the HELP menu to open a web browser and display the CAD/IQ
Resource Center. From here, you can select the CAD/IQ documentation for whichever product
you are using. The documentation consists of Release Notes, an Installation Guide, a License
Utilities & Trouble Shooting Guide and a User’s Guide. All books are provided in HTML, PDF, and
PostScript formats.
The Resource Center also provides e-mail and internet support for customer questions and
enhancement requests. This page also links to the CAD/IQ Support page and to the CAD/IQ
home page.
The CAD/IQ Support page lists questions & answers, supported hardware, operating systems and
CAD systems, training schedules, updates to documentation, and known problems with the
current release of the product.

USERS GD
Select USERS GD from the HELP menu to access the online user’s guide. This opens a web
browser and displays the Table of Contents for the CAD/IQ CATIA online user’s guide. Navigate
through the book by selecting the topics of interest listed in the left frame. The Table of Contents
is always displayed with active hyperlinks to the selected location in the user’s guide.
INTRO
Select INTRO from the HELP menu to access Chapter 1 of the online user’s guide. This opens a
web browser and displays Chapter 1, which describes how the user’s guide is organized.
OVERVIEW
Select OVERVIEW from the HELP menu to access Chapter 2 of the online user’s guide. This
opens a web browser and displays Chapter 2, which describes CAD/IQ CAITA, the problems it
addresses, and the intended uses of the software.

STARTING
Select STARTING from the HELP menu to access Chapter 3 of the online user’s guide. This
opens a web browser and displays Chapter 3, which describes how to enter CATIA, open your
model, and access CAD/IQ.
PREFS
Select PREFS from the HELP menu to access Chapter 4 of the online user’s guide. This opens a
web browser and displays Chapter 4, which describes how to set user-defined preferences, such
as the output directory, scale factor to use, and marker colors.
CONFIG
Select CONFIG from the HELP menu to access Chapter 5 of the online user’s guide. This opens
a web browser and displays Chapter 5, which describes how to create a configuration file.
Configuration files are the basis of your analysis.
ANALYZE
Select ANALYZE from the HELP menu to access Chapter 6 of the online user’s guide. This opens
a web browser and displays Chapter 6, which describes how to start the CAD/IQ analysis.
DIAG EDT
Select DIAG EDT from the HELP menu to access Chapter 7 of the online user’s guide. This
opens a web browser and displays Chapter 7, which describes how to use the panel within the
VIEW function to modify diagnostic markers.
VIEW
Select VIEW from the HELP menu to access Chapter 8 of the online user’s guide. This opens a
web browser and displays Chapter 8, which describes how to make sure you display the
information you want displayed.
REPORTS
Select REPORTS from the HELP menu to access Chapter 10 of the online user’s guide. This
opens a web browser and displays Chapter 10, which describes the reports associated with the
IQR file.
DIAGS
Select DIAGS from the HELP menu to access the appendix of the online user’s guide. This opens
a web browser and displays the appendix, which describes all possible diagnostics that you can
run against your model.

HELP
Select HELP from the HELP menu to access the Chapter 9 of the online user’s guide. This opens
a web browser and displays Chapter 9, which describes not only the help menu, but also
describes the search capability embedded in the user’s guide and also describes context sensitive
help.
Search Capability
A search capability is also provided. Select “Search” from the Table of Contents and enter a
keyword.
The search capability will return a table with the Chapter name and number, the section name,
and the line containing the keyword. Clicking on the keyword in the table will take you to the
specific reference in the online documentation.

Context Sensitive Help
Some of the panels have a Help button on the bottom. If you select it, a web browser will display
information pertaining to the panel. It will describe all the fields on the panel and how to interact
with the panel.

Chapter 10. Reports
There are two types of reports you can generate on the currently open IQR file:
• Summary
• Detailed
Both reports are in text format and are displayed in a new listing window.
The VIEW / FILE / PREVIEW menu choice lets you view a Summary report on an IQR file you
have not yet opened.

Summary Report
The summary report lists information such as the version of CAD/IQ you are using, the CAD
system used to create the model, the name of the model, the name of the configuration file, and
the date of analysis. It also lists a problem summary including all problems found, whether they
were hot or warm, the measurements and the total analysis time.

Detailed Report
The detailed report includes:
• Model summary, which is the same information as reported in the summary report
• CAD System summary, which includes the model length units, model angle units, entity types
and the number of each
• Operating System summary, which includes the operating system, version, and vendor
• Diagnostic summary, which includes all parameter setting from the Configuration File

Chapter 11. Diagnostics
Diagnostics are grouped into three categories (or problem areas): Gaps, Model Structure,
Unrealistic Geometry. Each category includes several diagnostics which affect different
downstream applications. The table below lists each diagnostic by category along with the
downstream application it will affect. It also shows whether the problem is a severe (hot value) or
moderate (warm) problem for the downstream application.
The remainder of this chapter describes each diagnostic in detail.
Downstream Applications
Affected
Category Diagnostic Notes
Warm Hot
Gaps Large Edge Data Data 0.02 mm

Gap Exchange Exchange <= hot gaps
Large Vertex Data Data 0.02 mm

Gap Exchange Exchange <= hot gaps
Model Free Edge N/A All

Structure
Free Vertex N/A All
Over-Used N/A All

Edge
Over-Used Analysis, Data N/A

Vertex Exchange
Reversed N/A All

Edge on Curve
Reversed N/A All

Edge in Loop
Reversed Analysis, All Hot only if in

Face Normals Manufacturing solid
Solid Void N/A All

Unrealistic Narrow Region Analysis Analysis, Data < hot min
Geometry Exchange widths
<= 0.02 mm
Narrow Step N/A All except <= hot min

Data widths
Exchange <= 1.0 mm
Non-Tangent Styling N/A

Edges
Non-Tangent Styling, N/A

Faces Manufacturing
Sharp Edge Analysis N/A

Angle
Sharp Face N/A All except 150 <= hot

Angle Data angles
Exchange <= 180 deg
Short Edge Analysis Analysis, Data Hot lengths

Exchange <= 0.02 mm
Small Edge All except Data Hot radii

Rad of Data Exchange <= 0.001 mm
Curvature Exchange
Small Face Analysis All Hot areas

<= 0.0 mm^2

Gaps
There are two gap diagnostics which measure five types of gaps. The Large Edge Gap diagnostic
detects two types:
• Edge to Face Gaps

• Face to Face Gaps
and the Large Vertex Gap diagnostic detects three more:
• Edge to Edge Gap

• Vertex to Edge Gap
• Vertex to Face Gap
The default values of the gaps are based on testing being done by public consortiums. The
consortiums have all agreed on the boundary of 0.02 mm. If CAD/IQ finds any gap larger than
0.02 it will be marked as warm (a moderate problem). If any gaps over 0.01 mm are found, it is
marked as hot (a severe problem).

Large Edge Gap
This diagnostic finds gaps between edges and the faces they bound. The symbols used to
indicate this type of problem are: G displayed on the point on the edge where the gap occurs and
an F displayed on the face midpoint.
In the example below, a face surface bound is shown on the left and on the right. The edge curve
is in the middle. In the ideal world, these three curves would be absolutely consistent: right on top
of each other. In reality, they diverge.

This diagnostic will also look between the bounding curves and the underlying surface.
In the example below, one face surface bound is shown on the left and one on the right. The edge
curve is in the middle. These three lines should not diverge. To find the face surface bound, a
point on the edge is projected onto the nearest point on the face surface.

At the topology level, faces in a shell or a solid are connected exactly. At the geometry level, they
may not be connected. When you take your geometry to another CAD system, it may be called
invalid. One system accepts as valid, another rejects it. If these gaps are very large, they can
cause problems for FEM.
Configuration Editor Parameters
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Large Edge Gap diagnostic
include:
• Define the Hot zone (Low/High)

• Highlight all lengths between (Low/High)
• Tabulate all lengths between (Low/High)
• Find edge face gaps / Find face face gaps
• Edge sampling max chordal deviation
Examples
Examples of problems found using the Large Edge Gap diagnostic include:
• Narrow Step with Gaps

• Face to Face Gap

Narrow Step with Gaps
Hidden on the back side of the end of this fillet is a sliver face that forms a micro-step because it
is oriented at roughly 90 deg angles with the front and back fillet faces.
The area of this face is 0.67 mm2. The angle at the end of the two edges curving down to the right
is 0.03 deg.
Face to Face Gap
The faces in this complex blend area appear to be precisely defined. The highlighted fillet face
actually has a relatively large gap between the edge that defines its right end (indicated by the
arrow in the left image) and its underlying surface.
The maximum gap between this edge (indicated by the arrow in the right image) and the fillet face
is 0.0016 mm at the location marked with a “G”.

Large Vertex Gap
This diagnostic finds gaps between vertex points and the edges or faces they trim. It also finds
gaps between pairs of edges that come together at a common vertex. The symbols used to
indicate this type of problem are: G displayed on the vertex location, an E on the edge midpoint,
and an F on the face midpoint.
The diagnostic looks for the minimum distance between a vertex point and the underlying
untrimmed model space curve or surface for an associated edge.

The diagnostic measures the distance between the trimmed points of two edges joined at a
vertex. It will detect edges that are thought to be trimmed at a different point.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Large Vertex Gap diagnostic
include:

• Find vertex edge gaps / Find edge endpoint gaps / Find vertex face gaps
Examples
Examples of problems found using the Large Vertex Gap diagnostic include:
• Large Vertex Gap

• Edge to Edge Gaps
• Tiny Edges with Gaps
• High Curvature Edge with Gap
• Large Vertex Face Gaps

Large Vertex Gap
The gap between the endpoints of these highlighted edges is 0.15 mm.
Gaps of this size can cause data exchange to fail since they are larger than the default modeling
tolerances of all major CAD modeling systems.
Edge to Edge Gaps
The gap between the endpoints of these highlighted edges is 0.15 mm.
Gaps of this size can cause data exchange to fail since they are larger than the default modeling
tolerances of all major CAD modeling systems.

The two highlighted edges on the top and bottom of the right end of this fillet meet at a sharp
angle. While they are topologically connected at a common vertex, there is a large gap between
their endpoints.
The bottom edge overshoots the vertex by 0.39 mm. This gap is larger than the default modeling
tolerance of all commercial CAD systems.
The two highlighted edges on the left appear to meet each other at a tangent angle.
They actually intersect each other twice near their common vertex. They meet near a common
vertex in the upper right at an angle of 7.3 deg. There are five edges that meet at this vertex. The
maximum gap between their endpoints is 0.068 mm. These two edges also appear to intersect
each other just before meeting at this vertex.
At the point of this blend in the original model there is a sliver face with area of 0.0011 mm2 and a
gap between the edge endpoints at the bottom of 0.027 mm.

Tiny Edges with Gaps
The edge in the image on the right is a zoomed in view of the edge circled on the image on the
left. The length of this edge is only 0.096 mm. This is less than the default modeling tolerance of
most CAD systems.
High Curvature Edge with Gap
The faces and edges in this blended area appear to be well defined. There is actually a tiny edge
with high curvature and a large gap.
The length is only 0.070 mm. The maximum curvature is 51 rad/mm (0.020 mm radius of
curvature). The gap (indicated by the arrow in the right image) between one end and the two
edges along the top is 0.025 mm.

Large Vertex Face Gaps
There are significant gaps between this vertex and three of the faces on which it is defined. The
only face without a large gap is the one coming in at a sharp angle from the right.

Model Structure
The Model Structure diagnostics (except for Over-Used Vertex) find problems that are severe for
all downstream applications.
Free Edge
This diagnostic is a structural check that looks for free or non-manufacturable edges. A free edge
is an edge that is attached to only one face. If this diagnostic is triggered, it indicates that a free
edge exists. The symbol used to indicate this type of problem is an F displayed on the offending
edge. If you have two surfaces close together (see below), there are two edges. If they are sewn
together, there is now one edge and the two surfaces become two adjacent faces.
Free edges can also occur in solids.
Another related problem is that you can have edges that tie more than two faces together. For
example, you can have four edges and each edge is used four times. You don’t know that by
looking at the geometry. To find these problems, turn on the Over-Used Edge diagnostic.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Free Edge diagnostic include:
• Ignore individual faces

• Link adjacent free edges
• Ignore closed free edges (single or linked)
• Highlight open shell free edges as warm

Free Vertex
This diagnostic looks for vertices that are attached to only one edge.
The symbol F used to indicate this type of problem is displayed on the vertex.
Below are two views of the same part. On the left is the native model. On the right is the same
part after data exchange. Notice that before data exchange, there is a marker on the top
indicating that there is a free vertex. After data exchange, there is no longer a free vertex as the
vertex is sitting on top of a pole.
The parameter you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Free Vertex diagnostic include:
• Ignore vertex loops (poles)

Examples
Examples of problems found using Free Vertex diagnostic includes:
• Free Vertex
Free Vertex

Over-Used Edge
This diagnostic finds edges that cannot be manufactured. They are attached to more than two
faces. The diagnostic measures the total number of faces that share an edge. For example, the
edges in the middle of the cube below are each used by 3 different faces.
The symbol used to indicate this type of problem is an O displayed on the edge.
This diagnostic is a structural check, and if triggered, indicates that a free edge exists. Free edges
can also occur in solids.
The parameter you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Over-Used Edge diagnostic
include:
• Link adjacent over-used edges

Examples
Examples of problems found using Over-Used Edge diagnostic includes:
• Over-Used Edge
• Interior Faces
Over-Used Edge
Interior Faces
This is a single solid with two distinct internal volumes separated by a partition. The highlighted
edges are each used to trim three faces--two outside faces and the partition. This condition is not
manufacturable. It is allowed by some CAD systems for analysis but can be created
unintentionally and exported to other systems.

Over-Used Vertex
This diagnostic identifies the vertices in the model that are being used by many edges. If there are
many vertices coming together at one vertex, you'll likely have gap problems and data exchange
problems.
The symbol O used to indicate this type of problem is displayed on the vertex.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Over-Used Vertex diagnostic
include:


Reversed Edge on Curve
This diagnostic finds low-level structural orientation problems between edges and curves that can
result from incomplete modeling operations or data exchange import processes. The symbol used
to indicate this type of problem is an R displayed on the offending edge.
Each edge has an orientation, as does each model space curve. An edge in model space, usually
describes some real-world portion of the geometry of a part, as opposed to one in parameter
space of a particular surface. The parametric direction and model space orientations do not have
to be consistent as long as both the edge and the curve know they are not consistent. If they think
they are consistent and are not, or if they think they are not consistent and they are, this
diagnostic will flag this.
Each curve has a certain parametric direction. The direction in the first example starts at 0 and
ends at 1. 0. The edge is defined on the curve by a start and end point. If the edge begins at 0 and
ends at 1, the direction matches the direction of the curve. If the edge thinks that it is consistent
with the curve, the diagnostic will return a True. If the edge begins at 0 and ends at 1, and it thinks
that it’s inconsistent with the curve, the diagnostic will return a false.
The direction of the curve in the second example also begins at 0 and ends at 1. However, the
edge begins at 1 and ends at 0, in the opposite direction. If the edge thinks that it is consistent,
the diagnostic returns a false. If the edge thinks that it is inconsistent, then the diagnostic returns
a true.

Any false value will be caught by the diagnostic. In the figure below, True is a good value or
represents valid geometry. False is associated with bad data which CAD/IQ will flag as a problem.
There are no parameters to set on the Configuration Editor for Reversed Edge on Curve.

Examples
Examples of problems found using the Reversed Edge on Curve diagnostic includes:
• Reversed Edge on Curve
Reversed Edge on Curve
Looking at the vertex, the highlighted edge in the image on the right “thinks” its orientation is
consistent with its underlying curve, but it is not.
One way to think of this edge is that it is going “backwards” relative to its neighboring edges.

Reversed Edge in Loop
This diagnostic finds low-level structural orientation problems between edges and their parent
loops (sequence of edges bounding a face) that can result from incomplete modeling operations
or data exchange import processes. The symbol used to indicate this type of problem is an R
displayed on the edge that is reversed. The loop will be highlighted.
The diagnostics checks to see if the orientation of an edge and its sequence in an edge loop are
consistent. The orientations do not have to be consistent as long as both the edge loop and the
oriented edge know they are not consistent. If they think they are consistent and are not, or if they
think they are not consistent and they are, this diagnostic will flag this.

Any false value will be caught by the diagnostic. In the figure below, True is a good value or
represents valid geometry. False is associated with bad data which CAD/IQ will flag as a problem.
The parameter you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Reversed Edge in Loop diagnostic
include:
• Point coincidence tolerance

Reversed Face Normals
This diagnostic addresses some of the problems commonly encountered when independent
surfaces are “sewn” together. It measures and compares the normal vector of two adjacent faces.
Face pairs with normals that are not consistent are identified.
The symbols used to indicate this type of problem are: an R displayed on the edge midpoint and
an F displayed on the midpoint of the two faces.

There are no parameters to set on the Configuration Editor for the Reversed Face Normals
diagnostic.
• Highlight open shell reversed normals as warm
Examples
Examples of problems found using the Reversed Face Normals diagnostic includes:
• Reversed Face Normals
Reversed Face Normals
This triangular pocket appears to have missing faces such as in the corner indicated by the arrow
in the left image. While all of the faces in this surface model are defined, several have reversed
normals. Note that none of them are sewn together.
The face indicated by the arrow in the right image appears shaded while most of its neighbors are
not. This is because its normal points “in” while most point “out”.

Solid Void
This diagnostic finds points in the model that have no structural purpose. They are erroneous
solids embedded inside the walls of another solid.
Voids are usually the results of boolean operations not correctly defined, thus trapping pockets of
air. The symbol used to indicate this type of problem is a V on the void midpoint. All edges of the
void will be highlighted.
There are no parameters to set on the Configuration Editor for the Solid Void diagnostic.

Unrealistic Geometry
The unrealistic geometry diagnostics looks for conditions that are unlikely to be correct for realistic
geometry. All of the problems found with this category of diagnostics cause problems for Analysis
and some for Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping.
Narrow Region
This diagnostic identifies the portion of a face that is very narrow. If it’s a portion of a face, the
symbol used to indicate the problem is an F on the offending portion of the face. If the entire face
is the problem, the symbol will be R.
There are several types of problems found by the Narrow Region diagnostic. Narrow regions can
be a narrow region or a sliver face. If it is a narrow region, it is either pointed, rectangular,
pinched, or composite.
If it is a sliver face, it is pointed, triangular, rectangular, or composite.

The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Narrow Region diagnostic include:

• Find pointed / rectangular / pinched narrow regions
• Define sample distance limits
• Define sharp edges angle limits (90 to 180 deg)
• Define smooth edge angle limits (-90 to 90 deg)
Examples
Examples of problems found using Narrow Region diagnostic includes:
• Narrow Region
• Pointed Sliver Face
• Triangular Sliver Face
• Two Triangular Sliver Faces
• Three Rectangular Sliver Faces
• Composite Sliver Face
• Small Interior Face
• Pinched Narrow Region
• Rectangular Narrow Region
• Ramp Face
• Sliver Pointed Edge
• Rectangular Volume Appenages
• Two Pointed Narrow Regions

Narrow Region
The middle of this opening has a very thin piece of material (indicated by the arrow in the left
image) spanning across it and half-way back through the opening.
The width of this narrow region is only 0.25 mm.
Pointed Sliver Face
The top of this boss has been unintentionally nicked by a cut feature used to define another part
2
of the model. The area of this face is only 0.91 mm .

Triangular Sliver Face
In the far corner of the inset in the image on the left, the three faces do not meet. Instead they
continue into the model to form a triangular sliver face as shown in the wireframe view.
The front angle is 11.0 deg. The small edge in the bottom of the slot measures 0.31 mm.
At the point of this blend in the original model there is a sliver face with area of 0.0011 mm2 and a
gap between the edge endpoints at the bottom of 0.027 mm.
These faces appear to meet at a common vertex in the back corner. There is actually a triangular
sliver face, or blind hole, that plunges deep into the model.
In the wireframe view, the arrow indicates where the back corner is perceived to be. The
highlighted edges line the sides of a triangular shaft. Two sides of the shaft are 0.27 mm wide
while the third is only 0.051 mm wide. The sharp angle between the side faces is 11.0 deg. The
area of the face at the bottom is only 0.0076 mm2.

Two Triangular Sliver Faces
These features appear to form clean intersections. The top cylindrical feature and the rectangular
feature below it actually have a microscopic fillet between them (indicated by the arrow on the left
image).
The left and right highlighted faces on the image on the right have areas of only 0.21 and 0.36
mm2, respectively. Their widest point is 0.26 mm.
Three Rectangular Sliver Faces
A pin-sized feature is formed by a notch in the profile used to define the support features across
this channel. The notch is formed by three lines that do not meet at a common point. The width
2
of the narrow region is 0.02 mm. The three faces have areas between 0.05 and 0.08 mm .

Composite Sliver Face
This corner appears to be well-defined. There is actually a microscopic sliver face hidden along
the vertical edge of this corner (indicated by the arrow in the left image).
The highlighted face (in the right image) has an area of only 0.0030 mm2. It has two edges that
meet at an angle of 1.0 deg at the bottom. The top is trimmed by an edge with a length 0.010 mm.
The narrow face in the original model is twisted on itself to form two razor-sharp edges: the short
edge in the front and the left curved fillet edge in the back.
Small Interior Face
The smallest faces are part of the fillets on the inside of this feature. This is a rectangular sliver
face.

Pinched Narrow Region
The bottom of this model on either side of this rib is defined by a single, continuous face that is
pinched by the curved end of this rib against the side of the rib along the upper left of this image.
This cylindrical protrusion appears to divide the large fillet surface at the bottom into two faces,
one on either side. It severely pinches this fillet.
The fillet face is pinched down to only 0.028 mm at the location indicated by the arrow in the right
image.

Rectangular Narrow Region
The corners of the rounded rectangular features (indicated by the arrow in the left image) appear
to meet. They actually have a small, incomplete fillet between them.
The fillet is a small extension of the light-color feature above (indicated by the arrow in the right
image). It does not extend all the way down, but stops short forming a triangular sliver face
(highlighted). The area of this face is 0.022 mm2 and its depth is only 0.13 mm.
Ramp Face
This fillet has one double-sided and two single-sided triangular sliver faces. These can be
problematic for analysis.

Sliver Pointed Edge
The bottom face of this rectangular feature (highlighted on the left) has a sliver appendage that
extends out underneath the knife-edge along the right side.
The sliver appendage starts at a width of 0.13 mm and tapers down to a point.
Rectangular Volume Appendages
This is a wafer-thin piece of material extending down from the part. It is precisely defined with five
2
planar faces. The smallest along the bottom has an area of 0.16 mm . It is 0.078 mm wide. This
is created by a missing fillet (at the top) that causes the solid to be re-limited down to the lower,
right surface (underneath).

Two Pointed Narrow Regions
There are three edges that define the boundary of this end - two along the top and one along the
bottom. The two on the left come together at an angle of 0.0 degrees. The two on the right come
within 0.018 mm of each other at the location indicated by the arrow.

Narrow Step
This diagnostic looks at all the problems identified with the Narrow Region diagnostic to see if any
of them include an offset among three faces. The offset represents a step and creates severe
problems for all downstream applications.
The symbol F is used if the problem is a portion of a face. The symbol S is used if the problem is
the entire face.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Narrow Step diagnostic include:

• Define smooth edge angle limits (-90 to 90 deg)

Examples
Examples of problems found using Narrow Step diagnostic includes:
• Narrow Step
• Pinched Narrow Step
• Rectangular Sliver Face Step
• Triangular Sliver Face Step
• Sliver Pointed Narrow Step
• Sliver Appendage
• Knife Edges
• Pinched Narrow Step
Narrow Step
Rather than transitioning smoothly into the face next to it, the left side of this triangular face has a
narrow step. The length of the edge at the bottom, and therefore the width of this step, is only
0.013 mm. The angle between the two edges at the top is only 6.2 degrees. The width of this
narrow step is roughly uniform all the way up.
Narrow steps can cause problems for analysis and data exchange. While they may not delay
rapid prototyping or NC programming, they can cause slight flaws to be produced in physical parts
based on this CAD model.

Pinched Narrow Step
The arched protrusion in the middle appears to divide the side of the model into two faces. The
side of the model is actually a continuous face that is pinched underneath this protrusion
(indicated by the arrow) to form a narrow step.
The side face is pinched down to 0.05 mm by the edges around the protrusion. The pinched area
of this side face forms a narrow step that runs between the bottom of the protrusion and the
bottom of the model.
The top surface of this shelf appears to be divided into two faces by this vertical support. It is
actually a single face that is severely pinched.
The top face of the shelf is pinched down to only 0.08 mm

There is one face that defines the top surface of these ribs. While the upper left protrusion
appears to divide this face, it actually is pinching it at the left corner (indicated by the arrow in the
left image) and along the front to the right corner.
The top rib face gets pinched down to only 0.05 mm at the corner indicated by the arrow and
along the front of the protrusion -- starting in the upper right corner of the right image.
The planar surface at the bottom of this oval slot (indicated by the arrow on the left image)
appears to be divided into four faces, two on the sides and two on the ends.
The highlighted edges of the inner slot pinch the planar face down to only 0.17 mm (indicated by
the arrow on the right image). This problem is found at each of the four corners of this inner slot.
This round appears to be divided into two faces by the oval-shaped hole. There is actually a single
face that defines the round and it is pinched by the top outer edges of this hole.
This edge pinches the round face down to 0.15 mm. The same problem occurs on the opposite
side of the hole.

Rectangular Sliver Face Step
This diagnostic identified a small collapsed face with an area of only 0.00008 mm2 that meets the
vertical face at a right angle. The length of this edge is 0.00014.
The profile for this feature (symmetric side of part) does not have a gap and thus forms a clean
corner when extruded.
Triangular Sliver Face Step
The lower blend on the left ends just 0.4 mm from the corner. The resulting sliver face has an
2
area of 0.0067 mm and forms a narrow step. The length of the smallest edge is 0.053 mm.

This triangular sliver face has an area of only 0.025 mm2. The sharp angle between the left two
edges is 1.4 deg. The length of the edge along the right side is 0.16 mm.
This triangular-shaped fillet does not run completely along this intersection. Instead it ends here
with a face that has an area of only 0.55 mm2. The distance across the face of this triangular fillet
is 0.40 mm, between the bottom and top edges.
Features as small as this micro-fillet can cause problems for analysis and data exchange.
Sliver Pointed Narrow Step
The shelf face (indicated by the arrow in the left image) appears to have a clean boundary with the
pocket on the right end. It actually has a sliver appendage that forms a narrow step cutting into
this pocket.

The sliver appendage starts with a width of only 0.12 mm (indicated by the arrow in the right
image) and tapers down to a sharp angle of 0.81 deg. Because the shelf face is perpendicular to
the back face of the pocket, this sliver appendage forms a narrow step along the back face.
Sliver Appendage
There are three edges that define the boundary of this end--two along the top and one along the
bottom. The two on the left come together at an angle of 0.0 degrees. The two on the right come
within 0.018 mm of each other at the location indicated by the arrow.
Knife Edges
The angle between this sliver face and the outer side is 359.6 deg. This creates a razor-sharp
knife-edge between these two faces.

Pinched Narrow Step
The top of this circular support appears to divide the wall it is attached to into two faces, one on
either side. There is actually a single face on the side of this wall that is severely pinched by the
top of this support.
The face is continuous between both sides of the support. It is pinched down to only 0.018 mm by
the edges of the support.

Non-Tangent Edges
This diagnostic looks for adjacent edges where they come together but are not tangent - where
they are suppose to be smooth, but are not. Any time you have non-tangent edges, you get a hard
line.
The symbols used to indicate this type of problem are A at the vertex, and E and E at the edge
midpoints.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Non-Tangent Edges diagnostic
include:


Non-Tangent Faces
This diagnostic looks for adjacent faces where they come together but are not tangent - where
they are suppose to be smooth, but are not. Any time you have non-tangent faces, you get a hard
line.
The symbols used to indicate this type of problem are A at the point of non-tangency on the edge
and F on the midpoint of the face.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Over-Used Vertex diagnostic
include:


Examples
Examples of problems found using Non-Tangent Faces diagnostic includes:
• Hard Lines
Hard Lines
The fillet around the base of this boss is tangent to the lower face but not the side of the boss.
The angle around this upper edge is 20 deg. This forms a “hard line” that causes problems during
casting.

Sharp Edge Angle
This diagnostic finds pairs of edges with very sharp angles between them. Sometimes these are
part of sliver appendages or sliver faces.
The symbols used to indicate this type of problem are: A displayed on the shared vertex of the
two edges, E displayed on the midpoint on the first edge, and an E displayed on the midpoint on
the second edge. Both edges are highlighted.
The diagnostic measures the angle (0 <= angle <= 180 degrees) between two edges, evaluated at
the parameter values corresponding to the common vertex shared by the two edges. These are
absolute values. If the CAD system does not explicitly provide trimming parameters corresponding
to the vertex, parameters are determined by projecting the position of the vertex onto the two
associated untrimmed edge curves.

The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Sharp Edge Angle diagnostic
include:


Sharp Face Angle
This diagnostic finds pairs of faces with cracks or fins (knife-edges) between them. The symbols
used to indicate this type of problem are: A displayed on the shared edge where the tangency
violation occurs, an F displayed on the midpoint on the first face, and an F displayed on the
midpoint on the second face.
When two faces form a crack, you’ll often get tangent angles between edges. This diagnostic
determines the minimum angle between them. It catches angles that are too small (approaching 0
degrees) or too big (approaching 360 degrees). For example, it will catch faces that form a crack
or a spike or a fillet fin as shown in the following image.
This diagnostic also detects cracks or knife edges.

The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Sharp Face Angle diagnostic
include:


Examples
Examples of problems found using the Sharp Face Angle diagnostic includes:
• Strut Fin
• Interior Crack Behind Rib
• Fillet Fin
• Dangling Support
• Narrow Step
• Narrow Slot
• Knife Edges
• Undercut Protrusion
• Zig-Zap Crack
• Triangular Crack
• Sliver Crack
• Interior Crack
• Interior Face Crack
• Self Intersection with Sharp Angles
Strut Fin
The razor-sharp edge is between this outer strut face and a sliver face on the back side. It slightly
invades into the cutout.

Interior Crack Behind Rib
This rib appears to be joined to the side wall. There is actually a thin crack between the end of the
rib and the side wall (indicated by the arrow in the left image).
The wireframe view shows the base of the crack (indicated by the arrow). The angle between the
rib’s end face and the side wall is 9.5 deg.
Fillet Fin
This identifies extreme angles that are less than 40 deg or greater than 320 deg.
Viewing the slot from this side shows the fillet actually protrudes up into the path of the slot
creating a razor sharp edge.

Dangling Support
This triangular support (indicated by the arrow in the left image) appears to be joined to the base
of the model. It actually is dangling out over the rectangular hole below it.
The highlighted top and bottom faces meet at a sharp angle of 342 deg at the left end (indicated
by the arrow in the right image).
Narrow Step
Rather than transitioning smoothly into the face next to it, the left side of this triangular face has a
narrow step. The length of the edge at the bottom, and therefore the width of this narrow step, is
only 0.013 mm. The angle between the two edges at the top is only 6.2 degrees. The width of this
narrow step is roughly uniform all the way up.
Narrow steps can cause problems for analysis and data exchange. While they may not delay
rapid prototyping or NC programming, they can cause slight flaws to be produced in physical parts
based on this CAD model.

Narrow Slot
In the far corner of the inset in the image on the left, the three faces do not meet. Instead they
continue into the model to form a narrow step as shown in the wireframe view.
The front angle is 11.0 deg. The small edge in the bottom of the slot measures 0.31 mm.
Knife Edges
The angle between this sliver face and the outer side is 359.6 deg. This creates a razor-sharp
knife-edge between these two faces.

Undercut Protrusion
This circular protrusion (indicated by the arrow in the left image) appears to blend into the round
face. It actually is undercut by this round face and extends out over the round.
The angle between the round face and the bottom face of this protrusion (indicated by the arrow in
the right image) is 0.0 deg.
Zig-Zag Crack
This crack is deepest in the front and tapers off toward the back. It stops at an edge indicated by
the arrow.
Zig-zag cracks cause solid mesh generation to fail.

Triangular Crack
There are three faces inside this triangular crack. The angle between the left two is 0.22 deg. The
angle between the right pair is 0.00 deg. This diagnostic identifies pairs of faces with near-zero
angles between them.
Sliver Crack
The back face extends down into the model behind the fillet face. The angle at the bottom of this
crack where the arrow is indicating measures 0.0 degrees.

Interior Crack
This protrusion (indicated by the arrow in the left image) appears to be completely joined to the
side of the model. There is actually an interior crack all down the back side between this
protrusion and the side of the model.
A very narrow crack starts at the top of the protrusion (indicated by the arrow in the right image)
and extends all the way down the back side. The angle between the faces on the sides of this
crack is only 3.0 deg.
Interior Face Crack
Two pairs of faces are highlighted in the wireframe view. Each pair of faces are exactly alike and
virtually on top of each other. The cracks formed by these faces go all the way through the solid
from the front to the back.

Self Intersection with Sharp Angles
These features appear to come close together with a tight space between them. They actually just
barely intersect at the location indicated by the arrow between the highlighted faces (lower
cylindrical and vertical round facts).
The angle between these highlighted faces is a sharp 6.7 deg.

Short Edge
This diagnostic finds edges that are too small to be realistic. The symbol used to indicate this type
of problem is an L displayed on the edge midpoint.
The diagnostic measures the length of all edges in the model. The length equals the distance
between the start vertex and the end vertex on the edge curve. If the CAD system does not
explicitly provide trimming parameters corresponding to the vertices, the parameters are
determined by projecting the positions of the vertices onto the untrimmed edge curve.
This diagnostic is often combined with Small Face diagnostic. In and of themselves, edge lengths
are not always a problem, but in combination with several edge lengths, or in combination with a
small face area, it may be an indicator of a problem.
The first image in the figure below is a problem mostly for FEM. If the edge is too small, but it’s
the only one on the face, it may not be able to be meshed. Some systems would say that the edge
is too small and cannot exist. The second image is a small face problem and the third is a
fragmentation problem.

The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Short Edge diagnostic include:

Examples
Examples of problems found using the Short Edge diagnostic includes:
• Tiny Edges with Gaps

• Isolated Short Edges
• Microscopic Edge
Tiny Edges with Gaps
The edge in the image on the right is a magnified view of the edge circled on the image on the left.
The length of this edge is only 0.096 mm. This is less than the default modeling tolerance of most
CAD systems.

Isolated Short Edges
The length of this edge is 0.12 mm. This is barely above the default modeling tolerance for most
CAD systems. There are no extreme gaps or other diagnostic measurements associated with this
tiny edge.
Microscopic Edge
The faces in this complex blend appear to be bounded by edges of reasonable length. One of
them actually has a microscopic edge in its boundary.
The highlighted edge in the right image is part of the boundary of the left face. It has a length of
only 0.0042 mm which appears smaller than the gaps between these unsewn faces.

Small Edge Rad of Curvature
This diagnostic finds edges with small kinks or bends in them where their radius of curvature is
unrealistically small. Identifies the point of largest radius of curvature along a given edge. The
symbol used to indicate this type of problem is an R displayed at the point of the small radius of
curvature.
The diagnostic looks for the maximum curvature along a model space curve that is used by an
edge.
The radius of curvature diagnostic samples points along a curve. At each of the sampling points,
CAD/IQ measure the curvature and reports the highest value for each curve. Where the curvature
is high, it samples more points, and where the curvature is low, it samples fewer points. High
curvature means that the curve is bending very quickly with a small radius of curvature. CAD/IQ
finds the place along the curve with the smallest radius of curvature value. This is where the curve
has a kink. A curve with a kink in it has a very small radius of curvature. This is the kind of
problem this diagnostic will find.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Small Edge Rad of Curvature
diagnostic include:


Examples
Examples of problems found using the Small Edge Rad of Curvature diagnostic includes:
• Composite Edge
• High Curvature Blend Edge
Composite Edge
The radius of curvature in the corner of this composite edge is 23 rad/mm (0.043 mm radius of
curvature).
Because the edge is not segmented into two edges at this corner, these four faces may be
impossible to sew into a single sheet body. Many downstream applications are relying on solid or
single sheet body models and would be delayed by any sewing problems.
High Curvature Blend Edge
The edge that divides this blend from top to bottom has a small segment (highlighted) with the
local radius of curvature).
Edges with high curvature can cause problems for manufacturing and data exchange.

Small Face
This diagnostic finds faces with a small area. The symbol used to indicate this type of problem is
an A displayed on the small face midpoint.
The diagnostic measures the area of the trimmed portion of any surface on which a face is
defined. It evaluates all faces in the model whether they are independent or not.
Traditional rectangular faces are not usually a problem. Faces with an interior loop account for the
faces minus the area of the hole. This diagnostic also looks for problems with closed faces and
multi-sided polygons with complex boundaries.
Revolved drawings can begin as a profile with nice fillets and end up as sliver faces after you
revolve it. If you change the parameters, they may shrink down to where they are nothing more
than points. If you still revolve it, you’ll get a sliver face that has almost zero area.

The following sliver appendage is an area that would not be identified by the face area diagnostic
because it has a large face area. On the triangular sliver faces, there are several other
diagnostics that would catch these problems.
Small Face is a good diagnostic when you have triangular sliver faces or when you have closed
faces where the boundaries are getting arbitrarily close to each other. The Small Face diagnostic
is beneficial with the closed faces because it is the only diagnostic that identifies this. In the closed
face, there are no small edges and no edge to edge tangent angles.
The parameters you can set on the Configuration Editor for the Small Face diagnostic include:


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Version 3.

Who should use this manual? 9

How is this book organized? 9

Intended Uses of CAD/IQ 13

What Problems Does CAD/IQ Address? 13

What Files are Created 14

Open your Model 16

Chapter 4. Setting Preferences 19

Select Configuration File 20

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 2

Analysis Message Output 21

Analysis File Reminder 21

Listing Preference Settings 23

Saving and Reading Preference File 23

Chapter 5. Creating a Configuration File 24

Chapter 6. Analyzing your Model 34

Analyzing Your Model in Batch Mode 36

Chapter 7. Using the Diagnostic Panel 37

Chapter 8. Using the CATIA View Function 38

The FILE Menu 39

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 3

The PANEL Menu 40

The DISPLAY Menu 41

The SELECT Menu 42

The GEOMETRY Menu 43

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 4

Context Sensitive Help 49

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 5

Chapter 11. Diagnostics 53

Large Edge Gap 56

Configuration Editor Parameters 58

Large Vertex Gap 60

Configuration Editor Parameters 61

Configuration Editor Parameters 66

Configuration Editor Parameters 67

Configuration Editor Parameters 69

Configuration Editor Parameters 71

Reversed Edge on Curve 72

Configuration Editor Parameters 73

Reversed Edge in Loop 75

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 6

Reversed Face Normals 77

Configuration Editor Parameters 78

Configuration Editor Parameters 79

Configuration Editor Parameters 81

Configuration Editor Parameters 90

Configuration Editor Parameters 98

Configuration Editor Parameters 99

Sharp Edge Angle 101

Configuration Editor Parameters 102

Sharp Face Angle 103

Configuration Editor Parameters 104

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 7

Configuration Editor Parameters 114

Small Edge Rad of Curvature 116

Configuration Editor Parameters 116

Small Face 118

Configuration Editor Parameters 119

CAD/IQ CATIA User’s Guide 8

Who should use this manual?

This manual is designed for two types of users:

• A 3D CAD user who is interested in identifying downstream problems caused by

How is this book organized?