Tapio.Hellman++at++seamk.fi
Date: 05/05/2005 06:57:12
Hi, Performers!
Here is the description of our problem:
We would like to visualize large CATIA V5R14 models in our CAVE running SGI Onyx4 with 6 pipes and 14G of memory, which should be quite enough for even large models. Since CATIA Enovia DMU Review is not yet certified on Onyx4 and out Walkinside CATIA converter is not working properly i just thought that visualizing CATIA model with Performer based apps like Saranav might save us. Exporting these CATIA models to VRML files is not a solution, since these models are quite large and the way round objects are handled in VRML output is so poor for realtime visualization. VRML files just fill up with thousands of useless polygons, which crowd the OpenGL pipes and we get a frame rate of 0,1 seconds or even worse with VRScape or COVER, which can read VRML models. So we must find a better file format for realtime visualization of large models. If Performer Fast Binary pfb may tesselate these round objects in more sensible way, we might be able to use Saranav or COVER for the visualization.
There has been a CATIA V4 to Performer Fast Binary format converter cat2pfb (http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/tpl/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?coll=0650&db=man&fname=/usr/share/catman/u_man/cat1/Performer_demo/cat2pfb.z) since Performer 3.1, but after converting out CATIA V5 CATProducts to CATIA V4 models, I found out that since CATIA V4 is not installed in our IRIX system (CATIA V5R14 is), the converter does not work. First error message was "Missing STEPLIB environment variable" and when I "fixed" that the second message was "Missing SYMLIB". It seems that CATIA V4 or at least some parts of it must be installed, as it is said in the document http://www.sgi.com/products/software/performer/faq.html#14.
My questions are:
Which parts of CATIA V4 must be there in order to be able to run the converter?
If we are able to get those library files needed from Dassault Systemes (which might be a problem since we do not have a license for V4 but only to V5), will the converter ever run on Onyx4, which is not (yet?) a certified platform for CATIA?
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Terveisin / Best Regards Puh/Tel 020 124 4914 Tapio Hellman, Laboratory Engineer
Tapio Hellman, laboratorioinsinööri GSM/Mobile 040 830 4157 Seinäjoki Polytechnic
Seinäjoen Ammattikorkeakoulu Fax 020 124 4909 School of ICT, Information Technology
ICT-yksikkö, Tietotekniikka tapio.hellman++at++seamk.fi Kampusranta 9, FIN-60320 SEINÄJOKI
Kampusranta 9, 60320 SEINÄJOKI http://www.seamk.fi FINLAND
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