Opening Existing Documents

• Using File > Open
• Using Insert > Existing Component
• Using Start > Documents on Windows
• Using Windows Explorer or My Computer (Windows) or the File Manager (UNIX)
• Dragging and dropping a document icon
• Using the Open in New Window contextual command
• Using the Open the Pointed Document contextual command.

What you should know before you start
 

• Dassault Systèmes guarantees upward compatibility for Version 5 data.
• As far as downward compatibility is concerned, V5 data can be reused from one service pack to another, provided that they belong to the same release. If the V5 data does not belong to the same release, they can still be reused in case of .CATPart documents but this implies the use of a specific process detailed in Running the Downward Compatibility Batch.
• You cannot open a document created using V5 if its name contains national characters or forbidden special characters. For a reminder, refer to About Filenames.
• When a .CATPart document containing a Sheet Metal Design feature is open on a configuration level (i.e. P1, P2 or P3) lower than the level on which the feature was created, all the icons of all the workbenches available in your configuration are grayed out. This may also occur when working with Generative Shape Design or Part Design features.
• You must not use an external application (such as your operating system) to delete on disk a file that is currently open is V5. If you do so, no error message will be issued by V5. But if V5 needs to access this file afterwards to read additional data, this data will not be accessible in session and the save operation will fail.

Accessing V4 data

To access V4 data such as V4 models, PROJECT files and library objects on Windows or UNIX or access CDMA objects on UNIX, you can do so provided that you purchase the V4 Integration product.

V4 models, PROJECT files or library objects residing on UNIX can be accessed from Windows using the http protocol. Make sure beforehand that an http server has been installed on the computer where the V4 data resides. 

The address to be specified can be something like this:

http://UNIXserver: port/V4datalocation

Using File > Open

1. Click Open in the Standard toolbar or select File > Open (or press CTRL+O).
   The File Selection dialog box appears.

   Depending on the document environments you allowed in the Document settings, an additional window might appear simultaneously to let you access your documents using an alternate method. For detailed information, refer to Opening Existing Documents Using the Browse Window.

2. In the File Selection dialog box, select the file location.

   The last selected path is stored in preference files (which are identified by the suffix *.CATPreferences, and are created in the same location as settings, referenced by the CATUserSettingPath variable). This means that the last selected path is kept from one session to another and next time you access the File Selection dialog box, this path will be the default.

3. Click the Files of type: list and select the document type.

   The list of document types you can open depends on the configurations/products installed and for which you have a license. Note: On UNIX workstations, the File Selection dialog box lets you sort your files by date or size. This dialog box also lets you rename or delete the selected file or folder by right-clicking it then selecting Rename or Delete. After clicking Delete, a confirmation dialog box appears: click OK to delete the selected item. When renaming a file or folder, if the new name you entered is already used, the item is not renamed and a warning message is displayed. The following list contains all possible document types (in alphabetical order): All Bitmap Files Lets you browse raster formats (more than 70 formats are supported) from within a session, without having to use another application. See also Opening and Importing 2D Graphics Formats - Raster. All CATIA V4 Files Lets you open V4 documents such as .model, .session or .library files. All CATIA V5 Files Lets you open V5 documents such as .catalog or .CATAnalysis files, for example. All CATIA CAA Files Lets you browse CAA files such as .CAABsk or .CAADoc files. All Standard Files Lets you browse files such as .igs, .wrl, .step or .stp files. All Vector Files Lets you browse files such as .cgm, .gl, .gl2 or .hpgl files. See also Opening and Importing 2D Graphics Formats - Vector. 3dmap Lets you browse 3dmap (i.e. spacemap representation) files. Note that you cannot open these files on AIX platforms. 3dxml Lets you import files in 3D XML format. Opening a 3D XML file in a CATIA session is seen as an importation. When you open a 3D XML document, a Version 5 product structure is built in memory. Before opening files in 3D XML format, note that: If the 3D XML document you open contains EXACT geometry, then the geometry is automatically converted in TESSELLATED geometry. If the 3D XML document you open contains background color information and its version is prior to 3D XML v4, the corresponding background color will override any settings and be applied. Dynamic tessellation can only be applied to CATParts in design mode. If you try to apply a dynamic tessellation to a CATPart in visualization mode or to a CATProduct linked to a CGR, a V4 document or to any other non-Version 5 document, the static tessellation is used instead and a warning message is displayed. When opening a 3D XML file containing a dynamic tessellation in Version 5, the dynamic tessellation is converted to a static tessellation in memory for compatibility reasons. Therefore, dynamic level of details is not available in Version 5 but you can still benefit from the file size enhancement. Dynamic level of details is only available in 3D Live and 3D XML Player. Textured materials are not yet supported on dynamic tessellation. Including a 3D XML document in VPM/PSN using "as copy from" does not load the 3D XML contents in Version 5. When inserting a 3D XML file within an existing CATProduct, if a conflict occurs at the level of CATProduct's part number name, the name representing the 3D XML file may be wrong (CATProductxxx.CATProduct). Hide/Show and graphic properties on root are not supported in 3D XML format. If a non-leaf node contains a geometrical representation, then its sub-assembly is not visualized. R17 SP5 V4 3D XML files cannot be read in prior releases or service pack levels. When a 3D XML document has been imported (using the File > Open command), it can be saved into a .CATProduct or exported to .3dxml file (using the File > Save As command). Refer to Saving Documents In Other Formats for more information. Some settings dedicated to 3D XML are also provided in the 3D XML tab to let you define options such as the export accuracy or the visualization format. act Lets you browse process libraries which contain a number of different classes or types of activities interactively defined by the user. For more information, refer to "Managing a Process Document with Process Libraries" in the DELMIA - DPM Process Planner User's Guide. asm  V4 Assembly Modeling document saved as an Assembly Design document i.e. CATProduct. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Assembly Design User's Guide. bdf Allegro specific format. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Circuit Board Design User's Guide. brd Mentor Graphics specific format. catalog Catalog documents. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Component Catalog Editor User's Guide. CATAnalysis Analysis document. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Generative Structural Analysis User's Guide. CATDrawing Generative Drafting or Interactive Drafting document. For more information about the Generative Drafting and Interactive Drafting workbenches, refer to the Version 5 - Generative Drafting User's Guide and Version 5 - Interactive Drafting User's Guide. CATfct Feature Dictionary and Business Knowledge Template files. Refer to the Feature Dictionary Editor documentation and to the Version 5 - Business Process Knowledge Template User's Guide. CATMaterial Material library. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Real Time Rendering User's Guide. CATPart  Part Design document. For more information about the Part Design workbench, refer to the Version 5 - Part Design User's Guide. CATProcess  Process document. For more information, see the Version 5 - Prismatic Machining User's Guide. CATProduct  Assembly Design document. For more information about the Assembly workbench, refer to the Version 5 - Assembly Design User's Guide . CATShape Physical shape of the part. CATShape files can be exported to STEP or 3D IGES. Only available with a license for one of the following products: CNA, EQT, HGR, HVA, PIP, RCD, TUB, WAV. For more information, refer to "Managing Shapes" in the Version 5 - Product Structure User's Guide. CATSystem Functional system management file. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Product Function Definition and Version 5 - Product Function Optimization User's Guides. CATSwl Document containing manikin attributes pointed to by a catalog description (.catalog). "Swl" stands for "Safework Library Files". For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Human Builder User's Guide. cdd CATIA-CADAM file. cgm ANSI/ISO standardized platform-independent format used for the interchange of vector and bitmap data. dxf/dwg Autocad DXF and DWG formats. Creates a CATDrawing document. For more information, refer to "Exporting a CATDrawing into a DXF/DWG File" in the Version 5 - Data Exchange Interface User's Guide. idf Document generated by an IDF application. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - Circuit Board Design User's Guide. ig2 2D IGES file, saved as a CATDrawing document. For more information, refer to "Importing a 2D IGES File into a CATDrawing" in the Version 5 - Data Exchange Interface User's Guide. igs IGES file saved as a Part Design document, i.e. a .CATPart document. For more information, refer to "2D IGES Interface" and the "3D IGES Interface" in the Version 5 - Data Exchange Interface User's Guide. jpg Lets you browse JPEG files from within a session, without having to use another application. library V4 library document storing objects such as details, symbols, NC mill and lathe tools and beam sections. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - V4 Integration User's Guide. model V4 model document. For more information about the V4 Integration workbench, refer to the Version 5 - V4 Integration User's Guide. pdb PDB files. picture Lets you browse CATIA Version 4 picture files from within a Version 5 session. ps Lets you browse PS (PostScript) and EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) documents. Before opening a .eps document, you need to rename it with the extension ".ps". Note that to be able to modify a .ps document, you need to import it in the Drafting workbench using Tools > Import External Format: this converts the document to a Drafting object which can then be edited and saved as a .CATDrawing document. rgb SGI format for pixel images. session V4 session document containing several CATIA V4 models converted to a CATProduct document. For more information about the V4 Integration workbench, refer to the Version 5 - V4 Integration User's Guide. step, STEP, stp and STP Creates a CATProduct document. For more information, refer to "Importing a STEP AP203 Document" in the Version 5 - Data Exchange Interfaces User's Guide. stl Lets you browse stereolithography documents. For more information, refer to the Version 5 - STL Rapid Prototyping User's Guide and to "Exporting CATPart Data to an STL File" in the Version 5 - Data Exchange Interfaces User's Guide. svg Lets you open documents in SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. By default, .svg documents open in the DMU 2D Viewer workbench but you can import them as an image in a Drafting sheet via Insert > Picture, or as a Drafting entity via  Tools > Import External Format. For more information on these commands, refer to the Version 5 - Generative Drafting User's Guide. tdg and TDG STRIM/STYLER files tif Lets you browse TIFF files from within a Version 5 session, without having to use another application. wrl Lets you browse VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) files. Note that you cannot open these files on AIX platforms.

4. If you are sure you do not intend to modify the document in any way, you may want to open the document in read-only mode. If so, select the Open as read-only check box.

   The Open as read-only option is intended for preventing users from overwriting a document accidentally: when this option is activated for a document, you can read this document in your Version 5 session but you cannot save it unless you change the document path (by selecting another folder or accessing another document environment) or the document name (by entering another name in the File name box). However, keep in mind that this option does not supersede access right management functionality provided by your operating system. When opening a document pointing to other documents with the Open as read-only check box selected, the read-only mode only applies to the selected root document. The pointed documents are loaded in read-write mode and might be loaded independently from the root document.

5. Click Open.

   In case an error occurs when opening a file (e.g. unknown document name, non-supported file format, corrupted file, etc.), an Incident Report window opens. It displays the error history and indicates for each error its type, object and description. This history is maintained throughout the whole session, the errors being classified by degree of severity.

Using the Insert > Existing Component... Command

This command is only available in DMU Navigator. Refer to "Setting Up Your Session" and "Inserting Components" in the Version 5 - DMU Navigator User's Guide.
 

Using the Start > Documents Command on Windows

1. Before you open a session, click Start and select Documents.

2. Select the document you want to open.

   A Version 5 session is opened and your document is displayed.

Using the Windows Explorer or My Computer (on Windows) or the File Manager (UNIX)

1. Before you open a session, click My Computer or run the Windows Explorer and find the location of the document you wish to open.

2. Double-click the document icon.

   A Version 5 session is opened and your document is displayed. On UNIX, you can use the File Manager.

Dragging and Dropping a Document Icon

• If a Version 5 session is already open, drag and drop the icon in your Version 5 application window.

Using the Open in New Window Contextual Command

1. If a document is already open in a Version 5 session, select the item you wish to open from the specification tree.

2. Right-click then select xxx object > Open in New Window.

   The document associated to the selected item is opened in a new window.

More about the Open in New Window command
 

• In CATIA V5, each window is associated to a document. As far as volatile documents are concerned, they cannot be opened using Open in New Window (an error message is issued). For instance, you cannot open in a new CATIA V5 window a Product Root Class created in ENOVIA V5 because a "PRC" is an ENOVIA V5 concept which has no equivalent in CATIA V5.
• If you modify a document open in a new window then decide not to save the modification when closing the new window, this does not imply that the modification will not appear in the parent window: it only means that the document will not be saved at the end of the session.
  The reason is that the modification you made has been loaded in memory. Therefore, after closing the new window, the only way to restore the document in the parent window is to use the Undo command.
   

Using the Open the Pointed Document Contextual Command

1. If a document is already open in a Version 5 session, select the item pointing to a
   referenced document from the specification tree.

   This command is available for geometrical external references and external parameters only. For instance, you can use this command when selecting a geometry pasted "As Result With Link" in a CATPart document different from the one in which it has been copied (the geometry is identified by the following symbol: ).

2. Right-click then select xxx object > Open the Pointed Document.

   The document pointed to by the selected item is opened in a new window.