Soft Typing CAD Documents

In CATIA V5 you can create restricted value parameters that use definitions from a restriction definition file. The restriction definition file defines the parameter name, type, value, range of values and a default. This feature is useful because it allows you to set an attribute for a specific object-type, and then set a specific range of acceptable values.

The Windchill counterpart to restricted value parameters is the soft typing feature. Soft typing is accessible through the Type and Attribute Management utility and allows to add constraints (such as a value or range of values) to an instance-based attribute. Additionally you can use the Type and Attribute Management utility to add attributes to the EPMDocument type and its soft types: both the CAD document and dynamic document (Arbortext document) soft types

For CAD documents, there is one system-provided soft type, the CAD Document, that an administrator can modify to add attributes that can have different values for each iteration of the of the object that an administrator can modify. This soft type cannot be deleted. It can also be subtyped. Additional soft types are related to CAD Documents:

Attributes added to this soft type have only one value for all iterations.

Changing the value of an attribute on a CAD Document Master soft type changes that value for all iterations.

Attributes that are added to this soft type are specific to the use of an iteration of an object. For example, if there are four bolts of the same type (bolt.prt) in an assembly, and each bolt needs to be tightened to a specific torque, you can add torque to the Uses Link soft type and then apply a different value to each occurrence of the bolt in the assembly. (In contrast, if you add this attribute to the CAD Document soft type instead, then all bolts in all assemblies would have the same torque wherever they are used.)

Attributes that are added to this soft type apply to reference links (again, not to the document itself).

The term “flexible” soft typing refers to the ability to specify certain CAD document types or subtypes be created when a CAD model is initially checked into Windchill. Combined with the ability to specify what Windchill part soft type is created auto association (based on the CAD document sub type), it streamlines the process of attribute segmentation among appropriate sub types.

For example, with administrative privileges you can access the Type and Attribute Management utility, select the CAD Document subtype, and using a right-mouse-button command create a new subtype for the CAD Document subtype.