How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

BillH · 2009-08-26 23:27:51

Some of you may know that VERICUT 7.0 is capable of reading an NX part file directly, rather than converting it to STL externally first. In VERICUT 7.0 you simply open a "model file", same as you would an STL file, and choose a file with extension ".prt".

A few pre-requisites need to be met before you can use this new feature.

. NX 5 or 6 is installed on the same computer you are running VERICUT on.
. The following NX licenses are needed: gateway, cam_base, assemblies, adv_assemblies
. An NX-to-VERICUT interface license (from CGTech) is needed
. The environment variables UGII_BASE_DIR and UGII_ROOT_DIR are set. These are usually setup by the NX installation.
. The folder pointed to by UGII_ROOT_DIR is in your excecution path (i.e. is in your Windows "path" environment variable). You can do this either by modifying path in your Windows envionment variable settings, or by editing the path setting in vericut.bat.
. The VERICUT platform (Windows 32 or 64 bit) you are running matches the NX platform you are running. For example, if you are on Windows XP64 using the 64 bit version of NX, then you must use the 64 bit version of VERICUT. You cannot mix 32 and 64 bit versions of VERICUT and NX.

When the NX part file is opened a list of available parts displays in a pop-up dialog. Select the part you want to add to VERICUT.

Svante · 2009-08-27 08:10:39

Hi,

Can you explain the last two prerequisites a bit more please?
Is vericut.bat the only file to be edited?

Thanks!

Best regards,

Svante

BillH · 2009-08-27 18:25:20

Sure.

The environment variables UGII_BASE_DIR and UGII_ROOT_DIR are environment variables set in your Windows system environment by the NX installation. They point to the base folder(top level of the NX installation folder), and the root folder (actual place the NX executables exist) of an NX installation. You probably don't need to mess with them, but they need to be present.

The Windows "path" environment variable needs to contain the folder path to where UGII_ROOT_DIR points. There are two different ways (well, probably more than two ways) you can do this.

1. Modify your Windows environment by setting the "path" environment variable to: %UGII_ROOT_DIR%;%PATH%
2. Edit 'vericut.bat' in the commands folder and change the line that begins "set path=" to:
set path=%UGII_ROOT_DIR%;%CGTECH_PRODUCTS%\vericut;%CGTECH_PRODUCTS%\license;%PATH%

Bill

Svante · 2009-08-28 12:12:20

It worked!

Thanks.

BillH · 2009-09-01 16:32:13

Thanks for having a look at it Svante.

Of course, we subsequently discovered a problem when reading the VERICUT project file back in. Any referenced NX models do not open automatically. DOH! This is now fixed in 7.0.1 internal development version.

Rodrigo · 2009-09-23 12:03:51

Hi Bill!

Just a question about this new capability:

Will the NX-to-Vericut Interface be able to reference PRT files instead of creating STL models? I believe with this new feature, there's no reason to keep translating NX components in STL anymore, right? 'cause we work with big PRT files and the STL translation is lowering Vericut's simulation performance a lot.

Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Rodrigo

BillH · 2009-09-23 18:04:31

Hi Rodrigo,
Good question. Unfortunately this won't exactly be the answer you're looking for.

First the good news. Yes, using this feature VERICUT reads the NX .prt file directly. Meaning you don't need to create, maintain, manage, deal-with intermediate STL files. It does this using the NX that's installed on your computer. Becasue we're an NX Alliance Partner we can link to these files from VERICUT, use NX to read the data and use it directly in VERICUT.

Also, the accuracy of the .prt file in VERICUT can be controlled in VERICUT. You don't have to go back to NX to adjust the STL accuracy to find that perfect balance of speed vs. accuracy.

Now the other issues (I won't call it "bad news" because its really just "news", and besides I'm the marketing guy and not allowed to say the word "bad")

. We enable this feature with our NX-to-VERICUT Interface license. So you need one of those.
. When VERICUT reads the .prt file it uses an NX license, I think specifically gateway, cam_base, assemblies, adv_assemblies. But, I think the behavior is that if you already have NX open on your computer it does not use another NX license.
. It takes time to load-up NX, open the .prt file, and extract the specific model you're interested in. More time than it takes to open, read, and display an STL file. If you're referencing a bunch of NX .prt files NX is only loaded once, but there is still extra overhead to read the file and extract the models. Thus VERICUT takes longer to open a project file that references NX parts.
. NX uses a fairly large amount of memory, like any good full-featured CAD system does. And once NX has been used by VERICUT to open a .prt file, it stays in memory until you exit VERICUT. If you already have NX open on your computer, now you have 2 NX's open on your computer.
. The NX part is ultimately tessellated within VERICUT, just like an STL file is tessellated. "Tessellation" is the fancy name for creating planar facets on a CAD model. Everyone in the world does this to display a CAD model on the screen. This takes some time too, especially on large parts. When using STL the tessellation action is done once. When referencing an NX part from VERICUT, the tessellation action is done each time the NX part is referenced, such as when the VERICUT project is opened.

So, when all is said and done you've gotten rid of the external STL, and can control the model's accuracy from VERICUT. But you've added some overhead to opening the project and you probably haven't improved VERICUT"s simulation speed much.

For future, (careful, now the marketing guy is talking about the future) we plan to use this CAD reference ability as a kind of base to improve simulation and AUTO-DIFF accuracy.

Much of the above information applies to our other CAD Model Interfaces (CATIA, STEP, ACIS), although they don't require a CAD system to be present.

vhubbard · 2016-10-14 22:05:21

NX parts can be used to build tools, models etc. BUT if you reference the NX part, you will need an NX license each time a Vericut session references an NX part model. If you want to use NX models heavily, you will need a license for each Vericut session open simultaneously.

This is how the step license also worked in 7.x, but step is now part of the 8.0 base package.

As I understand it, the accuracy is still driven by the the single Model Tolerance setting. To ensure better measurements we still export a part .stl at .001"/.025 mm.

I still want 2 things for model import. 1 Site licenses for CAD import. No fighting for license.

2nd Tolerance settings for each model import can be set. IE over-ride the default tolerance value when selecting the model. Stock and fixtures can be 10x what the part tolerance is. Tolerance should be kept in the project file with the model definition. That way when reloaded, we get the same thing next use. Step, NX whatever model file it is should have an independent model tolerance. We have 1 machine referencing step files instead of .stl. Since the default model tolerance is .002"/.05mm and it is a complex model, it takes a minute to load vs. 10 seconds for all our other machines. We only need it at .02"/.5mm tolerance, but don't have that level of control.

VERICUT Users' Forum

#1 2009-08-26 23:27:51

How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#2 2009-08-27 08:10:39

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#3 2009-08-27 18:25:20

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#4 2009-08-28 12:12:20

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#5 2009-09-01 16:32:13

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#6 2009-09-23 12:03:51

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#7 2009-09-23 18:04:31

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

#8 2016-10-14 22:05:21

Re: How to setup reading NX part file in VERICUT 7.0

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