Elements of an XML CAD mapping file

To map CAD properties to aPriori UDAs and production inputs, you must:

  • Define these mappings in an XML file

  • Verify that the XML is valid

  • Load the file into aPriori

Note: Because every company has different CAD property fields and different requirements, aPriori does not provide a standard out-of-box mapping file. We suggest that you contact aPriori Customer Support or Professional Services for a starting file that is appropriate for your company. Every XML mapping file must consist of a series of source/target mapping statements, where the source specifies the CAD property, and the target specifies the aPriori attribute and its type. We advise against trying to copy and paste snippets found in the documentation into a mapping file, since formatting and auto corrected characters like straight quotes can cause problems that are difficult to debug.

Important: Names of CAD properties and aPriori attributes are case-sensitive. Names of CAD datum objects are case-insensitive.

Here is a sample of a mapping file from an earlier release. It defines different mappings for PRO/E and NX™ systems, for both User Defined Attributes and production inputs. The Pro/E Material mapping maps multiple properties to a single Material attribute. In this case, the first mapping that works takes precedence.

The steps that you would follow to create this file are explained in CAD properties mapping examples.

 

CAD Mapping tag reference

The following table lists the available XML mapping tags. Closing tags are not listed:

TAG

ATTRIBUTE(S)

DESCRIPTION

<database>

 

Top-level required tag.

<mappings>

 

Second-level required tag

<cadPropertyMapping>

 

If you have multiple CAD systems and the mappings are the same for all of them, you can have a single <cadPropertyMapping> section with a <modelFilter> tag (see below) that specifies multiple "modelerTypes" attributes. For different mappings, use multiple <cadPropertyMapping> sections, each with its own <modelFilter> tag specifying the "modelerType" attribute for the specific CAD system.

<modelFilter>

 

 

 

modelType

 

 

modelerTypes

Defines the kind of model and what CAD system produced it, as well as the path to the file (optional).

 

Valid values are:

ASSEMBLY

PART

 

Valid values can be any combination of space-separated:

PROE

CATIA

Creo

NX™

SOLIDWORKS™

and/or

STEP

For example:

<!-- may specify multiple modelers, model type and cadFileRegEx -->

<modelFilter modelerTypes="PROE CATIA NX STEP" modelType=" PART ASSEMBLY">

<mapping>

 

Contains a source/target mapping pair.

<source>

 

 

name

 

 

 

id

Each <source> tag much specify at least one named CAD property to be mapped. You can specify the name by attribute, or you can use the <name> tag (see below), particularly if you wish to map to multiple properties. If you specify multiple <name>tags, the first one to match takes precedence.  If you specify both a name attribute and one or more <name> tags within a <source> specification, the attribute takes precedence. Note: For NX™ attributes that are defined under a category, use the vertical bar (“|”) to separate the category and attribute. For example:
<source name="MyCategory|MyAttribute"/>

The id attribute is only needed if your <mapping> element needs to access the <source> via a CSL expression. See also the <expression> tag.

<target>

name

 

 

type

Name of the aPriori attribute to be mapped. Note: This is NOT the display name.

 

The type of aPriori attribute to be mapped. Valid values are:

  • uda

  • system

If not specified, "uda" is assumed.

<name>

 

Same as the <source> "name" attribute (see above). If you use multiple <name> tags within a <source> tag (for mapping multiple properties to a single aPriori attribute), the first match takes precedence. If you specify both a name attribute and one or more <name> tags within a <source> specification, the attribute takes precedence. Therefore, the following statements are equivalent:

<source name="Tooling Region">

   <name>TOOLING_REGION</name>

</source>

 

<source>

   <name>Tooling Region</name>

   <name>TOOLING_REGION</name>

</source>

<expression>

  <cslRule>

    <![CDATA[

      CSL code

     ]]

 

These tags are used to support CSL expressions in the mapping file. This capability was introduced in aPriori Professional 2018 R1. See also the id attribute for the <source> tag.

Note that "cslRule" can also be specified as an attribute to the expression tag (for example, "<expression cslRule="csl code…" ).

However, for clarity aPriori recommends that you use individual <cslRule> tags rather than attributes.

For more information and examples, see the sections starting at Using CSL logic in your mappings.
<drawDirectionMappings>   Second-level required tag for Draw Direction mappings
<directionMapping>   If you have multiple CAD systems and the Draw Direction mapping is the same for all of them, you can have a single <directionMapping> section with a <modelFilter> tag (see below) that specifies multiple "modelerTypes" attributes. For different mappings, use multiple <directionMapping> sections, each with its own <modelFilter> tag specifying the "modelerType" attribute for the specific CAD system.
<coordinateSystemInfo   Contains description of mapped coordinate systems. A valid entry contains one or more <coordinateSystem> tags and a single <coordinateSystemAxis> tag.
<coordinateSystem> name Name of the CAD coordinate system to be mapped to the Draw Direction
<coordinateSystemAxis> name Axis of the CAD coordinate system to be mapped to the Draw Direction. The valid values are “X”, "x", “Y”, "y, ”Z”, and "z".
<datumAxis> name Name of the CAD datum axis to be mapped to the Draw Direction
<datumPlane> name Name of the CAD datum plane to be mapped to the Draw Direction

Importing a CAD property mapping file

When you have created a mapping file, you load it from the System Administration window by clicking File > Import > CAD Property Mapping File. This command prompts you to browse the operating system directory structure and navigate to the mapping file you want to load into the aPriori database.   

Exporting a CAD property mapping file

To save a copy of the CAD property file that is currently loaded, use File > Export > CAD Property Mapping File. This command prompts you to specify a folder and an XML file name in which to save the current mappings.

Clearing your mappings

You can clear out your mappings by importing a correctly-formatted, near-empty mapping file with the following contents:

Copy 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<database />