Real Time Visualization for new Advanced Materials |
New Architecture and design shaders
are both globally compatible in real time and ray tracing, but some of
them are not yet well tuned for real time applications:
|
Graphics Performance Enhancement for V5 Products |
Graphics performance of V5 (GPU) is
enhanced thanks to the support of the OpenGL feature, Vertex Buffer
Object (VBO).
VBO increases the performance for large model models and advanced materials based on CgFX shaders. This graphics optimization is available only on Windows 32-bit and
64-bit (XP, VISTA), by exporting the following environment variable
in your V5 install: It is strongly recommended to switch to this optimization on the latest hardware graphics having at least 512 MB of video memory like:
Note that for ATI, it is recommended to install the latest ATI FireGL 8.44 driver series. Please refer to the DS certified configuration website to review the configuration. |
Transparency |
Transparency often generates visualization artifacts where transparent
objects behind another transparent object, looks like the display is in front. This
artifact is also true for user made CgFX shader and stickers.
Another transparency issue is when a regular material with transparency is completed by a user made CgFX shader, the material gets the shader's effect but keeps the transparency of the default definition. Be sure that the material's transparency is set to 0 prior to switching to shader mode. |
ISL Shaders |
In
the current release, the creation and visualization of .isl format files
and visualization is no longer supported. If necessary, .isl files can
be easily converted to .cgfx format. A template is provided in the
install path under
startup/materials/shaders . |
CgFx Shaders |
The following restrictions apply
to current release and Cg1.5 version from NVIDIA:
Cg1.5 library from NVIDIA are now delivered with Version 5 and automatically installed on a Windows platform. The activation remains a user choice in Tools > Options. |
Material Update when Instantiating a PowerCopy |
CATIA does not update a material
during a PowerCopy instantiation under the following circumstances:
CATIA does not update the material in the instantiated copy of the CATPart with the value of the material from the knowledge parameter of the second CATPart. Workaround: Set the following variable:
MAT_REFRESH_AFTER_POWERCOPY_WITH_KWE_PARAMETER=1 |
Revision for Material Library |
When you create a new revision
of material library (.CATMaterial file) and save it in
ENOVIA V5 VPM, the links between the part (or product) document and this
library cannot be automatically synchronized. This means that you can neither use the Replace with latest version contextual menu (available in ENOVIA V5 VPM Impact By dialog box) nor the Synchronize button (in the Edit > Links dialog box). You have to reroute manually these links by reapplying the material
from the new revision of the material library. |
Creating a Material Library: Naming Convention |
Each material library and materials must have a unique name. |
Settings for Default Material Library |
When you use a library saved in
the ENOVIA VPLM ENOVIAVPM database as the default
material library (defined via the Tools > Options > Infrastructure
> Material Editor), you may loose the path if you are
disconnected from the database and try to edit the path of the default
library.
In this case you need to:
If you do not follow this procedure and edit the setting when
disconnected, the wrong path is generated in the settings. If the wrong
path is generated, you must erase your |
Material Links |
To
ensure visualization compatibility and scalability on all kind of
hardware, both openGL definition and CgFX shader definition have to
co-exist in a single material. As a consequence, all the links to
diffuse textures, reflection maps and shaders are stored in the material
data model even when not displayed. This particular implementation is
noticeable when exchanging materials to another user with V5
Send To
or V6 Import:
all the associated textures are exported. On this version this effect is brought to the fore when using Cancel button in the material's property dialog box. When using Cancel all the properties are reset but the textures links are kept in the data model. Exchanging V5 data without using Send To can lead to missing materials or textures and then broken links. To remove all broken material links* from CATPart or CATProduct documents, use the CATDUA V5 tool (either in batch or interactive mode) and set the following variable:
Those broken links are detected and removed by the CATDUA as MAT_6
errors. |
3D XML |
Materials:
|
DocChooser |
You cannot access image files stored in
the ENOVIA vault when using the Browse window.
This limitation will be fixed in a forthcoming release. |
3D XML |
Rendering Scenes: Cameras, lights, stickers, environments, and turntables cannot be saved in 3D XML in this version. This limitation will be fixed in a forthcoming release. |
Shaders and Sectionings |
Shader materials are not compliant with the DMU Sectioning command.
This issue will be fixed in a forthcoming release. |
Object to Object Shadows |
When
opening a new window while lights are projecting real time shadows on
objects, the shadows are not displayed in the new window. This limitation will be fixed in a forthcoming release. |
Enhancement |
New screenshots are up-to-date but in some existing documentation sections, they have to be updated in a forthcoming SP. |
Object to Object Shadows |
All screenshots and some explanations are not yet up-to-date. They will be modified on the forthcoming SP. |