Ds white papers_caa_radebyexample

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3DS.COM©DassaultSystèmes
CAA Rade by Example
Version 1.0 – 3/1/2014
Written by: Bernard Tanner
Validated by: NA
Edited by: Anne Marie Miller

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Executive Summary
This document is intended to serve as an introduction to using CAA RADE. It includes
information on the CAA RADE licensing mechanism, and how to integrate CAA RADE
to work with the Microsoft Visual Studio environment. Two example CAA RADE
applications are built and run. Then, source code changes are made, followed by a re-
compilation and re-run of the programs.
Introduction
The administration of CAD/CAM systems is an important responsibility of a systems
administrator in a design and manufacturing company. This paper covers some
advanced tips and techniques for both Windows and UNIX workstations that will make
your CATIA V5 Administration more efficient. These techniques will help simplify or
eliminate some of the time consuming installation and customization tasks. This
paper is intended for the administrators, who want to understand the concepts that
are beyond the basics tasks and can help with the maintenance of existing
installations.

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Contents
1. What is CAA RADE?...................................................................................................... 4
2. Workspaces and Frameworks........................................................................................ 4
3. The Difference between a Script and a Program............................................................ 5
4. Compile-time and Run-time Failures.............................................................................. 5
5. The CAA RADE Licensing Mechanism .......................................................................... 5
6. Integration with Microsoft Visual Studio Environment..................................................... 7
7. Creating the Workspace................................................................................................. 9
8. Building the solution..................................................................................................... 18
9. Executing the Program................................................................................................. 19
10. Making a change to the source code........................................................................ 20
11. Rebuilding and running the new program ................................................................. 21
12. Exercise ................................................................................................................... 22
13. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 24
14. References............................................................................................................... 24
15. Revision History ....................................................................................................... 25
16. Related Documentation............................................................................................ 25
17. Document History..................................................................................................... 25

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1. What is CAA RADE?
The Component Application Architecture, Rapid Application Development Environment
makes possible the quick development of programs and standalone applications that can be
integrated with CATIA. CAA RADE enables improved productivity by means of enhancing
the existing CATIA functionality and enables the development of new applications.
Harnessing the full capabilities available with the CAA RADE software requires an in depth
knowledge of the APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) contained within CAA RADE.
As an example of the power a CAA RADE solution can have (a catch-all phrase for
application/program/environment), a programmer could create a solution that when a user
ran it, it would take the parameters that the user specified, and based on them the solution
would then create a complex CATPart. The user could then use this newly created Part as a
starting point for further design modeling.
2. Workspaces and Frameworks
To make the development of your CAA RADE solutions logical and easier to manage it is a
good idea to create new folders for each solution you develop. These folders are referred to
as Workspaces.
Each Workspace will have at least one Framework. As suggested by its name, a framework
can be looked upon as a skeleton, a basic building block, providing an environment for faster
solution development. Certain functions or interfaces, such as buttons and pop-up panels,
will be common to any solution you create and are provided within the framework. A
programmer new to CAA RADE should examine the source code supplied with the
education Frameworks in conjunction with the CAA RADE documentation in order to begin
learning how to develop their own CAA RADE solutions (the supplied “Use cases” are a
good starting point).
With the appropriate knowledge of the APIs, programmers can create new functionality, or
extend existing functions or interfaces.

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3. The Difference between a Script and a Program
A Script, also known as a macro, is what is commonly called interpreted. You can read a
script like a sentence. It contains words and a grammatical structure. Each time a script is
run these readable statements are converted - interpreted, into a language that the computer
can understand. The converted language is known as machine code.
A Program, on the other hand, is already machine code and is generated by running source
code through a compiler. Although the source code for a program is in a readable format the
Program / machine code is in a non-readable format. Unlike a Script the source code is
compiled into a Program once and then the Program can be executed repeatedly without
any intermediate or interpretative step. When the program is run the computer understands
directly the operations it needs to do in order to execute the program.
In a way, Scripts could also be seen as source code, but instead of being compiled once, are
always interpreted on the fly each time the Script is run.
The rest of this document addresses only CAA programs built (compiled) and executed
within the Visual Studio IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
4. Compile-time and Run-time Failures
Since we have discussed compilation of source code it is imperative that we understand
there are two types of potential problems during the development cycle of a solution.
Problems can occur at the time of compilation - Compile-time failures, and also at the time of
running - Run-time failures. When reporting problems it is important to provide a clear
description of the problem and indicate if the error was a run-time or compile-time error. A
step-by-step scenario leading up to the error, a copy of the error message text and codes
seen at the time of the error and a copy of the workspace should be included in any problem
report submitted to Dassault Systemes.
5. The CAA RADE Licensing Mechanism
In order to use CAA RADE you must configure it to use a valid license. Begin this process
with the following selections on your workstation:
Start => All Programs => CAA RADE => Tools => RADE Licenses Manager V5R19

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Figure 1 – CATVBTLicenser panel
Select the license appropriate for your environment and then select Apply button. You
should see an informational pop up window indicating the Settings were saved successfully.
Close the window.

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6. Integration with Microsoft Visual Studio
Environment
In order to develop CAA RADE solutions with the Microsoft Visual Studio environment, you
must run the CATVBTSetup utility. On a default R19 environment this utility is located in:
C:Program FilesDassault SystemesB19intel_acodebin.
Execution of the “CATVBTSetup” will yield the window below.
Figure 2 – CATVBTSetup panel
Under Target applications make sure that Visual Studio is selected, along with the other
components you wish to install, and then select the Install button. You will be asked to
confirm this location. Figure 3 is an image of the window after the location has been
confirmed.

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Figure 3 – CATVBTSetup output
Be certain the setup operation completes with the message “Setup done without errors”.
With the setup completed you are ready to start building and running RADE applications
within the Visual Studio environment.

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7. Creating the Workspace
Begin creating a CATIA V5 Workspace with the creation of the following two folders:
C:MyRootDirector
C:MyRootDirectoryCAAxPDMInterfaces
Assuming a default R19 installation location, navigate within your Explorer window to:
C:Program FilesDassaultSystemesB19CAAdoc
Copy the CAAxPDMItnterfaces.edu framework and paste it into:
C:MyRootDirectoryCAAxPDMInterfaces
Launch Microsoft Visual Studio from your Windows Start => All Programs menu
If the CATVBTSetup you ran earlier worked OK, you should see the Welcome Panel.

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Figure 4 – Welcome to CAA RADE
Select the Close button in the Welcome panel.

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If you don’t see the Welcome screen, or you wish to check the validity of the CAA
RADE/Visual Studio integration, select Add-in Manager under the Visual Studio Tools
menu.
Figure 5 – Add-in Manager
If the CATVBTSetup.exe operation you ran earlier was successful, you should see at least
some of the CAA Add-in options as shown in Figure 5.
Select the OK button in the Add-in Manager window.
We are now ready to prepare our Workspace for compile-time and run-time operations.
From the Visual Studio File menu choose Open CAA Workspace...
Select Mkmk and enter or brows to C:MyRootDirectoryCAAxPDMInterfaces.
Set the Tool level at R19 as seen in Figure 6.

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Figure 6 – Open V5 Workspace
Figure 7 – Tools Initialization
Note the potential debugging information given, such as the compiler level that will be used.
Closing the window in Figure 7 will result in the following warning:

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Figure 8 – Prerequisite Warning
Selecting OK will result in the Project Generation pop up message window
Figure 9 – Project Generation
Select OK in the Project Generation window and then expand the tree as shown if Figure 10.
Select the CAAxPDMReadItemInfo module. Also select Generate projects for
prerequisites option at the bottom of the window.

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Figure 10 – Module Selection
At this point the Prerequisite Warning message seen earlier in Figure 8 must be addressed.
From the Visual Studio CAAV5 Workspace menu select Define Prerequisite
Frameworks (OK to the warning).
Select the Access Prerequisites from their original location under the Mode section.
Select the Add button.
Select C:Program FilesDassault SystemB19 in the Origin for prerequisites Frameworks
section of the window.

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Figure 11 – Prerequisite Workspaces
Select OK and a Installation Prerequisites window will be displayed. Upon completion of the
prerequisite installation the following window will be displayed:

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Figure 12 – Prerequisite installation
Select the Close button in the Installing Prereqs window and the Prerequisite Installation
completes with the displaying of the Define Prerequisite Framework window, seen in
Figure 13.

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Figure 13 – Current Framework
Select OK to close the window.

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8. Building the solution
We are now ready to build (compile) the module. From the Visual Studio Build menu select
Mkmk and select the options seen in Figure 14 before selecting OK.
Figure 14 – Choose module(s) to build
With the selection of OK in the Code Builder window, a Command Manager and a log
window will appear. When the Command Manager completes, scroll through the log
window to check for a successful return code (RC = 0). Providing the log window indicates a
successful completion, you now have a functioning Module and are ready to execute the
Program.

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9. Executing the Program
From within the Visual Studio Window menu, select Open Runtime Window
The name of the module that you have just compiled is called CAAxPDMReadItemInfo
When in this Runtime Window the following command will list all modules:
dir intel_acodebin*.exe
Now let’s execute the program. Assuming you have a valid Part called C:Part1.CATPart,
enter the following command:
CAAxPDMReadItemInfo C:Part1.CATPart
If the environment and build (compilation) is good, you should see output similar to the
following:
Figure 15 – First program run output

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10. Making a change to the source code
Alterations to the source code are done by expanding the CAAxPDMReadItemInfo.m
module in the Solution Explorer in order to access the source code file
(CAAxPDMReadItemInfo.cpp) within the src folder.
Double click the CAAxPDMReadItemInfo.cpp C++ source code file, and as per the image
below see that it is now available for editing in the right hand windows
Execute a find (Cntrl-F) for “Created”.
Underneath the “A session is created” line, add another count statement to output another
message that will be seen after the solution is recompiled and run again.
Figure 16 – Editing the Source Code
Do a Cntrl-S to save the changes you have made to the source code.

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11. Rebuilding and running the new program
Because we have made an alteration to the source code we need to re-build the solution,
updating the program module (CAAxPDMReadItemInfo.exe)
Once again select Build =>Mkmk and select the options seen in Fig 18 before selecting OK.
Figure 17 – Rebuilding after source code change
When the module has been rebuilt, go the runtime window and again enter:
CAAxPDMReadItemInfo C:Part1.CATPart
We should see a different output, reflecting the change made in the source code.

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Figure 18 – Output from the modified Source Code
In the image seen in Fig 19 we can see the second line reflects what was changed in the
source code.
12. Exercise
In this exercise you will build and run the CAASkiBasicGeometries module, then make a
source code change, recompile the module and re-run it. The CAASkiBasicGeometries
module is part of the CAASketcherInterfaces.edu framework. The reader can refer to the
previous material presented in this document if they need to refresh themselves with the
procedure involved.
Create a new appropriately named workspace for this new solution.
Copy the CAASketcherInterfaces.edu framework into this new workspace.
In the Visual Studio environment, open the newly created workspace.
Do the necessary steps to prepare this new workspace for build-time and run-time
execution.
Build the solution.
Open the Runtime Window.
Enter the following command (choose a different Part name/location if desired):
CAASkiBasicGeometries C:CAASkiBasicGeometries1.CATPart
When the command completes, within CATIA open the CAASkiBasicGeometries1.CATPart
Update the PartBody if necessary.

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Double-click the profile to activate the sketch.
Do a “Fit All in” if the sketch is not visible. Notice the radius value of 10mm as seen in Figure
19.
Figure 19 – Profile with radius of 10mm
Now make a change to the source code so that when the solution is run a different radius
size is created.
Use the Solution Explorer to locate and open the Source Code used to compile the
CAASkiBasicGeometries.exe module. A Ctrl-F will present the find dialogue box.
Underneath the // Creates corner + constraints comment line there will be the C++ statement
used to create the radius. Change the value from 10 to 25. What is the C++ statement that is
used to create this radius called, and how is it structured?
Save the changes to the source code and then re-build (recompile) the module.
Re-run the solution, but choose a different output file name:
CAASkiBasicGeometries C:CAASkiBasicGeometries2.CATPart
The images seen in Figure 20 display the radius differences between the original build and
the re-compilation build.

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Figure 20 – Result of a source code change, re-build, and re-run of the solution
13. Conclusion
This document was written to be a hands-on introduction to using CAA RADE. Integration
between CAA RADE and Visual Studio is described in detail. The reader is exposed to the
process of building and running a solution along with making source code changes,
rebuilding the solution and verifying the changes made with a re-run of the modified module.
Examples provided leave the reader with the knowledge required to get started with CAA
programming.
14. References
CATIA V5 CAA Online Documentation:
- Technical Articles
- Use cases
- Quick References

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15. Revision History
May 2011 – original doc authored
March 2014 – updated new template
16. Related Documentation
For additional information, refer to the following Q&A’s from our Knowledge Base:
KA QA00000007029 What is RADE?
KA QA00000002180 RADE Licenses
KA QA00000003673 How to build the CAA workspace on UNIX using visual studio and
RSH?
17. Document History
Document
Revision Date Revised By Changes/Notes
0.0 May 2011 A3R Original
1.0 Mar 2014 A3R Updated to new template

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