Having Access to PRJ Files and V4 Model Comment in V6

This task shows you that you can have access to the PRJ Files installed on the Windows disk and V4 Model Comment in V6.

To ensure V4 > V6 interoperability, CATIA V6 provides the CATIA Site Navigator allowing you to read, in a CATIA V6 session, V4 models on both Windows and UNIX and to open PROJECT files on UNIX.

You can use the following methodology to copy your Project File on Windows.

  1. Duplicate your Project File directory on UNIX: cp -r <native_V4_PRJ> <Windows_compliant_PRJ>

  2. Go to the new directory: cd <Windows_compliant_PRJ>

  3. Rename the table files adequately:

    mv .TEXTCOT:DESCRIPTIONS.project .TEXTCOT_ _ _DESCRIPTIONS.project
    mv .TEXTCOT:STANDARDS.project .TEXTCOT_ _ _STANDARDS.project
    mv PATTERN:DESCRIPTION.project PATTERN_ _ _DESCRIPTION.project
    mv PATTERN:IDENTIFICATEURS.project PATTERN_ _ _IDENTIFICATEURS.project
    mv PATTERN:MOTIFS.project PATTERN_ _ _MOTIFS.project

  4. Perform the same conversion for all table names when needed.

  5. Once all the tables have been renamed, you can transfer this directory on Windows workstation and reference it in your compatibility setting.

    Important:
    • Do NOT modify your directory V4 Project File tables. CATIA V4 would no longer recognize them.
    • On UNIX, CATIA V6 is still able to retrieve Project File tables under their standard name, except when the PRJ file has a blank character in its name. If it is the case, you need to rename it so that it can be read in V6.

    For more information about Customizing the File Project path, refer to V4 Data Reading

  6. To have access to the V4 Model Comment, select File > Open the model of your choice.

  7. Select one or more geometrical elements in the geometry area.

  8. Select Edit > Properties.

  9. Choose the Reference tab, and you can visualize the Comment of the V4 Model.

    Important:

    Any geometric element (whether the model involved has an or is linked to an ) can be read and copied to a V6 assembly.

    In CATIA V6:


    • V4 models can be displayed on Windows.
    • You can open V4 models referencing PRJ files stored on Windows or UNIX.

    Basic read-only operations can then be performed, such as:


    • displaying and selecting geometric elements and workspaces, in the geometry area and/or the specification tree (except for the HLR mode)
    • displaying graphic properties (color, show/hide, layers, filters, pick/no pick)
    • zooming, rotating and panning
    • printing (except for the HLR mode)
    • applying, creating, deleting, and modifying layer filters
    • verifying the geometry (and, in the case of , the specifications) of one or more Version 4 elements prior to copy-pasting it into a CATIA V6 workbench.

    In V6, you cannot edit V4 models but you can paste all or part of a model in a Representation (3D Shape) and then edit this Representation. Once this has been done, it is of course no longer a V4 model, but a V6 Representation.

    You need to bring the Project files referenced by the model into a Windows directory and rename these files according to the conversion table.

    In the PROJECT File path, you refer to the directory containing the Project Files.

    Project File directory cannot be copied natively on Windows: the table file names generally contain Windows forbidden characters. CATIA V6 uses a character map to retrieve the tables under a different name:
    • " character is replaced with string "_Inch"
    • * character is replaced with character "x"
    • is replaced with character "_"
    • Other forbidden Windows ( / \ < > : ? | ) characters are replaced with character "_"
    • Non standard ISO characters are replaced with character "_"

    Renaming the Project File tables according to these specifications will allow the referencing of a Project File stored on Windows.