Material Mapping Files

Elements cannot be transferred through the AVEVA Bocad Steel Interface if they do not have a valid material associated with them.

The existing base product material description may not be recognized; consequently, there must be a means by which we can translate the material description between systems. This is performed by means of a Material mapping file which relates the base product text description of a material to that output to, or found in, an ABS file.

Note:
You can modify and extend the mapping file.

When the application is started, the Properties database is searched for SOLI elements which may define materials used to fabricate elements in the base product. An internal list is then built for rapid reference.

Materials are usually associated with the base product elements using the Material Reference attribute, MATR, which points to a SOLI element in the Properties database. However, you may want to use the local :FABMGRADE attribute to specify the material. Either of these should be set for the application to be able to export elements successfully.

If the above system is still not specific enough, there is a mechanism by which you can define from where the material information is to be derived. Refer to Error and Log File Messages for further information.

When an element is exported, its material is determined by inspecting the :FABMGRADE attribute first, then the Description attribute of the SOLI element to which the MATR refers. If that fails, the user configurable mechanism is invoked. The text is then transferred locally to the :FABMGRADE attribute on the GENSEC, SCTN or PANE element. The text is then looked up in the Material mapping file to check that there is a translation into the file replacement text. The local material text is still exported.

When an element is to be imported, the file material description is looked up in the material mapping file and translated into the base product equivalent text string. This is then initially copied into the :FABMGRADE attribute of the element before any attempt is made to rationalise the MATR. If a SOLI element with this material text is found, the application will set the MATR to point to the correct SOLI element.

As with the profile mapping file, the first line is an identifier which indicates the external package or system with which the file is associated.