Cutting Polylines of a Tool Path

Machining	NC Review	Cutting Polylines of a Tool Path Manipulating a tool path
Use Case

Abstract

This article discusses the CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom use case.

What You Will Learn With This Use Case
The CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Use Case

What Does CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Do
How to Launch CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom
Where to Find the CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Code

Step-by-Step
In Short
References

What You Will Learn With This Use Case

This use case is intended to help you manipulate the tool path structure. This involves the following:

Creating a command which will select a tool path, then gives to the tool path editor the number of polylines to cut.

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The CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Use Case

CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom is a use case of the CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu framework that illustrates ToolPathEditor framework capabilities.

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What Does CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Do

CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom runs with the document CAAMfgToolPath.CATPart shown on Fig.1.

Fig. 1: Cutting polylines of a tool path

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How to Launch CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom

Set up the build time environment, then compile CAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar.m module along with its prerequisites [1]

# Decomment this line to run CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Sample
#CAAMfgTPEM3xAddin                CATISmgProgramAddin          libCAAMfgTPEAddToolBar
#CATM3xAreaModificationAlgoDriver CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor     libCAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar
#CATM3xAreaModificationAlgoDriver CATIMfgTPECutAreasUserHeader libCAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar

Set up the run time environment [1]
Launch a CATIA V5 session

Open the CAAMfgToolPath.CATPart file located in:

Windows	`InstallRootDirectory\CAADoc\CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu\CNext\resources\graphic`
Unix	`InstallRootDirectory/CAADoc/CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu/CNext/resources/graphic`

Once the part is opened, proceed as follows.

Using the Start menu, select the Surfacic Machining workbench in NC Manufacturing
This displays the PPR document:
In the PPR Tree, select Manufacturing Program.1 and create a sweeping operation using the Sweeping command in the Insert->Machining Operations->sweeping
Select a body, then do replay to compute the tool path.

In the PPR tree, an icon appears under the activity of sweeping.
Then select the action "Area modification" in the contextual menu of the tool path and then choose the icon "Select polyline to cut on a tool path".
Click one time or several times on the tool path, polylines are hilighted.
Then this tool path can be managed in the cut area tool bar. It can be cut or translated.

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Where to Find the CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom Code

The CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom use case is made of a class named CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom located in the CAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar.m module of the CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu framework:

Windows	`InstallRootDirectory\CAADoc\CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu\CAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar.m`
Unix	`InstallRootDirectory/CAADoc/CAAToolPathEditorItf.edu/CAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar.m`

where InstallRootDirectory is the directory where the CAA CD-ROM is installed.

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Step-by-Step

There are four logical steps in CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom

Creating a Command
Selecting a Tool Path
Giving the Number of Polylines to Be Cut by the Tool Path Editor

We now comment each of those sections by looking at the code.

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Creating a Command

The class that will implement the command is named CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom.
Create the CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom class header file:

class ExportedByCAAMfgTPEAddCmdInCutAreaToolBar CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom : public CATStateCommand
{
  public:
    DeclareResource (CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom, CATStateCommand)
    //CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom( CATCommand *iFather,
    // CATM3xAreaModificationAlgoDriver* AlgoDriver);
    CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom (void* ipCutAreasEditor);
    virtual ~CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom ();
    void BuildGraph();
    CATBoolean End(void *Data);
    CATStatusChangeRC Cancel (CATCommand*, CATNotification*);
    CATStatusChangeRC Desactivate (CATCommand*, CATNotification*);
    CATStatusChangeRC Activate (CATCommand*, CATNotification*);
    void Valuate (int iSwitch);
    boolean LineSelection(void* Data);
  private:
    CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor* _hCutEditor;
    CATSelector* _Selector;
    CAT3DViewer* _Viewer;
    CATPathElementAgent* _EndAgent;
    CATDialogAgent* _PointAgent;
    int _NumPolyline;
};

The CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom class C++-derives from CATStateCommand. The DeclareResource macro declares that the ressource file is CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom.CATNls. The class has a constructor, a destructor, a LineSelection method which manages the click on the tool path and gives the number of polyline to the tool path editor, several methods to manage the user's interaction and the representation of the tool path, and a copy constructor.

This command will communicate with the tool path editor by the interface CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor.

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Selecting a Tool Path

First you have to create a selector which must work with the representation of the tool path. This last one can be retrieved by a call to the method GetToolPathRep of the interface CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor. A call to the method BeginPolylineToCut is made to initialize the action.

The first argument of the constructor is used to get the interface CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor. This is done in the constructor.

CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom (void* ipCutAreasEditor)
      : CATStateCommand("TPEPolygonSelection",NULL,CATCommandModeShared),
        _PointAgent(NULL), _Viewer(NULL), _Selector(NULL),
        _EndAgent(NULL),_NumPolyline(0)
{
  CATFrmLayout* ptrFrmLayout = CATFrmLayout::GetCurrentLayout();
  if ( ptrFrmLayout)
  {
    const CATFrmWindow * ptrFrmWindow = ptrFrmLayout->GetCurrentWindow ();
    if (ptrFrmWindow && ptrFrmWindow->IsAKindOf(CATFrmGraphAnd3DWindow::ClassName()) )
    {
      CATFrmGraphAnd3DWindow* ptr3DWindow = (CATFrmGraphAnd3DWindow*)ptrFrmWindow;
      CATViewer * viewer = ptr3DWindow->GetGraphicViewer();
      if( viewer && viewer->IsAKindOf(CAT3DViewer::ClassName()) )
       _Viewer = (CAT3DViewer*)viewer;
    }
  }
  _hCutEditor = (CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor*)ipCutAreasEditor;
  // Erase of the last preview
  if (NULL_var != _hCutEditor)
  {
    _hCutEditor->ClearAll();
    _hCutEditor->BeginPolylineToCut();
  }
  // Create the selector
  CATRep* Rep = NULL;
  if (NULL != _hCutEditor)
    Rep = _hCutEditor->GetToolPathRep();
  _Selector = new CATSelector (this,"ToolPathSelector", Rep);
}

Now the method BuildGraph is implemented. It gets the click on the tool path and the double-click to terminate the command.

void CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::BuildGraph()
{
  _PointAgent = new CATDialogAgent("Point");
  if (NULL != _Selector)
  {
    _PointAgent->AcceptOnNotify(_Selector,
    _Selector->GetCATActivate());
    _PointAgent->SetBehavior(CATDlgEngWithPrevaluation|CATDlgEngWithUndo|CATDlgEngRepeat|CATDlgEngAcceptOnPrevaluate);
    // Dialog States
    CATDialogState* InitState = GetInitialState("UserPolylineSelection");
    if (NULL != InitState)
    {
      InitState->AddDialogAgent(_PointAgent);
      _EndAgent = new CATPathElementAgent("End");
      if (NULL != _EndAgent)
      {  
        _EndAgent->AcceptOnNotify(NULL, CATEdit::ClassName());
        InitState->AddDialogAgent(_EndAgent);
        AddTransition( InitState, InitState,
                       IsOutputSetCondition(_PointAgent),
                       Action((ActionMethod)& CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::LineSelection));
        AddTransition( InitState, NULL,
                       IsOutputSetCondition(_EndAgent),
                       Action((ActionMethod)& CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::End));
        SetRepeatMode(ON);
      }
    }
  }
}

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Giving the Number of Polylines to Be Cut by the Tool Path Editor

This is done by the method LineSelection. Two calls to the method LoadPolylineToCut of the interface CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor are made to give the polylines to the tool path editor.

boolean CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::LineSelection(void* Data)
{
  // Simulate a selection of polyline.
  CATListOfInt* Liste = new CATListOfInt();
  CATIMfgToolPath_var toolPath;
  CATIMfgCompoundTraject_var compoundTraject;
  if ( SUCCEEDED(_hCutEditor->GetToolPath(toolPath) ) )
  {
    compoundTraject = toolPath;
    if ( !! compoundTraject ) {
      CATListValCATBaseUnknown_var ListofElement;
      boolean result = compoundTraject->GetAllElementaryTrajects(ListofElement);
      int NbElement = ListofElement.Size();
      if ( NbElement == 1) {
        CATIMfgTPMultipleMotion_var spMultipleMotion (ListofElement[1]);
        if (NULL_var != spMultipleMotion) {
          int number;
          spMultipleMotion->GetNumberOfSubTrajects(number);
          _NumPolyline++;
          if (_NumPolyline < number)
          Liste->Append(_NumPolyline);
         _NumPolyline++;
         if (_NumPolyline < number)
          Liste->Append(_NumPolyline);
        }
      }
    }
  }
  _hCutEditor->LoadPolylineToCut(Liste);
  ///////////////////////////////////////
  Liste->RemoveAll();
  if ( !! compoundTraject ) {
    CATListValCATBaseUnknown_var ListofElement;
    boolean result = compoundTraject->GetAllElementaryTrajects(ListofElement);
    int NbElement = ListofElement.Size();
    if ( NbElement == 1) {
      CATIMfgTPMultipleMotion_var spMultipleMotion (ListofElement[1]);
      if (NULL_var != spMultipleMotion)
      {
        int number;
        spMultipleMotion->GetNumberOfSubTrajects(number);
        _NumPolyline++;
        if (_NumPolyline < number)
        Liste->Append(_NumPolyline);
      }
    }
  }
  _hCutEditor->LoadPolylineToCut(Liste);
  delete Liste;
  if (NULL != _PointAgent)
    _PointAgent->InitializeAcquisition();
  return CATTrue;
}

The next step is to end the action.

This is done by the method End. A call to the method EndPolylineToCut of the interface CATIMfgTPECutAreasEditor is made.

CATBoolean CAAMfgTPEPolylineSelectionUserCom::End(void *data)
{
  if ( _Viewer ) {
    _Viewer->SetCursor(CATDialog::NorthWestArrow);
  }
  // End of the selection of polyline
  CAT3DRep* TPRep = NULL;
  if (NULL_var != _hCutEditor)
  {
    _hCutEditor->EndPolylineToCut();
  }
  RequestDelayedDestruction();
  return CATTrue;
}

Then the tool path editor manages this part of the tool path with all the actions of the cut area tool bar.

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In Short

This article provides an example on how to cut some polylines of a tool path by adding a new command in the cut area tool bar.

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References

[1]	Building and Launching a CAA V5 Use Case
[2]	Use case CAAMfgTPECutAreasUserHeader
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History

Version: 1 [March 2002]	Document created
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Machining

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