CAD Metadata Naming

The metadata names generated by the CAD readers are composed of a general prefix followed by a metadata specific name. The prefix is specified using the @MetadataPrefix option in each _reader.ini file.

The @MetadataPrefix option works as follows:
  • The string you specify is appended as a prefix to the metadata name generated by that reader. The prefix is used explicitly with the metadata name. No . (period) is automatically added if it is not specified by the option. For example:
    • @MetadataPrefix = ".ALTAIR.HW"
    • .ALTAIR.HW<metadata name>
    • @MetadataPrefix = ".ALTAIR.HW."
    • .ALTAIR.HW.<metadata name>
  • If the option is commented out, or the value is set to null "", no prefix is prepended and only the names of the metadata are used. For example:
    • @MetadataPrefix = ""
    • <metadata name>
  • There are some pre-defined strings that have specific meaning. These pre-defined strings are automatically substituted with specific data where applicable. These strings are as follows:
    • <FORMAT> - the format of the CAD file (CATIA, STEP, NX, and so on)
    • <VERSION> - the version of the CAD file. For CATIA, this is V4 or V5. For NX, this is any NX version (for example, NX 10.0, NX 11.0, and so on). No other format currently supports this option. In the case where there is no <VERSION> possible, an empty string is substituted.
  • All other strings are used verbatim. For example:
    • @MetadataPrefix = "<MYSTRING>"
    • <MYSTRING><metadata name>
  • By default, the prefix is empty string for all readers. To maintain consistency with metadata names used by previous versions, a value of ".ALTAIR.HW.<FORMAT>." is appropriate.
Additional Examples:
  • @MetadataPrefix = ".ALTAIR.HW.<FORMAT>."
  • .ALTAIR.HW.CATIA.<metadata name>
  • @MetadataPrefix = "/ALTAIR/HW/<FORMAT>/"
  • /ALTAIR/HW/CATIA/<metadata name>
  • @MetadataPrefix = "<FORMAT><VERSION>."
  • CATIAV5.<metadata name>
  • @MetadataPrefix = "<FORMAT>.<VERSION>."
  • CATIA.V5.<metadata name>