Cubit 15.8 User Documentation
Metadata can be imported from and exported to a file. In most cases metadata will be imported and exported with a data file such as a SAT file or a genesis file. CUBIT is also compatible with DART artifacts, including artifact dependency tracking.
Parts and assemblies can be created and associated with geometry by importing a DART Metadata file along with a geometry file, using the XML option of the import command. At this time the only two geometry formats which support metadata import are STEP and ACIS:
Import {Step|Acis} "<filename>". . . [XML "<xml_filename>"]
To successfully associate the contents of the geometry file with the parts described in the metadata, the XML file must follow the DART Metadata 3.0 XML schema found at https://dart.sandia.gov/wiki/display/SAW/DartMetadataPlugin, and the geometry file must contain extra DART data. A suitable STEP file and a corresponding metadata file can be exported from Pro/E using the Pro/E (Creo) extension, see the Metadata plugin page for details. A SAT file and corresponding metadata file can be obtained by exporting them from CUBIT using the XML option of the export command.
Some export commands include an XML option. Including this option in the export command instructs CUBIT to write out a DART metadata file, in addition to the traditional data file. The metadata file includes the data required to enable interoperability with other DART-compliant applications.
The only geometry export command which supports the XML option is ACIS export:
Export Acis “<acis_filename>” [XML “<xml_filename>”]
When an ACIS file exported with metadata, the specified XML file includes a description of the assembly hierarchy as it appears in CUBIT.
Metadata can also be written to an XML file when exporting mesh. The only mesh export command which supports the XML option is genesis export:
Export {Genesis|Mesh} “<mesh_filename>” [XML '<xml_filename>']
The XML file generated during mesh export includes the same information in a geometry metadata file, but also includes mesh-related data such as mappings between parts and element blocks, and includes any block, nodeset, or sideset names or descriptions which have been defined.
The DART project has defined a specific way to package data files with corresponding metadata files. A correctly packaged set of data files with a corresponding metadata file is called an artifact. An artifact’s metadata file is always located in the same directory as the primary data file, and is always named artifact.dta.
Within the DART environment, dependencies between artifacts may be tracked by placing tracking information into metadata files. CUBIT supports automated artifact dependency tracking. Tracking information in an input metadata file is automatically reflected in any output metadata file written by CUBIT.
If input is correctly packaged as an artifact, CUBIT can automatically locate and read the metadata file corresponding to a particular input data file. To have CUBIT do this, select the “Import as Artifact” checkbox in the Open File dialog.
CUBIT can also package output as an artifact. To do so, select the “Export as Artifact” checkbox in the export dialog box.
When importing or exporting artifacts using the command line, include the XML option in the import or export command, specifying the xml file called artifact.dta in the same directory as the main data file.
For dependency tracking purposes, it may be necessary to import an artifact’s metadata file by itself. For example, it may be necessary to import an artifact consisting of an IGES file. Since the Import IGES command does not support the XML option, the metadata file must be imported separately. To do so, use the command:
Import XML “<xml_filename>”
When working with correctly packaged artifacts, the XML filename will always be artifact.dta.