Loading and Reusing Manikin Attributes from a Catalog File

Data can be saved/opened from the Catalog

This will include angular limitations properties, Appearance properties, offsets and reports. This data will be modeled and saved within the existing CATSwl files, to which the catalog elements will point, as it is the case for other manikin data that can be reused.

This also will enhance the performance when reusing data for multiple manikins, as well as when applying modification on manikin in different scenarios.

This gives the user the possibility to:
 

Open the human catalog for saving/loading purposes by selecting the Load manikin's attributes from a catalog in the toolbar, Manikin Tools toolbar.

1. The following panel will appear for the Save command (and a similar one for the Load).
   
    
   

2. The changes in the Manikin's tree that will impact the catalog are:
   
   
   
    

   Load mechanism   Select in the tree the manikin's node (for integral loading), or the desired setting's nodes (for selective loading), and select the item of their choice in the catalog. Reports: It will be possible to apply one or many of the reports saved in catalog by either selecting the Manikin node, the Profiles node, the Reports node or the individual reports.  Appearance: It will be possible to apply the appearance properties saved in catalog by either selecting the manikin node, the Profiles node or the Appearance node. Angular limitations/Locks:  It is always possible to apply locks saved in old catalogs.  Select the Angular Limitations node instead of the old Locks node and the locks saved in the old catalog will be automatically applied.  It is important to mention that if the catalog description contains also angular limitations, they will be applied at the same time.  If specific body segments are selected, only the Angular Limitations (including the Locks) of these segments will be saved. Offsets:  Select the Offsets node or a specific offset for applying this data from the catalog.  Note that if many offsets are saved in a same description, they cannot be applied on an individual offset in the tree but only on an Offsets node.

    

Opening and reusing manikin attributes from a catalog file

1. To open an existing manikin catalog, select the Load manikin's attributes from a catalog .  The Load a description from Human Catalog browser is displayed. If you have created descriptions, they are displayed.
   
   
    

2. The catalog browser always opens with the most recently used document. To open another catalog in the browser, load the catalog using the Browse another catalog .

3. Select a manikin attribute (single click) in the left frame of the browser to activate the preview of that posture in the right frame, or click on the attribute in the right frame.

4. To paste a manikin attribute from the catalog browser, select (no need to double-click) the attribute to apply (making it highlight in the right frame) then select the manikin in the 3D view on which that posture must be applied, and select the Apply button. 
   
   NOTE: If it is a whole posture, make sure that you select from the PPR tree, so that the whole manikin is highlighted, therefore the whole posture is pasted.

5. To paste another posture to the same manikin or to another manikin, select the new posture, as before, from the catalog browser, then select the manikin in the 3D view.

6. Select Close to exit the catalog browser.

A manikin must be regarded as a unique entity. Importing the same manikin more than once in an environment (through the use of a catalog) creates referencing problems, for instance, the two (or several) manikin instances cannot have different postures or different anthropometries, although they may have different positions when saved.

We do not advise the use of catalogs to save and reuse the manikin as a whole. However, we do advise catalogs of manikin properties (posture catalogs, for example), as those kinds of catalogs do not generate instance/reference problems. The lack of catalog browser availability for manikins must be considered as a limitation on the current release. We will be enhancing the catalogs of manikin properties in future releases, so that all manikin properties (posture, anthropometry, angular limitations, etc) can be copied and pasted to and from catalogs.