Opening CATIA Version 4 Library Objects in CATIA Version 5 on Windows

This task shows you how to open a CATIA Version 4 library object in CATIA Version 5 on Windows.
Make sure that an http server has been installed on the machine where the objects reside.
A CATIA Version 4 library is a means of storing objects such as details, symbols, NC mill and lathe tools and beam sections. A library is made up of a number of families each of which contains objects. Keywords are attributed to these families to enable classification and easy retrieval of the objects contained in them. For more information about V4 libraries, see the CATIA.Library Reference Manual Version 4.

Just like Version 4 models, Version 4 library objects cannot be edited as such. However, it is possible to convert the library objects into CATPart documents. Read-only operations are of course allowed. Accessing CATIA Version 4 library objects does not modify these objects.

Only SPACE details can be read in CATIA Version 5. Other library objects such as DRAW details, symbols, sections and tools cannot be read in CATIA Version 5. A SPACE detail that points to external library objects can be read only if all the objects pointed to are SPACE details. This means, for example, that no detail containing structure pointing to a section can be read.

  1. Click the Open icon or select the File>Open command.

  2. In the File Selection dialog box, enter, in the field File name, the whole address of the library object you want to open, including the library name, as shown below. If you enter the wrong location or if the library name cannot be found, exit the dialog box and start over.

    The address to be specified should look something like this:
    http://UNIXserver:port/libraryobjectlocation/libraryname

    The name of the library appears.

     

  3. Double-click on the library name to display the library families. Then double-click on one or more of the objects belonging to these families, SCREWS and NUTS in the example shown below, to see the whole structure of the library. A dialog box similar to this is then displayed:

  4. To open a library object, double-click on it. Alternatively, select the library object, right-click and select Open. The result, providing you with CATIA Site Navigator capabilities, is as follows:

Library objects residing on UNIX can of course also be accessed from UNIX. To see how, refer to Opening CATIA Version 4 Library Objects in CATIA Version 5 on UNIX.