About CgFX Materials

  This task describes the cgFX materials and deals with the following:
 

Integration in Version 5
 

CgFX is a material specification and interchange format enabling you to combine textures with bump and reflectivity effects to produce more realistic images. This powerful technology does not apply only to standard Version 5 materials but also to user-defined materials.
The other major benefits are the ability to compute rendered images with the Photo Studio product and the upward compatibility guaranteed by Dassault Systmes.

CgFX functions are integrated in Version 5, provided that your hardware configuration supports it and that you activate the required option in the Version 5 settings as explained below. These functions are available on Windows and require the latest NVidia drivers as well as specific graphic cards compliant with CgFX technology.

Below is an example with the Shiny Wood advanced material provided with Version 5 (click the thumbnail to see the full-size picture):
 

You do not need to download the Cg toolkit because the files that you need to use Cgfx functions are included with the V5 media. For detailed information, refer to OpenGL Shaders and CgFX on Windows in the Version 5 - Infrastructure Installation Guide.

Then, select Tools > Options > General > Display > Performances then select the Enable OpenGL Shader check box in the Miscellaneous area:
 

Once CgFX functions are activated, the visualization of materials with reflections or with a bump effect is automatically and significantly enhanced.

Dealing with .fx Files
 

For very complex rendering effects, e.g. Fresnel effect or Anisotropic effect, you have to create your own .fx files. If you do not have any sample file ready, you can use sample files delivered in Version 5.

The following scenario shows you how to use one of the sample files provided. However, bear in mind that the CgFx language is not developed by Dassault Systemes and therefore, it is up to you to to make the necessary updates for .fx files other than those delivered with Version 5.
Open the Chess.CATProduct document.

  1. Select the Italian Marble material in the specification tree.

  2. Select Edit > Properties or right-click and select Properties to open the Properties dialog box.

    The material properties can also be accessed by right-clicking the object onto which the material has been applied, then selecting Material > Edit Material. This avoids selecting the material in the specification tree and is especially useful when working in Full Screen mode, for instance.

    You can manipulate the object (i.e. zooming in or out, etc.) directly in the geometry area while displaying the Properties dialog box either by double-clicking the material in the specification tree or by right-clicking the material then selecting xxx object > Definition.

  3. Click the Texture tab then select External Shader from the Type list:

  4. Click which lets you browse your file tree to select a .fx file, then click Open. This displays the parameters declared in the .fx file, each box corresponding to one parameter.

    In our scenario, we use the sample file named BrushedMetal.fx delivered in $CATStartupPath\startup\materials\shaders.

    The external shader is applied to your model as shown below:

  5. Adjust the parameters displayed as desired. The modifications you make are automatically applied to your model to let you check the result.

  6. Click OK or Apply then OK to validate your parameters and close the Properties dialog box.

    The parameters are stored in the model with the material and not in the .fx file.

    If you edit the material parameters using a non-Version 5 application then re-access the material properties in Version 5, a warning window pops up to inform you that the parameters declared in the .fx file supersede any other data you may have stored in the material (and thus, these data are lost).

  7. If you want to modify the parameters declared in the .fx file, just open this file in any text editor such as WordPad, Notepad, etc.

    Each effect file contains one or more techniques, each of these techniques describing how the effect is achieved.

    Below is an extract of the sample file used in our scenario:

    You can then edit the text as you wish to modify existing parameters or create new ones.

    Making complex modifications implies that you are familiar with the CgFX language.
    If this is not the case, you can still make basic changes which do not require particular knowledge of the CgFX language.

    Note: all image formats are supported for texture files.

  8. Save your .fx file when finished then go back to your Version 5 session to apply this shader to your object.

    It is recommended that for the sake of convenience you save your texture file and your .fx file in the same location.
 

Below is another example with a bumpy metal. Click the thumbnail to see the full-size picture:
 

OpenGL Materials and CgFX Materials

Note that as of V5R17, CATIA no longer supports .isl* files (*files where OpenGL materials are stored) creation. However, .isl files created prior R17 level can be visualized and manually converted to .fx files. To do so, use a sample file named template.fx. Refer to How to convert .isl files to .fx files? for more information.