Unloading Components from the ENOVIA LCA toolbar or ENOVIA VPM Toolbar (Unload Branch)

This task will explain you the behavior of the Unload Branch command and show you particular cases when this functionality can be applied on Products and / or sub-Products coming from ENOVIA LCA or VPM, in CATIA V5.

In our example, we mostly talk about ENOVIA LCA but it is also available in ENOVIA VPM.
Whenever this functionality is applicable, the interoperability uses the same Product Structure "Unloading" functionality, and the behavior is the same.

For more information about it, please refer to Unloading Components, in the Product Structure User's Guide.

The behavior of Unload Branch

Unloading a CATPart (Sub-Product) in an Assembly coming from ENOVIA LCA or VPM

  1. Create an assembly with an associated CATPart in ENOVIA LCA or VPM.

  2. Send it in CATIA V5.

  3. Edit this CATPart in CATIA V5.

  4. Select this CATPart and press the Unload Branch from CATIA V5  button in the ENOVIA LCA toolbar (last icon). This functionality is also available in the ENOVIA VPM toolbar.
If the CATPart had already been modified in CATIA V5, a warning asks you to save the CATPart before unloading it:
There is no way to select a .model file in the Unload command.
If the Cache is ON and you open a CATPart, it is not loaded (Visualization mode) but its geometry is visible in the 3D view. You reload it (Design mode) and then you activate the Unload functionality on this CATPart: it is unloaded (Visualization mode) and its geometry is visible, which means that it goes back to the initial state.
With Cache ON, performing Unload command on a CATPart Instance will in fact switch it back to Visualization mode. The following scenario will explain you the effects of this command.

For more information about the Unload command, please refer to Unloading Components in Product Structure User's Guide.

  1. Click Close and save this assembly in ENOVIA V5: .

  2. Select Part1 and press the Unload Branch from CATIA V5 button in the ENOVIA LCA or VPM toolbar, and you obtain:
  Part1.1 is unloaded:
  • its node has the unloaded symbol ,
  • its name changes from Part Number (Instance Name) to Instance Name [Document Name]
  • and its geometry is no longer visible.
When a Product (or Sub-Product) is unloaded, it is still displayed in the Specification Tree.

  1. If you want to reload this element, right-click the CATPart and select the Components -> Load contextual command.

  2. Or select the father, Prod1, and press the Load Children from ENOVIA LCA button in the ENOVIA LCA toolbar (available in the ENOVIA VPM toolbar as well). See picture in Step 4.
By using this command, Load Children, you will load all the components under Prod1, even potential Sub-Products that had been previously unloaded in CATIA V5. All references, all children come back without any distinction.

 

Particular Cases

Case 1: Basic Unloading of a Product (intermediary node) coming from ENOVIA LCA or VPM
You can unload only entities whose documents already exist in ENOVIA LCA or VPM because it implies that you must be able to find them back to reload them.

An object is unloaded only if its Document is persistent in ENOVIA LCA or VPM.
Unloading an intermediary node when it is persistent, saved in Workpackage mode (Document kept in Vault), is possible:
But, if you unload a Structure Exposed component (Prod1), all its children (Part1) will disappear:
Therefore, if the CATProduct, saved as Structure Exposed (CATProduct not saved in the Vault), cannot be unloaded, the Unload is propagated on its children. All persistent objects will be unloaded until the last node.

Case 2: Advanced Unloading of a Product (intermediary node) coming from ENOVIA LCA or VPM
If you have an assembly with this architecture:
  • Prod_A and Prod_B are "Structure Exposed",
  • Part_B, ProdC and PartC are "Workpackage".

  1. Select Prod_A and press the Unload Branch from CATIA V5  button in the ENOVIA LCA toolbar.

As Prod_A has been saved as Structure Exposed in ENOVIA LCA, it is impossible to unload it. However, its children except Prod_B which is in "Structure Exposed" too, will be unloaded.

There is a persistency check on each entity and if a Product has been saved in Structure Exposed, the Unload operation is done directly on the children, and so on, until the last node.

In our example, we get this result: Prod_C and Part_B are unloaded because they are persistent in ENOVIA LCA (Workpackage mode).

  1. In order to reload these components, select Prod_A or Prod_B and press the Load Children from CATIA V5  button in the ENOVIA LCA toolbar: . And the unloaded entities will re-appear.
Only Documents can be unloaded, but Instances are not unloaded.
When a Part is unloaded from both Instances, both Instances are displayed in the Specification Tree under the Product, only Documents disappear and not the unloaded Parts.