SpaceClaim Online Help

Scripting

Refer to the Class LibraryYou can select from the Materials Library in the Properties panel and add them to your Local Materials. In Scripting, the Class Library is a help document that describes the API. for a detailed description of the API. A copy of the Class Library compiled help file (.chm) is included in the installation. The path will be similar to the paths shown below and will change according to the version you are using.   For SpaceClaim: C:\Program Files\SpaceClaim 2016.2\SpaceClaim.Api.V15   For SCDM: C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v172\scdm\SpaceClaim.Api.V15   You can also download the latest version here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/help.spaceclaim.com/downloads/API_Scripting_Class_Library.chm.   If you have trouble viewing the file, check the file properties to see if it needs to be Unblocked.

You can work with SpaceClaim programmatically using Python. A built-in script editor allows you to create and run scripts to perform repetitive tasks and work with models and geometry.

Use File>New>Script to begin a new script.

When running SpaceClaim within AIM, use Model>Show Script Editor to begin a new script.

Use File>Open to open an existing script file (*.scscript, *.py).

When you exit SpaceClaim with an open script, you are asked if you want to save the existing script.

Script Editor

The Script Editor has the following functions.

• Open Script -Loads a script from a file
• Save Script -Saves the current script to a file
• Save Script As - Saves the current script by specifying a destination
• Clear - Clears the Script Editor
• Record - Code for scriptable actions performed in SpaceClaim is written in the script window
• Insert Code Snippet - Presents the Snippet dropdown at the cursor in the script window
• Insert Selection - Pastes the current selection as script in the script window. The selection can be identified by:
  • ID - The internal ID of each selected entities
  • Index - The internal index of each selected entity
  • Ray - The internal ray fire point and direction
  • Smart Variable - Combines the other methods to make selections persist better when replaying scripts

    • Smart Variable selection is needed to make selections more stable for replaying changes. A Smart Variable selection stores more information than any of the other types and is much more robust in matching the selected entity during geometry changes.

    • The image below shows how each selection is scripted for the same selected face. Notice that the Smart Variable selection uses a variable called “Face1”

      

    • Smart Variables have a dropdown GUI, on mouse-over, for investigating references beyond the in-graphics highlighting.

      

• Find/Replace - Opens a Find and Replace dialog
• Run Next LineA straight line, arc, or spline drawn in Sketch mode or on a layout plane. Lines have length but no area. When you pull a sketch into 3D with the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool, lines become edges. - Executes the next line of the script
• Run Script - Executes the entire script from the top.

Script is written in the main Script Window but can also be entered as single commands in the command line.

Intellisense is included in the editor to assist with entering commands.

The editor supports the following shortcuts:

• Ctrl+K = Comment
• Ctrl+Shift+K = Uncomment

Results of running a script, including error and warnings, are written to the Output Window.

Power Selection and Smart Variables

Power Selection is recorded and, when using Smart Variables, can be used to perform similar operations on multiple bodies.

For example, you can record the power-selection of holes with a certain diameter, and then the filling of those holes with the FillUse the Fill tool to simplify or clean up geometry by extending surrounding faces to eliminate a selection. The selected region is filled in or healed with the surrounding surface or solid. tool. That script can then be used to fill holes of the same size in other models, even if the number of holes is different.

The example below shows six holes power-selected, filled and recorded.
The script is then run on a different model and 12 holes with the same diameter are filled.

Re-importing models

Scripting supports recording and playback for imported models with persistent ID maps. This allows the following:

1. Start recording
2. Import a model from another CAD system
3. Make changes to the imported model
4. Save the script
5. Import a new version of the model (i.e. it was changed and saved in the source system)
6. Playback the script on the new version

Notes:

• The import of the model needs to be recorded so that the ID Map is inserted in the script
• The ID Map makes the script binary so that it can only be edited in SpaceClaim
• To import a new version, you need to make sure that the correct version number is called for in the script

Limitations:

• AssemblyHierarchy of components and subcomponents showing relationship within a design, as shown in the Structure tree. In manufacturing, a unit fitted together from manufactured parts. See Assembly tool, Component hierarchy in the source system cannot change between imports
• Part names in sub-assemblies cannot change between imports
• The following file types are currently supported
  • Spatial IOP Translators
    • NX
    • Pro/E
    • CATIAModeling engine by Dassault Systèmes. You can import and export CATIA files. V5
    • Inventor
  • Part Manager Plugin Translators
    • NX
    • Pro/E
    • CATIA V5
    • Inventor
    • DesignModeler

Snippets

Snippets are chunks of code that can be inserted into your script. They are presented in a dropdown folder browser with tooltip help describing the function of each Snippet.

You can write your own Snippets and add them to a custom snippet directory. Use the Support Files Paths set in SpaceClaim Options > Support Files to create a directory for storing your Snippets.

• The directory will appear in the Snippets fly-out menu in the Script Editor
• Snippets need to be saved as XML files containing the snippet code and other information (Title, Description, etc.)

To create a snippet, use the following template XML and change the Title, Description, and Code.

Snippet example

This example shows how to use a Code Snippet to create a simple gear.

The model already contains a cylindrical shaft, which could also be constructed using a script.

Open the Examples folder and select the gear Snippet.

 

The Snippet code loads into the Script Editor window.

 

Click the Run Script button to build the gear.

Script Groups

Scripts can be saved to GroupsSets of objects that appear in the Groups tab. You create a group from any set of selected objects. Information such as Selection, Alt+selection, move anchoring, axis, and ruler dimension is all stored with the group. to store them in the model. In the Script Editor, open the dropdown menu on the Save button and check Save Script to Group. Click the Save button to create the group and add it to the Scripts folder in the Groups PanelSections of the user interface that initially appear along the left side of the application window and include: Structure panel, Layers panel, Selection panel, Groups panel, Options panel, and Properties panel. You can dock and detach these panels..

Script Parameters

Variables used in scripts can be saved to Parameter Groups. This allows you to easily modify the values without editing the script.

To create a Parameter group

1. Create a Script group
2. Right-click in the Groups Panel and choose Create Parameter from the menu
3. The parameter is created with a default name and a default value of zero
4. Rename the Parameter

Script Group and Parameter example

 

This example shows how Parameter Groups can be used to modify the parameters of the Gear script.

 

1. Insert the Gear snippet into an empty script.
2. Save the script to a Script Group.
3. Create a Parameter group as described above and name it "Teeth".
4. Look for the variable "nTeeth" in the script and edit it as shown below.

   

5. Click the 'Teeth' Parameter in the Groups Panel and change it to the original value of 20.
6. Right-click on the Script Group and choose Run Script from the menu to create a 20-tooth gear.

   

7. Expand the Script Group node in the Groups Panel and see that it displays the current value of the Teeth parameter.

   

8. By default, scripts run after you change a parameter value. Right-click on the Script Group and choose Pause from the menu keep the script from running until you explicitly run it. The script icon in the Groups Panel now has a 'paused' icon.
9. Change the Teeth parameter to 40 and see that the script group now has a yellow triangle in the Groups Panel to indicate that the Teeth parameter has changed.

   

10. The snippet does not delete the current gear before it creates a new one. So, delete the current gear and rerun the script to create a 40-tooth gear.

    

11. Right-click in the Groups Panel and create a new Parameter named "oRadius".
12. Find the 'oRadius' variable in the script and edit as you did for the Teeth parameter.
13. Change the parameter value to 0.02 to match the initial value in the script.
14. Right-click on the parameter and change the units to Length.

    

15. Notice that the Parameter value changes to "20mm", indicating that the script assumes length units of Meters.

    

16. Change the value to 30mm and change the number of teeth back to 20
17. Delete the current gear
18. Run the script to create a gear with 20 teeth and an outside radius of 30mm.