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in turn is referenced from model space. Assemblies are formed by nesting
"part" blocks.
CATIA V4 models can contain components that are set to be invisible/hidden.
However, once imported, all geometry is visible, regardless of their visibility
state in CATIA V4.
A CATIA V4 *.exp file can contain more than one model. However, you can
import only one model per IMPORT session. Hence, when IMPORT detects
multiple models, it prompts you to specify which model to import.
CATIA V5
The following CATIA V5 files are supported
■ *.CATPart (CATIA part files)
■ *.CATProduct (CATIA assembly files)
Importing *.CATPart files produces blocks that have the same name as the
source file. If the file name contains invalid characters, in the corresponding
block they are replaced by the underscore (_) character.
The Import Process
Depending on how complex the CATIA file is, IMPORT could take several
minutes to execute. Hence, IMPORT runs as a background process, allowing
you to continue working on the drawing. Once the background process starts,
IMPORT displays the Import icon on the status bar. If you hover over the
Import status bar icon while import is in progress, a tooltip displays the current
status.
The following data types are translated:
■ Assemblies
■ Parts
■ Surfaces
■ Solids
■ Wire Geometry (2D & 3D)
Once processing is complete, a notification bubble is displayed on the import
status bar icon. If you click the link in the notification bubble, the imported
content is inserted in the current drawing. If you close the notification bubble
1872 | Chapter 37 Work with Data in Other Formats