Advanced Settings Windows

Use

Within Vector Illustration, you can use the Advanced Settings window to control advanced render settings for Vector Illustration, including creating .html files and various print options.

We recommend that you only modify the Raster/Vector File and Line Filtering settings, and use the default settings for all other options.

Features

Fields

Functional Description

Remove Hidden Lines

Removes lines that are hidden by the geometry. For example, a Z-buffer. This is usually what is required for rendering. However, at times you may want a see-through effect.

Hide Back-Facing Geometry

Hides any back- facing geometry. This option ensures that the faces/polygons that you cannot see from the current view are not rendered, therefore increasing processing speed.

Use Part IDs

Determines how lines are calculated for illustration. If checked, Part IDs are used to calculate lines. If left unchecked, lines are calculated based upon the patch IDs of the CAD file.

Multithreading

Performs rendering in multiple threads. You need to have a multithreaded processor to use this feature.

Multiple Layers

Reduces all objects to a single layer. If this is not selected, a separate layer is produced for each object.

XML Companion File

Creates a special XML file with hot spot information. This option is available for the .cgm format only

HTML File

Used to choose whether an .html file is created when rendering to the .swf format:

  • None: Prevents the creation of an .html file

  • Create: Creates an .html file

  • Create and open: Creates an .html file and displays it in your default browser

CGM Format

Used to choose the format in which to render a .cgm file.

  • Version 3: Creates a .cgm file

  • Version 4/WebCGM: Creates a WebCGM file

Thick and Thinning Method

Used to set line thickness in the illustration

  • Complete: Every line is thick

  • Pop Line: Only the outside edges are thick

  • Silhouette: Creates a thicker line relating to the external lines

Raster/Vector File

Used to select options relating to the creation of a “hybrid” image file when rendering to the .svg format. This allows you to interact with the BOM and callouts. For example, when you click an object in the BOM, the associated callout is highlighted. Hybrid files comprise a vector .svg image and a raster .png image and they have a .svg.png extension. A .svg file is also created when you render to a hybrid file.

  • None: Creates a single image type file. A hybrid file is not created

  • Render Raytracer: Creates a hybrid file using the Raytracer renderer

  • Render Software Z-buffer: Creates a hybrid file using the Software Z-buffer renderer

  • Raster Image Scale: The amount used to scale the hybrid file image. For example, if you enter 1, the new image is the same size as the original viewport image. If you enter 2, the new image is double the size of the original viewport image.

  • Flat Color Fill: This option is available for .cgm, .ai, .svg, and .swf file formats only.

Appearance

Used to establish appearance settings for the rendered file

  • Lock Font Sizes: If checked, the size of the fonts in the rendered output is locked

  • Order 2D Line Stacking by Z value: If checked, the solid black lines overlap over hidden gray lines in vector illustration files

Line Joining

Used to establish line settings for the rendered file

  • Different Line Types: If checked, different edge types may be joined into a single polyline

  • Minimum Angle: If the angle between two adjacent edges is more than the minimum angle, they may be joined into a single polyline, range is 0-180 degrees

Line Filtering

Used to establish line filtering settings for the rendered file

  • Approximate Shared Boundary Edges: This is effective only for source scenes where geometry has cracks (CAD formats). The algorithm finds edges which are very close together and makes one edge from two.

  • Filter Lines: Removes any duplicated and/or unnecessary additional lines that may be displayed in the rendered file

  • Tolerance: Determines the tolerance to apply when filtering lines. A low tolerance value removes a small number of lines and results in a slow processing speed. A high tolerance value removes more lines, and therefore the processing speed is faster.

  • Break Polylines at Intersection: Splits lines at the point where they are intersecting with other lines. This option is effective only for later manual filtering.

  • Break Silhouettes to Lines and Curves: Splits silhouettes at the point where they are intersecting with lines and curves. This option is effective only for later manual filtering.

Post Process

Used to establish advanced settings to further optimize .cgm file sizes and also convert lines into splines

  • Reduce File Size: Used to produce the smallest possible file size

  • Create Splines: Converts standard lines to splines for higher quality curves in vector output. This option results in an increased file size.

  • Quality: Used to set the quality of the output. Using the slider to increase the quality of the output results in an increased file size

Contour Detection (Hotspots/Color Fills)

Used to establish contour detection settings for hot spot and color fill regions in the 2D rendered file

  • Accuracy: Determines the quality of the resolution. The available options are Low, Medium, and High. The default option is Medium. Note that the higher the setting, the better your resolution appears, however the time taken to process may increase slightly

  • Splines: Determines whether the fills and hot spot regions are approximated with splines. This gives smaller file size and better accuracy.

  • Try to match Contours from Original Geometry: Because hot spot and color fill regions are detected using a 2D image, the stair artifacts (jaggies) are visible when you zoom in. This option attempts to use contour polylines from the original geometry instead of using polylines created from 2D rendering.