Digital Mock-Up Viewing 

Use

You can use this function to visualize new products as 3D models in the development phase throughout the whole enterprise. You can display a 3D model of an assembly and its components in the Engineering Workbench of the SAP System.

Other areas can now use product information that used to only be accessible on paper format to the engineering/design department as well. All departments involved in the development project can see the 3D model of an assembly on the screen even before a prototype is available.

Integration

CAD Interface

The SAP System obtains product information from a CAD system. You create a construction drawing the CAD system for the assembly and its components. While doing this you also set the spatial relations of the components to each other.

You use the CAD Interface to transfer your BOMs and CAD documents from your CAD system to your SAP System.

Contact your CAD interface provider about whether SAP’s DMU Viewing is supported. If DMU viewing is supported the CAD coupling creates the required assignments and starts the converter that then creates the transformation matrices and original application files in Direct Model format.
See: Converting Assemblies

Alternatively, the CAD coupling can write the transformation matrices. The converter creates the original application files in Direct Model format when a status is set.
See: Converting Documents (Automatic Start)

A converter must be installed in both cases. Please note the Installation Notes.

Conversion Interface

The conversion interface SAP System along with the external converter control the conversion of the original application files as well as the creating of the transformation matrices that contain the information about the geometric positions of the components.

The system creates a visual 3D file (such as *.jt) out of the CAD document for each component. This file is then stored in the SAP System as an original application file of the Document Management System and managed by means of a document info record.

You can now use the viewer that is integrated into the SAP System from Engineering Animation, Inc. (EAI) to view your 3D models of assemblies. The viewer is part of the standard SAP System's SAP Graphical User Interface (SAPgui) and is integrated into Engineering Workbench.

See: Viewer for Displaying Original Application Files

Prerequisites

Original application files must be in a 3D format that supports Digital Mock-Up. Direct Model format (*.jt) is supported, for example.

The original application files in the SAP System are managed by means of Document info records. These document info records are assigned to items in your BOM.

See: Document Assignment

Transformation matrices are also assigned to BOM items. A transformation matrix defines geometrical position of a component within space. When a component in an assembly is used more than once you need a transformation matrix for each part.

If you are working with multilevel BOMs, each level of the BOM must have a transformation matrix assigned to it.

Set the parameter for Digital Mock-Up when you transfer data to the SAP System using the CAD interface. Once you have done this the system converts the original application files automatically and creates the document info records and document assignments. Further information can be found under Conversion of CAD Files.

In addition, you have made the settings for the view in Customizing for Document Management (workstep General Data ® Define Workstation Application):

●      You made an entry for the workstation application JT.

●      In the workstep Define Workstation Application in Networ, you have defined the viewer that is started to display the JT original files.

See: Displaying Original Application File with a Viewer

Features

You can display a 3D model of an assembly and its components in the SAP System. You can display a 3D model on the screen without opening another window while processing or displaying a BOM in Engineering Workbench.

You can also display individual or several components. When you select several components the system calculates the geometric items of the component and sends them to the viewer for display. When the components are an assembly in and of themselves you can dismantle components and display or hide individual components.

The BOM of an automobile contains the body and wheels, for example. You can just display the wheels or just the body.

When you display the body and the wheels or the whole automobile the system calculates the geometrical positions of the components and displays them.

When the body itself is an assembly you can also dismantle it into its components (fender, doors).

If the product has a multi-level BOM you can dismantle all assemblies for the 3D models of their components. This requires however that data from design drawings has been transferred to the SAP System. You can do this for any number of levels. You can combine the components from any assemblies.

You can execute the following functions in 3D models:

●      Display an individual component

●      Display further components

●      Hide individual components

●      Display an entire assembly

You can also dismantle the components of assemblies to subordinate levels.

●      You can highlight a component.

●      Display a multi-level BOM

You can also use all the 3D functions of the viewer for displaying original application files such as:

●      Rotating and tilting the3D model

●      Zoom

●      Save the current screen contents of a file