Interpreting transform data

Teamcenter uses occurrence transformation data to position components in an assembly. It creates transformation data for each component in an assembly. When a Teamcenter assembly is opened in an integrated CAD system, the CAD system interprets the transformation data to reconstruct the assembly. Teamcenter stores transformations in a matrix in eXT format in the following format: { R00 R10 R20 P0 R01 R11 R21 P1 R02 R12 R22 P2 T0 T1 T2 S } The components of this matrix are: A general rotation submatrix, comprising an x-axis (R00, R01, R02), a y-axis (R10, R11, R12), and a z-axis (R20, R21, R22). A perspective (P0, P1, P2). A translation (T0, T1, T2) A scaling factor (S).

Note Not all of these components are used by every external CAD system that stores data in Teamcenter. For example, NX only uses rigid body transforms and therefore does not use perspective. The three elements representing perspective are always set to 0.0 by Teamcenter Integration for NX. Also, Teamcenter Integration for NX always sets the scaling factor to 1.0. The transform values set by different external CAD systems are not compatible or interchangeable. You can view and change the transformation associated with a component in the Absolute Transformation Matrix property columns. In particular, you can add one or more of the following property columns to view transformations: bl_plmxml_occ_xform Shows the PLM XML transformation matrix value assigned to a part occurrence in the product structure. bl_plmxml_abs_xform Shows a run-time, rolled-up PLM XML transformation matrix value assigned to a part occurrence in the product structure. The rolled-up transformation value is calculated by adding the relative transformation matrices of all the occurrence parent parts in the product structure. This property can also override a transformation matrix value if you are making in-context edits. bl_occ_xform_matrix Shows the non-PLM XML transformation matrix value assigned to a part occurrence in the product structure. This property value is available if you work with older versions of NX. When you open an assembly in NX, it looks for PLM XML transformation data in the bl_plmxml_occ_xform property in Teamcenter when needed. If PLM XML transformation data is not available, NX looks for legacy transformation data in the bl_occ_xform_matrix property and converts it internally. For more information about how NX converts legacy transformations, see the Teamcenter Integration Customer Defaults section of the Teamcenter Integration for NX documentation. bl_abs_xform_matrix Shows a run-time, rolled-up non-PLM XML transformation matrix value assigned to a part occurrence in the product structure. The rolled-up transformation value is calculated by adding the relative transformation matrices of all the occurrence parent parts in the product structure. This property can also override a transformation matrix value if you are making in-context edits. The following example shows a structure that has just relative transformation matrices assigned to it. Structure Manager fills the absolute transformation matrix fields when it rolls up the relative transformation matrices of the structure. In this example, 000010/A;1-n1 does not have a relative transformation matrix assigned to it. If Structure Manager encounters an unassigned matrix, it inserts an identity matrix in the Absolute Transformation Matrix column when rolling the matrix values. Example of product structure with relative transformation matrixes The following example shows a structure that has relative transformation matrixes assigned to it and also one absolute transformation matrix in the context of 000009/A;1-top. If appropriate, you can make in-context values to the absolute transformation matrix value. When you do this, a target icon appears next to the transformation value in the Absolute Transformation Matrix column. In-context transformation values override the relative transformation values when Structure Manager rolls up the transformation values in the Absolute Transformation Matrix column. Example of product structure with relative and absolute transformation matrixes Teamcenter and Teamcenter Integration for NX transformation data is written in PLM XML format and uses meters as the unit of measure. In earlier Teamcenter products, transform data was written in millimeters and inches. Do not combine legacy and current transform measurements rather update legacy transform data as described in the NX documentation. You can use the PS_convert_legacy_transform_to_plmxml user preference to enable the display of legacy transforms in a PLM XML format.