System Editor

System Editor creates systems and edits scenes used within Beast Core. System Editor also manually imports/swaps models and creates system flow.

Three Main Areas

• System Editor Toolbar - The toolbar on the left side of the screen with icon button options.
  

• Panels - The panels that populate when a toolbar icon button is clicked, such as the Scene Hierarchy panel in the image above.
  

• Viewport - The system viewer window on the right side of the screen that shows systems and component models. View and select individual models in Viewport.
  

  • Use the WASD and Space/Shift keys to move around in Viewport.
    

    • The W key moves the camera view forward.

    • The A key moves the camera view to the left.

    • The S key moves the camera view backward.

    • The D key moves the camera view to the right.

    • The Space key moves the camera view up.

    • The Shift key moves the camera view down.

    • Left click on the mouse to activate mouse movement.

    • The esc key deactivates mouse movement.

    • Use mouse movement to turn the angle to the left, right, up, or down.

Scene Model Hierarchy

The Scene Hierarchy lists models from the viewport.

The five buttons at the top serve different functions.

	Collapse/Expand All	toggles to collapse all children nodes into their parent files or expand all children out of their parent files.
	Remove Duplicates	deletes models with the same name as an existing model. This will remove the second encountered name from the scene where the order is determined by the order they load from the file, not the order they are sorted in the tree.
	Make Names Unique	adds a random string of numbers and characters to make all model names unique.
	Remove All Parents	is an option to use before saving the file to eliminate groups within groups.
	Remove Zero-Geo	removes hierarchy child items without geometry.

Right clicking any CATIA opens additional functionalities.

CATIA refers to the name of the model

• State sets a component status to Enable, Disable, Damage, or Repair.

Note: State and Damage options are not persistent (saved between System Editor launches) unless there is a database connected and the state is saved/loaded as an Alignment.

• Move To moves components/geometry between the different groups in System Editor and moves a child from its current parent to another.

• Export Selected exports a single file containing all models currently selected.

Export File Location…type a file name and file type. Example: Test.obj, Test.0xi

• Replace Selected imports new geometry to replace the old geometry.

• Delete Selected deletes a mesh from System Editor.

export file to save changes

• Rename Mesh – renames a component’s geometry mesh.

export file to save changes

• Add Filter allows the user to add an additional filter for the sorting of CATIAs through basic and advanced sorting.

• Add Group creates a new parent under which models can be sorted and moves children between parents.

• Auto-Connect connects models by distance, showing flow in Beast Core.

• Create Components creates components in the SCARModelDatabase (SMD) and allows implementation of component metadata.

• Rename Components replaces the name of a particular component.

System Editor Settings

• Near Clip Distance and Far Clip Distance refer to the near and far plane of the camera.

• Field of View refers to the viewing angle.

• Auto-add requirements automatically adds system requirements when creating connections.

• Require hold CTRL to change speed functions to avoid accidental speed adjustments. Adjust speed via the mouse wheel.

• Backface Culling, when checked, shows the backface by turning the model black. When unchecked, backface culling makes the model transparent.

• Show a warning before deletion alerts before model removal.

• Render Shader allows the user to see textures in their default state.

Avoid changing the default setting

• Movement Mode toggles between Fly (default) and Select movement modes.

Select resembles Blender's movement mode

• STEP Geometry Settings can be used with STEP files. The Quality to Performance slider populates a median pre-defined value for deflections. The default value exists in the middle of the slider. Use the slider to achieve a balance of Quality and Performance.

o Quality represents more faces and more detail. Higher Quality value functions best for smaller projects.

o Performance represents less triangles in the model after converting. Higher Performance value increases functionality in Beast Core.

• Reset Layout reverts to the default layout and will reset saved locations and sizes of all the panels.

• Customize Palette creates a custom palette or theme.

Import Geometry

Importing geometry is typically the first step a user will perform in System Editor.

• Model Filter allows inclusion or exclusion of models from files. Model Filter only works with model names, rather than file names.

For example, a file with a thousand models includes five needed models. The user lists those models, and upon import, only those five models appear in System Editor.

• Model Filter uses either the Import File or Import Folder options.

• Paste the model names into the box and select matches to filter this way.

• Use RegEx to filter the models based on a regular expression

RegEx represents a sequence of characters that specifies a matching pattern in text.

• File Filter filters a folder of files. The filter only works with file names, rather than model names.

• File Filter uses the Import Folder option.

• Import File and Import Folder, when selected, populate a file explorer window. Select the files and/or folders required, then click Open.

The imported geometry appears in the Viewport.

• Import Alignment imports an alignment consisting of a group of valves set as shut or open.

Export Geometry

• Export Scene Geometry exports a single geometry file with geometry loaded in the scene. Select several geometry files, then export everything under one file.

• Use Export Alignment to create flow patterns.

The SMD must be attached as this is where Alignment is exported.

• Export Model List exports a plain text file of every CATIA in the scene.

• Export Lowest Z Positions exports a plain text file to the lowest Z position of each component in the scene on Export Scene.

• Export Highest Z Positions writes a file path to a .txt file to the highest Z position of each component in the scene upon Export Scene.

• Input Geometry Source:

o The Scene Geometry option uses only geometry currently loaded into System Editor.

o 0xi Folder, the Illusion Folder, takes in all system files, such as all component models.

• Ignore Output Component Positions as a deprecated feature.

Import Database

Linking a database occurs after importing geometry.

1. Click the Link Database button on the System Editor Toolbar shown in the image.

2. file explorer window populates.

3. Find and select the database, such as the SCARModelDatabase in the image, and click Open.

Once the database links to the models imported in the scene, the color of the models change in the Viewport (based on the connections). Notice the models are mostly blue in the image.

The SMD disconnected or components not present in the SMD for the models in the system causes a gray appearance.

Create Components

Once a database imports or links in System Editor, create components.

1. In the Scene Hierarchy panel, select all components by clicking the system at the top (in this image the Sprinkling System), then click the Create Components button.

2. When creating components, the systems, types, and categories need designations. Make any required designations, then click Accept.

3. After clicking accept, the components are created, and the scene should look like the image above.

Run Auto-Connect

After loading a database and creating components, run Auto-Connect. Auto-Connect links all nearby components and creates flow through pipes and wires in a workspace or system.

1. In the Scene Hierarchy panel, select all components by clicking the system at the top (in this image the Sprinkling System), then click the Auto-Connect button.

2. A prompt verifies all models in the scene match components in the database.

Click OK to continue.

3. Another prompt may populate if the components are not selected and confirms running auto-connect.

Click Yes.

4. Designate the distance for auto-connect to connect components. Use the default value.

Click OK.

5. Select the number of CPU threads for auto-connect. A higher number dedicates more resources to the operation at the expense of performance on other tasks.

Select one less thread than the default value to keep the computer operational.

6. The status displays in the bottom-left corner of System Editor.

7. System Editor confirms that auto-connect completes in the bottom-left corner.

Model Connections

When selecting multiple pipes/users, the Connection Mode tab shows flow in the system as it appears in Beast Core.

When adjusting flow to create unidirectional flow, the options shown change the flow of all selected objects.

Metadata

• Name designates the CATIA, or component name, of a model.

• System designates the system of the component.

• Type designates the component type and affects flow.

• Category sets the category of component.

• Component Color changes the color of a component, which overrides the system color defined in the SMD.

• Edit Source Systems shows the system giving the selected component flow.

• Edit Required Systems indicates the system from which the selected component receives flow.

• Attributes created in Metadata mode display in the ComponentRefNames table in the SMD and in the INFORMATION field in Beast Core.

Attribute types differ for each platform.

Use display label to locate a specific model inside Beast Core.

• Outgoing & Incoming Connections describe system flow between components.

Clip Planes

Clip Planes, a seldom used feature, allows raising and lowering the different axes for viewing in densely populated areas.

Lua Console

System Editor provides a Lua console for power users.