We’re migrating CAD data from an external PDM system to ENOVIA R2020x, and the 3DViewer is failing to render the imported models. The files import successfully and we can see metadata, but when we try to open them in the viewer, we get a blank screen or error messages about unsupported formats.
The CAD format compatibility seems fine - we’re importing STEP files which should be supported. Our file conversion workflow processes the files during import, but something is breaking in the visualization pipeline. The 3DViewer supported formats documentation says STEP should work, but we’re not seeing the models.
Error in browser console:
Viewer Error: Unable to parse geometry data
Format: STEP AP214
File size: 45MB
The same files render perfectly in the source PDM system’s viewer. Has anyone encountered visualization issues with imported CAD models in R2020x? Is there a specific conversion step we’re missing for external files?
I’ve dealt with this exact scenario migrating from external PDM to ENOVIA R2020x. The problem is multi-faceted and requires addressing all three focus areas systematically.
For CAD format compatibility, R2020x’s 3DViewer has specific requirements for STEP files:
# Required STEP format settings
STEP_AP: AP203
GEOMETRY_REPRESENTATION: advanced_brep_shape
UNIT_SYSTEM: SI (millimeters)
Your AP214 files need conversion to AP203 before import. Use a pre-processing script with a tool like FME or a custom converter.
For the file conversion workflow, you need a two-stage process:
// Pseudocode - CAD import and conversion workflow:
1. Pre-validate STEP file format and version on import
2. Convert AP214 to AP203 using geometry translator service
3. Generate tessellation data with appropriate LOD settings
4. Create viewer cache files in multiple resolutions (low/med/high)
5. Validate generated cache against checksum before publishing
6. Update visualization metadata in ENOVIA database
7. Trigger viewer cache refresh for affected assemblies
// Each step should have error handling and rollback capability
For 3DViewer supported formats, configure your visualization service properly:
The key issue is that external PDM systems often embed proprietary visualization data that ENOVIA can’t read. You must regenerate all visualization representations during import. Set up a batch conversion job that processes imported files overnight, and configure quality settings based on your typical model complexity. For large assemblies over 40MB, use progressive loading with LOD switching to improve initial render time.
Also ensure your visualization server has sufficient resources - we allocated 16GB heap memory for processing files of your size range.
This draft is based on general ENOVIA knowledge. It has not been verified against your specific version and environment. Practitioners: verify the steps and share your experience below.
The issue is likely with the tessellation data. When you import from external PDM, the viewer cache isn’t being generated. You need to run the conversion service to create the visualization representations. Check if the CSConversionAdapter is properly configured for STEP files and that the conversion queue is processing imported files.
I checked the conversion queue and it shows the files as processed successfully. The visualization representations are being created, but they’re still not rendering. Could this be a version compatibility issue with STEP AP214 specifically?
STEP AP214 can be tricky in R2020x. The viewer might be expecting AP203 format instead. Try converting your STEP files to AP203 during the import process. Also verify that the geometry tolerance settings in your conversion workflow match what the viewer expects - if the tessellation is too coarse or too fine, it can cause rendering failures.
Check your 3DViewer cache directory permissions and available disk space. We had a similar issue where conversions appeared successful but files weren’t accessible to the viewer due to filesystem permissions. Also, 45MB is fairly large - make sure your viewer memory settings can handle files of that size. You might need to increase the Java heap size for the visualization service.
Another possibility: the external PDM might be using a different coordinate system or unit system that’s not being properly converted during import. STEP files can have embedded unit definitions that conflict with ENOVIA’s expectations. Try importing a simple test model first to rule out data complexity issues, then gradually test with more complex assemblies.