SDS2 Full Transfer
Tool summary :
- Exports metadata via an XML file. Also gives you the ability to transfer CNC files and an IFC file and PDF files.
- This help page also serves as instruction for Tekla PowerFab , Strumis Transfer and the Advance Steel export.
- If all you want is metadata, consider using SDS2 Status Transfer instead of this tool.
- Instead of outputting drawings in the PDF format, you can optionally choose ' Setup determined ' to output the drawings as .dxf or .dxb or .dwg or .dgn files. The drawings that are output can be member details , detail sheets , submaterial details , gather sheets , erection sheets .
- SDS2 Full Transfer can be launched by clicking an icon, by keyboard shortcut, or via the context menu. You can find it in the group called ' Model -- Parametric ' (lightning or classic).
SDS2 Full Transfer - When you launch Full Transfer at Home ( Home > Export > Full Transfer ), you select from a list those members whose metadata you want to include in the XML file. When you activate Full Transfer in Modeling , you select members in the model.
- For Full Transfer of custom properties between copies of an SDS2 Job, the " Flavor " that was set (at Job creation time) needs to have been a modular flavor or a legacy flavor other than ' None '.
- See the step-by-step instructions .
Also see :
- SDS2 Status Transfer (a cut-down version of Full Transfer )
- Tekla PowerFab Export (an alternative to Full Transfer )
- Strumis Transfer (another alternative to Full Transfer )
- Advance Steel (also works like Full Transfer )
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Step-by-step instructions :
1a : The entire 3D model should have undergone Process and Create Solids , have been thoroughly reviewed , and should be modified where necessary.
1b : If you are transferring member details , detail sheets or submaterial details , those drawings must have been created. This procedure will not generate them automatically. It does, however, automatically generate copies of those drawings as PDF files or, if you select ' Setup determined ', as whatever file type is selected (.dxf or .dxb or .dwg or .dgn) as the " Export format " in Home > Project Settings > Fabricator > Drawing Export Configuration .
1c : If you choose to generate CNC files, make sure that the current " CNC configuration " and " CNC type " that are shown on the Computer Numerically Controlled window are for the CNC machine that you plan to download to. Also, consider checking the box for "
Include attached submaterial in member downloads " -- see the tip is step 8 .
1d : By default, the files exported by this procedure are placed in the
output folder in the data directory for your current version of this program. Step 12 lets you change the " Export directory ."
2 . Click the SDS2 Full Transfer icon to open the SDS2 Data Transfer window, which is represented below.
3 . For " Import or Export ," choose ' 
Export '.
If your current Job was set to use a legacy flavor: Choose whether you want to " Export ... to " a ' Full Station ' ( SDS2 Detailing ) or an ' Approval Station ' ( SDS2 Model Review ) or a ' Fabricating Station ' ( SDS2 Fabricating ) or an ' Erector Station ' ( SDS2 Site Planning ) or a ' Modeling Station ' ( SDS2 Modeling ). Note that the tabs under the " Status " heading are enabled or disabled based on the selection that you make.
4 . For " Transfer type ," choose ' Full - All Data ' or ' Full - Choose Data ' or ' Status Only '.
' Full - All Data ' results in all Member Status Review and MEMBER Edit Properties information being output to an XML file on all members. In addition, drawings and CNC files are output, as is an IFC file of the model. Skip steps 5-11 and go to step 12 .
' Full - Choose Data ' keeps options such as whether or not to " Include CNC " enabled, so that you can decide what data you prefer to include. Go to step 5.
' Status Only ' gives you basically the same capabilities as doing a Status Transfer . That is, Member Status Review and MEMBER Edit Properties information will be output to an XML file. Skip steps 5 - 9 and go to step 10 .
Steps 5 - 9 apply only if you chose ' Full - Choose Data '.
5 . For " Data source ," you can select ' Members ' or ' Sheets '. Exactly the same information about a given member will be output by either selection method. If you select by ' Sheets ', then data will be output for all members on those sheets and, furthermore, for each member that is batched under an individual piecemark on that sheet.
' Members ' with '
All ' not checked results in you being prompted -- after you press " OK " -- to select members from the model.
' Members ' with '
' Sheets ' with '
' Sheets ' with '
Note: Regardless of your choice here, the output will include detail sheets, member details and submaterial details (if they exist) and, to the XML file, Drawing Data status for sheets, members and submaterials along with Member Status Review status for all members. This was not true in earlier versions, but it is the case now.
6 . Check the box for " Include Bill of Material " if you want to include bill information in the XML file. Each line from the bill is output separately. It is up to the receiving program to sort the data. For example, FabSuite compares the the model data and the BOM data for a member and, if the data are different, uses the BOM data for that part.
7 . If you " Include drawing files ," you can optionally specify that they be output in ' Setup determined ' or ' PDF ' format. In addition, you can specify whether or not you want " Gather sheets " and " Erection sheets " output in the selected format.
' Setup determined ' uses the " Export format " specified in Home > Project Settings > Fabricator > Drawing Export Configuration to set whether the drawings will be output in .dxf or .dxb or .dwg or .dgn format. Drawings will include member details , detail sheets and submaterial details , Gather sheets and Erection sheets may optionally be included.
' PDF ' causes the drawings to be converted into the .pdf format.
'
'
Related operations: Drawing Conversion (DWF), Home > Export > 2D > Export PDF Drawing .
8 . If you " Include CNC ," you can optionally specify downloading by ' Member main material ' (files named after the member piecemark , upper case) or by ' Submaterial ' (files named after the submaterial mark , lower case).
Tip: To get both submaterial and member main material download files, select ' Member main material ' and, in the CNC Setup window, check the box for "
Related operations: CNC downloading .
9 . If you " Include IFC ," you can optionally specify to download ' Holes ' and/or ' Bolts ' and/or ' Welds '. The IFC file will be in compliance with the AISC EM11 specification if you check the box for " EM11 ."
Related operations: Export Model (IFC).
Step 10 applies only if you chose ' Full - Choose Data ' or ' Status Only '
10 . Beneath the " Status " heading, check those boxes for those categories which you want to export to the XML file. (If your current Job was set to use a legacy flavor, these categories appear under various tabs.)
Tip: Click the " Select all " or " Clear all " buttons to quickly select or deselect all the categories at once.
11 . You can " Zip XML file " to make the file smaller if its status and custom property information will later be imported using the SDS2 Full Transfer tool. Otherwise, the receiving program must accept data that is compressed into gzip (.gz) files.
12 . Press the " OK " button on the SDS2 Data Transfer window. Depending on the choices you made in step 4 and step 5 , several possibilities may result. For all of the possibilities outlined below, a window opens for entering an " Export directory ." By default, the items to be transferred are placed in the output folder in the data directory used by your current version of SDS2 software. You can press the " Browse " button to change the location. Pressing " OK " on this " Export directory " window outputs the XML file and other files.
Possibility 1 : If you chose ' Full - All Data ' in step 4 , data for all members will be automatically output. That data will include an XML file with status information plus files of member details , detail sheets , submaterial details , erection sheets and gather sheets , CNC files and an IFC file. You select the " Export directory " as described above .
Possibility 2 : If you chose ' Status Only ' in step 4 , you get basically the same information transferred as you would get doing a Status Transfer . That is, Member Status Review and MEMBER Edit Properties information will be output to an XML file. You select the " Export directory " as described above .
Possibility 3 : If you chose ' Full - Choose Data ' in step 4 and you chose to select by ' Members ' with '
Possibility 4 : If you chose ' Full - Choose Data ' in step 4 and you chose to select by ' Members ' with '
Possibility 5 : If you chose ' Full - Choose Data ' in step 4 and you chose to select by ' Sheets ' with '
Possibility 6 : If you chose ' Full - Choose Data ' in step 4 and you chose to select by ' Sheets ' with '
Note: Options for selecting erection sheets become available if "
To import status and custom property information:
See the procedure that is outlined for SDS2 Status Transfer . This is basically the same procedure, since its purpose is to transfer Member Status Review and MEMBER Edit Properties information that is stored in an XML (.xml or .xml.gz) file .
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