2.1 Getting Started
Once you have installed ST-Developer as described in the following chapters, you can start programming immediately, just by linking against the appropriate library. ST-Developer ships with pre-built C++ and Java class libraries for all common information models. Just start with one of the sample programs we provide for each library, then modify as needed.
Bring up the ST-Developer online documentation by selecting the STEP Tools | Documentation entry on the Windows Start menu or by directing your web browser to the following file in the ST-Developer installation directory:
file:/<stdev_install_dir>/docs/index.html
The online documentation has hyperlinked versions of all manuals, PDF versions for printing, and pages for each information model. The model pages contain one or more sample programs with sample output, web-browsable and plain text versions of the EXPRESS schema, lists of classes, and any recommended practices documents. The AP214 page is shown in Figure 2.1.
For each sample program you will see a Windows project link and a MacOS/Unix project link. Right-click on the link to save the project zip file. Unpack the zip file and then either open the project file within with Visual Studio (Windows) or compile the application by running make (MacOS/Unix).
The sample programs contain utilities for creating STEP units, measure values, contexts, and other common data that you can reuse for your own applications.
Windows Control Panel
On Windows, you can also start the ST-Developer Control Panel by selecting the STEP Tools | STEP Tools Control Panel entry on the Start menu. This is a graphical front-end to the ST-Developer command line tools as shown in Figure 2.2.
When a tool is run from the control panel, any text printed by the tool will appear in the Output Pane . You can browse this output and copy it onto the clipboard for later use.
When a tool such as the EXPRESS compiler produces an error message with a file name and line number, you can double click on this message in the output box. The control panel will start the Windows Notepad editor, load the file into it and highlight the line where the error or warning condition was found.
2.2 What is in ST-Developer?
ST-Developer is a set of software tools to build, operate and maintain your STEP, IFC, CIS/2 and EXPRESS-defined tools, translators and databases. It contains programming bindings for C++, C, and Java, plus tools for testing data sets against verification rules and constraints, browsing through the contents of your data sets, building information models, and more.
Programming Environments
ST-Developer ships with pre-built STEP AP Class Libraries, ROSE C++ and Java class libraries for many STEP APs and other models like CIS/2 and IFC. You can start programming immediately, just by linking against the appropriate library. The ST-Developer programming libraries are:
- ROSE C++ Library -- For demanding CAD and data exchange applications. C++ classes generated from EXPRESS schemas mean fast access, and strong compiler type checking helps to build reliable applications. The ROSE library provides many advanced object search and traversal features such as USEDIN, early and late-bound access, greater control over STEP physical file handling, and AP interoperability extensions. Refer to the ROSE Library Reference Manual for more information.
In addition, ST-Developer ships with several extension libraries for ROSE applications, such as the Part 28 library for reading and writing XML, the Part 21 filter library for working on very large STEP Part 21 files out of memory, and the ROSE Log Window library for status messages in GUI applications.
- SDAI C Library -- Build applications using a small set of straightforward C functions to manipulate STEP data. No application protocol-specific structures or classes are used. Refer to the SDAI C Library Reference Manual for more information on SDAI C applications.
- ST-Developer for Java Library -- Using the EXPRESS compiler, you can build applications using Java classes. Strong compiler type checking helps to build reliable applications. Refer to the ST-Developer Java Library Reference Manual for more information.
- STEP AP and other Schema Libraries -- ST-Developer ships with pre-built ROSE C++ and Java class libraries for many STEP APs and other information models like CIS/2 and IFC. You can start programming immediately, just by linking against the appropriate library as described above in Getting Started.
Conformance Testing, Browsing, and Editing Tools
View and browse STEP data sets then check for adherence to the STEP Application Protocols using these tools. The checking tool evaluate a data set against the structures, EXPRESS constraints, and usage recommendations to verify it is correct.
- ST-Viewer -- 3D view of STEP geometry and assemblies. (Windows only)
- ap203check -- Check AP-203 data sets using a custom tool.
- ap209check -- Check AP-209 data sets using a custom tool.
- ap214check -- Check AP-214 data sets using a custom tool.
- apconform -- Check any data set against the constraints in an EXPRESS information model using an EXPRESS interpreter.
- p28view/p28html -- Examine STEP Part 28 XML files in any web browser.
- stepedit -- Examine, edit, and check STEP Part 21 files. (UNIX only)
- stepbrws -- Examine STEP Part 21 files. (Windows only)
- stepclean -- Remove redundant information from STEP files.
Information Modeling Tools
These EXPRESS tools process the STEP schema definitions and produce useful things from them. The EXPRESS compiler checks schemas quite thoroughly and can generate C++ or Java classes, SDAI data-dictionaries, and HTML. The EXPRESS-G tools construct EXPRESS-G diagrams from any EXPRESS information model and display, rearrange, and print them using a graphical editor.
- expfront -- Unified EXPRESS compiler that can check schemas, generate classes for C++ and Java, merge short-form schemas into a single long-form, and perform other useful functions.
- express2cxx -- Generate C++ classes from EXPRESS.
- express2java -- Generate Java classes from EXPRESS.
- express2html -- Convert EXPRESS Schemas to HTML.
- expgedit -- EXPRESS-G diagram editor.
- express2expg -- EXPRESS compiler to generate EXPRESS-G diagrams.
- expgupdate -- Update EXPRESS-G diagram.
- expgdiff -- EXPRESS-G difference utility.
- expg2ps -- EXPRESS-G to PostScript converter.
- expg2hpgl -- EXPRESS-G to HP-GL converter.
- expginfo -- Get information from an EXPRESS-G diagram.
- expgsetopts -- Set options on an EXPRESS-G diagram.
File Conversion Tools
The file format converters transform IGES or DXF files into STEP exchange files and vice-versa. This allows ST-Developer applications to access IGES and DXF data in the same way as data described by other EXPRESS information models. They do not perform geometric transformation from IGES/DXF to STEP Part 42 structures, but they can serve as the front end for applications that do.
- dxf2step -- Convert an AutoCAD DXF file to STEP Part 21.
- iges2step -- Convert an IGES file to STEP Part 21.
- step2dxf -- Convert a STEP file to DXF.
- step2iges -- Convert a STEP file to IGES.
Project Tools
Windows versions of ST-Developer contain the ST-Developer Control Panel and Microsoft Visual Studio wizards and plug-ins to speed application development. All platforms contain the extclass. We have provided several additional tools to make the management of these classes somewhat easier.
- extclass -- Add hooks for extensions to a generated C++ class.
- extall -- Add hooks to many C++ classes as needed.
- mkmakefile -- Create makefile for generated C++ classes.
- rose -- Utilities for ROSE Working Form and Part 21 files.