Tutorial

version 12
Introductory User Tutorial
Document version 1.1

Date: 26 April 2019
©2019 ITI - International TechneGroup Ltd CADfix 12 Introductory Tutorial Page 1 of 48

Contents
1 Introduction and Scope of Tutorial .......................................................................................................... 3
2 Different ways to use CADfix ................................................................................................................... 3
3 Mode 1: Fully Automatic Translation ....................................................................................................... 4
3.1 CADfix Terminology: The CADfix Wizard Process ................................................................................ 4
3.1.1 Import............................................................................................................................................................................4
3.1.2 Repair ............................................................................................................................................................................5
3.1.3 Transform ......................................................................................................................................................................5
3.1.4 Prepare ..........................................................................................................................................................................5
3.1.5 Export ............................................................................................................................................................................5
3.2 Performing a Fully Automatic Translation ........................................................................................... 6
3.2.1 File Import Options ........................................................................................................................................................8
3.2.2 Select Target System for Export ....................................................................................................................................8
3.2.3 Select Target Format for Export ....................................................................................................................................8
3.2.4 Select Target Quality Standard......................................................................................................................................8
3.2.5 Changing Wizard Process Options .................................................................................................................................8
3.3 Just importing the model with no processing ...................................................................................... 9
3.4 When the Automatic Translation process is not successful ................................................................. 9
4 Mode 2: Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing ................................................................................. 10
4.1 CADfix Terminology: Topology and Geometry .................................................................................. 11
4.2 CADfix Basics: Viewing the Model ..................................................................................................... 12
4.2.1 Connectivity display.....................................................................................................................................................12
4.2.2 Picture controls ...........................................................................................................................................................13
4.2.3 View controls ...............................................................................................................................................................14
4.3 Overview of Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing ...................................................................... 15
4.3.1 Scan Results/Problem Tree ..........................................................................................................................................15
4.3.2 Severity Indication .......................................................................................................................................................15
4.3.3 Diagnostics Scan Target ..............................................................................................................................................17
4.3.4 Diagnostic Summary ...................................................................................................................................................17
4.3.5 Problem Description ....................................................................................................................................................17
4.3.6 Possible Fix Methods ...................................................................................................................................................18
4.4 Diagnostic Driven Manual Repair ...................................................................................................... 19
4.4.1 Example 1 - Closing a Large Edge Gap ........................................................................................................................19
4.4.2 Example 2 - Building Missing Faces and Solids ............................................................................................................24
4.5 Diagnostic Driven Manual Prepare and Export Processing ................................................................ 28
4.5.1 Example 3 - Faces with Intersecting Loops (Partially Collapsed) .................................................................................29
4.5.2 Example 4 - Reducing High Degree Surfaces ...............................................................................................................34
4.5.3 Example 5 - Fixing Self-Intersecting Surfaces ..............................................................................................................37
5 Mode 3: Manual Interactive Processing ................................................................................................. 41
5.1 CADfix Basics: Screen picks ............................................................................................................... 41
5.1.1 Dynamic Selection .......................................................................................................................................................42
5.1.2 Basic Selection .............................................................................................................................................................44
5.1.3 Smart Selection ...........................................................................................................................................................45
5.2 The Diagnostic Checks Tab ................................................................................................................ 46
5.2.1 Filtering the Criteria ....................................................................................................................................................47
5.3 The Tools Tab .................................................................................................................................... 48

1 Introduction and Scope of Tutorial
The aim of this tutorial is to give new CADfix users some basic guidance on getting started with CADfix. It will
cover the various ways in which CADfix can be used to translate and process models.
The tutorial is based on a hands-on approach that uses a set of example models that can be found with this
tutorial. We recommend that you follow the steps of the tutorial whilst processing the various example
models.
Whilst this tutorial aims to give the user enough information to get started with CADfix and perform some of
the more common operations, it does not aim to cover all aspects of CADfix. In particular the Manual
Interactive Processing mode is only briefly touched upon. For more complete details on using CADfix please
refer to the CADfix training material and/or the on-line HTML help manual.
2 Different ways to use CADfix

CADfix has been designed around the principle of providing users with alternative levels of using the
program, depending on their needs, experience and expertise. There are three main levels, or modes, of
using CADfix. These three modes increase in the amount of knowledge and expertise that is required from
the user. It is recommended that users start with the simplest level and progress through to the more
complex levels as they require.
Fully Automatic Translation
The simplest mode of using CADfix is the Automatic Model Translation mode, which attempts to process a
model from input CAD system to the target CAD system with the minimum of user input.
For the cases where an automatic translation is not possible, usually due to problems with the CAD model,
then the Automatic Model Translation mode will automatically put the user into the next level of CADfix use,
the Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing.
Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing
For models that do not process automatically, or if users want to have more control over the translation
process, then the Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing mode is the next level of using CADfix. In this
interactive mode the user will see the model displayed and be able to query its structure.
The user is guided through the problems in the model based on automatic diagnostic scanning. Once all
problems have been resolved by the user, with help and advice from the CADfix Wizard, then the model can
be exported.
For more complex problems that are not easily resolved through the diagnostic driven process, the user

may then use the lowest level of processing with CADfix.
Manual Interactive processing
The manual interactive mode allows the user full access to all the tools available in CADfix. It requires more
knowledge and experience from the user, so is not recommended for the novice.
This mode is primarily for cases where the diagnostic driven processing could not identify the problem or the
problem requires an unusual fix that was not on the list of recommended solutions from the diagnostic scan.
This mode also allows the user access to the interactive model simplification tools such as hole removal,
face joining, splitting, and more (provided these are available in the CADfix license).
Each of these modes of working with CADfix will be explained in the following sections. Each section will
make use of example models that are supplied with this tutorial.
3 Mode 1: Fully Automatic Translation

The Fully Automatic Translation mode is the simplest mode of using CADfix and requires the bare minimum
of inputs from the user. It uses the CADfix Wizard process to automatically control the translation process.
3.1 CADfix Terminology: The CADfix Wizard Process

The engineer’s requirement is to take a CAD model from one ‘upstream’ system and to be able to re-use it in
another ‘downstream’ system, often for a different application. In CADfix this translation process has been
broken down into five distinct steps – Import, Repair, Transform, Prepare and Export.
This process is controlled and automated by the CADfix Wizard, which forms the heart of the Fully Automatic
Translation mode.
3.1.1 Import
A model can be imported into CADfix from a number of native CAD system formats and also neutral formats
such as STEP and IGES. By default, the import stage will also perform some rudimentary model fixing
operations, such as merging duplicate points and edges at an appropriate tolerance.

3.1.2 Repair
The repair stage attempts to stitch the model into a valid solid, or shell of faces, by predominately fixing the
model TOPOLOGY.
3.1.3 Transform
Once the model has been topologically repaired to a valid solid, or shell of faces, the optional transform
stage can be used to defeature the model as required for the downstream application. For example, the
model may need to be defeatured by removing all short edges and sliver faces to facilitate meshing in the
downstream system.
3.1.4 Prepare
This is the process of preparing (or flavouring) the model GEOMETRY so that it can be successfully
imported into the downstream system.
3.1.5 Export
Having prepared the model to suit the requirements of a particular downstream system the model is exported
by writing a file in the appropriate format.
The five steps of the CADfix process can each be configured by the user through the Process options
settings.

3.2 Performing a Fully Automatic Translation
After starting CADfix there are just four steps to performing a simple automatic translation:
1. Select the import file type (e.g. IGES)
2. Select the file to process (e.g. auto.igs from the tutorial examples)
3. Select the target system (e.g. I-deas NX 12. Note, format will default to Parasolid)
4. Press “Run Wizard” to start the translation
4
3

Once the translation has started a Progress Monitor dialog will appear that will show how the translation is
going:
After the Import stage of the automatic processing has been completed the model will be displayed in the
CADfix graphics window:
The Progress Monitor will show the model passing through the Repair and Prepare stages of the Wizard
process and finally being exported by the Export stage. The end result will be a fully automatically processed
model ready to take into the target system, in this example I-DEAS NX 12.
The following sections explain some of the options that can be changed during the automatic translation
process.

3.2.1 File Import Options
Each file format that can be imported has a set of options for configuring the import. The options can be
found under the “Import” link in the Wizard Process options:
These options typically contain settings for importing unused/free lines and points, attributes such as colour
and label. These options only need to be changed if the model did not import the expected parts. For
example if a CREO model contains open shells as well as solids then the default setting is to only import the
solids.
3.2.2 Select Target System for Export

The target system can be selected from the pull-down menu of available systems. When a system is
selected the format will also be changed automatically to the recommended value.
Some systems will appear greyed out if they are not available in your CADfix licence file.
3.2.3 Select Target Format for Export

The target format can be selected from the pull-down menu of available formats for the selected system.
CADfix automatically selects the recommended option when you change the target system.
3.2.4 Select Target Quality Standard

If a target quality standard is selected then CADfix will automatically run a diagnostic scan against the quality
standard AFTER the model processing has finished. This option does not change the way that the model is
translated; it only controls what additional criteria should be scanned against.
The quality standard can be one of the fixed systems (for example the Japanese automotive PDQ standards
JAMA), or a user defined quality standard.
3.2.5 Changing Wizard Process Options

CADfix will automatically configure the CADfix Wizard process settings based on the selected import file and
the target system. To see and/or modify the settings for the various stages of the Wizard Process use the
Process options

Click in the checkbox to turn each step on off. Click on the blue link next to the checkbox to see the options
for that stage of the process. For most cases you will not need to modify these process options.
3.3 Just importing the model with no processing

If you do not want to process a model using the Fully Automatic Translation mode then there is an option to
just import the model only. When the Import button is pressed then the Process options will be temporarily
disabled.
3.4 When the Automatic Translation process is not successful

Most CAD translations will process fully automatically through CADfix without interruption, but if CADfix does
detect a problem with the data during the automatic Wizard processing that requires user intervention then
the process is halted and CADfix switches to the Diagnostic Driven Interactive mode.

4 Mode 2: Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing
When the Fully Automatic Translation mode finds a problem with the model that cannot be automatically
fixed then CADfix will switch into Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing mode. The first thing that CADfix
will do when it switches from Automatic mode into this mode is run a diagnostic scan of the current model.
These diagnostics will then be used to guide the user to interactively fix the problem
Results of Diagnostic Scan

4.1 CADfix Terminology: Topology and Geometry
Before progressing further with the Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing it will be helpful to introduce and
explain some more CADfix terminology.
A CAD part is typically made up from two types of entity: topology or geometry.
There are various naming conventions in use today for the topological and geometrical entities of a CAD
part. The following diagram illustrates how CADfix refers to these entities.
Body A CADfix body is a collection of faces that (usually) form a closed shell. The faces may form more
than one closed shell in which case one shell will be the outer shell and the other shell(s) would be
internal voids.
A body is a topological entity as it just represents a collection of other entities.
Face A CADfix face contains both an embedding surface and a collection of edges that (usually) form a
closed loop. The edges may form more than one closed loop in which case one loop will be the
outer and the other loop(s) will be internal holes.
A face is a topological entity as it just represents a collection of other entities.
Surface A CADfix surface defines the 3D “shape” of the interior of a face. There are several types of
surface in CADfix including: NURBS, analytic surfaces (plane, cylinder, cone, sphere, torus) and
blends (Coons, Barnhill and Gregory). A NURBS surface is a self-contained entity that does not
refer to any other entity. The analytic surfaces refer to point entities to define their axis and/or
centres, and the blend surfaces refer to 3, 4 or 5 edges.
A surface is a geometrical entity as it just represents the 3D position of an entity.
Edge A CADfix edge defines the 3D “shape” of the boundary of a face or a wire frame edge. The 3D
definition of an edge is contained within the edge itself, unlike other systems that use a separate
curve entity. The start and end positions of an edge are defined by referring to two points.
An edge is both a geometrical entity (because it contains the 3D definition) and a topological entity
(because it contains the points that connect it to other edges).
Point A CADfix point is defined by 3D position (X, Y Z).
A point is both a geometrical entity (because it contains the 3D position) and a topological entity
(because it is used to connect edges together).

CADfix does not have explicit entities to represent shells, loops or curves although these terms will be used
to describe some of the problems found in a CAD model.
4.2 CADfix Basics: Viewing the Model

Once a model has been imported into an interactive session of CADfix then the user is able to view and
display the model in various ways. The common view and display controls are available from the icon bar.
View controls: dynamic control, spin

centre, frame image, zoom
Basic Expand Display types: points, edges, Picture controls: wipe, wipe last,
Display Display surfaces, faces and bodies wipe menu, and repaint
options
4.2.1 Connectivity display

CADfix will automatically display a model as a colour coded wire frame model. The colours of the edges tell
you how many faces are connected to each edge, and are the most informative way of displaying a model. In
the majority of cases a “healthy” model will have two faces connected to each edge and the edges will be
drawn in green. Gaps or overlapping parts usually result in red edges (connectivity 1) or yellow or blue edges
(connectivity 3 and 4). Note: the colours used for this connectivity display can be changed through the
Display Settings dialog found under the View menu.

4.2.2 Picture controls
CADfix has a very flexible approach for displaying the model in various ways. The row of five icons and drop-
down menus in the icon bar under the Advanced display options ( ) allow the user to build up a “picture”
of the model by “adding” new display types to the current “picture”.
Display Display edges Display Display Display

points (connectivity) surfaces faces bodies
(grids) (shaded) (shaded)
The drop-down menus next to each display icon contain alternative ways of display the type of entity. For
example, points can be displayed with their CADfix label, or surfaces can be displayed shaded, or faces and
bodies can be displayed as wire frame or partially transparent. Take a look at the drop-down menus to see
the full range of display type for each entity.
Display types can be removed or “wiped” from the current picture using one of the 3 “wipe” icons in the icon
bar.

4.2.3 View controls
CADfix allows the model view to be changed dynamically by using the mouse. Simply click a mouse button
inside the graphics window and drag. The three mouse buttons have different actions. The default actions
are:
Left button: Rotate view

Middle button: Pan view
Right button: Zoom view (move left to right)
When the mouse button is released the dynamic viewing will stop. For viewing large models you may wish to
turn off the “Dynamic viewing always active” in which case holding down the Control key will toggle the
dynamic manipulation icon in the icon bar enabling rotation.
The view controls can be customised using the View Controls dialog found under the main View menu. If
you prefer the view controls to be similar to another system, say your usual CAD system, then there is an
Emulation mode that supports most of the common CAD system settings.
Note that the I-DEAS controls of holding down F1, F2 or F3 are always available.

4.3 Overview of Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing
The Diagnostics mode menu is contained in the third tab of the

CADfix tool set. When CADfix invokes the Diagnostic mode it
automatically Scans the model and presents the user with all of
the information required to complete the processing.
4.3.1 Scan Results/Problem Tree

The top half of the Diagnostics Panel shows the results of the
automatic scan and provides a list detailing the problems
encountered including:
a description of the problem

an indication of the severity of the problem
the number of entities exhibiting this problem
Items listed within the tree structure can be selected with a left
hand mouse button click and this will highlight the problem
visually on the model in the graphics window.
The selection of an item in the top tree triggers the display of the
different possible fix methods in the bottom half of the
Diagnostics panel.
4.3.2 Severity Indication

The severity of the issues found is identified by a colour-coded
circle that provides a guide as to the severity and order in which
they should be resolved.
(red) Is a serious issue that must be resolved
(yellow) A less serious problem to be considered
(cyan) May not be an issue but the user is informed

The example shown indicates that the model has a serious ‘Connectivity’ problem with 6 poorly connected
edges. There are also 10 unused faces (i.e. do not form part of any solid body) but this classed as less
serious than the connectivity issue and can be easily fixed once the more serious poorly connected problem
has been attended to.

4.3.3 Diagnostics Scan Target
Immediately below the Diagnostics results window is an indication of criteria against which the Diagnostic
scan has been performed, e.g.
If the model fails to repair to a valid stitched solid part, then the scan is performed against the “Valid Model”
criteria which looks for fundamental topological and model construction issues that could prevent the solid
being built.
If the model is successfully repaired but subsequent flavouring and export operations identify edge or
surface geometry issues that could be an issue for the downstream target system, then the scan is
undertaken against the “Target System” criteria.
It is possible to re scan the model manually against the specified target at any point by selecting the button.
4.3.4 Diagnostic Summary

A Diagnostic Summary is presented to the user below the
Diagnostics results window. This provides a summary of
the overall scan results and gives advice to the user.
You can minimize or reopen the text in the Diagnostic

Summary at any time by selecting the Diagnostic Summary
>> link.
4.3.5 Problem Description

When a specific problem is selected from the main
Diagnostic Results tree the text shown in the Problem
Description window provides specific information on the
problem.
Many problems have an accompanying image as shown

opposite that can be accessed by clicking on the ‘book’ icon
with the left hand mouse button.
The individual problem descriptions can be minimised or

opened by selecting the link for Problem Description >>

4.3.6 Possible Fix Methods
When a specific problem is selected for resolution
from the main Diagnostic Results tree, the bottom
of the Diagnostics panel presents the different fix
methods available.
The possible fix methods are ordered with the

likely preferred or best options at the top of the
list.
However, the user should be aware that problems

are specific to individual models and some of the
alternative resolutions might be more appropriate.
After all, if the first suggested fix always worked
then it would have been automated in the Wizard!
The example opposite shows ten different fix

options for resolving model connectivity problems.
Once the user has decided which fix method to

use it is selected with a left mouse button click.
The specific fix controls and parameters made

available at the bottom of the Diagnostics panel
and the fix can be made.
The image opposite shows the display of the fix

parameters when the user selects Stitch at coarser
tolerance from the menu.
If the chosen fix does not achieve the required

resolution, then the user can go back to the list of
alternative fixes by selecting the double arrow icon, or by
selecting the problem description again in the top
Diagnostics Results tree.
Once a fix operation has been completed CADfix will

automatically update the model scan and Diagnostic
Problem tree to reflect the changes.

4.4 Diagnostic Driven Manual Repair
If a model fails to repair it is usually as a result of a serious issue such as completely missing entities,
excessive edge gaps and badly distorted geometry. The following examples demonstrate how such issues
can be resolved using the CADfix Diagnostic driven repair process.
4.4.1 Example 1 - Closing a Large Edge Gap

This example demonstrates the use of CADfix to complete the repair of a model where a large edge gap
exists that exceeds the automatic stitching tolerance.
Step 1. Set up and start the Automatic Translation
1. Start CADfix and select STEP as the file type for processing
2. Select the file edge-gap.stp
3. Select the target system as I-deas NX 12 and format IGES
4. Press “Run Wizard” to initiate the translation
Numbers refer to screen image below. (also see section 3.2)
3
4

Step 2. Switch to Diagnostic Mode and Review Status
5. Notice the “Display part” and “Work part” are showing “ALL”
The automatic process stops after the Repair stage because CADfix fails to build a solid body. CADfix
launches into the Diagnostic mode with the screen as shown below. A view of the model is given in the main
graphics window with the Diagnostics panel on the left-hand side.
The progress monitor displays messages as the CADfix Wizard translates the part.
You can scroll back to review these messages if required and will notice the message that CADfix “Failed to
build any new solid bodies” and that the Prepare and Export processes were skipped.
When you have finished reviewing the information close the

Progress Monitor by selecting the ‘Close’ button.
It can be reopened at any stage using the icon at the top of
the CADfix screen.
The Diagnostic Summary presents a summary of the status

of the processing along with recommendations for the next
steps including:
Resolve first model problem

or
Change repair options
Continue with Wizard
The Diagnostic Summary information should be reviewed in
conjunction with the graphical display of the model to determine the best possible course of action.
Step 3. Isolate and Investigate the Problem
It is obvious from the model display that the reason the model failed to build a solid body is the excessive
edge gaps indicated by the red edges on the model display.

Notice the model summary in the bottom right hand corner of the CADfix window shows a globe
(representing the whole model) and a summary of total entities in the model i.e. 0 bodies, 9 faces,
9 surfaces, 25 edges and 17 points:
Go to the Diagnostic Results Tree and select Poorly connected edges. This highlights the problem edges
on screen and presents below the possible resolutions available.
The “Work part” is now showing “SELE” and a bar above the Display window shows the Basic Selection
icon depressed and the summary of parts selected i.e. 3 edges:
The problem parts have been isolated for fixing.
Use the dynamic display tools to zoom in on the area of the gap and measure the distance with the
measurement tool.
The “Basic selection” mode

has been entered

The measurement tool shows a gap between the
two vertex points of 0.17mm. This is outside of the
range that CADfix considers to be suitable for
automatic stitching of this part by the Wizard and
hence requires manual interaction to resolve.
One option might be to build a face to fill the gap.

However, the creation of such a small sliver face
could introduce further problems downstream.
The most suitable option ‘in this case’ is to merge

the points and edges in the local area at a coarser
tolerance.
Step 4. Repair the Problem
Select Stitch at coarser tolerance from the

possible fix list and CADfix automatically presents
the controlling parameters and options as shown
below.
The 3 poorly connected edges are already isolated for repair, as indicated by the ‘Edges found: 3’ message.
Check the tolerance to be used and notice that it is too small to close the 0.17mm gap as measured
previously.
Enter a new tolerance value for the stitch operation of 0.18mm.
Press “Fix” to stitch the gap at the new tolerance.

Step 5. Problem Resolved
The manual stitching operation repairs the large edge gap.
The updated model connectivity display shows the model as being well connected (all edges are now green).
CADfix re-scans the model against the “Valid Model” target and new results are displayed.
There are still Unused Faces detected in the model because a solid body has not yet been built.
Step 6. Continue with Automatic Processing
CADfix has detected that the model is partially repaired. Resolve the final
problem by building a solid body and CADfix will lead you through the final
stages of the translation process.
The model is successfully flavoured for I-deas and exported to a Parasolid

file.
End of example.

4.4.2 Example 2 - Building Missing Faces and Solids
This example demonstrates the use of the CADfix Diagnostics driven repair process to resolve a model
repair failure where a face entity is completely missing from the CAD model and this prevents a valid solid
being built.
Step 1. Set up the Automatic translation task
1. Start CADfix and select STEP as the file type for processing.
2. Select the file face-build.stp
3. Select the target system as Creo 4.0 Native
2
3
Step 2. Switch to Diagnostic Mode and Review Status
The automatic process stops after the Repair stage because CADfix fails to build a solid body. CADfix
launches into the Diagnostic mode with the screen as shown below. A view of the model is given in the main
graphics window with the Diagnostics panel on the left-hand side.

Review the CADfix progress monitor and you will see that CADfix fails to make a solid model. When you
have finished reviewing the information close the Progress Monitor by selecting the ‘Close’ button.
Step 3. Isolate and Investigate the Problem
Review the Diagnostic Summary information in conjunction with the graphical display of the model to
determine the best possible action.
It is obvious from the model display that the reason the model failed to generate a solid body is the ‘hole’ in
the model indicated by the red edges on the model display.
In this case you should go to the Diagnostic Results Tree and select Poorly connected edges. This
highlights the problem edges on screen and presents the possible resolutions available as shown below.

It is apparent that there is a missing face the first option of Stitch at coarser tolerance will not help. The
best option is to attempt to build the missing face.
The loop of 4 lines are in the “SELE” set and you can select the
Build Faces option from the “Possible fix methods” list.
When selecting Build Faces CADfix presents the controlling

parameters and options as shown opposite.
The 4 poorly connected edges forming a closed loop are already

isolated for repair. We have elected to create a new surface from
the loop of edges as there are no free existing ones available.
Press “Fix” to build the missing face.
CADfix automatically finds a closed loop of edges and builds the

missing face as required.

Step 5. Problem Resolved
You will be presented with an Accept or reject parts window which in situations where more than one
surface is being built gives you the opportunity to review the results before acceptance. Once the face has
been built, the updated model connectivity display shows the model as being well connected (all edges in
green).
CADfix re-scans the model against the “Valid Model” target and new results are displayed.
There are still Unused Faces detected in the model because a solid body has not yet been built. However,
CADfix detects the improved condition of the model and that it could continue and automatically build a solid
from the closed shell.
Step 6. Continue with Automatic Processing
CADfix has detected that the model is partially repaired. Resolve the final problem by building a solid and
CADfix will lead you through the final stages of the translation process.
When the solid is built, the model is flavoured or prepared and exported to a Creo Native file.
End of example.

4.5 Diagnostic Driven Manual Prepare and Export Processing
The CADfix automatic prepare for Export (or flavouring) process will attempt to automatically resolve
geometry issues to make sure that the model meets the requirements of the downstream system.
There will be occasions where the model problems are such the automatic approaches are insufficient and
user intervention is required to resolve the issues.
The following examples demonstrate the use of the Diagnostic driven prepare process to address typical
geometry issues that could exist after a model has been run through the Wizard.
In these examples the Wizard Prepare process would normally fix all of the problems, so for the purposes of
the tutorial we will only Import and Repair the files before doing a manual Scan. We are assuming that the
prepare process has already been run and problems have been found but not fixed.

4.5.1 Example 3 - Faces with Intersecting Loops (Partially Collapsed)
This example demonstrates the use of the CADfix to resolve an issue with an apparently good model that
effects a specific downstream application.
When this model is processed fully automatically it successfully exports to the ACIS format, passing the
ACIS Body Checker. However, when it is used in a meshing application there is a meshing failure for a
particular surface that contains touching or self-intersecting loops.
2. Select the file partial-collapse.stp
3. Select the target system to be ACIS 28.0
4. Change the Process options >>, turning off Prepare and Export so that CADfix will only Import and
Repair the model

Step 2. Switch to Diagnostic Mode and Scan for Problem Face
The model imports and repairs to a valid solid body. You now need to perform a Diagnostic Scan to look for
the problem face.
Close the Wizard progress monitor and select the CADfix Diagnostic tab to go into Diagnostic mode.
CADfix is already set up to scan against the target system criteria
Select the Scan button to run the scanning process.
The results of the scan are presented in the Diagnostic results window with a single partially collapsed face
identified as shown below.
Notice that this is classed as a less serious model problem and highlighted with a yellow indicator. This is
because the feature is not a critical error that prevents the model from being exported, and so it is still a valid
model. The problem is more of an application specific issue, in this case a meshing failure.

Select the Partially collapsed faces problem and the face is highlighted on the model. The face clearly
consists of two loops of edges that intersect at a common vertex point. The face and vertex point are
highlighted on the below image.

Having selected the partially collapsed faces problem there are several possible resolution methods listed:
Fix partially collapsed faces

Create/edit faces
Split face by sketching
Split faces with a plane
Collapse points
Fix T-junctions intersections
Sharp corner angle
Selecting the first option Fix partially collapsed faces will be unsuccessful because this automatic solution
is looking for virtually collapsed faces that have a definitive split boundary dividing them into more than one
area. Upon inspection the solution required should split the face in some way or other. In this instance a
satisfactory solution would be to split the face into two equal parts by a line running through the over-used
vertex point.
Two split methods are available, either by sketching a line on the face or splitting with a planar surface, and
both are applicable in this case.
Select the option to Split faces with a surface as the fix method to access the repair dialogue.
The face is automatically selected and you now need to select or create a plane to split the face. In this case
there is no existing plane to use to split the face so select the ‘Define a new splitting plane’ icon.
Now screen pick to select the three points to define the plane. For example, you could select the over-used
vertex point that is already highlighted on screen and two other vertex points to create a plane running
through the face.
Select Apply and the face is split in two.
The partially collapse face issue has been resolved and the model could now be re-exported to ACIS for the
downstream meshing system if required.

End of example.

4.5.2 Example 4 - Reducing High Degree Surfaces
This example demonstrates the use of Diagnostic Driven processing to reduce the degree of some surfaces
to suit the needs of a particular CAD system. This is not necessarily a serious problem in most CAD to CAD
translations.
2. Select the file trim-surf.stp
3. Select the target system to be CADDS
Repair the model
2
3
4

Step 2. Switch to Diagnostic Mode and Scan for Problem Face
The model imports and repairs to a valid solid body as shown below.
You now need to perform a Diagnostic Scan against the CADDS export criteria.
CADfix is already set up to scan against the target system criteria
Select the Scan button to run the scanning process. The results of the scan are
presented in the Diagnostic results window with 5 high degree surfaces identified as
shown below.
Notice that this is not classed as a serious model problem and highlighted with a yellow indicator.

Select the High-degree surfaces problem and the 5 faces along with their surfaces are highlighted on the
model as shown above.
Having selected the High-degree surfaces problem there are just a

couple of possible resolution methods listed:
Reduce max. NURBS degree

Simplify NURBS surfaces
The problem could be corrected by either of the fix methods, but for
the purposes of this example we will assume that the system to
which we are exporting only accepts NURBS geometry and we do
not want to simplify to primitive forms.
Select the first fix method to reduce the NURBS degree to 6.
The model can now be exported to CADDS for the downstream system as required.
End of example.

4.5.3 Example 5 - Fixing Self-Intersecting Surfaces
Models often contain surfaces that are distorted, sometimes folded or twisted or discontinuous but in this
case self-intersecting. CADfix deals with many of these surface problems automatically in the flavouring
process but this example demonstrates how they could be dealt manually if required.
2. Select the file folded.stp
3. Select the target system to be Neutral - Generic STEP
Repair the model

Step 2. Switch to Diagnostic Mode and Scan for Problems
The model imports and repairs to a valid solid body.
You now need to perform a Diagnostic Scan to look for the problem face.
CADfix is already set up to scan against the target system criteria for Generic STEP export.
Select the Scan button to run the scanning process.
The results of the scan are presented in the Diagnostic results window as shown
CADfix has detected 4 Twisted surfaces. Notice that the problem types are classed as a less serious model
problem and highlighted with a blue indicator. This is because the feature is not a critical error that prevents
the model from being exported, and so it is still a valid model. The problem is more of an application specific
issue that may or may not need to be addressed.
Select Twisted surfaces and you will see the problem surfaces displayed on screen as shown in the above
image.

Use the dynamic viewing capabilities to zoom into the corner of one of the surfaces and the problem will be
apparent.
Step 3. Repair the Problem Surfaces
Select the Twisted surfaces problem from the Diagnostics results tree and the possible resolution methods
listed:
Simplify NURBS surfaces

Trim-back NURBS to face
Smooth surfaces
Re-embed faces
Reduce knot count
Split face along iso-line
Refit faces
Untwist NURBS surfaces
Note that one of the options in the list is greyed out. This is because it is considered irrelevant for this
particular example of a twisted surface.
In many cases it is often possible to convert the surface into another representation, such as a primitive
plane, cylinder or sphere, and in doing so this will move the problem. Select Simplify NURBS surfaces to
access the controlling parameters and options.
The four problem surfaces are already isolated. Press the Fix button and CADfix tests whether the problem
surfaces can be represented by a primitive surface within the specified tolerance value, and if so converts
them.

Note that this conversion tolerance can be changed as required by the user. In this case all four surfaces can
be converted to primitive spheres at the 0.01 tolerance.
The twisted surface issues have been fixed.
End of example.

5 Mode 3: Manual Interactive Processing
The previous mode of operation, Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing is designed to guide the user
towards the best way of interactively fixing any problem in a model. However, there will be cases where the
problem requires an unusual fix that is not on the recommended list of fixes. Or as a more experienced user
you may want to skip the use of the diagnostic driven process and manually Find and Fix the problems.
The third mode of using CADfix, Manual Interactive Processing allows the user access all the tools available
within CADfix. The following sections provide a brief overview of how to access the manual tools.
5.1 CADfix Basics: Screen picks

Many tools within CADfix require the user to identify entities by picking them from the screen. CADfix has a
convention for letting the user know when a screen pick can be made. Nearly all tools that allow a screen
pick will have an entry input field with a background coloured yellow when it is active.
Active
screen pick
Disabled
screen pick
When you see an entry field like this then you can move your mouse onto the graphics window and select an
appropriate entity. If the screen pick does not appear to be responding, then it may be that the pick entry is
not active. When a pick entry is not active it only has a yellow border. To re-activate a pick entry, click the left
mouse button inside the entry once.

5.1.1 Dynamic Selection
When a screen pick is active you can move the mouse over entities in the graphics window and they will
highlight as the mouse passes over them. When the display only consists of a wire frame display, like the
default connectivity display, then it is possible to pick faces and bodies by selecting one of the edges from
the desired face or body.
In most cases there will be more than one face connected to each edge in the model (usually its two for a
healthy solid model), so how do you select the one you want? CADfix uses the Tab key to allow you to cycle
over the possible faces/bodies connected to the currently highlighted edge. When an edge is highlighted the
list of possible faces connected to the edge is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the graphics
window.
Highlighted
edge
Alternative
face
Selected face
Use the Tab key to cycle through the list of alternative faces until the one you want is highlighted.
Alternatively move the mouse away from the highlighted edge so that no faces are selected, then move it
back to the same edge again. When the edge is highlighted this time, it will automatically select the next face
from the list of alternatives.
The currently selected face/body will be drawn with thicker dashed lines than the alternative faces and its
CADfix label will also be displayed.
Once you are happy that the correct entity is highlighted then select it by clicking the left mouse button.
When the cursor is within the graphics area, a number of functions are controlled from under the right mouse
click. Along with the display functions shown below in the basic menu are two methods of entity group
selection:

Basic selection and Smart selection offer the user ways of collecting parts into a dynamic set
called the SELE set upon which fixes can be applied from the various tools supplied, but mainly from the
Quick-fix tool bar down the right-hand side of the screen. Entry into these selection methods can also be
made from the top of the Display window itself.
As you will have already noticed from the exercises above selecting specific results from under Diagnostic
tab also enters these problem parts into the SELE set for application of an appropriate fix.
The user should always be aware of their current state during manual interactive processing regarding
selection as this can be entered dynamically and then naturally switches from processing of the whole
model. In particular, this affects the display. A number of clues are available on the screen to re-enforce the
user’s awareness of this mode:
1. Problem result highlighted
2. SELE as the Work part
3. The depression of the icon indicates that the Basic selection mode has been entered
4. Right click menu shows the Basic selection mode functions
5. Part summary relates to the contents of the SELE set

Numbers in #5 above refer to screen image below.
5
2
3
5.1.2 Basic Selection

As the mouse cursor is run over the image, the “hot” edges it crosses are dynamically completed to their
parent faces, which are dynamically highlighted in the image. The information banner or summary at the
top of the screen is also updated dynamically with information about the selected entity.
Items may be picked into the selection set from the screen with the mouse or via the right click menus. As
items are picked they are highlighted on the screen. If the user wishes to remove items from the selection
set, they may do so by holding down the CTRL key and picking again with the mouse.

5.1.3 Smart Selection
The mouse pointer is used to select groups or ribbons of
faces made up of specific loop topologies (i.e. 3 or 4
sided) for suppression or other processing.
When used for selecting fillets, as in the image below,

each edge crossed by the cursor is dynamically
completed to its neighbouring faces and these in turn to
their neighbours. In the process of tracking from face to
face, the exit edge for each 4-sided face is “opposite” to
the entry edge, so that ribbons of connected faces are
highlighted. When a 3-sided face is reached the ribbon
of connected faces will branch. The ribbon of faces
associated with each edge in this way is highlighted
dynamically as the cursor runs over the edges in the
model.
In the figure the cursor has touched edge U205, which

has caused a ribbon of 8 associated faces to be
highlighted in the image and information banner – see
below. A click on this edge causes it to be marked as the “seed” edge.
However, it’s associated ribbon of 8 faces are not yet copied into the SELE selection set as you can see
from the selection set summary. Although processing can be carried out on the feature selected if you wish
to add further features you must first right Accept the current ribbon into the selection set from a either a
middle mouse click or the right-click option menu.
Once the ribbon has been accepted into the

selection set further features can be
identified and also accepted. The user may
also swap to the Basic selection mode at
this point to add entities into the SELE set.
The smart selection process can be configured to stop when 3-sided faces are encountered. This ribbon can
next be edited by clicking on an interior “block” edge to reduce the number of faces in the selected ribbon,
or by clicking on exterior “gate” edge, to increase the number of faces selected. Using this tool, groups of
faces can be rapidly collected into the selection set for further processing.
5.2 The Diagnostic Checks Tab

The majority of the manual fixing tools can be accessed through the Checks tab found within the
Diagnostics tab.
When the Checks tab is raised then the manual tools are
presented in the tree view above. They are grouped into
seven classes of problem, or criteria:
Connectivity
Unused
Topology
Integrity
Complexity
Continuity
Sloppiness
Each class of problem is displayed as a collapsible branch

in the tree view. Under each class you will find the
individual problems. Selecting a particular problem will
display the recommended fix methods in the lower half of
the diagnostics tab.
To perform a Scan on the selected criteria, use the right

mouse button to access the pop-up menu
Select the “Scan this criterion” to start the scan. You can
also modify the scan parameters for the selected criteria
from this pop-up menu.
An alternative way to Scan the selected criteria is to select the corresponding fix from the list of possible
fixes and then hit the Find button. This method of scanning or finding selected criteria is only possible for
those criteria that have a corresponding fix. In the above example “Self-intersecting curves” has a
corresponding fix but for the criteria below this of “Folded curves” there is no corresponding fix so doing a
scan from the pop-up menu is the only way.

5.2.1 Filtering the Criteria
The tools displayed in the tree view can be filtered in two ways. The first way is to use the row of entity type
filters at the top of the tree view.
These filters will limit the criteria displayed to only those that are relevant to the selected entity types. So, for
example if you are looking for a criterion that only affects surfaces such as “Closed surfaces”, you can press
the surface filter icon. To restore the full view, click the “ALL” filter.
The second way to filter the tree view is to use the criteria filter:
This allows you to filter the criteria based on a predefined target, such as the selected target system, or a
Quality standard such as the JAMA PDQ criteria.
To see all the possible criteria, select the “Show all tests” option. This option is also available for each class
of criteria in the tree view. Simply right click on the class type and the pop-up menu contains a “Show all
tests” entry.

5.3 The Tools Tab
The fourth tab contains a collection of commonly used tools, such as the Delete and Replace tools. It also
contains the Transformation tools such as Join and Collapse. The Geometry builder tools are also under
this tab.
Note: some of the Transformation and Defeaturing tools such as Join, Collapse faces and edges,
Holes/Protrusions and Split, may not be available if your CADfix license does not include them.
The tools are presented in a dynamic collapsible tree

view. To use a tool, open the appropriate branch and
select the tool.
For example, to find and delete unused edges open

the Delete branch and select the “Delete edges” tools.
The delete edges tool will be displayed in the lower
half of the work area.
Press the Find button to automatically select all

unused edges. Alternatively, any type of edge can be
deleted by using the Basic selection to select the
edges from the screen into the SELE set.
The use of the Manual Repair tools and the

Transformation tools requires more expertise at using
CADfix, and goes beyond the scope of this
introductory tutorial.
Please refer to the comprehensive on-line HTML help

pages, or the CADfix training course.

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version 12

Introductory User Tutorial

Document version 1.1

©2019 ITI - International TechneGroup Ltd CADfix 12 Introductory Tutorial Page 1 of 48

©2018 ITI - International TechneGroup Ltd CADfix 12 Introductory Tutorial Page 2 of 48

2 Different ways to use CADfix

Fully Automatic Translation

Diagnostic Driven Interactive Processing

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Manual Interactive processing

3 Mode 1: Fully Automatic Translation

3.1 CADfix Terminology: The CADfix Wizard Process

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1. Select the import file type (e.g. IGES)

4. Press “Run Wizard” to start the translation

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3.2.2 Select Target System for Export

3.2.3 Select Target Format for Export

3.2.4 Select Target Quality Standard

3.2.5 Changing Wizard Process Options

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3.3 Just importing the model with no processing

3.4 When the Automatic Translation process is not successful

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Results of Diagnostic Scan

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A body is a topological entity as it just represents a collection of other entities.

A face is a topological entity as it just represents a collection of other entities.

A surface is a geometrical entity as it just represents the 3D position of an entity.

Point A CADfix point is defined by 3D position (X, Y Z).

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4.2 CADfix Basics: Viewing the Model

View controls: dynamic control, spin

4.2.1 Connectivity display

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Display Display edges Display Display Display

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Left button: Rotate view

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The Diagnostics mode menu is contained in the third tab of the

4.3.1 Scan Results/Problem Tree

a description of the problem

4.3.2 Severity Indication

(red) Is a serious issue that must be resolved

(yellow) A less serious problem to be considered

(cyan) May not be an issue but the user is informed

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scan has been performed, e.g.

4.3.4 Diagnostic Summary

You can minimize or reopen the text in the Diagnostic

4.3.5 Problem Description

Many problems have an accompanying image as shown

The individual problem descriptions can be minimised or

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The possible fix methods are ordered with the

However, the user should be aware that problems