PressLineSimulation runs NX remotely to load NC part files. The environment must be setup to run both PressLineSimulation and the installed version of NX.
Solution
The NX Remote Shell is a standalone process based on NX Open. The shell is started remotely by PLS.
Data exchange between PLS and the NX shell takes place on a socket-based communication concept.
The NX shell is used by PLS to directly read the part file(s) data into an open simulation scenario and to write the simulation scenario into the part file(s).
To establish the PressLineSimulation/NX shell communication, several settings are required. NX requires the OS environment be set properly .
The NX Remote Shell connection and environment variable settings can be tested with V9.2\BIN\WIN64\NX\ugnx90_tclsh.bat. Modify the BAT file appropriately. Running it will establish a connection to NX. When the percent sign appears type "info proc" in the shell and something like "auto_load_index unknown auto_import…" should return.
Add the following to see to what the variables are set.
echo "CD: " %CD%
echo "ShellName: " %UG_SHELL_NAME%
echo "PATH: " %path%
The connection between PressLineSimulation and NX requires the user_environment.xml file be setup properly. This file includes a number of settings PLS needs for the communication with the shell.
The PressLineSimulation user_environment.xml is found based on the environment variable PLS_USER_HOME. This variable defines the PressLineSimulation home directory of the user.
If PLS_USER_HOME is not set, the PLS home directory is evaluated from:
PLS_USER_HOME=%HOME% or %USERPROFILE% or %HOMEDRIVE%\%HOMEPATH%
Depending on the PLS release (i.e. 9.1) PLS expects the user_environment.xml file in:
PLS_APP_DATA=%PLS_USER_HOME%\Tecnomatix\PressLineSimulation\9.1
The user_environment.xml file should look something like
<Variable name="NXFlag" type="int" value="1"/>
<Variable name="NXKeepSystemLog" type="int" value="1"/>
<Path name="NXRootPath" path="C:/Program Files/Siemens/NX 11.0/UGII"/>
<Path name="NXBasePath" path="C:/Program Files/Siemens/NX 11.0"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteComTimeout" type="int" value="10"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteEvalTimeout" type="int" value="360"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteIdleTimeout" type="int" value="0"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteStartTimeout" type="int" value="180"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteLogMode" type="string" value="none"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteMainLog" type="file" value=""/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteMasterLog" type="file" value=""/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteSlaveLog" type="file" value=""/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteVerboseLog" type="file" value=""/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteAvailable" type="int" value="0"/>
<Variable name="NXRemoteVersion" type="string" value="NX110"/>
In NX 11 there has been a change in the search paths. Previously the DLL's were in the UGII folder. In NX 11 they are in the NXBIN folder. The PATH environment variable NXBIN_DIR must be set.
This can be set in the PLS start batch file:
REM ============================================================================
REM Using NX remote access
REM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
REM With NX 11.0 the binaries have been moved to NXBIN. This path must be added
REM to the path variable in order to find the DLLs.
REM ============================================================================
set NXBIN_DIR=C:\Program Files\Siemens\NX 11.0\NXBIN\
set path=%NXBIN_DIR%;%path%
Note that the environment variable SPLM_LICENSE_SERVER must be set to BOTH the PressLineSimulation license and the NX license. If you use bundles, you will also need to set UGS_LICENSE_BUNDLE.
Example:
set SPLM_LICENSE_SERVER=28000@my_PLS_server;28000@my_NX_server;
To work with multiple versions of NX, the PLS start batch file would need to be modified before each run. Or, one could have 2 different user_environment.xml files and change PLS_USER_HOME based on version in the PLS start batch file.
Hardware/Software Configuration
Platform: AMD64
OS: window
OS Version: 764SP1
Product: TECNOMATIX
Application: PLS
Version: V9.3
Function: ALL
Ref: 002-8000490