SpaceClaim Developers Guide
2 Overview
2.1 Architecture
The diagram shows a conceptual view of the SpaceClaim architecture as presented through the API.
Add-ins
AddIn, ApiExtension, CommandCapsule, ...
Commands
Windows Interaction Tools
Window, InteractionContext,
SectionCurve, ...
DocObjects Graphics
Part, Component, DesignBody, Graphic, CurveDisplay, ArrowDisplay,
DesignCurve, DatumPlane, TextDisplay, ...
DrawingSheet, DrawingView, ...
Modeler
Body, Shell, Face, Edge, Loop, Fin,
Vertex, Tracker, ...
Geometry
Curve (Line, Circle, ...), Surface (Plane, Cylinder, ...), Matrix, Point, Direction, ...
Namespaces
SpaceClaim.Api.V11 SpaceClaim.Api.V11.Modeler
SpaceClaim.Api.V11.Extensibility SpaceClaim.Api.V11.Geometry
SpaceClaim.Api.V11.Graphics
For the purposes of this diagram, each box represents a module, where each module makes use of other
modules below it in the diagram. The box sizes have no significance.
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SpaceClaim Developers Guide
These modules are merely conceptual groupings, since the only separation apparent in the API is the
separation in to namespaces, which are shown in different colors in the diagram.
Listed within many of the modules in the diagram are examples of types published by that module.
2.2 Doc Objects
Of particular importance is the distinction between doc objects, and the lower-level modeler and geometric
objects. Doc objects, as the name suggests, belong to documents. They are first class objects, since they
belong to a parent-child hierarchy, and they provide monikers (for persistent identifiers) and update states (for
associative update).
Many doc objects have references to modeler or geometry objects:
• Design bodies, design faces, and design edges are doc objects that have a reference to a corresponding
modeler object: a body, face, or edge. You can create a modeler body without creating a design body,
but this means no document is modified and nothing appears in the window. This can be useful if you
want to perform some modeling calculation. You may or may not create a design body at the end.
• Design curves are doc objects that have a reference to a trimmed curve, which is a geometry object.
Again, you can create curves and trimmed curves without ever creating a design curve, but design
curves are what get displayed in windows. (You can create graphics display primitives, which reference
geometry objects too, and these also get displayed in the window, although display primitives are not
doc objects.)
• Datum planes are doc objects that have a reference to a plane, which is a geometry object. Again, you
can create planes and other surfaces without ever creating a datum plane.
Typically the doc object will have more properties than the modeler or geometry object that it references, such
as name, layer, visibility, or color.
2.3 Document Structure
A document contains the following objects:
Document
Drawing Document
Parts Layers Windows
Sheets Materials
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