Introduction to PS/Workshop

Chapters

Handling Files >>>

Contents

• 1.1 Installing and running PS/Workshop
• 1.2 The PS/Workshop window

PS/Workshop is a Parasolid prototyping tool and model viewer that makes prototyping Parasolid-powered applications and viewing XT files a simple task in Windows NT.

As well as providing high performance visualization of XT files, PS/Workshop has an extensible architecture that lets you create add-on modules. These modules give you access to the full range of Parasolid functionality, and can be developed easily using the PS/Workshop Wizard in Microsoft Visual Studio. For more information on developing your own modules for use with PS/Workshop, see the PS/Workshop Developer Guide.

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1.1 Installing and running PS/Workshop

PS/Workshop can be found on the Parasolid Software for PC Platforms CD-ROM. To install PS/Workshop:

• Place the Parasolid Software for PC Platforms CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive, while holding down the Shift key to override the CD auto-run.
• Use Windows Explorer to browse to the PSWORKSHOP folder on the CD-ROM.
• Double-click the file PSWORKSHOP.EXE and follow the on-screen instructions.

To run PS/Workshop, click on the Windows Start button and choose Programs > Parasolid > PSWorkshop > PSWorkshop.

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1.2 The PS/Workshop window

PS/Workshop has a multi-document interface, enabling you to open several files at once. Figure 1-1 shows PS/Workshop with four separate files open.

Figure 1-1 The PS/Workshop window

In common with many other Windows applications, PS/Workshop contains a toolbar that contains buttons giving you quick access to common tasks. This toolbar can be docked against any edge of the PS/Workshop window, or left as a free-floating window in its own right. To move the toolbar from its current position, just click and drag its handle. To remove the toolbar altogether, choose View > Toolbar. Choose the same command to display it again.

PS/Workshop also contains a status bar that is used to display messages, such as short descriptions of a highlighted menu command. To turn the status bar on or off, choose View > Status Bar.

PS/Workshop contains a number of menus, described below.

• The File menu contains commands for manipulating and opening XT files. See Chapter 2, "Handling Files".
• The Edit menu contains commands that let you control the colors of entities in the model, and which entities are selected. See Chapter 4, "Editing Models".
• The View menu contains commands to change the way that the current model is displayed. See Chapter 3, "Viewing Models"
• The Tools menu is used to configure different options in PS/Workshop. See Chapter 5, "Setting Options".
• The Help menu gives you access to online versions of the PS/Workshop documentation.

If any modules have been loaded in PS/Workshop, other menus may be available.

• Some modules may contain online help that you can access from the module's user interface.
• Printable documentation for each module can be found in the Help folder of the PS/Workshop installation folder, and from the PSWorkshop item on the Windows Start menu. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to be able to read or print this documentation - see http://www.adobe.com/ for information on how to obtain this if you do not already have it.

To find out how to load a module in PS/Workshop, see Chapter 6, "Loading Modules".

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