CADViewer Conversion Engine Setup

How to set up File Conversion Module to work with CADViewer

1) How it works

CADViewer can only view dwf files. When CADViewer opens a file differnet from a "dwf" file, it will send the file url to the server script that calls the conversion module to convert on the fly this none "dwf" file to a dwf file . The dwf file is then sent back to CADViewer for viewing.

2) CADViewer Enterprise distribution package should include:

• One or more File Conversion Module Software (i.e. AutoXchange (AX2010 - AX2011), Hp2Xchange, AcroXchange, RasterXchange or DgnXchange)
• Server Side scripts
• Servlet : "ConversionServlet.class", "ConversionServlet$1.class", "ConversionServlet$2.class", "ConversionSetup.class" and cadviewer_ent.cfg" file
• Perl Script: ConversionCGI.pl
• CADViewer Pro java applet or CADViewer Java DWF class library

3) Conversion Module

A) Install ConversionServlet

• Install File Conversion Module(s) to folder(s) of your choice
• Make sure that you can execute the FCM from a shell or dos console
  • For example, to execute Ax2010 using command line
  • ax2010 -i=test.dwg -o=test.dwf -f=dwf -ver=6 -vn=*ALL*
  • If autoxchange prompts for password, it means that the tool is not registered. Do not continue with the installation. You need to contact support@cadviewer.com to get the password.
• Copy "ConversionServlet.class", ConversionServlet$1.class", "ConversionServlet$2.class", to the Servlet Container folder. Typically, the servlets will be in WEB-INF/classes directory.
• Modify "web.xml" in WEB-INF if applicable and reset your servlet container, typically you'll have to add the following:

<servlet>
<servlet-name>ConversionServlet</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>ConversionServlet</servlet-class>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>ConversionServlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/servlets/servlet/ConversionServlet</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>


• In your web-browser, call the Servlet based on the servlet container path to Servlets:
  • http://localhost:8080/examples/servlets/servlet/ConversionServlet
  • This will display the location of the configuration file cadviewer_ent.txt"
• Use an editor to modify cadviewer_ent.txt file:
  • ax_path, hp2xchange_path, acroxchange_path, dgnxchange_path, rasterxchange_path and tempdrawings_path
  • ax_exe, hp2xchange_exe, acroxchange_exe, dgnxchange_exe, rasterxchange_exe
  • Example
    • tempdrawings_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • autoxchange_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • ax_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • ax_exe=ax2011.exe
    • hp2xchange_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • hp2xchange_exe=Hp2Xchange.exe
    • dgnxchange_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • dgnxchange_exe=DgnXchange.exe
    • acroxchange_path=C:\\apache-tomcat-6.0.32\\webapps\\aprotestdir\\converters\\
    • acroxchange_exe=AcroXchange.exe
    • ax_path=c:/tms/ax2011/
    • ax_exe=ax20011.exe
• You can delete the lines for conversion tools that are not installed
• Copy "cadviewer_ent.txt" to either the system folder or to the folder where the servlets are installed
• You only need to modify the paths for the installed modules and to leave the other paths unchanged
• Reset your servlet container
• Open a new browser window and type the URL of the ConversionServlet
  • http://www.xyz.com/servlet/ConversionServlet
  • If the browser display the servlet information, then your ConversionServlet set up is complete
  • Otherwise you have to check with your servlet container documentation to learn how to add a servlet to your container
  • Enable debug by providing the ConversionServlet the command:
    • http://www.xyz.com/servlet/ConversionServlet?option=debug

   

  B) Install ConversionCGI.pl

  • Put the ConversionCGI.pl on your cgi-bin folder
  • Change the values of $tempFolder,$axselect_path, $autoxchange_path, $dgnxchange_path,$hp2xchange_path and $acroxchange_path
  • Rename axselect_windows or axselect_linux to axselect.exe
  • You should give execute permissions to ConversionCGI.pl; you also should not give write permission for group or world for the script or directory where the script reside. Generall that's achieved by chmod 755 or chmod 501 over the script.
  • Make sure that ConversionCGI.pl can write files to $tempFolder and execute system command

4) CADViewer

• Install CADViewer
• In the viewer.cfg file, add the following line:
• conversionURL=URL where URL is the URL to the servlet (i.e http://www.xyz.com:8080/servlets/ConversionServlet)
• or add the following line to the parameter tag in HTML:
• <param name="conversionURL" value="http://ip/servlets/ConversionServlet">
• For cases where multiple FCM use either servlet or script, and are hosted on more than one server, use the parameter that corresponds to the FCM:
  • AcroXchange: <param name="conversionURL_acrox" value="http://ip/cgi-bin/ConversionCGI.pl"> or
    • <param name="conversionURL_acrox" value="http://ip/servlets/ConversionServlet">
  • AutoXchange: <param name="conversionURL_autox" value="http://ip/cgi-bin/conversioncgi.cgi"> or
    • <param name="conversionURL_autox" value="http://ip/servlets/ConversionServlet">
  • Hp2Xchange: <param name="conversionURL_hpx" value="http://ip/cgi-bin/conversioncgi.cgi">
    • <param name="conversionURL_hpx" value="http://ip/servlets/ConversionServlet">
• To pass conversion parameters to the FCM, use parameter
  • <param name="conversionparameters" value="-MY=1 -W=1">
    • More than one parameters can be entered and each parameter are separated by a blank space

     

  Refer to CADViewer parameter usage :

  Recent Changes: www.cadview.com/demo/CV7/v7Pro/changes.html

  CADViewer ADMIN GUIDE: http://www.cadviewer.com/documentation/CADViewer/admin_help/index.html

5) Testing

• For testing purposes, you should add the following two parameters to the html file:
• <param name="conversiondwfsave" value="enable">
• <param name="conversionnondwfsave" value="enable">
• When you launch the html file, if it works correctly, you should see both the dwg and dwf files in the tempdrawings folder
• If you see the dwg and dwf files in the tempdrawings folder but CV does not display anything, there is a problem with the communication between CV and the server. The setup on your server might not let CV to get the dwf file
• If you see the dwg file but don't see the dwf file, then the servlet cannot call the conversion tool
• If you don't see neither the dwg or dwf file, then you should check to make sure that you enter the param 'conversionurl" correctly on the html file

6) Notes

• LINUX: it is not sufficient to copy the libpdf.so library to /usr/lib or /usr/local/lib, as suggested by the readme that comes with the distribution. You also need to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/the/library/with/the/so and export it. If you place the libpdf.so in the /etc/local/lib folder, one possible solution would be to place the following two lines to the /etc/profile file
  LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/lib
  export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
  You might need to log off and log in for the change to become active.
• LINUX: if the servlet cannot execute the conversion module and the web container log shows an entry similar to:
  cannot execute /fcmpath/autoxchange -sp=2 -I=/drawingpath/temp/file.dwg -O=/drawingpath/temp/file.dwf -f=dwf
  but you can execute the module from a shell, you might want to check the ownership of the module. Perform chown to the same user/group that the web container/JVM process is running under.