Welcome to the 12.0 QA Testing Guide, please check with your developer to make sure 12.0 Migration is successfully completed before testing. 

cm.abstract.component

In CET 12.0, this abstract has been completely removed and it should not affect your manufacturer extension. We recommend test instructions of:

1. Using CET 12.0, make sure your manufacturer extension can be downloaded and installed fine. Make sure the extension appears after installation, and can be used.
2. Load some old drawings and make sure the snappers are retained, prices in Build of Material stays intact.
   Tip: You may use 'Batch Load Drawing' tool to automate this process.

cm.core

There are changes made to the core by the developers in CET 12.0, and it will support Parent and Child snappers for future extensions. You will not be able to use/see these unique snappers after the release/migration, as there is no official release of extension and snapper that uses this concept. Explanation of concept below is for understanding only.

With child snapper concept, the dependent snappers will be identified as a child, where as snappers that provide support to, will be identified as a parent. This improves performance and enables flexibility of being independent when it comes to changing properties, stretching etc.

In contrast, take a look at an example below from an on-going material handling project that utilizes this concept. The purple unit loads are identified as 'MhTestUnitLoadSnapper' are children to the beams supporting it, identified as 'MhTestLevelSnapper'.

Currently, only codes were pushed in to support this feature. To ensure there are no ripple effect to your current extension, perform smoke test instructions of:

1. Test the Properties box dialog of your extension. Ensure:
   • The user interface (UI) of the animation properties and quick properties, are the same as before.
   • All options can be applied through animation properties and quick properties.
   • Changed options related to pricing should reflect in the Build Of Material (BOM), materials should reflect in both 2D and 3D views.
   • The sequence or position of the properties and options such as propagation is correct.
2. Try Positioning, Arrangement tools and ensure it works with your extension.

Refer below should you need a recall:

There are also changes in cm.core that improves the performance of saving drawings. Attempt test instructions of:

1. Save your drawing remotely to a network location (if infrastructurally applicable). Configure in 'Control Panel > Advanced > File locations > Change the default save path to a remote network location. There should be slight performance improvements over 11.5.
2. Try 'File mirroring', ensure it saves the same copy but in a separate file path at the instance of saving a drawing at a satisfactory performance, there should not be any slowdowns. Configure in 'Control Panel > Security > File mirroring.

cm.abstract.office

There are some code refactoring done to this abstract office, in which older classes/systems have been moved to a legacy package. To ensure there are no errors when running your office extension, perform test instructions of:

1. Try loading existing office drawings, and make sure the snappers does not go missing, as well the costing in the Build of Material (BOM) is all intact.
2. If your extension has an elevation tool, perform a few renders at different angles to ensure it works fine with the existing and new office drawings.
3. Using a new drawing, smoke test snapping, stretching panels, worksurfaces especially curved and make sure the graphics looks fine and not distorted.
4. If your extension has a finish legend, make sure the legend shows all finishes/options for relevant office snappers, and works as before.

cm.core.xclip

Developers made changes to several classes and incorporates the use of XClipBlackAndWhiteCompanion to support grayscaled images and PDFs.

Referring to photo below, any PDF or image in 2D space will not support grayscale conversion using the 'Black and White' viewclip companion. In CET 12.0, this bug will be fixed, PDF and images that are within the 2D clipped area will support grayscale conversion.

View clipping an image with 'Black and White' viewclip companion already applied using an empty 2D viewclip also sees performance improvements.

To ensure fix is working, follow test instructions below:

1. Insert images, photo inserted from photo lab and PDF in 2D space. Insert a 2D viewclip of those and add 'Black and White' companion to the viewclip. Ensure that the images and pdf are converted in grayscale. Ensure there are no signs of sluggishness and performance is good.
2. Perform a PDF report generation and ensure the images/PDF are retained in grayscale.
3. Test with save and load, to ensure the images/PDF are retained in grayscale.

General SIF Export

'Configura SIF' is introduced to replace ProjectMatrix SIF. It works for all manufacturers and allows extension and users to add format for specific manufacturer columns using 'Custom SIF'.

Using your extension, perform test instructions of:

1. In your drawing, open up Bill of Material (BOM). Using a default/custom article view, perform an Order export of 'Configura/Custom SIF' format. Ensure the process does not crash and export is successful. Verify that changing the sorting order in BOM's column or sort manually, the order in exported SIF should be synchronized. 
2. If your extension has unique information (custom tags, general markings, Ind tags etc) and you used it in the drawing. In BOM, perform Order export of 'Custom SIF' and ensure these unique columns with values can be configured with default/custom code in 'Custom SIF' settings, and be shown correctly in the exported SIF document.

   

3. You may also test by creating new categories and tags in 'Part Tagging' dialog,
   for example: tag category (tag name) : TAG1 (TAG1_HERE), TAG2 (TAG2_HERE), TAG3 (TAG3_HERE) TAG4 (TAG4_HERE) , TAG5 (TAG5_HERE),
   

   

   
   Have some of them applied in the drawing, in Build Of Material, verify that the expected TAG values are shown on the items, columns likely will need to be turned on. Export as 'Configura SIF' and verify the TAG values appear as they should.

   

Updated Docotic PDF library

In CET 12.0, Docotic has been upgraded from 5.6 to 7.5. Run a smoke test to ensure PDF import works good, follow these test instructions:

1. Drag any 'PDF' file into 2D and 3D in model space. Make sure 'PDF import' dialog opens up, and lets you insert 'Pages' and 'Images'. Ensure import process does not crash.
2. Using 'QA Tools', perform a PDF Diff Test to ensure the import of PDF when creating references, running "batch test" loads fine.

Refer below should you need a recall:

Updated Default Columns

There has been a minor change to the default columns in the Build of Material (BOM). Regardless of any extensions, the "Part Number" and "Quantity" columns are now considered mandatory. Follow these test instructions:

1. Using your manufacturer extension, construct a simple drawing with priced snappers. In the BOM, there should be columns of "Part Number" and "Quantity" in the default article view.
2. Create a new Article View, remove these columns in Article View settings and add extra columns. Save it as a separate calculation file or the drawing as a whole.
3. Load saved articles with custom columns as a drawing or as a calculation file, check if the columns are intact and does not go missing, ensuring it does not affect saved drawings/articles.

New Features

Schemes

Embedded Schemes

With the latest additions to Prop Schemes in CET 12.0, Scheme dialog now supports embedding schemes (.cmScheme) to drawing. With this, by saving and loading the drawings would include the embedded schemes along, and there won't be a need of import/exporting scheme files. By including your drawing (.cmdrw) would include the saved schemes together. This is made possible by using auto and manual embedding.

To ensure embedded schemes work good for your extension, follow test instructions of:

1. By switching 'Auto-Embed' on, ensure the created schemes are embedded after an application (Target, Selection, All). When embedded, make sure there is a 'chained' icon on the scheme tab. Make sure tooltip shows 'Exclude from drawing'
2. Save drawing, loading the drawing should also load the embedded schemes together. Ensure the saved changes/values to the properties are retained.
3. By switching 'Auto-Embed' off, ensure manual embedding is possible:
   • By clicking on the 'un-chained' icon on the scheme tab. 
   • Right click on Scheme tab, click 'Embed to drawing'.
4. Repeat Step 2.

Filters, User Interface (UI)

Newly added filters comes in handy if users work with many types of schemes.

We recommend smoke test instructions of:

1. Make sure the following filters work fine, behavior is as follows:
   • All - Shows all, no filtering.
   • Default - Shows default scheme only.
   • My Schemes - Shows user created schemes.
   • Drawing - Shows embedded schemes to the active drawing only.

Scheme dialog in 12.0 now supports different UI layouts, when working on large scale drawings, vertical is recommended as an extra column on the left provides better visibility for your schemes.

Horizontal

Vertical

Smoke test by:

1. In Scheme Settings, switch to different layouts, Horizontal/Vertical. After the transition, make sure there are no missing texts, products, scheme properties.

Mirror Tool

Upon completion of 12.0 Migration, 'Mirror' tools should be seen under 'Wall Drawing' tab. Snappers in CET 12.0 can now be mirrored vertically, horizontally and against a plane. These 'Mirror Tools' can be placed under a manufacturer extension depending on preference.

To verify if Mirror tool works for your extension, try test instructions of:

1. Ensure 'Mirror Tool' works for your manufacturer extension, for Horizontal, Vertical and against a plane. Take close attention to some snappers, which may look like copy and pasting instead of mirroring due to the nature of the snapper. For example, mirroring an 'All in one computer' from 'Office Accessories'.
2. Make sure the shortcut keys work for your extension snappers too, (Shift + F for Horizontal/Vertical), (Shift + M for Against a plane).

Lights

Physical Lights

In CET 12.0, physical lights are introduced. With this, the light intensity in lumens can be physically corrected, allowing one step nearer to photorealism.

If your extension has lights, be sure to complete the 12.0 migration before you can test. If your migration is successful. Follow smoke test instructions below:

Prior to testing, make sure 'Enable realtime lights' is switched on under 'Control Panel > Graphics'.

1. Using your lights extension, make sure the light products are converted into 'Physical lights'. Toggle 'enable realtime lights' on and off and make sure the lights are realistic.
2. For each light symbol, make sure the brightness can work in 'Light Settings', accessible through Quick Properties.
3. From above, do some renders from 'Quick Render' and make sure the material, textures and lights are shown in correct and realistic manner in the rendered photo.
4. Repeat Step 3 by using 'Photo Lab', switching to advanced settings and tweaking 'Lighting & Shadows'.

Associative Dimensions

This is a new feature in CET 12.0, the basic idea is by allowing dimensions to be associated with a snapper. With that, the dimension will be dynamically updated to match the new position of the associated snapper when they change in dimensions in the drawing space. It could be due to reposition, rotation or even stretching.

Previously, dimensions are fixed, and will not be updated upon changes in dimensions.

To understand better, refer to the animated photo below:

To have this feature, your extension will need to be migrated to 12.0. For migration guide on Associative Dimensions, refer below:

If you have successfully migrated, we recommend test instructions of:

Try it on your manufacturer symbols to make sure Dimensions are associative to it.

1. Using a dimension, make sure 'Associative' in animation properties is checked, snap the start and end points at 2 snappers, the associated snappers should be highlighted in blue.
2. Ensure dimensions are dynamic when moving, stretching, rotating snappers.
3. When clicked on an associative dimension, indicator (blue dot) should appear on dimension legs.
4. If your extension have snappers that exhibit unique behaviors, ensure it works with associative dimensions too. (Worksurface/Pallet Racking expand into extra sections when being stretched, symbol changes in 2D/3D )

Link to Webinar Recording and Materials

If you have missed out on our CET 12.0 Testing Webinar that was conducted on 12th April, fret not, we got you covered.

Link to Recording

Link to Slides

Have additional questions?