M3SP5 5635g 060517

Tribon System
Manager
Training Guide • Training Guide • Training Guide

Revision Log
Date Page(s) Revision Description of Revision Release

10/11/2004 Various 01 Changes due to Service Pack 2 M3SP2
17/05/2006 Various 04 Updated and Modified for M3SP5 MU1 M3SP5
Updates
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on which pages to remove and destroy, and where to insert the new sheets. Please ensure that you have received all
the updates shown on the History Sheet.
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Copyright © 2004 AVEVA Solutions
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means (graphic,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, taping, or otherwise) without written permission of the publisher.
Printed by AVEVA Solutions on 24 May 2007

Contents
1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Aims................................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Prerequisites..................................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Course Structure .............................................................................................................. 5
1.5 Using this Guide ............................................................................................................... 5
2 Implementation of Tribon ....................................................................................................................... 7

2.1 Installation......................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Assigning Responsibilities.............................................................................................. 8
2.3 Training ............................................................................................................................. 9
2.4 Work Flow ......................................................................................................................... 9
2.5 System Management...................................................................................................... 10
2.6 Customisation................................................................................................................. 10
2.7 Testing for Production ................................................................................................... 11
3 Installation of Tribon M3 ....................................................................................................................... 13

3.1 Hardware Requirement .................................................................................................. 13
3.2 Installation....................................................................................................................... 14
3.2.1 What's on the installation CD? .................................................................................. 14
3.2.2 During the Installation................................................................................................ 15
3.3 Verifying the installation................................................................................................ 16
3.4 Installing Service Packs and updates. ......................................................................... 17
3.5 Uninstalling Tribon......................................................................................................... 18
3.6 Project Set up ................................................................................................................. 19
3.7 How to configure a project ............................................................................................ 21
3.8 Selecting a Project ......................................................................................................... 22
3.9 Starting a Tribon Application ........................................................................................ 22
4 License handling ................................................................................................................................... 25

4.1 At Installation.................................................................................................................. 25
4.2 Substituting the license file........................................................................................... 26
5 Tribon System Overview....................................................................................................................... 27

5.1 System Directories ......................................................................................................... 27
5.2 Database Server ............................................................................................................. 27
5.2.1 Installation ................................................................................................................. 28
5.2.2 Maintenance .............................................................................................................. 29
5.3 TID Surface Server ......................................................................................................... 30
5.3.1 Installation ................................................................................................................. 30
5.3.2 Surface Server Admin ............................................................................................... 30
5.4 NAPA Surface Server ..................................................................................................... 31
5.4.1 Installation ................................................................................................................. 31
5.4.2 Surface Server Admin ............................................................................................... 31
6 Database Handling ................................................................................................................................ 33

6.1 Databanks Organisation ................................................................................................ 33
6.2 Database Utility............................................................................................................... 34
6.2.1 Find Objects .............................................................................................................. 35
6.2.2 Data Bank Maintenance ............................................................................................ 38
6.3 References in Tribon data banks. ................................................................................. 40
6.3.1 References in Hull Data Banks (CGDB, Hull form data bank)................................... 40
6.3.2 References in Outfitting Data Banks: ........................................................................ 40
6.4 Unlocking of Tribon Objects ......................................................................................... 41
6.4.1 Unlocking through Find Objects ................................................................................ 41
6.4.2 Object Utility .............................................................................................................. 41
3
6.4.3 Error lookup ............................................................................................................... 42
6.4.4 Tribon M3 Project Server Setup ................................................................................ 42
6.4.5 Tribon M3 Service Setup ........................................................................................... 42
7 Tribon Projects ...................................................................................................................................... 43

7.1 The project directory structure ..................................................................................... 43
7.1.1 Common Default Files ............................................................................................... 43
7.1.2 Common Surface Files .............................................................................................. 43
7.1.3 Common Databanks.................................................................................................. 44
7.1.4 Configuring common files & directories ..................................................................... 44
7.2 The project definition file (d065) ................................................................................... 45
7.2.1 The main project........................................................................................................ 45
7.2.2 Sub-projects .............................................................................................................. 46
7.3 Creating a new project ................................................................................................... 46
7.3.1 Stand alone Windows workstation............................................................................. 46
7.3.2 Multi-user Windows environment .............................................................................. 47
7.3.3 Modifying variables.................................................................................................... 48
8 Project Copy .......................................................................................................................................... 49

8.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 49
8.2 General about Project Copying..................................................................................... 49
8.3 Compatibility with older Tribon versions..................................................................... 49
8.3.1 General...................................................................................................................... 49
8.4 Startup ............................................................................................................................. 50
8.4.1 Export ........................................................................................................................ 50
8.4.2 Import ........................................................................................................................ 57
8.4.3 Verify ......................................................................................................................... 58
8.5 Examples......................................................................................................................... 60
8.5.1 Sistership copying ..................................................................................................... 60
8.5.2 Model Exchange with Subcontractor ......................................................................... 60
8.5.3 Alternate designs....................................................................................................... 60
9 Toolkit Preferences ............................................................................................................................... 61

9.1 Attribute Templates........................................................................................................ 61
9.2 Object Properties............................................................................................................ 63
9.3 Drawing Types ................................................................................................................ 66
9.4 Preview images............................................................................................................... 67
9.5 Object Subtypes ............................................................................................................. 67
9.6 Status Levels .................................................................................................................. 68
4
Chapter 1
1 Introduction
This course is designed for those who will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Tribon environment, and for
the support of the remaining users. The course covers those areas that are not required to be known by the typical user,
such as Tribon M3 installation, license handling, set-up of projects, etc.
1.1 Aims
The aim of the course is to provide the participants with the knowledge required for carrying out some of the most
common Tribon M3 management tasks.
1.2 Objectives

To be familiar with the Tribon M3 installation procedure

To be familiar with the Tribon M3 environment

To understand the configuration and maintenance of the Tribon databases

To be able to create and handle Tribon Projects
1.3 Prerequisites
This course has been designed for new users of the Tribon M3 System, however due to the nature of the tasks and the
associated responsibility a good understanding of the operating system would be beneficial. The participants should
have a good understanding of the Tribon concept and have attended some basic courses (i.e. Drafting).
1.4 Course Structure

Training will consist of presentations and discussions with some exercises.
1.5 Using this Guide

Certain text styles are used to indicate special situations throughout this document, here is a summary;
Menu pull downs and button press actions. Are indicated by bold dark blue text.
Information the user has to Key-in 'Will be red and in inverted commas.'
Annotation for trainees benefit
L Additional information
Pay close attention to
Refer to other documentation
System prompts should be bold and italic in inverted commas i.e. 'Choose function'
Example files or inputs will be in the courier new font, colours and styles used as
before.
5
6
Chapter 2
2 Implementation of Tribon
The final decision to purchase Tribon software is a significant milestone in a process that may have started much earlier
– the implementation of Tribon in the design and production environment. Following the purchase, the process will
continue with the installation, training, customisation and testing for production. For a successful implementation it is
essential that the process be well planned and that the main aims of the implementation are clearly understood.
This guide is intended to highlight some of the decisions and activities that should take place during the implementation
of Tribon. It covers those parts of the set-up and installation which are common to hull and outfit. Further set-up and
customisation is covered in the Tribon M3 Hull Manager course & the Tribon M3 Outfit Manager course.
The implementation can be divided into distinct activities. Many of these activities will be taking place simultaneously
during the implementation of Tribon in the shipyard.
1. Installation
2. Assigning Responsibilities
3. Training
4. Work Flow
5. System Management
6. Customisation
7. Testing for Production
2.1 Installation
The installation of Tribon M3 is described in detail in the Tribon M3 Installation Guide. This guide should be studied
carefully before starting the implementation process. Whereas a new user can easily set up a standalone Windows
installation or a simple network of Windows clients, more complex installations may require assistance from Aveva
Solutions.
The installation described in this manual does not include integration with Oracle.
There are basically only two types of installation of Tribon M3:

1. M3 on a Windows network
2. M3 on a mixed environment with databases on UNIX or Open VMS. Note: It is not supported to share projects
between Tribon M3 and previous Tribon releases. The purpose of the functionality to connect to projects located on
platforms other than the Windows platform is to facilitate migration of data to Tribon M3 projects.
The time to carry out the installation will depend on the complexity of the configuration and the number of clients in the
network. Aveva Solutions recommends that the Tribon application software be installed on each individual client. The
installation can be made using the delivered CD, or a copy of the contents that have been stored on a network drive.
Where the clients have a similar set-up, it is also possible to create scripts for “silent” installations; refer to the installation
guide for more details.
The following steps should be carried out well before the installation
1. Select type of installation
2. Check that minimum hardware requirements are met or, if possible, exceeded.
3. Check that operating system and 3rd party software requirements are met.
4. Select database servers (high requirement) and license server (low requirement)
5. Advise Aveva Solutions of license server so that license file can be prepared
To carry out a successful Tribon installation, the user must have a good working knowledge of Windows system
administration.
7
2.2 Assigning Responsibilities
For a successful implementation of Tribon, careful consideration should be paid to the personnel who are to be involved
and their individual responsibilities. The key person in the implementation is usually the prospective System Manager(s).
He or she must have a clear understanding of the reasons for the implementation and the benefits that are to be
expected from it. The System Manager must have access to the various decision-making levels within the company so
that the implementation can proceed smoothly.
The System Manager will need to have a good understanding of the hardware and operating system, as well as the
Tribon applications. He or she will usually act as the main technical contact between the customer and Aveva Solutions.
All communication from and to the users (e.g. error reports, new deliveries etc) should pass through the System
Manager’s hands.
During the implementation phase it is advisable to develop a group of lead users who will be responsible for testing and
customising Tribon to suit the shipyard’s requirements. The System Manager and the lead users need to be motivated,
hardworking and eager to learn new systems. This core group will often have to demonstrate and implement new
working procedures in the shipyard in the face of reluctance and even opposition to change.
Within each department that will be affected by the implementation of Tribon, it is advisable to identify and nominate a
contact person. This person will then become part of the implementation team, attends regular meetings and present his
or her departments objections or suggestions. Typical departments that may be affected by the implementation are:
• Early Design & Planning
• Hull Design
• Outfit Design
• Material Procurement
• Steel Production
• Pipe Production
• Assembly
• Shipyard management
8
2.3 Training
Training is an essential part of the implementation process. Unfortunately a new customer often underestimates both the
amount of training and the total duration of the training period. Without well-trained users, the software will not be used
effectively and will result in frustration and disappointment.
The best results will be achieved by training a carefully selected group of core users during the early part of the
implementation. Later on these users may be able to train or assist in the training of other users.
Training can be carried out on-site or at the official Tribon Training Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK. The
possible advantages and disadvantages of each are shown below:
On-site Training Tribon Training Centre

Cannot be carried out until software has been installed May be carried out prior to or during the installation
on-site
Trainees may be distracted by other duties or ongoing Trainees are in an insulated environment and can
work concentrate on the training material
Suitable training facilities may not be available on-site Training is carried out in dedicated rooms using high-
quality presentation equipment
Most cost-effective way to train larger groups (4-6 Total cost of training will be increased by travel and
people per group) accommodation costs for trainees
Less cost-effective for smaller groups (1-3 people) May be possible to attend a scheduled training course
at a lower overall cost
Aveva Solutions will assist in the preparation of a realistic training plan by preparing a training proposal showing the
recommended courses, the duration of these courses and listing any pre-requisites required for the training. This
information can also be taken from the Training Course Specification Book. You should ensure that you have received
an up-to-date copy of this document.
As a guide, you should plan on the following number of training days. The actual number will depend on the Tribon
products to be used.
Tribon Loftsperson: ca. 5 days
Tribon Hull User: ca. 15 days
Tribon Pipe User: ca. 15 days
Tribon System Manager: ca. 2 days, plus all of the above
The duration shown is for the basic training in each product group. Aveva Solutions also offers advanced training
courses, which should not be taken until the basics have been learnt and put into use.
It is recommended that the System Manager attend as much of the basic training as possible. He will generally be acting
in the position of technical liaison with Aveva Solutions and will have to have a good understanding of all the
applications. Many large sites nominate two System Managers – one for Tribon Hull and one for Tribon Outfit.
It is important to realise that the training is only the first part of the learning process. Without a suitably planned follow-
up, much of the information will be quickly forgotten. As part of the implementation it should be ensured that the trainees
soon start work on a test project.
2.4 Work Flow

The successful implementation of Tribon in a shipyard will most probably be accompanied by significant changes to the
existing workflow. The benefits of Tribon will stem mainly from the use of a 3D-product model and the output of
production data. Sometimes the implementation of Tribon is accompanied by the installation of new production facilities
such as improved NC plate burning machines, profile robots, pipe bending or flange welding machines.
But even if there are no changes in the production facilities, the format of the production data (workshop drawings,
material lists) will almost certainly change. It is a good opportunity to analyse the flow of information and decide whether
current practices really need to be maintained. For example, is it still necessary to fully dimension each drawing? Can
assembly drawings now be produced automatically? Is it really necessary to produce separate lists for different
production locations?
It many cases it may well be more effective to change the workflow to suit Tribon then it will be to change Tribon to suit
the existing workflow. Forcing Tribon to work against the in-built philosophy of the system may result in problems further
downstream.
The following shows a (by no means comprehensive) list of workflow components that should be considered in the
implementation:
• Shipyard conventions
• Naming conventions – drawings, components, assemblies
• Modelling conventions – projections, views, colours, layers
• Assembly processes
• Production Information
• Information flow between departments, and to and from subcontractors
9
2.5 System Management
Once the Tribon system is installed and in operation, there are a number of tasks that have to be carried out on a regular
basis. It is important to ensure that the resource level for these tasks (usually carried out by the System Manager) has
been sufficiently planned.
Regular system tasks

Management of working environment (new users etc)
Backup management
Disk management
Installation of upgrades
License management
Security considerations
Updating template project
Project tasks
Creating new project environment
Changing default files
Data transfer to and from sub-contractors
Trouble-shooting tasks
Testing possible errors and creating reproducible cases
Communication with Aveva Solutions
2.6 Customisation
Tribon is a flexible system that can be modified to suit many different working methods. As a result, it will be necessary
to carry out some degree of customisation in almost all implementations. The customisation can range from the simple
selection of defaults for a particular application, through to the specification and development of customer-specific
software. Typically it will be necessary to consider the workload and resources for the following types of tasks:
General
Component database: define components commonly used by the shipyard and connect them (if
required) to a corresponding volume Volume database: define 3D volumes
for any components that are to be displayed in the model
Symbol fonts: check available symbol fonts, and add new symbols if required
Subpictures/standard books: create standard subpictures for any 2D elements that occur repeatedly on
drawings (company logo, typical construction details, text etc)
Drawing forms: create a set of standard drawing forms
Reports and other output: create standard report formats
Hull
See Tribon M3 Hull Manager training guide for details
Pipe, Cable, Structure, Equipment

See Tribon M3 Outfit Manager training guide for details.
Assembly Modelling
TRIBON Assembly Modelling supports a user-configurable assembly attribute, called the assembly level. The assembly
level attribute can be used to distinguish standard assembly levels or stages and at the same time define a valid
hierarchy between these levels. Example levels could be "erection", "subassembly", "joined subassemblies" and "grand
assembly".
Drawing forms A set of example drawing forms is delivered by Tribon.

Customisation of report formats Reports are produced in MS Excel format and may be customised using
the tools available in MS Excel
Weld Planning
A default file is used to customise the weld modelling function of Work Preparation. This allows the user to define
naming conventions for weld identifications and default weld types (e.g. single or double sided welding) for certain types
of part connections.
Other
Geometry Macros:
Vitesse macros:
Production Data Interface
Vitesse
Pipe Support
Initial Design
10
2.7 Testing for Production
Before going live with a Tribon project, it is essential that all links to the production facilities have been tested. As a
simple example, it should be checked that the correct post-processor has been delivered and that the set-up file is
correct. Creating test plates for dry runs on the machine controller is one way to do this.
Are the production workers aware of the new format in which they will receive information in the future? The normal
human reaction is resistance to change, so any changes must be carefully explained so that the advantages are obvious
to all.
If you currently use sub-contractors for some or all of the production, it will be necessary to consider what the changes
might mean to them. How do they receive data from you currently? Will they be able to accept data in the new format or
is a converter required? Possibly the sub-contractors may also need to consider using Tribon in order to gain maximum
advantage from your data.
Some areas where the production data will need to be tested are listed below:
Hull
Plate cutting NC information
Assembly drawings and parts’ list for workshop
Profile Nesting sketches for workshop
Profile cutting NC information for profile cutting robots
Assembly Panels
Edge welding data
Marking data
Labelling data
Profile Mounting Data
Material lists for purchasing
Pipe
NC Pipe bending information
NC Flange welding information
Pipe sketches for workshop
11
12
Chapter 3
3 Installation of Tribon M3
Windows Server
License Manager Project_1
Users Database Server Project_2
Groups Surface Server ……
Passwords ……
Tribon M3 Applications
(optional)
Note: It is not supported to

Unix / Open VMS Server share projects between
Tribon M3 and previous
Tribon 5 Tribon releases. The
purpose of the functionality
ISDN
Existing Projects Frame Relay
to connect to projects
located on platforms other Internet
Databanks only
than the Windows platform
Database Server is to facilitate migration of Up to 5 users at
data to Tribon M3 projects. 128 Kbits/s
Windows Client
M3 Applications
Project_n
Database Server Remote Project

Surface Server
Project_x
Database Server
Surface Server
Windows Client
M3 Applications
Tribon Network Environment
3.1 Hardware Requirement

A normal Tribon installation will be based on a network solution, with multiple PC Workstations using the same Tribon
databases on a server, and the client applications to be installed on the local PC Workstation. Depending on local
installation this requirement varies with the workload and number of clients.
For more information refer to the Tribon M3 Installation Guide, Chapter ‘Platform requirements for
Tribon M3’
13
3.2 Installation
Before you start a Tribon M3 Installation please make sure that:
• The hardware is in compliance with the system requirements for Tribon M3

• The latest service pack of Windows has been installed.
• TCP/IP network is installed and functions and all hosts involved in Tribon M3 can “see” each other using Windows
Explorer. Duplication of IP addresses has to be avoided.
• The necessary disk space for Tribon M3 applications and projects is available
• The hosts that will be used as database servers, license server and clients are available.
• Tribon M3 installation disk, license file and dongle, and installation guide are available.
• The delivered Tribon license file has been edited. (see Chapter 4)
• The license dongle (hardware lock) is installed on the host that will act as license manager.
• You have administrator privileges for the host where the installation is to be done.
• You have the relevant NAPA licenses if required. (see Chapter 5.4)
• Any previously installed version of Tribon M3 is fully uninstalled, remembering;
After running uninstall, reboot the PC before starting the new installation procedure.
When deleting the previous …\Tribon\M3\* directory ensure projects, project definition files (see Chapter 6.2) and
License files are not accidentally deleted.
The following additional recommendations will help you to make a successful implementation, however they are not
obligatory:
• Windows network to consist of:

Windows Server running as Domain controller.
Windows Workstations running as members of the Domain.
• All ordinary users to have their own user names and passwords. Do not allow Administrator privileges to everyone.
• Create a user (i.e. tbuser) and give to him Administrator’s or power user privileges. Use it to setup and maintain
Tribon projects.
• Separate the users in different user groups (i.e. tbhull, tbpipe, tbcable, tbdraft, administration etc.).
• Use NTFS on your hard disks in order to allow appropriate file access for the members of the different Tribon
groups and prevent unauthorised access from the rest of the staff.
• Do not use the same license server host as a license server for software provided by another supplier.
• Install an un-interruptible power supply (UPS) for your Windows, License and Database servers, and for any
machine where current projects are being updated.
It is recommended that you start the installation from the host that will be used as a license server. Note that the same
host might also be used as a database server.
3.2.1 What's on the installation CD?

Below is a list of items. The list is not totally complete and may differ from the CD directory structure. Please refer to the
detailed information delivered with the CD.
Adobe Acrobat reader

\AcrobatReader4\
Tribon DB servers for other platforms
\DB Servers non_Win32\
Tribon surface servers for other platforms
\SurfServers non-Win32\
Software to be able to run Tribon with Oracle
\Orainst\
MDAC, the Microsoft Data Access Component
\MDAC\
Various tools needed by Tribon Initial Design
\Extras\
FlexLM Dongle Drivers
\Sentinel Drivers\
Please refer to Tribon M3 Installation guide and follow the instructions in order to proceed with the
installation procedure.
14
3.2.2 During the Installation
The Installshield Wizard will be displayed. Select Next to continue the installation. The License Agreement will be
displayed, select Yes to continue. Key in customer information, select Next to continue. The Setup type form is
displayed, select type of installation, options are Typical, Compact, and Custom
Select Typical, all programs except the Licences Server, the Database Server and the Surface Server will be installed.
Select Compact the programs will be installed with the minimum required options.
Select Custom to explicitly select individual Tribon M3 components to install. The screen shown opposite will be
displayed. Select the desired components. The system will calculate the required disk space required for selected
programs to be installed. Typically these would be:
Server Installation:
Select the following components;
• License Server
• Tribon Projects
• Database Server and BMT Surface
Server
• Administration Tools
• Napa surface server (if required)
• Tribon applications.
Client Installation:
Select the following components:
• Tribon applications
• Database Server and BMT Surface
Server / if this machine will host any
Tribon database
• Administration Tools – optional.
When finished select Next.
The destination folder screen will be

displayed, accept the current default
(C:\Tribon\M3\) or browse and select a
different location. Select Next.
The license configuration dialogue will be

displayed. (Shown opposite).
Remote: Allows connection to an existing

license server, the Node Name will be the
name of the computer holding the license file
and hardware lock (dongle).
Local: Note: The hardware lock (dongle)

should be installed before proceeding.
Normally installed on the machine that will act
as license server. A license file should be
available, use the browse button to locate the
license file. After selecting the license file
select Next.
The following screen will be displayed:
If the Tribon databases are to be used select No.

If Oracle databases are to be used select Yes.
Select Finish on the final screen to complete the installation.
15
3.3 Verifying the installation
After the installation has been completed, you will have to reboot the machine as new services and system variables will
have been added to the configuration. A successful installation will result in a new program group “Tribon M3” in the
Windows start menu. Two Windows environment variables are set as part of the installation procedure and can now be
checked from the Start Menu:
Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment variables
• TB_ENV_TABLE should be set to <Tribon_M3_Directory>\M3\config\tbenvtable.sbd

• LM_LICENSE_FILE should be set to:
•
For a local dongle: <Tribon_M3_Directory>\M3\FlexLM\license.dat
For a remote dongle: 7362@<name of PC with dongle>
Optionally you may also add the directories <Tribon_M3_Directory>\M3\bin to the Windows PATH environment
variable. This is especially helpful when running Tribon programs from a Windows Command Prompt without having to
change to the Tribon M3 bin directory.
After rebooting the machine it is also advisable to check the status of the Tribon services which have been added during
the installation. To view the services use the following:
Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services
A combination of the following services should be listed:
• PowerRPC Portmapper Optional. If this service is used then its start-up

should be set to manual, as it will then be called and
started directly from the Tribon M3 DB Service.
Chapter 5.2 – Database Server
• Tribon License Server Compulsory on designated License server or stand

-alone installation.
Start-up should be set to automatic.
Chapter 4 – License handling
• Tribon M3 DB Service Compulsory on designated Project server or stand

-alone installation.
Start-up should be set to automatic.
Chapter 5.2 – Database Server.
• Tribon M3 NAPA Surface Server Optional – required on Project server or stand-alone

installation if NAPA surface is to be accessed.
If the PowerRPC Portmapper is being used then the start-up
should be set to automatic otherwise it should be set to manual.
If set to manual the service must be started every time after the PC is rebooted.
Chapter 5.4 – NAPA Surface Server
• Tribon M3 Surface Server Compulsory on designated Project Server or stand
-alone installation / optional on all PC Clients.
If the PowerRPC Portmapper is being used then the start-up
should be set to automatic otherwise it should be set to manual.
If set to manual the service must be started every time after the PC is rebooted.
Chapter 5.3 – Surface Server.
16
3.4 Installing Service Packs and updates.
Note: Before installing service packs or updates, where services are shared e.g. on a server which is accessed by a
number of clients, it will be necessary for all clients to save and close all Tribon applications.
As with other software, after the initial release, updates of individual files or groups of files may be made available.
Installation of these files may require services to be stopped e.g. to replace the surface server, the existing service must
be stopped otherwise access will be denied when installing the new one, and the file will not be updated.
See 3.3 Verifying installation for details of installed services.
To stop any of the services select the following:
Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services
The following screen will be displayed:
Scroll to view the status of the service to be replaced. To change the status of the service, right click on the service and
select Stop. (When installation is complete use the Start option to activate the service). If in doubt, stop all services
installed by Tribon (see section 3.3 for details), install the updates, then re-start the services.
Some service packs may require certain dll’s to be registered, if this is the case a file will be installed in the
Tribon\M3\bin directory named Regdlls.dat, to execute this file invoke a Command Prompt (Start/Run key in cmd and
select OK.) Change directory to Tribon\M3\bin and key in RegDLLs.vbs and enter, the program will execute and the dll’s
will be registered, see example below.
On workstations which are not running

services, simply stop all Tribon
applications and install any updated
files. If a service pack which requires
dll’s to be registered has been
installed, follow the steps shown
above.
L Note that if the Power RPC Portmapper is running and stopped the Tribon M3 Database Server and the Tribon M3
License Server will stop.
17
3.5 Uninstalling Tribon
To uninstall Tribon, stop all Tribon services (See 3.3 Verifying installation for details of installed services). After stopping
the services select Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Tribon M3 >
Change/Remove. When uninstall completes select Start/Run key in regedit and select OK, the Registry Editor will
open. Take great care, removal of any registry other than those stated could result in the computer becoming
inoperable.
Expand the following by selecting the + sign displayed to the left of each.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SYSTEM
ControlSet001
Services
(Below services delete the following (if a service has not been installed it will not
be referenced here).
PowerRPC Portmapper
NapaSurfaceServer
Tribon License Server
TribonDatabaseServer
TribonSurface Server
Repeat for ControlSet002

Services
Repeat for CurrentControlSet

Services
Note: The services may not appear in all of the ControlSets, where they do appear, they should be deleted.
The final part of the uninstall is to delete the Tribon folder. Before deleting ensure you have a copy of your license file
stored outside of the Tribon folder. Also ensure no active project files are located inside the Tribon directory.
18
3.6 Project Set up
Before you can start a Tribon M3 application you have to define a project group. The Tribon M3 Project Setup applet can
be used to edit project definitions, i.e. edit project parameters and to create or delete subprojects.
Figure showing a multi-platform scenario
Each collection of project definition files denotes a project group. In other words, a project group corresponds to a
directory that contains project definition files. This means that if there are project definition files in multiple directories
then one project group is required for each directory. Project groups cannot be nested. A project server may have any
number of project groups and the project groups can be freely named. In this example there should be three project
groups - one group for each directory containing d065-files.
Projects groups may be created in the following way. Start the Tribon M3 Project Setup application from the Control
Panel: -
After the installation is completed and the machine re-booted you will find that one Project Group is already created
called Local projects containing the M3sp project (sample project).
L Note that this assumes that you choose TRIBON Projects during the component selection
19
Select Create New Group. Choose the Platform type as Local – (Windows)
Key in the name of the

group name as (say)
‘Projects’. Browse to the
folder containing the d065
project files and select it.
Select OK in the Select

folder screen, you will return
to the Project Group
properties form, select OK.
The Project Group ‘Projects’

is created.
When you click on a project

within the group the valid
Tribon environment
variables are shown in the
Parameters window.
It is possible to create and
modify project variables in
this window.
The process may be

repeated until all desired
project groups are available
on the workstation.
When finished select Exit.
20
3.7 How to configure a project
This section describes how to configure project definitions using the Tribon M3 Project Setup applet and there are
mainly three issues of interest
1. Edit project parameters (environment variables)
2. Create/delete subprojects
3. Manually re-import remote projects
To edit project parameters, select the project in the Registered projects tree by first opening the corresponding project
group and then clicking on a project (or subproject). Project groups are associated with a folder icon while projects and
subprojects have a ship and a half-ship icon respectively. When a project (or subproject) is selected, the parameters will
be displayed in the Parameters list and any value can be changed, inserted or removed using the Set and Remove
buttons.
Parameters in bold are parameters that are official in the latest version of Tribon. If not in bold, the parameters may be
valid only for older versions of Tribon or they may be private parameters. The parameter may also have an associated
explanation displayed at the bottom of the window.
The Show empty variables checkbox provides an
option to display either only the assigned
parameters or all possible project parameters. If
the Show groups checkbox is unchecked, the
Parameters window will display the project
parameters in a flat list as shown in the
screenshot above. If it is checked, then the
parameters will be categorized in a tree structure
instead.
Functionality such as creating project groups, adding or removing subprojects is

available through a right-mouse button menu. When right-clicking in the Registered
projects tree view, the menu will be displayed. Please note that the contents in the
menu will vary depending on which item type that was right-clicked. The subproject
functions Rename subproject and Delete subproject, for instance, are only relevant in
the context of a subproject. If right-clicking on a project group or on a project, these
menu items will be disabled
Create new group - This will create a new project group by bringing out the Project
Group properties dialog
Delete group - This will delete the selected project group. Please note that this will not
remove any files; it only tells the designated project server to not serve out this project
group any more
Import project - This menu item is only enabled for remote project groups. It makes it possible to manually transfer a
specific project definition file from the remote server to the designated project
server machine. This can be useful if a project definition file was modified
manually on the remote server (i.e. not through the Tribon M3 Project Setup
applet). It can also be used to make new project definition files, created on the
remote server, visible to the designated project server. A project definition will be
imported by typing the name of the d065-file in the Import Project dialog box
Remove project definition (d065) - This menu item is only enabled for projects and subprojects. It will delete the d065-
file from the project group directory on the designated project server machine
Remove all project definitions - This menu item is for projects, subprojects and project groups. It will delete all d065-
files from the project group directory on the designated project server machine
New subproject - This menu item is only enabled for projects and subprojects. It will prompt the user for a subproject
name and create a new subproject with that name
Rename subproject - This menu item is only enabled for subprojects. It will prompt the user for a new subproject name.
Delete subproject - This menu item is only enabled for subprojects. It will remove the currently selected subproject
Delete all subprojects - This menu item is only enabled for projects and subprojects. It will delete all subprojects from
the currently selected project
21
3.8 Selecting a Project
Before you can execute any Tribon application you have to select a project to be current. The details for each project
are held in a project definition file and this is named using the following convention: d065<project letters>.sbd
See Chapter 7.2
To make a project current, use Start > Programs > Tribon M3 > Project Selection.
The following screen will appear:
Browse to the project group that contains the project definition files. Click
on the desired project and use the Select button.
This will cause all the Tribon variables in

the selected project definition file to be
written into the tbenvtable.sbd file
located in the directory \M3\config\.
At their start-up, all Tribon applications

refer to this file through the Windows environmental variable
TB_ENV_TABLE.
The selected project will remain current until an alternative project is

selected through the Project Selection program and this will result in the
tbenvtable.sbd being re-written with the new project’s variables.
As well as using the Project Selection program to set a large number of variables in one action, it is also possible to
manipulate variables by using the following commands at the DOS command prompt:
• tbprintenv Used to list a current setting for a particular variable.
• tbsetenv Used to set a new variable or change the value of an existing variable.
• tbunsetenv Used to completely un-assign an existing variable.
Only the current session will be affected (i.e. the project definition file will not be modified) so this would usually only be
used for testing purposes or if temporary change of some variable is necessary.
When a Tribon Application is started it takes its own copy of the current tbenvtable.sbd file. Therefore if
a variable is to be changed the application should be closed and then re-opened to ensure the modified
variable is picked up.
3.9 Starting a Tribon Application

All Tribon applications (except for utility programs) are defined in an xml file referred to as the Tribon application
definition file. The application definition file is located in the SB_SYSTEM directory and is called applications.xml. For
each application there is an <application> xml node with the following parameters:

Application name

Short application name (used e.g. to give name to log files)

Name of the executable file

Input parameters (description & type)

Output parameters (description, type & file name extension)
Extract from applications.xml file : -
<system name="Hull">
<application>
<name>Basic Design</name>
<short_name>basdes</short_name>
<executable>sj700.exe</executable>
</application>
<application>
<name>Hull Auto Posno Setting</name>
<short_name>Autopos</short_name>
<executable>sf450d.exe</executable>
<inputs>
<input>input1</input>
</inputs>
<outputs>
<output extension="log">listfile</output>
<output extension="lst">listfile</output>
</outputs>
</application>
22
The Tribon Job Launcher is used to start each application. It ensures that each Tribon session has a private copy of the
environment. It also ensures that the program can be seen in the Tribon Log Viewer and all inputs and outputs can be
viewed through this utility.
A special starter program (tbstartjob.exe) is responsible for starting Tribon sessions. The following command line,
for example, will create and execute a new instance of Tribon Planar Hull Modelling.
tbstartjob.exe -application "Hull Planar Modelling"
All short cuts on the start menu to Tribon applications use this method. The job launcher waits in the background for the
application to terminate and sends corresponding notification messages to the log viewer regarding the execution status.
If shortcuts to the Tribon Applications are to be added to the desktop, please ensure they are modified
to read as shown above. A shortcut to sj001.exe instead of tbstartjob.exe -application "Hull Planar
Modelling" will result in the application starting but not being registered in the Log Viewer.
Please also ensure the accurate typing of the Application name in the shortcut, it must be identical to
the name given in the Application Definition file.
23
24
Chapter 4
4 License handling
4.1 At Installation
Before starting an installation edit your license file, substituting workstation_name with the name of the host machine
that will be used as the license server. Also ensure the dongle delivered by Aveva Solutions is also plugged into the
host machine.
L Note that the workstation_nameshould

be changed and the word VENDOR
may be required to be replaced with the
word DAEMON
Tribon M3 – License File
During the execution of the installation a check will be made to see if FlexLM has already been configured on the
machine. If no FlexLM is detected the system will prompt the user to configure it. If FlexLM is detected the system will
ask if you wish to reconfigure it. It is recommended that FlexLM be reconfigured with each installation.
If no FlexLM is found, or the user answered yes to the reconfigure question, the following menu will be displayed:
Local
This means that the license software will be installed
on the same host where you are carrying out the
current installation. This host will then also be used as
the license server.
Use the Browse button to navigate to the current
location of the license file (usually A:\License.dat)
Remote
This means that you already have the license server
installed and configured, and you only need to supply
its host name in the node name field.
Tribon M3 – License Server
After completion of the installation and the rebooting of the machine the Tribon License Server service should be
registered in Services, as mentioned previously. This service should be set to automatic start-up and should already be
running.
As well as the service being registered several new processes should also appear in the Task Manager. Lmgrd.exe
and kcs.exe should appear to indicate a successful installation.
During the installation the system will also have taken a copy of your license file from the location specified and placed it
in the …\Tribon\M3\FlexLM\ directory.
Also in this directory a file called Tribon_License.log will have been generated. This file contains information regarding
the status of the FlexLM License Server as well as listing all the available Tribon Features read from the customer’s
license file.
In case of problems with the license software this log file is a necessary source of information for Aveva
Solutions.
25
4.2 Substituting the license file
During the course of working with the Tribon M3 system it may become necessary to exchange or substitute the current
license file. This would become necessary if you have purchased any additional features or if the current license file has
expired.
In either of the above cases a new license file would be dispatched, either by email or floppy disc. On receipt of the new
license file the following steps should be taken:
1. Edit the workstation_name in the new license file to be the same as that of the license host.
2. Use Services and stop the Tribon License Server service.
3. In the …\Tribon\M3\FlexLM\ directory change the name of the existing license.dat file. (e.g. license.old)
4. Copy the edited new license into the …\Tribon\M3\FlexLM\ directory and name it license.dat.
5. Go back to Services and restart the Tribon License Server service. Alternatively reboot the machine and the
License Server should start automatically.
26
Chapter 5
5 Tribon System Overview

5.1 System Directories
During the installation you have the possibility to change the program installation path. It is recommended that only the
drive letter is changed if required but not the directory name. The Tribon system is always installed in a home directory,
the Tribon root directory. This directory contains a number of different files arranged in a subdirectory structure.
Bin: Tribon system executable programs and other files. Identified by the Tribon
Environment variable SB_SYSTEM.
Bin\etc: Tribon message files, symbol fonts and syntax files. The following
variables also point to this directory: SBB_MESSDIR, SBB_SYMBDIR
and SBB_SYNTDIR.
Bin\LightWorks: Rendering tools
Bin\macros.bak: Project independent Geometry Macro files.
Bin\python: Holds the standard Python scripts used by the Python interpreter
as well as by Vitesse. PYTHONPATH is set-up as a Windows system variable
and includes this directory in its path.
Bin\sql: Holds Structured Query Language files – only applicable if PDI is to be
used.
Bin\templates: Template files.
Bin\wsf Holds wsf files.
Bin\xml Holds xml files.
Config: Used for storage of session configurations & settings.

(tbenvtable.sbd)
customise: Project-independent example files.
Documentation: Home of the on-line HTML Help and user documentation files.
FlexLM: Contains FlexLM tools and your license file.
Projects: Contains sample/template projects that may be installed with the
system.
temp: Temporary files created during program sessions.
TID: Tribon Initial Design executables and associated system files + examples
Vitesse: Holds the user’s Vitesse scripts, presented within the Vitesse function.
Wop: Tribon Assembly Planning and Weld Planning executables and other
files.
The Bin, Config and Documentation directories contain the Tribon system
installation and should not be manually edited.
5.2 Database Server

The Tribon database server provides networked multi-user access to
databanks. Databanks located on discs physically mounted on other
machines in the network must be accessed through the Tribon database
server. There can be several hosts in the network with a Tribon database
server running on each, but only one database server on each host.
At the server machine, there is a superserver program (ea312.exe) that

listens to calls from client’s applications. When an application is started
and the first database call is issued, the superserver program spawns a
subserver process (ea310.exe) for each program session. During the
application program execution, the program communicates directly with
the assigned subserver process. When a program is terminated the
subserver process is automatically stopped.
The clients locate the database server through the values of the Tribon
environment variables SB_DB_LOC1..n.
Further information on SB_DB_LOCn variable can be found

in Chapter 7.3.2.
27
5.2.1 Installation
The database server installation is usually done at the same time as the Tribon M3 installation. However if you miss it or
if you did not plan to use that host as database server at the time of the first installation, you can add it by simply starting
the set-up program again and then
checking only the required box.
Remember to change the installation
directory if you have not used the default
one.
Figure 4:3. Tribon M3 – Installation

Shield
Upon successful installation you should have two new

processes in your task manager:
ea312
ea314
(ea310 will be seen when you start a Tribon M3

Application)
Figure 4:4. Tribon M3 – Database Server Processes
The only place where you can start or stop the

database server is the Windows services utility. Here
you may start or stop the database server manually, or change the default start-up option.
You may choose between Automatic and Manual start-up, or disable the service altogether.
The client-server communication is based on ONC RPC (Open Network Computing Remote Procedure Calls), and
therefore requires a portmapper process to be running on the server machine. The portmapper is included in the Tribon
delivery and is automatically installed and configured together with the Tribon database servers. Tribon M3 DB service
depends on PowerRPC Portmapper and once you start the database server the PowerRPC Portmapper service will be
started automatically.
After installation you should confirm that the RPC Portmapper has been installed and is running, by using the Windows
services utility. If the portmapper is not running try to start it manually. If another portmapper is already installed and
running on the computer, then the one supplied with Tribon will not install properly. In this case you need to open a DOS
command window and type the following commands:
cd <Tribon M3 directory>\bin
ea314 –remove
ea314 –nopminstall
This will install the database server without the RPC portmapper dependency. The RPC portmapper should then be
disabled in the Windows services.
Figure 4:5. Tribon M3 Database

Services
28
If your database is located on an OpenVMS or UNIX platform the database server must be started there. Under a Tribon
user account use the following command:
OpenVMS @SB_SYSTEM:C670TBISAMSERVER start

UNIX c670tbisamserver -start
The following options are also recognised by the database server:
stop stop the database server.

status give information on whether the database server is running or not.
Do not forget to set-up SB_DB_LOCn to point to the directory where database files are located.
Please refer to Tribon M3 Installation Guide –Installation of Database Servers on other platforms.
5.2.2 Maintenance
Every time a Tribon application accesses a database on a server, a database subserver process that will serve this
particular application is started. When the application is closed, the subserver will automatically be stopped. Under rare
circumstances, e.g. when an application stops due to a program crash, it could happen that the database subserver
process is not terminated. The Database Server Maintenance application can then be used to check the status of the
database server machine and to remove obsolete database sub-servers.
Figure 4:6. Tribon M3 Database Server Maintenance
Server: Enter the name of the database server machine and click the Update button
Stop: Select the database servers to stop in the list window, and press the Stop button.
This will stop the database subservers on the server machine.
Update: Refresh the view. The subservers currently running on the server machine are
listed. The list contains information about when the subserver was started, when it
was last accessed, who started it and from which machine. It is possible to sort the
information by indicating the corresponding column header.
Close: Exit from Database Server Maintenance program
29
5.3 TID Surface Server
The access to a surface defined by TID Lines or Surface module is made using a surface server, which is an application
running on a server machine and to which other applications connect to retrieve surface information. The server must
execute on the network node where the surface file (dml or dm) is residing. The Tribon applications communicate with
the server via ONC RPC in a similar way as the Tribon database servers.
5.3.1 Installation
If selected at installation the surface server will be installed as a Windows service. The service is initially configured to
start manually, however at the first boot of the PC after installation; the surface server will be started automatically as
part of an acceptance test.
Due to this automatic start on first boot it is recommended to reconfigure the surface server’s settings before executing
the boot. This configuration is performed via the command Start > Programs > Tribon M3 > Administration Tools >
Control Panel > Tribon M3 Surface Server Admin (tbsurfservmaint.exe).
5.3.2 Surface Server Admin
Surface directory:
This is the directory in which the dm/dml files are located. It was only possible for the server to handle surface
definitions from one directory at a time using Tribon M2 interface, however in Tribon M3, if the variable SB_NAVARCH is
set, it may be pointed to the folder that contains the surface files for the current project, enabling the surfaces to be
stored within the project. (SB_NAVARCH will override the directory setting defined in the Surface Server Maintenance
menu shown above).
Automatic Start at boot:

Recommended only when the PowerRPC Portmapper has installed successfully, otherwise manually start the surface
server after each re-boot.
Dependent on Tribon M3 PowerRPC Portmapper:

The only reason to uncheck the box is if a portmapper is already running on the machine, and in this case the one
delivered with Tribon will not be installed properly. If the box is not checked, it is strongly recommended to configure the
surface service to be started manually instead of automatic.
Start / Stop:
If the settings are satisfactory, and the service is just stopped for some reason, the start button can be used. If any
settings have been changed Apply should be used instead. In this case the current settings will be stored in the
Windows registry; the service will be stopped and then restarted to reflect the new settings.
For a project to access the TID Surface Server the variable SBB_SURFACE_SYSTEM should be set to bmt_1 in the
project definition file. Optionally SBB_SURFACE_SERVER_HOST can access a surface server running on a server
elsewhere in the network.
30
5.4 NAPA Surface Server
The access to a surface defined by NAPA is made using a NAPA surface server, which is an application running on a
server machine and to which other applications connect to retrieve surface information.
The Tribon applications communicate with the server via ONC RPC in a similar way as the Tribon database servers.
NOTE! In order to be able to run the NAPA surface server you have to obtain a license from NAPA. This is not
delivered together with Tribon.
5.4.1 Installation
If selected at installation the NAPA surface server will be installed as a Windows service. The service is initially
configured to start manually, however at the first boot of the PC after installation; the surface server will be started
automatically as part of an acceptance test.
Due to this automatic start on first boot it is recommended to reconfigure the surface server’s settings before executing
the boot. This configuration is performed via the command Start > Programs > Tribon M3 > Administration Tools >
Surface Server Admin (tbsurfservmaint.exe).
5.4.2 Surface Server Admin
The NAPA surface server service can handle up to 10 NAPA surface servers with individual settings. This functionality is
provided to allow access to several NAPA surface projects on one server host. As the NAPA surface server service is
started, only those NAPA Surface servers defined as Activated will be started.
NAPA, NAPAPROJDB, NAPA_GMTOL, NAPA_CGRID, NAPALICENSE, NAPA_LOG, NAPA_PRINT
These are environment variables used by NAPA. Please consult the NAPA documentation for the explanation of these
variables.
Note: In order to be able to run the NAPA surface server you have to obtain a license from NAPA. This is not delivered
together with Tribon. Not more than one activated server should be connected to the same NAPA project and the log-file
defined by the NAPA variable NAPA_PRINT should not be shared between different servers.
Automatic start at boot
As mentioned earlier, the service is configured for manual start at install time. When the service has been properly
configured, it is more convenient to have it started automatically at boot time.
Dependent on Tribon M3 PowerRPC Portmapper
Normally this box should always be checked. The only reason to uncheck the box is if a portmapper is already running
on the machine, in which case the one delivered with Tribon will not install properly. If the box is not checked, it is
strongly recommended to configure the surface service to be started manually instead of automatic. This is because
Tribon in this case cannot make sure that the portmapper is running before trying to start the surface service.
Start/Stop
If the settings are satisfactory, and the service is just stopped for some reason, the start button can be used. If any
settings have been changed though, either apply or OK should be used instead. In this case, the current settings will be
stored in the Windows registry; the service will be stopped and then restarted to reflect the new settings.
If the service is running, it is possible to stop it with this button.
SBB_SURFACE_SYSTEM napa_1 if the NAPA surface system is used

SBB_SURFACE_SERVER_HOST should be set to the name of the server machine where the surface server is running.
SBB_SURFACE_SERVER_NUMBER should be set to the appropriate NAPA surface server number (1 - 10). If the
variable is not set, a value of 1 is assumed.
This variable is not relevant when using the TID surface server.
31
32
Chapter 6
6 Database Handling
A Tribon databank is a permanent storage for model objects. The system is structured so that there are a number of pre-
defined databanks for different purposes. There is for instance one databank for hull panel objects, one for plate and
profile parts, one for pipe objects and so on. Tribon applications access the data banks referring to Tribon environment
variables, defined in the project definition file (d065xx.sbd). The Tribon environment variables for databank access have
values that include the path and file name without file type extension for the databank.
Example:
SB_OGDB C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb Open General db

SB_PSDB C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\psdb Pipe Structure db
SB_CGDB D:\Projects\ds4\db\cgdb Closed General db

SBF_DB_FSTRU D:\Projects\ds4\db\fstru Structure db
Each databank can contain different Tribon model objects. The objects are identified by name and have two object
codes that distinguish their type. A list of objects in a databank can look like this:
The object name is built up using conventions and delimiters that are specific to each Tribon application. There can be
references between different objects; those are stored internally in the objects themselves.
6.1 Databanks Organisation

Two kinds of databanks exist - indexed and sequential databanks. The databank file name is limited to 9 characters. The
permitted characters in the name are from ‘A’ through ‘Z’ and from ‘0’ through ‘9’.
Indexed Databanks

Most databanks use the indexed format.

The objects are accessed by their names in random order.

Consist of four files - two directory files, one data file and a lck file.
C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb.dat – index file

C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb.idx – index file
C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb.eob – data file
C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb.lck – lck file
SB_OGDB C:\Tribon\M3\Projects\ds4\db\ogdb ( in d065ds4.sbd )

Always keep all four files together in one directory.
33
Sequential Databanks

The objects are accessed by their names in sequential order.

Consist of one file with sequential organization.

<file>.SDB where <file> is the data bank name.

The data bank is a sequence of objects where several objects with the same name may exist.
Databanks can be copied, deleted and renamed by using the normal Windows file handling tools such as the Windows
Explorer. Note that all three files for indexed databanks must be kept together during these operations.
6.2 Database Utility

A family of utilities have been developed for the maintenance of indexed data banks. These utilities are described below.
Some of the utilities can also be used for sequential data banks (e.g. copying and listing of objects).

Select Tribon M3 > Administrative Tools > Control Panel >Tribon M3 DB Utility
The program is a utility program for data banks (indexed or sequential). The utility program has two main functions
accessed through the Tools menu. The functions are Find Objects and Databank Maintenance.
34
6.2.1 Find Objects
6.2.1.1 Opening Child Windows

The utility program has a multiple-document interface that maintains multiple child windows within a parent window. In
each child window it is possible to connect to any data bank and thereby perform operations for objects in that data bank
Through cut, copy and paste operations it is possible to perform operations between different child windows i.e. between
data banks
To open a child window click Tools > Find Objects
6.2.1.2 Finding Objects

Fill in the form as shown. For Databank name you may use Tribon Environment
variables such as SB_OGDB, SB_PSDB etc.
For local data banks it is possible to use the actual name of the data bank : -
C:\Projects\TTP\db\ogdb
Then click the Find button
The objects matching the inputs are shown in the window: -
6.2.1.3 Input Parameters

Data bank name Name of the data bank to be treated.
In traditional Tribon projects the name can be a full file-path to the indexed or sequential data bank as well as a Tribon
Environment Variable appropriately set. Such a data bank is accessed either from a local file system or through a Tribon
database server. The title text of a child window contains the name of the host acting as database server for the given
data bank.
In a TDM enabled project, using Oracle as storage for the Tribon objects, the Tribon Environment variables identifying
data banks must be used. These data bank variables (e.g. SB_OGDB, SB_CGDB, SB_PDB, SB_PSDB etc.) should not
be explicitly set by the user but will still be used as identifiers within the relational database to appropriately select the
proper sub-set of Tribon objects.
Object name Name given as specific object name or a name with wild cards. Accepted wild cards are
asterisk `*' for any number of characters and percent sign `%' to replace exactly one character. Nothing given is the
same as `*'
Object code 1 Objects with the specified object code 1 are treated.
Object code 2 Objects with the specified object code 2 are treated.
Created between date Objects created after this date are treated. Current date is kept in scroll list as an example of
the syntax
and date Objects created before this date are treated. Current date is kept in scroll list as an example
of the syntax
Locked Only locked objects are treated
35
6.2.1.4 Selecting Objects
Objects can be selected by indicating with the cursor. To select multiple objects the CNTRL or the SHIFT keys can be
used in conjunction with the cursor.
Example showing several objects being selected using CNTRL + Cursor
6.2.1.5 Pop up menu

Right clicking on the selected objects activates the Pop up menu. The
following operations can be performed.
These functions are also available from the

Edit menu
Copy - Paste - Paste special Objects are copied between data banks. Paste special will keep the original storing
date of the object(s).
Note:- Please note that In a TDM enabled project, using Oracle as storage for the Tribon objects, it is only possible to
copy objects between data banks in the same project or to and from sequential data banks.
Cut - Paste - Paste special Objects are moved between data banks. Paste special will keep the original storing
date of the object(s).
Note:- Please note that In a TDM enabled project, using Oracle as storage for the Tribon objects, it is only possible to
move objects between data banks in the same project or to sequential data banks.
Delete Objects are deleted from a data bank
Rename Objects in a data bank are renamed. It is possible to rename a range of objects
through group name specification. A group name is given by zero or several characters followed by an asterisk `*'
Unlock Unlocking locked objects in a data bank. The function must be used with the
greatest care and only when the locks known to be caused by an error situation
Split Create a sequential data bank of each object from an indexed data bank and place
them in directory specified by user
Merge Retrieve objects from sequential data banks located in a directory specified by user
and store the objects in an index data bank
Clear Will clear the display of listed objects.
CAT list Tribon information is stored in objects of different types. A general object type, at
least for hull information, is the CAT ("Curve And Table") object. The internal structure and contents of such an object
depends on the type of Tribon model object that it describes. The type of Tribon model object is identified by an object
code (object code 1) that is registered centrally by Tribon. The internal structure of a CAT object is built by Contours,
Attributes and Segments while the data is stored as Integers, Reals and Text strings. By this function it is possible in a
dialog to expose the contents of a CAT object
36
6.2.1.6 Example – Copy Objects

Ensure that you have two Find object child windows open. In one of the
windows type the following input parameters
The utility finds all existing objects in the C:\Projects\TTP\draft\ppidb (picture

data bank). In the second Find Objects window select the SB_PDB : -
L Note that the example assumes that a ppidb databank

has been created in the Draft subproject folder. Note
also that the drive and folder names may be different
to those shown.

Right click on the selected object(s) and choose Copy in the first window.

Then right click in the second window and choose Paste.

The objects(s) are copied between data banks.
37
6.2.2 Data Bank Maintenance
This part of the utility program handles the creation and backup/recovery of Tribon data banks.
Note that it is possible to backup/restore a data bank that is not local to the machine where this program is executed
ONLY if the machine where the database server process executes is a Windows machine. That is, it is not possible to
do a remote backup of a UNIX or VMS machine.
6.2.2.1 Create
This page handles the creation of a new data bank. The name of the new
data bank has to be given, and the directory where to create it can either be
keyed in or be found via browsing.
The new data bank can then be used for data storage.
One example could be for a separate drawing data bank for a particular
design department using sub-projects.
In d065 file: -
BEGINSUB Sysman
SB_PDB C:\Projects\TTP\Sysman\ppidb
ENDSUB
6.2.2.2 Backup
This page handles the backup of a data bank.
Backup copies of data banks are of two kinds: total copies and incremental
copies. A total copy contains all the objects stored in the parent data bank. It
also contains the structural information necessary to recreate the data file from
the total copy.
Total copies are normally created with a relatively low frequency, e.g. once a
week or once a month.
The program produces a log file containing a list of the objects handled: -
38
An incremental copy contains all the objects which have been added to the parent data bank since the last incremental
copy, if any, or since the total copy was created. It also contains a list of all objects deleted during the same period of
time. Incremental copies are created with high frequency, e.g. once a day or once every second day.
The file names of the copies are: <file>.B<I>, where
<file> is the name of the parent data bank, and <I> is the running number for backup copy.
The total copy is 00, the subsequent incremental copies 01, 02, etc. Thus, if a data bank has the name AGFR, its
backup copy number 1 will have the file name AGFR.B01.
Now, let us illustrate the use of two kinds of backup copies by an example. The data bank has the name EX.
If the parent data bank is destroyed on Friday, it is recreated by the following sequence of operations:

Initialize a new data bank EX.

Retrieve the contents of EX.B00.

Retrieve the contents of EX.B01, EX.B02 and EX.B03.
In this way, the parent data bank is recreated with the contents it had when EX.B03 was made. Retrieval of information
from incremental copies includes the list of objects to be deleted and this is also performed.
The backup field has three options: -
Total This creates a new total backup copy of the databank

Incremental Creates a new incremental backup copy
Init Reinitializes the incremental backup count, without creating a new total backup.
If the List file box is checked, a list file showing the program actions will be created in the backup directory.
L Note that these Tribon M3 back up routines are in no way intended to replace the normal, regular system back up
activities occurring in most companies. It’s very important that the normal back ups take place. The Tribon routines
merely give you some additional options which you may or may not think are necessary
6.2.2.3 Restore
As mentioned above, the recreated data bank will have the same contents as
the original one. This means that it contains the same objects, but the
structural information may have been changed, since the process of creating
a data bank from a total copy involves a reorganization process where the
free space in the data bank will be used more efficiently.
This page handles the restore of backup copies to a data bank.

Data bank name and the directory where the backup copies reside will have
to be given. Also the first and last backup copy number to be restored has to
be defined. If only one certain backup copy is to be restored the fist and last
backup copy number might be the same.
If an object name is defined in the Object field, only this object will be restored
from the backup copies.
If the List file box is checked, a list file showing the program actions will be
created in the backup directory.
39
6.2.2.4 Schedule Backup
The backup function described above, which performs immediate backup
copies of specified data banks, has an extension that makes it possible to
schedule backups with certain regularity. This feature requires that the
schedule service is started at the computer to which the job is submitted.
Once a backup been scheduled it can be controlled through the Windows
function "Scheduled Tasks".
6.3 References in Tribon data banks.

Many objects in the databanks are reference objects. That means that it can be very dangerous to delete objects in a
databank with Data Bank Utility. To copy, delete, move or rename an object in a databank you must be absolutely sure
that it is not referred by another object.
6.3.1 References in Hull Data Banks (CGDB, Hull form data bank)
In case of external surface system, surface is a dummy object with reference to the surface in TID or NAPA.
6.3.2 References in Outfitting Data Banks:
40
6.4 Unlocking of Tribon Objects
Tribon objects become locked for two main reasons: -
1. The object is being modified by another user on the system i.e. a pipe is currently being modeled; an
equipment is currently being updated etc.
2. The object has been locked due to a system crash. The lock occurs in order to protect the objects data
structure
L IMPORTANT: Before unlocking an object you should ensure that it is locked due to the second case!
6.4.1 Unlocking through Find Objects

The Find Objects function gives the user the possibility to unlock objects:
Enter the name of the data bank in which you wish to work in (SB_PSDB in this
example). Then Tick the Locked box to only find locked objects
Objects may be selected from the list as before. Right clicking gives the option
to Unlock the selected objects
6.4.2 Object Utility

Program name: sp304
Location: <drive_letter>:\Tribon\M3\bin (SB_SYSTEM)
Purpose: Utility program for object manipulation in the databank. Input to the program is given
interactively upon request from the program. The program is designed to be used for error
debugging and for recovery from some error situations.
The following operations can be performed:
HELP Lists the available commands on the screen, with a short description of the commands.
OUTPUT Listing of objects is done by default on the terminal screen, but the user can list in a list file by
using the OUTPUT command. The name of the file is prompted.
LIST Dumps the data of the object in the current list file. The listing format corresponds to the
element definitions documented in the system description, and is not further explained here.
The listings are mainly intended to be studied by system personnel when error debugging,
testing, etc.
BRIEF Dumps the data of the object in the same way as the command LIST, without the data part.
STATUS The STATUS command can be used both to check whether objects are locked in the data
bank and to unlock locked objects. The command should be used with extreme caution and
only when the locks are known to be the result of an error situation. Unlocked objects are
listed on the screen. If a locked object is found the program responds with a query whether to
unlock the object or not.
EXIT Exit the program.
41
6.4.3 Error lookup
To find the meaning of an error from any of the applications, use the
program "Error Lookup"
When started, the program prompts for an error prefix and an error code. Some packages (e. g. Tribon Hull) show errors
in a slightly different way than the rest of the system. It is therefore important that the correct error prefix is selected
before the error code is entered.
The error prefixes that are important and that differs from ordinary errors are:
"FFIX="
"QERROR="
"SSP ERROR="
"SYSTEM ERROR="
"WA201="
"WAFIX="
"WFFIX="
If the error code is prefixed with any of the above, the prefix must be selected in the box otherwise it is likely that the
error message is incorrect.
When the error prefix is selected, supply an error code and press return. The system will present the text if available and
prompt for a new error code. For "Error Lookup" to work it is necessary to have the name SBB_ERRMESS defined to
the file sb_error_codes.txt that resides on SB_SYSTEM.
6.4.4 Tribon M3 Project Server Setup

The Tribon M3 Control panel applet called Tribon
M3 Project Server Setup can be used to configure
the project server settings remotely on all networked
Windows machines. However, this requires that the
user has administrative privileges on all machines.
The user can select one or more machines in the list
and bring up the Project Server Options dialog box
by clicking the Options button. If the options dialog
is closed with OK, the settings will be applied to all
selected machines in the list.
6.4.5 Tribon M3 Service Setup

The Tribon M3 Service setup applet can be used to
get a network overview of the Tribon services. It's
possible to start and stop services remotely on
another machine, but this requires that the user has
administrative privileges on that machine.
42
Chapter 7
7 Tribon Projects
7.1 The project directory structure
The collection of data used to define a ship in Tribon is called a project. The data constituting a project is stored in a
number of databanks and files. These files are arranged according to a certain directory structure.
The standard project directory structure consists of a root directory and a set of subdirectories for each project. These
subdirectories contain user created data files (input to Tribon programs, output from Tribon programs, etc.) and other
data files (data banks, default files, etc.) specific for a design project.
The standard Tribon project environment consists of the following set of subdirectories:
dat: Miscellaneous input data files.

db: Data banks
def: Default files and standards
geomac Geometry macro language files.
lst: Output and log files.
nc: Generic Postprocessor output.
nest: Nesting parts-menu files.
plot: Plotting directory.
prg: Batch pipe modelling input schemes.
sch: Planar panel scheme files.
temp: Temporary files.
TID Files: Surface definition files from TID.
Although it is quite acceptable to have the directory structure shown above for an individual project, there are a few
points to consider when dealing with multiple projects.
7.1.1 Common Default Files

The def directory (SB_SHIP) contains many files controlling the performance of the Tribon applications as well as the
appearance of the outputs. For this reason it is quite normal for this directory to be identical from project to project.
Therefore it is common to create a master def directory and to point all projects to the one directory instead of
duplicating it many times. An extension of this is the user who carries out Tribon work for several different clients. Each
client may wish the appearance of output and the performance of the programs to be tailored to suit their specific
requirements. Therefore it is also common to have a master def directory for your own shipyard standards and then
several special def directories tailored to your client’s requirements. Therefore when creating a project you define
SB_SHIP to the master def directory if the project is to be built in house or you assign it to a special def directory if the
project is for a client.
7.1.2 Common Surface Files

The TID Files directory contains the surface definition files from TID applications (i.e. either a dm or dml file). For
Tribon Hull to read the surface file the TID Surface Server (ea311_bmt.exe) must be configured to point at the directory
containing the surface definition file. A restriction in the TID Surface Server is that it can only point at one directory at a
time. Therefore if a different Tribon project was to be selected the Surface Server would have to be stopped, pointed at
the TID Files directory of the new project and then started again, this can become very tedious and easily forgotten.
Therefore to avoid this task when changing projects it is recommended to create a directory at the project level called
Surfaces. This directory should contain all the surface definition files for every project on the machine. Therefore the
Surface Server is started from this directory and need not be changed.
43
7.1.3 Common Databanks
Like default files some databanks may be regarded as standard i.e. shared by some or all projects. Examples of these
are: -

The General Component Databank SBE_GENCMPDB

The Volume Databank SBD_VOLUME, SBE_GENCMPDB

The Standard Databank SBD_STD, SBD_DRWFRMDB

The Standard Structure Databank SBF_DB_FSTD
For this reason it makes sense to create a directory ‘std’ below the Projects folder containing ‘db’, ‘def’ and possibly also
‘sym’ (symbols) folders: -
Then the databanks mentioned should be copied to this db folder, the default files copied to the
def folder, and the symbol files contained in Tribon\M3\bin\etc (d012sy*.sbd) should be copied
into the sym folder.
L See the next section ‘The Project definition file (d065)’ before attempting this next piece!
7.1.4 Configuring common files & directories

The corresponding variables should be set similar to below in all project files: -
44
7.2 The project definition file (d065)
7.2.1 The main project

All the Tribon logical names for a specific project are defined in the project’s definition file. When selecting a project with
the Project Selection tool, this file is read and all the values within it are written to the tbenvtable.sbd file in the
\M3\Config directory. At their start-up all Tribon applications refer to this file and the settings within it dictate where the
resulting modelling will be stored as well as which standards will be applied to the modelling.
The project definition file must have the following naming convention: d065<ship letters>.sbd.
The Project Selection tool should be pointed to the directory containing the d065 files and the resulting tree structure
shown in the Project Selection tool window will be a list of all files found in that directory which start with d065 and end
with .sbd.
An extract from a project definition file is shown below:
SB_CGDB C:\Projects\TTP\db\cgdb
SB_OGDB C:\Projects\TTP\db\ogdb
SB_HREF TTPHULLREF
SBH_PROF_CTRL C:\Projects\TTP\def\sbh_prof_ctrl.dat
SBH_PROF_RESTRICT C:\Projects\TTP\def\sbh_prof_restrict.def
As can be seen above the file has a very simple layout. Basically a logical is entered at the start of a line and it is then
followed by a suitable definition for that logical. The logical and its definition must be separated by a least one space
(not TAB) but traditionally multiple spaces (not TABS) are used to line up the file into two easy to read columns. Only
one logical should be entered per line.
As can be seen from the example above this extract is from the TTP project definition file and the directory structure can
be found under the C:\Projects directory. The first two logicals are defining the location of the hull form and structure
databases. The next two logicals are defining the names of the hull reference and structure reference objects. The last
two logicals are defining the location and name of text files used to control the handling of profiles in Tribon.
The order of the logicals in the file is unimportant as they are arranged alphabetically by the system when they are
written into the tbenvtable.sbd file, however grouping by product is common.
If it becomes desirable to run a project with a particular logical disabled then insert an exclamation mark (!) before the
logical in question. This exclamation mark tells the system to ignore the following line when it writes the logicals to the
tbenvtable. A logical that has been commented out would appear as shown below:
SB_SREF TTPSTRUCTREF
! SBH_PROF_CTRL C:\Projects\TTP\def\sbh_prof_ctrl.dat
SBH_PROF_RESTRICT C:\Projects\TTP\def\sbh_prof_restrict.def
In this case the system would write the SB_SREF and SBH_PROF_RESTRICT logicals to the tbenvtable but it would
ignore the SBH_PROF_CTRL logical. Please note that if an exclamation mark is inserted in the d065 it is necessary to
close all applications, then re-select the project and restart the application for the omission to take effect.
45
7.2.2 Sub-projects
A project definition file should only contain the logicals for one project, however it is possible to have sub-projects within
the definition file. By the use of a sub-project it is possible to re-assign one or more logicals while having the majority of
the logicals read from the main project definition.
The definition of a sub-project begins with the keyword BEGINSUB <sub-project name> on a new line in the project
definition file. The sub-project name should contain no spaces. Below this keyword all the desired logicals should be re-
assigned to the new values. After re-assigning all the relevant logicals the keyword ENDSUB should be entered on a
new line to end the sub-project definition.
The example below shows part of a main project definition along with a sub-project definition.
SB_OGDB C:\Projects\TTP\db\ogdb
SB_HREF TTPHULLREF
SB_SREF TTPSTRUCTREF
SB_PDB C:\Projects\TTP\db\ppidb
!
BEGINSUB hull_production
SB_PDB C:\Projects\TTP\db\hpppidb
ENDSUB
In this example if the main project is selected then the logical SBD_PDB will be assigned to C:\Projects\TTP\db\ppidb.
If however the sub-project hull_prod is selected then the logical will be set too C:\Projects\TTP\db\hpppidb, while all
other logicals will be set as in the main body of the project.
The benefit of the sub-project set-up shown is that a different drawing database is specified when the hull_prod sub-
project is selected. The hull production information programs produce hundreds of profile sketches and these are stored
in the main drawing database (unless individual databases have been created for each type of output. See ‘Hull PPI
Programs’ in the Tribon Hull Manager Manual). Due to the number of sketches produced this can make working with
other drawings very tiresome as you have to scroll through all the profile sketches to find your desired drawing.
Selecting the sub-project hull_prod before producing any profile sketches ensures all new sketches are stored in the
hpppidb database not the ppidb database, which contains all other drawings.
This method of applying alternate drawing databases could also prove useful when storing pipe sketches. The creation
of a sub-project (possibly called pipe) and the allocation of a third drawing database would result in the pipe sketches
being stored separately from the profile sketches and also separately from the main drawings.
7.3 Creating a new project
7.3.1 Stand alone Windows workstation

During the installation it is possible to install a generic project that can be copied to another directory to form a template
for a new project. To perform this, carry out the following steps:
1. Make a copy of the Projects/Template directory located under the Tribon root directory together with all its
subdirectories and their contents.
2. Rename the newly copied template folder, fixing it with the name of the project that you wish to create. Please
remember that project names are limited to eight characters in length and that they should not include spaces. (An
example for your first new project name could be AA)
3. Copy the d065template.sbd file located in the Projects/Template directory below the Tribon root directory, into the
Projects/ directory. Rename the file, exchanging template with the new project name. (In the previously mentioned
example the file would be called d065aa.sbd)
4. Edit the new d065<projname>.sbd file as follows:
• Replace YARD NAME and YARD to suit your company. (YARD NAME should remain inside quotation marks
and can contain spaces. YARD is traditionally the initials or short name of the shipyard).
• Replace (path to project on host pc) with the path to your new project directory. Please also note that any
backslashes (\) should be immediately followed by a second backslash (\\) to free the character.
• Replace (pc name) with the name of your stand-alone workstation.
• Replace all occurrences of TEMPLATE with your new project name (e.g. AA). This new project name should
always be given in capital letters. Please also note that this should change the names of the objects listed
under the REF OBJECTS section of the file.
• Replace all occurrences of (project dir) with the path to your new project directory.
46
7.3.2 Multi-user Windows environment
During the installation it is possible to install a generic project that can be copied to another directory to form a template
for a new project. To perform this, carry out the following steps:
1. On your designated server PC create a Projects directory on a shared disc accessible to all Tribon clients. In this
new directory make a copy of the Projects/Template directory located under the Tribon root directory together with
all its subdirectories and their contents.
2. Rename the newly copied template folder, fixing it with the name of the project that you wish to create. Please
remember that project names are currently limited to eight characters in length and that they should not include
spaces. (An example for your first new project name could be AA).
3. Copy the d065template.sbd file located in the Projects/Template directory below the Tribon root directory, into the
new shared Projects/ directory. Rename the file, exchanging template with the new project name. (In the
previously mentioned example the file would be called d065aa.sbd).
The Project Selection tool (tbship.exe) can be configured to work from this shared location.
4. Edit the new d065<projname>.sbd file as follows:
• Replace YARD NAME and YARD to suit your company. (YARD NAME should remain inside quotation marks
and can contain spaces YARD is traditionally the initials of the shipyard).
• Replace (path to project on host pc) with the path to your new project directory. This should be the actual
path on the host itself, not the mapped path from a client. Please also note that any backslashes (\) should be
immediately followed by a second backslash (\\) to free the character.
• Replace (pc name) with the name of your designated PC server.
• Replace all occurrences of TEMPLATE with your new project name (e.g. AA). This new project name should
always be given in capital letters. Please also note that this should change the names of the objects listed
under the REF OBJECTS section of the file.
• Within the databanks sections of the file replace all occurrences of (project dir) with the path to your new
project directory. Again this should be the actual path on the host itself, not the mapped path from a client.
Note that for these logicals the second backslash is not required.
• Replace all other occurrences of (project dir) with the mapped path to the Projects directory. This mapped
path must be valid on all clients and this is achieved by having a common mount point (drive letter) for the
shared disc on all clients.
• Alternatively you could use the TribonM3 > Administration Tools > Control Panel > Project Setup, select
the Options button and select Run Tribon Project Server on the following computer, browse to the server or key
the name of the server in the box provided, select OK. Instead of mapping to the drive, you can then simply
give the name of the server using the following format: \\<server_ name>\<path>\
5. Ensure that the Tribon database and surface servers are installed and running on the machine where the disk with
the Tribon databanks is physically mounted.
SERVER CLIENT
(Scorsese - location (Mapped as F: to Scorsese at
of Project databases) shared folder - Projects)
Tribon Datadase Server (SB_DB_LOCn)

Power RPC Portmapper
Windows Network
facilities
Example 1. of project file to suit diagram above;
SB_DB_LOC1 “* Scorsese”
SB_DB_LOC2 “* <server_host_name>”
SB_DB_LOC2 should only be set if required - see section 5.2
SB_OGDB C:\Projects\es\db\ogdb
Identify the databanks with paths valid on the server machine.
SBH_PROF_CTRL F:\es\def\prof_ctrl.dat
(Note: because the F: drive is mapped to the folder Projects, Projects is not included in the path).
Identify the ASCII format files (def, lst, dat, etc.) with paths valid on the client machine. Note that in order to run any
applications locally on the server you have to have another d065 file that consists of local paths only.
47
Example 2. of project file to suit diagram above;
Another method is to define Scorsese as the project server using Tribon M3>Administration Tools>Control
Panel>Project Setup select the Options button, select Run Tribon Project Server on the following computer and key
the name of the server, or use the browse button to locate the server, in the example above the server name
Scorsese would be used.
The project file would then be set up as follows:
SB_DB_LOC1 “* Scorsese”
SB_DB_LOC2 “* <server_host_name>”
SB_DB_LOC2 should only be set if required - see section 5.2
SB_OGDB C:\Projects\es\db\ogdb
Identify the databanks with paths valid on the server machine.
SBH_PROF_CTRL \\scorsese\Projects\es\Hullp\sbh_prof_ctrl.dat
Note: the double \\ at the start of the path, followed by the server name with single \ between each line of the path, also,
because we have not mapped the drive, the full path must be given (including Projects).
7.3.3 Modifying variables

The Tribon M3 Environment Setup applet lists the Tribon environment variables, which consist of system variables and
user variables. System variables are non-project variables which are the same no matter which project is selected.
When a project is selected, then all of its variables are defined as user variables. In other words, the variables in the
user environment table are the variables visible to the user (e.g. from tbprintenv.exe). The checkbox on the bottom of the
screen determines whether the system or project variables should be assigned first when a project is selected. If it is
unchecked then the values in the system table will be the values visible to the user, no matter if the same variables are
defined in the project. On the contrary, if it is checked then project variables override system variables. If a certain
project uses another set of symbol files than all other projects, then SBB_SYMBDIR could be redefined in the project to
make it override the system variable SBB_SYMBDIR.
To open the Tribon Environment Setup select Start >Programs > Tribon M3 > Administration Tools > Control Panel
> Tribon M3 > Environment Setup
To add or change an environment variable, click its name in the list or type a name in the Variable box, type a value in
the Value box and then click Set.
L Note: In TDM projects, where Tribon objects are stored in Oracle, it is not possible to change the values for
databank variables. For details about TDM, please refer to the TDM documentation.
48
Chapter 8
8 Project Copy
8.1 Introduction
Different project copying scenarios are supported by the Tribon Project Copying utility; examples of such cases are:

Design re-use For re-use of selected parts of the design from one project to another.

Sistership management To exchange Tribon data between different ships in a series.

Model exchange with Subcontractor To support export and import parts of the Tribon model between the
shipyard and a subcontractor or design agent.

Alternate designs To have several parallel design alternatives. After review & approval, copy
the selected design to the real project.

Start of a new project To copy standards and initial project data from a template project to a new
project.

Restore project To restore a complete project or selected objects from an archived project.
8.2 General about Project Copying

The general project copying mechanisms are available for Tribon projects, independently if the project is stored in native
Tribon database or in Oracle. Some advanced features, however, are available only for Oracle projects. The Project
Copying tools mentioned in this document handles Tribon objects stored in a Tribon database (native database or
Oracle). Certain files, like default files, are not handled.
All copying is based on a combination of Export and Import operations. The Export operation works on the current
Tribon project and the result from the Export operation is a set of transfer files, a Tribon Transfer Set. The Transfer Set
can be saved for later reuse or it can, for example be sent to a design agent and can also be used immediately in an
Import operation into another project.
Before starting the Import operation, the current project must be set to the target project. Input to the Import operation is
a Tribon Transfer Set, specified by the user. The Import can include either the complete Transfer Set or a selection of
objects from the Transfer Set.
L Note: No ordinary modelling work should be allowed during the Project Copy operations.
8.3 Compatibility with older Tribon versions
8.3.1 General
Project Copy, just as all other Tribon M3 programs, writes objects in the new object format (version 4). To allow for this
the environment variable SBB_ENABLE_V4_OBJECT_STORING must always be set to TRUE when running Project
Copy, both for Export and Import. During Export, this is required to be able to write to the Transfer Set and during import,
this is required to be allowed to write in the target project database.
The objects in the Transfer Set, as well as the objects imported to the target project database, are saved in the new
object format. Thus it is not possible to access these objects from a pre-M3 Tribon version.
49
8.4 Startup
The Project Copy utility is started from the Tribon Start menu. In the first page there are three main alternatives:
8.4.1 Export
The Export operation is done in two steps:

Generate a Total Object Collection list, by selecting objects from the Tribon PIM.

Execute the Export operation, with the Total Object Collection list as input.
The Total Object Collection list is generated by the Add and Extend functions available on the Collection menu. The
Collection list can also be loaded from a previously stored Collection list.

Select the Transfer Project

Select Tribon M3 > Administration Tools >
Project Copy from the Start Menu

Select Export to transfer set from the Tribon M3
Project copy dialogue box
If the specified directory does not exist, a warning appears asking if you want
to create it

From the Tribon M3 Project Copy – Exporting dialogue box Select
Collection > Add objects

The Add objects dialogue box appears, select the Object type that you wish to add the objects for and then press
Confirm…
L Object type Drawing has different types which
can be accessed from the Drawing type pull
down window, and the correct one should be
chosen. Component projection subpicture,
Drawing form, General drawing, General
subpicture and Standard subpicture currently
exist
50

The confirm collection dialogue box appears; here the boxes against each item could be un-ticked if they are not
required, when the collection has been confirmed press OK. The Select all and Select none buttons can be used
to speed up the selection.
All of the selected objects are now displayed in the Tribon M3

Project Copy dialogue box

If a selected component is no longer required it can still be removed at this stage, Highlight the object no longer
required by indicating with the cursor, then select Collection > Remove selected

The selected objects often reference other objects, i.e. a cable, pipe, components, component volume etc. These
can be collected and added to the Tribon M3 Project Copy dialogue box, Select Collection > Add referred objects

A dialogue box appears asking if
you want to extend the selection
with objects referred from the
selected objects? Press Yes

Since all the collected items are equipment, the Components now appear, Now we must extend the components to
collect the component volumes
L Note under View > Options

you can Get referred objects
to all levels by changing the
value to YES before running
the Add referred objects
51

Select the Components to now be extended and Select Collection > Add referred objects

Once again a dialogue box appears
asking if you want to extend the selection
with objects referred from the selected
objects? Press Yes

The confirm collection dialogue box appears with the component volumes, press OK

To write a trace file to view a log select View > Options

The Project Copy options dialogue box appears, change the
option from None to All against Write trace file and then
press OK
52

Once all the required components are collected we can now export to the transfer file

The Export dialogue box appears asking do you want to export
the object selection?
The system returns with the number of objects exported and

also offers the user to view the result file

Also the log file can be selected from View > Result file

The Log file opens an XML view

To view the trace file browse using windows explorer to the lst directory and then select the log file.
53

The collection could be saved so you may add more objects at a later
date, select File > Save collection

The Save collection dialogue box appears, enter
the File name to be saved, then press Save

Select Exit from the File menu to quit

To return once again to the collection activate the Tribon M3
Project Copy, then select Load collection from the File
menu
54
8.4.1.1 Different ways to collect objects
In addition to collection from the object type, which is selected from a drop down list, the user can specify object name,
module/block name and system name (where applicable). Box and dates can be given to restrict the object selection.
The date format should be: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.CC where YYYY is the year, MM is the month of the year, DD is
the day of the month, and HH:MM:SS.CC is the time in hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths of seconds (the
hundredths are ignored, though). Any of the fields of the date and time can be omitted. In such case the current
date/time will be supplied. If trailing fields are omitted, the delimiters can also be omitted.
Using Add objects advanced the user can easily select and mix all types of objects at the same time and in one
dialogue. Each node (Assembly, Outfitting etc.) can be expanded, listing the object types available for selection. Where
applicable there are additional input fields to key in the names (with wildcards) of block, module, system and/or object
respectively.
8.4.1.2 Export a Complete Project

Project copy also allows the copying of full projects, for possibilities such as Sistership Handling. Again the user will
select the source project using Project Selection.

Start Project Copy from the Start Menu

From within Choose action of the dialogue window,
select Archive current project and select OK

If the directory in the Transfer set location does not
exist then the system will ask the user if it is to be
created, select Yes

This time the Collection menu is greyed out. The collection will be
done from selecting File > Archive
55

The user then has to confirm that the Project is to be archived,
select OK

Options can be selected to change the Project Copy options
before collection (maybe to create a trace file)
All objects in all databanks will be archived (i.e. copied to the Transfer Set). The progress is shown by listing databanks
as they are handled.

The system returns notifying the archive is complete and
also offers the user to view the result file. Also the user can
view the result file by selecting View > Result file

The Log file opens an
XML view
56
8.4.2 Import
The Import operation is done in two steps:

Generate a Total Object Collection list, by selecting objects from the specified Transfer Set.

Execute the Import operation, reading objects (as specified in the Total Object Collection list) from the Transfer Set
and adding/merging them into the current Tribon PIM.
The Total Object Collection list is generated by the Add functions available on the Collection menu. The Collection list
can also be loaded from a previously stored Collection list.
The procedure for generating the Total Object Collection list for Import is almost identical to the corresponding
procedure used for Export. The main difference is that in the Import case only the Add all and Add... functions are
available. The object selection can be done by type and name. The object search is based on the Transfer Set.
When ready with the object selection, execute the import by choosing the Import
function on the Collection menu.

Select the receiving project

Select Tribon M3 > Administration Tools > Project Copy from the Start Menu

Select Import from transfer set from the Tribon M3 Project copy dialogue box

From the Tribon M3 Project Copy – Importing dialogue box Select Collection >
Add all objects
L There is now an option Import from another

project, this allows objects to be copied
directly from another project without copying to
a transfer set first. The source project must be
an M2 project or later

Alternatively the user can choose Collection > Add objects or Collection > Add objects advanced to choose the
items to import

The Select all dialogue box appears asking do you want to select all objects, Press Yes

The previously exported objects now
appear in the Tribon M3 Project Copy
Importing dialogue box

To Import the collected objects into the current project select File > Import

The Import dialogue box appears asking do you want to import into the current project,
select OK
L If Options is pressed the options dialogue box appears

Select Exit from the File menu to quit
57
8.4.3 Verify
The "Model Verify" function is executed in two steps:

Select objects for verification.

Execute the Verify function for the selected objects.
The Verify function checks different types of references between Tribon objects. There are two modes of the Verify
function:

LOG With this alternative all found inconsistencies will be logged in the log file. No updating is done to any
object.

REMOVE With this alternative, the program will remove the inconsistent object references where applicable.
Thus the objects may be updated if the referred object does not exist.
L The REMOVE mode will have effect only for certain types of references
Example:- For a reference from a model object/part to a Component: if the referred Component cannot be found in the
Component catalogue, the erroneous component reference will be reported in the log, but there will be no automatic
updating of the model object. In this case it is up to the user to take the appropriate action, e.g. to exchange to another
component, to create the component or to copy the component.

Select the receiving project

Select Tribon M3 > Administration Tools > Project Copy from the Start
Menu

Select Verify current project from the Tribon M3 Project copy dialogue box

From the Tribon M3 Project Copy – Verifying dialogue box Select Collection
> Add objects

The Add objects dialogue box appears, select the object type that you wish to verify and then select Confirm

The confirm collection dialogue box appears, here the boxes against each
item could be un-ticked if they are not require, when the collection has
been confirmed press OK
58
All of the objects are now displayed in the Tribon M3 Project Copy dialogue box

To write a trace file to view a log select View > Options

The Project Copy options dialogue box appears, change the option
from None to All against Write trace file and then press OK

Select File > Verify
The Verify objects dialogue box appears with two choices Log broken references
or Remove broken references, choose Log broken references and press OK

To view the trace file browse using windows explorer to the lst directory and then select the log file.
59
8.5 Examples
8.5.1 Sistership copying

The Export and Import functions could be used to copy project data between sisterships. The copying is made in two
steps:

Export from the Master project to a Tribon Transfer Set.

Import from the Tribon Transfer Set to the sistership projects.
Different routines could be applied. The Export can e.g. include the complete project or it can include selected parts of
the project. The Import to the sistership can either include everything in the Transfer Set, or only a selection of objects.
The transfer to a sistership can be done interactively or by automatic routines, executed in batch. Information about the
Export and Import operations respectively are logged in the Exported/Imported objects. This information can be used to
track the copying operations, e.g. to judge if a new copying is required.
8.5.2 Model Exchange with Subcontractor

A typical scenario, which could be repeated several times during the design process:

The shipyard exports a selection of model data from the project. The resulting Transfer Set is sent to the
subcontractor. The export could include "background" objects as well as model objects to be modified and refined
by the subcontractor. The Tribon Status handling could be used to mark which objects that have been sent to the
subcontractor. By applying Tribon Access control rules based on object Status (Extended TDM only), write access
can be denied for these objects. The Export triggers can be customized to check and/or change the Status.

The subcontractor receives the Transfer Set and imports the objects into his project.

To return model data from the subcontractor to the shipyard, the subcontractor makes a selection of objects (or all
objects) for export. The resulting transfer package is sent back to the shipyard.

The import back into the shipyard's real project can be done either directly or via a separate "subcontractor" project,
to review the model before importing it to the real project. Import triggers can be applied e.g. to check and change
the object Status during the import.
8.5.3 Alternate designs

To model and review different design alternatives without affecting the real model, temporary "ScratchPad" projects can
be used. If and when one of these designs is approved it should be transferred (exported and imported) into the real
project, replacing parts of the original model.
60
Chapter 9
9 Toolkit Preferences
The property-sheet based application called Tribon Toolkit Preference is used to customize the behaviour of Tribon
functions.
9.1 Attribute Templates

The Attribute Templates page is used to create and maintain attribute templates. An attribute template is a description of
what kind of data a user-defined attribute consists of. The attribute template is used when the user-defined attribute is
created. For more information on user-defined attributes, please see the Vitesse documentation. All attribute templates
are stored in a Tribon database. The Tribon variable SB_SETTINGS_DB must point to this database.

Select Tribon M3 > Administration Tools > Toolkit Preferences from the Start Menu

The Toolkit Preferences dialogue box appears

Right-clicking the Categories node brings up a menu
with all functions available for this node. Select New
Category
Categories are to make it easier to find a certain attribute

template and it is possible to create different attribute
template categories (e. g. hull, pipe, or general). The
names of the categories can only contain English letters,
numbers, and `_'. The reason is that they are used to
define a Python function.
Edit Obsolete templates This function will bring up a dialogue in which all obsolete templates are visible. The obsolete
templates can be deleted within this dialogue. Please note that after an obsolete template has been deleted, there is no
way to check if an attribute is of the deleted attribute template type using the Vitesse user-defined Attributes function
attribute_is
Recreate template database This function must be used when attribute template objects have been copied from
another project. To copy all attribute templates from one project into another use a Tribon Database Utility and copy all
objects named TEMPLATE-nnnnn from the settings database in the other project into the SB_SETTINGS_DB database.
After the copy, recreate the template database using this function

The Name dialogue box appears, enter General
61

The General field is now created, Right-clicking the
General node brings up a menu with all functions
available for this node, select New Template

The Name dialogue box appears, enter Purpose

The Purpose field is now created, Right-
clicking the General node brings up a menu
with all functions available for this node, select
New Data

The New Data dialogue box appears, enter the Title and the Type of data then
select OK

Repeat the above step to enter New Data, once all the data is entered, select
Apply
L This Attribute can now be added to pipes, structures, cableways etc using Tools > Data Management >
Attributes
62
9.2 Object Properties
On the Object Properties page different property schemes can be created. A property scheme determines which
properties of an object a user see when they use the function Tools / Inquiry / Model in Drafting-based programs or the
Properties function in the Design Manager. With a property scheme it is also possible to create customer specific
properties that are displayed together with the other properties. In Drafting-based programs there is a possibility to
choose a property scheme within the Tools / Preferences dialogue
Property Scheme The top rectangle in the dialogue

handles the schemes. The box shows the active scheme.
New button creates a new scheme
Delete button deletes the active scheme.
Between releases of Tribon it often happens that new
properties are added. However, this is not reflected in old
schemes so these new properties will not be visible. This has
been solved by checking whether a scheme needs to be
upgraded when the scheme is selected in Tribon Toolkit
Preferences.
If the upgrade dialogue appears, you have to make a decision
if the scheme should be upgraded to reflect the new properties
or not. The recommended choice is to upgrade, but in some
circumstances (e. g. when the new release is only tested and
most users still use the older version of Tribon) it could be
better not to upgrade. All user-defined properties will be copied
to the upgraded scheme.
Objects lists all known Tribon objects that can have
properties.
Properties list contains all properties belonging to the selected object. The check box on each line indicates
whether the property is visible or not. The title is a short description of the property. The tab indicates on which property
page the property will be displayed. The script is used for customer created properties and is a Tribon Vitesse script that
will be executed before the properties are shown.
New button creates a customer property.

Delete button deletes the selected user property.
Edit button edits the selected property.
For a user created property the title, tab, and script can be changed but for the ordinary Tribon properties only the tab
can be changed.
Script Please observe that the script must be located in the directory SB_PYTHON.
For each user created property a function called get in the associated script is executed. The get function must return
one string that will be presented as a property value along with all the other values in the property sheet
L From the drafting and the interactive modelling applications if model

information is selected then the information is displayed, but if the
properties boxes are un-ticked from the toolkit preferences then the
model information displayed will change.
L All property schemes are stored in a Tribon database. The Tribon

variable SB_SETTINGS_DB must point to this database.
63
9.2.1 Attaching a User defined script for additional information
Under the properties Scheme select New, the scheme name dialogue box appears, key in Outift and press Ok
Now select the Pipe object and press New to create a new property, the Property name dialogue box appears key in
TDM Description and press OK
Now Select the Newly created TDM Description from the Properties section and Press Edit
The Properties dialogue box now appears, under the Script field choose to browse.
64
Browse to C:\Projects\TTP\Sysman folder and select the TDM Description.py file and press Open This will now appear
in the Script field of the Properties dialogue box, now Press OK
Once again it returns to the Toolkit Preferences dialogue box, now press Apply
Now open Pipe Modelling, then select Tools > Preferences, the Tree property sheet dialogue box now appears, from
the Miscellaneous branch change the Property Scheme to Outfit and press OK
Open drawing Sysman 9.2.1 and then select the Tools > Inquiry > Model or select the Model Info
from the toolbar
In the Message window it tells the user to indicate model component, indicate the pipe
The Pipe information Dialogue box now appears, select the User defined tab and the TDM Description is now displayed.
65
9.3 Drawing Types
On the Drawing Types page it is possible to create user-defined drawing types. All user-defined drawing data banks are
named SB_PDBnnn, where nnn is any number from 001 to 999. Create a new drawing type by clicking the Create
button
Import can be used to import user-defined drawing

types from a text file into the current project. The user will be
asked to specify the location of the file containing drawing
types.
Export can be used to export user-defined drawing
types from the current project to a text file. The user will be
asked to specify the file name.
To change the attributes of a user-defined data bank, double-

click the corresponding line in the list. This will bring up a dialog
making it possible to change the attributes.
L Note: Please note that the Tribon environment variable

SB_PDBnnn must be created manually

Select Create to enter a new Drawing Type

The Drawing Type dialogue box appears, enter the Description and the code 1001 – 1999 and then press OK
L If the Enable Previews box is ticked then any drawing saved in

the new databank will have a preview available

The new Database is shown with the description and Preview set to Yes
L A Data base must be created using the Tribon M3 DB

utility and the d065 file must be edited to point to the
correct location and the variable
SB_TDM_DRAWINGTYPE_LIST must be set to point at
a text file
L If there are any problems creating the user defined databanks follow the steps below.
1. Define SB_TDM_DRAWINGTYPE_LIST in Your project file. Point it to the file shown in the avi, e.g.
SB_TDM_DRAWINGTYPE_LIST C:\Projects\TTP\def\drawingtype.txt
2. Save the project file.
3. Set the project.
4. Start DB Utility and list SB_SETTINGS_DB.
5. Delete the object TEMPLATEMASTER.
6. Start Toolkit Preferences.
7. Check the Drawing types, are the drawing types defined in the file available.
66
9.4 Preview images
When the Open Drawing dialog is shown, there is a possibility to display a small preview of the selected drawing. To see
the preview, some criteria must be fulfilled. The preview images are stored in a separate data bank and this data bank
must exist in order to see the preview.
Each drawing data bank has its own preview data bank. In a native Tribon project, the preview data banks are stored in
the directory indicated by SBB_PIDBDIR and they must be called "img<nnnn>" where <nnnn> is the data bank code
shown in Tribon Toolkit Preferences. When previews are enabled for a drawing type, this data bank will be created. This
can be done using Tribon Toolkit Preferences. In an Oracle project, previews are always enabled.
To be able to create previews, the Tribon variable SBB_SAVE_PREVIEW must be set to "YES". If
SBB_SAVE_PREVIEW is set to "YES", a preview is saved when a drawing is saved using a Tribon Drafting based
application.
It is also possible to generate previews for all drawings in a database using the tbgenpreview utility.
9.5 Object Subtypes

On the Object Subtypes page, object subtypes codes can be defined
Each object subtype code belongs to a Tribon object type. To define a new code, click on the Create button. To modify a
code, double-click on the code value in the list.
Import can be used to import object subtype definitions from a text file into the current project. The user will
be asked to specify the location of the file containing object subtype definitions.
Export can be used to export object subtype definitions from the current project to a text file. The user will be

Select Create to create a new object subtype

The Object Subtype dialogue box appears, key
in the Description, select the Object type and
enter a code, then press OK

The Description, object type and code are
displayed, Select Apply
L The Subtype is for Access control in a TDM

environment, to group objects into different
subtype groups

If the project is now re-selected and from pipe modelling a new pipe created we have the possibility to add the pipe
object to a Subtype.
67
9.6 Status Levels
On the Status Levels page, status level codes can be defined
To define a new code, select the appropriate status type and click on the Create button. To modify a code, double-click
on the code value in the list.
For status level codes (Design, Manufacture, Assembly and Material Control status), there is a possibility to change the
promote/demote sequence order by selecting a status value and clicking on the Move up and Move down buttons.
Import can be used to import status level definitions from a text file into the current project. The user will be
asked to specify the location of the file containing status level definitions.
Export can be used to export status level definitions from the current project to a text file. The user will be

Select the Status type to be changed

Select Create to add a new status

The Manufacturing status box appears enter the
Description and change the code if needed

The Description and code are displayed, Select Apply

If the project is now re-selected and activate a pipe, using Tools > Data Management > Attributes and selecting
the pipeline we have the possibility to change the Status
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Tribon System

Training Guide • Training Guide • Training Guide

Date Page(s) Revision Description of Revision Release

Fax +44 (0)1223 556669

Copyright © 2004 AVEVA Solutions

Printed by AVEVA Solutions on 24 May 2007

2 Implementation of Tribon ....................................................................................................................... 7

3 Installation of Tribon M3 ....................................................................................................................... 13

4 License handling ................................................................................................................................... 25

5 Tribon System Overview....................................................................................................................... 27

6 Database Handling ................................................................................................................................ 33

7 Tribon Projects ...................................................................................................................................... 43

8 Project Copy .......................................................................................................................................... 49

9 Toolkit Preferences ............................................................................................................................... 61

1.4 Course Structure

1.5 Using this Guide

There are basically only two types of installation of Tribon M3:

On-site Training Tribon Training Centre

2.4 Work Flow

Regular system tasks

Pipe, Cable, Structure, Equipment

Drawing forms A set of example drawing forms is delivered by Tribon.

Note: It is not supported to

Database Server Remote Project

Tribon Network Environment

3.1 Hardware Requirement

• The hardware is in compliance with the system requirements for Tribon M3

• Windows network to consist of:

3.2.1 What's on the installation CD?

Adobe Acrobat reader

When finished select Next.

The destination folder screen will be

The license configuration dialogue will be

Remote: Allows connection to an existing

Local: Note: The hardware lock (dongle)

The following screen will be displayed:

If the Tribon databases are to be used select No.

• TB_ENV_TABLE should be set to <Tribon_M3_Directory>\M3\config\tbenvtable.sbd

• PowerRPC Portmapper Optional. If this service is used then its start-up

• Tribon License Server Compulsory on designated License server or stand

• Tribon M3 DB Service Compulsory on designated Project server or stand

• Tribon M3 NAPA Surface Server Optional – required on Project server or stand-alone

Chapter 5.3 – Surface Server.

On workstations which are not running

Repeat for ControlSet002

Repeat for CurrentControlSet

Figure showing a multi-platform scenario

Key in the name of the

Select OK in the Select

The Project Group ‘Projects’

When you click on a project

The process may be

When finished select Exit.

Functionality such as creating project groups, adding or removing subprojects is

This will cause all the Tribon variables in

At their start-up, all Tribon applications

The selected project will remain current until an alternative project is

3.9 Starting a Tribon Application

Extract from applications.xml file : -

L Note that the workstation_nameshould

Tribon M3 – License File

Tribon M3 – License Server

2. Use Services and stop the Tribon License Server service.