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      <div class="title_topic4" id="xps10_pagetitle">Characteristics overview</div>
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               <p class="para_td"><a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.openFile('routingtools/parts_overview.html');return(false);">Parts Overview</a></p>
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               <p class="para_td"><a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.openFile('routingtools/part_set_level.html');return(false);">How To</a></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Options</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.openFile('routingtools/parts_quality.html');return(false);">Related Topics</a></p>
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      </table><br><p class="para_topic">Characteristics capture various types of information associated with Routing and parts and stock. Routing maintains descriptor characteristics specific to each part family in part table files (.ptb), or as part attribute in the component file itself. The Application View File (.apv) defines <b class="uiTerm">Required</b> and <b class="uiTerm">Optional</b> characteristics, which have values provided by you.
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      <p class="para_topic">Characteristics have different purposes. In many cases the specific characteristics are required by the downstream analysis and manufacturing processes that are unique to your production processes. The following are example uses of characteristics.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Part Selection: The <b class="uiTerm">Routing Specify Item</b> dialog box allows you to select parts and stock based on part characteristics.
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            <p class="para_item">Physical Properties: Of standard parts such as material, size, and pressure rating. You can use these characteristics to identify the parts and stock. They can also be used by design rules or for analysis.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Operating Conditions: For example, expected operational pressure, temperature, voltage, or the type of fluid. You can use these characteristics for design rules and analysis. These would be added as <b class="uiTerm">Required</b> or <b class="uiTerm">Optional</b> characteristics when the part is placed into an assembly.
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            <p class="para_item">Part Identification: For example, part number and name. You can use these characteristics in the Bill of Material for purchasing and in a parts list for manufacturing.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Assembly Organization: Characteristics are assigned to individual components and stock in order to group them into runs and spools.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">General Information: Information such as manufacturer or vendor. Most any type of information can be associated to Routing parts placed in the assembly.</p>
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      <p class="para_topic">The following sections describe the various types of characteristics maintained by Routing and provide technical details on how the characteristics are represented as attributes within a NX part file. For more information on Descriptor characteristics defined in part table files, such as <b class="uiTerm">Applied</b> and <b class="uiTerm">Reference Set Characteristics</b>, please refer to <a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.popUpPage('routingadmin/index.html?goto=routingadmin/table_overview.html&vars=-aux,-home','linkInter','menubar=yes,status=yes,resizable=yes,toolbar=yes,scrollbars=yes,location=no,directories=no');return(false);">Routing Systems Configuration Guide &ndash; Part Table Files</a>. 
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      <div class="title_division">R$ characteristics</div>
      <p class="para_division">Previously, all Routing characteristics were required to have the prefix R$. Beginning with NX 3, this is not a requirement. Routing continues to recognize characteristics beginning with R$ to support existing models, but recognizes those without R$ as well.</p>
      <p class="para_division">For NX 3, and beyond, Routing creates characteristics without the R$ prefix. The one exception to this is when the designated characteristic is a <b class="uiTerm">Reference Characteristic</b> (where the direct value is the name of another characteristic but the resultant value is the value of the referenced characteristic). In this case, the <b class="uiTerm">Reference Characteristic</b> is assigned the prefix R$$ to designate it as a <b class="uiTerm">Reference Characteristic</b> (a Routing specific feature).
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