Configuring Fitting Category Icons in Creo Spec-Driven Piping

When inserting fittings in Creo Spec-Driven Piping, Creo displays a set of fitting-category icons for common component types such as valves, flanges, elbows, branches, reducers, and supports.

These buttons are controlled by the Fitting Category Map file, which determines:

• Which fitting-category buttons are displayed

• The order in which the buttons appear

• Which icon is displayed for each button

• Which fitting categories are grouped beneath each icon

• Whether a valve number is required for the category

This allows CAD administrators to customize the fitting-selection interface to better match the piping components used by their organization.

Example fitting-category buttons displayed while inserting a fitting in Spec-Driven Piping.

The Fitting Category Map File

The default Fitting Category Map file is:

piping_fitt_category_map.csv

For PTC's sample Spec-Driven Piping project, it can typically be found at:

<Creo Load Point>\Common Files\text\piping_data\sample_project\piping_fitt_category_map.csv

If your organization maintains its own Spec-Driven Piping project data, the file should instead reside with the project data identified by your Creo piping configuration.

The configuration option:

piping_fitt_category_map_file

identifies the Fitting Category Map file Creo should use.

PTC requires this file to be stored in the project-data directory specified by:

piping_project_data_dir

Understanding the Map File

The Fitting Category Map contains four primary fields:

A typical file may contain entries similar to:

ICON_NUMBER

ICON_NUMBER determines the order of the category buttons in the fitting-selection dialog.

Creo displays the icons from left to right beginning with:

1

If a large number of category icons are configured, Creo provides scrolling within the fitting-selection area.

ICON_BITMAP

ICON_BITMAP identifies the graphic used for the fitting-category button.

For example:

fit_elbow

identifies the icon used for the elbow category.

If the referenced icon does not use Creo's .bif format, include the appropriate file extension in the map entry.

For example:

my_custom_valve.gif

FITTING_CATEGORY

FITTING_CATEGORY determines which fitting categories are represented by the icon.

One button can represent more than one category.

For example:

VALVE,ANGLE_VALVE,RELIEF_VALVE

allows the valve icon to represent several related valve categories.

When that category button is selected during fitting insertion, Creo uses the active piping specification and its Auto-Selection file to determine which actual fittings are available to the designer.

Note: Categories that are not explicitly mapped to another fitting-category icon are grouped under the General category.

VALVE_NUMBER

Set this field to:

YES

when Creo should require a valve number for fittings associated with the mapped category.

Otherwise use:

NO

Creating a Custom Fitting Category

Creo provides standard fitting categories, but organizations can also define additional fitting categories when their piping library requires them.

When adding a new category, the category must be represented consistently throughout the Spec-Driven Piping database.

At a minimum, review:

1. The Piping Master Catalog Directory

2. The applicable Auto-Selection files

3. The Fitting Category Map

The category name used in these locations must remain consistent so Creo can correctly locate and filter the associated fittings.

For additional information about the relationship between the piping database files, see:

[Understanding Spec-Driven Piping in Creo]

Creating a Custom Category Icon

If the standard Creo icons do not adequately represent the new fitting category, you can create a custom icon.

PTC currently specifies the following requirements for custom fitting-category icons:

• Format: GIF or PCX

• Size: 24 × 24 pixels

• Location: Creo's Piping resource directory

The default resource location is similar to:

<Creo Load Point>\Common Files\text\resource

After creating the image:

1. Save the icon in the Creo Piping resource location.

2. Open piping_fitt_category_map.csv.

3. Add or modify the appropriate record.

4. Enter the icon filename in the ICON_BITMAP field.

5. Assign the required FITTING_CATEGORY.

6. Assign an ICON_NUMBER that determines where the button should appear.

7. Save the map file.

8. Restart or refresh the Creo session as required and verify the new category during Insert Fitting.

Tip: For a managed Creo environment, keep a controlled copy of any custom icons and modified category-map files outside of the Creo installation directory as part of your organization's CAD standards. This makes the custom content easier to restore or redeploy after installing a new Creo version.

How the Category Map Connects to the Piping Database

The Fitting Category Map controls the buttons the designer sees, but it does not by itself determine every fitting that is available.

The general relationship is:

Fitting Category Map
↓
Designer Selects a Category Icon
↓
Active Piping Specification / Auto-Selection File
↓
Creo Filters Available Fittings
↓
Designer Selects the Required Fitting

For example, selecting the Valve category does not display every valve contained in the organization's entire Master Catalog.

Instead, Creo uses the active piping specification and its Auto-Selection data to display the valves that are valid for that specification.

This is why the category map, Auto-Selection files, Master Catalog, and fitting library all need to use consistent category information.

How CadActive Can Help

Manually maintaining Spec-Driven Piping fitting categories, library metadata, and specification files can become time-consuming as the library grows.

CadActive Piping provides tools to help manage this information more efficiently. Organizations can maintain fitting categories and other core piping definitions through CadActive, then use the Creo application to configure fitting models and associate them with the appropriate fitting families and specifications.

This can help reduce the amount of manual editing required across the various Spec-Driven Piping text and CSV files while keeping fitting information consistent across the library.

Verifying the Configuration

After modifying the Fitting Category Map:

1. Open a Spec-Driven Piping assembly.

2. Select an existing pipeline.

3. Choose Insert Fitting.

4. Select an insertion location.

5. Review the fitting-category icons displayed in the dialog.

6. Select the new or modified category.

7. Confirm that the expected fittings appear in the Selection Name list.

If the category icon appears but no fittings are available, check the corresponding:

• Auto-Selection file

• Piping Master Catalog Directory

• Fitting category spelling

• Active piping specification

If the category exists but your custom image does not display, check:

• ICON_BITMAP

• The icon filename and extension

• The icon-file location

• piping_fitt_category_map_file

• piping_project_data_dir

Additional PTC Documentation

PTC Help – Fitting Category Map File

PTC Help – Configuration Options for Piping

PTC Help – Auto-Selection Files

PTC Help – To Insert Fittings