Using Intent Tracer

Capture Data

To capture, start Intent.Tracer.exe, located in the <Install_Location>\Bin folder:

As soon as Intent kernel is initialized in another application (Inventor, AutoCAD, MinHost), the Intent.Tracer starts to gather the performance data. Once Tracer starts collecting data the controls in the toolbar are enabled.

Controls

• The Log File name shows the active log file name, which incorporates the data/time signature
• opens the current log file in the analysis view
• clears the contents of the active log file, and the analysis view
• toggles the capture of the performance data
• opens and re-analyzes an existing log file

Log File Format

The log file contains data in the following format:

' Call Entry : Time, Indent, Rule(R) or Function(F), Part[Rule or Function], Design, Arguments

' Call Return: Time, Indent, >>> , Return Value

00:00:08.6895932,1,R,Root[partName],BasePart,

00:00:08.6897488,2,R,Root[%%Name],BasePart,

00:00:08.6899600,2,>>> ,:Root

00:00:08.6900544,1,>>> ,:Root

• Call Entry
  • Time is delivered by high-resolution timer
  • Indent shows the Intent stack level at the time of call
  • R/F mark describes whether we log activity for the rule or function call
  • Part[Rule] contains the part/rule (or function) combination that contains the reference string for the containing part, and the rule/function name
  • Design contains the name of the Part Design
  • Arguments field contains the values of the arguments passed to a function/method
• Call Return
  • Time is delivered by high-resolution timer
  • Indent shows the Intent stack level at the return time
  • Return value field contains the returned value from the rule/method/function

The scope of the data written into log file is controlled by Options:

Analysis

There are two modes of analysis: Chronological View and Aggregation View.

Chronological View

The view shows the history of Intent calls. For the particular call, one can see the call duration, the containing part, etc. The combo box at the bottom filters out the non essential calls:

The size of the icon on the node shows the relative time that is taken by particular sibling of the tree node.

Aggregation View

Aggregation View explores the metrics (total time spent and number of hits) in the Rule/Part/Design. For example, the following shows the calls to load the Intent Parts:

Excel Pivot Tables

Loading log file data in Microsoft Excel allows you to perform more sophisticated analysis of the data. Use to export the log file data to a .csv file, then open that file in Excel and use the analysis tools. For an example, open the Excel document <install location>\SDK\Tracer\Intent.Tracer.Report.xlsx, and staying in the “Data” worksheet, select “Refresh All”:

Submit the name of the .csv file you’ve just exported, and you will get the Hits/Duration statics per Part/Rule/Design/Function.