Node attributes serve a variety of purposes. Some predefined node attributes directly affect cost engine behavior (as with, for example,
utilizationProcess), and others (such as
contourCuttingProcess) merely provide a label or data item that is available to CSL modules via predefined functions such as
has Attribute and
getAttributeValue--see
Node Attribute Functions. You can configure your cost models to make customized use of either kind of predefined node attribute. You can also define new node attributes to associate a label or a data item with a process, operation, or branch node.