Chapter 9: PLM and Information Exchange Standards

Title: Integration of history-based parametric translators using the Automation API

Author(s): Byungchul Kim, Soonhung Han

Address: iCAD Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology ME 3080, 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea (305-701) | iCAD Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology ME 3080, 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea (305-701)

Reference: International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management 2005 pp. 485 - 494

Abstract/Summary: As collaborative design and configuration design are of increasing importance in product development, it becomes essential to exchange the feature and parametric CAD models among participants. A history-based parametric method has been proposed. But the feature and parametric exchange methods have problems such as the identification of the selected geometries, mapping between features which have different attributes. Furthermore, because the history-based parametric method uses the procedural model as a neutral format, or the standard macro file, the history-based parametric translators need a geometric modelling kernel to generate an internal explicit geometric model. To ease the problem, we implemented an integration platform, the TransCAD. The TransCAD separates translators from the neutral macro files. The translators for commercial CAD systems can communicate with only the TransCAD. To support the communication with the TransCAD, we exposed the functions of the TransCAD by using the Automation APIs, which is developed by Microsoft. The Automation APIs of the TransCAD consist of the part modelling functions, the data extraction functions, and the utility functions. Each translator uses the functions to translate the model from the sending CAD system into the neutral format, or from the neutral format into the model of the receiving CAD system. This paper introduces what the TransCAD is and how it works for the exchange of the feature and parametric models.

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