PRESS RELEASE
7 July, 1999CADfix – bridging the data exchange divide
Cambridge-based FEGS has launched a new tool which promises to revolutionise the working life of anyone charged with reusing data from solid modelling CAD systems. By addressing an epidemic – but largely unacknowledged – data exchange issue, CADfix will cut weeks from the design to manufacture cycle and can even open up new business opportunities.
Despite the widespread use of common ‘neutral’ data exchange formats, the path a solid model must take from CAD system to downstream application is far from smooth. Indeed the most commonly used format, IGES, is perhaps the one most fraught with difficulties: its general guidelines have been interpreted in so many different ways that it is almost the case that there is a different ‘flavour’ of IGES for every solid modeller on the market.
"In a sense, this problem is a direct result of the dramatic increase in functionality of solid modellers which are now becoming a commodity rather than a specialist tool," says Geoff Butlin, founder and CEO of FEGS. "Designs are now routinely produced which simply cannot be represented by traditional engineering drawings, so downstream applications such as analysis and toolpath generation must rely increasingly on using solid modelling data directly. This is where the trouble starts."
Best of class solutions
Engineers have very sound reasons for using whatever software they choose rather than be tied to that decreed by their biggest client. It is well recognised that some tools are better than others for rapid prototyping, finite element analysis (FEA), NC toolpath generation and other downstream disciplines, but to make full use of best-in-class solutions it is vital that the transition from the original design data is as smooth and as accurate as possible.
Today, however, this transition is far from straightforward: it is not uncommon for engineers to write significant data rework time into proposals when estimating for new projects. Surveys have suggested that downstream users of CAD models are wasting between 20 and 70 percent of their time reworking or totally recreating CAD data. The alternative of purchasing multiple CAD systems to ensure that every model can at least be manipulated in its native environment is clearly one best avoided as it is hugely expensive and requires users to undergo further training.
The IGES blues
This is exactly why standards such as IGES were introduced. But because of the way individual software vendors have interpreted the format, it is extremely rare for a model imported as an IGES file to be translated perfectly first time round. More often than not, factors such as different tolerances in the host CAD package and the downstream application will mean that edges are duplicated or surfaces are inverted or missed out altogether. And because FEA and rapid prototyping, for instance, require true solid models if they are to deliver meaningful results, incomplete models simply have to be repaired before any more work can be done.
CADfix addresses this problem directly by providing an intelligent link between 3D data in different formats. Users can take data from any leading CAD system and translate it confidently and precisely into the format they need for their particular software tool. Translation takes place semi-automatically: CADfix will make a first effort at direct translation based on user-defined tolerances, and will analyse the quality of the rest of the model. Analysis is based on factors including duplicated data, connectivity and redundancy, and the results are graphically displayed for the user. Any defects or ambiguities can then be interactively corrected by the user, resulting in a fully defined, clean solid model which can then be output directly to the required downstream application.
Increased profitability and flexibility
"We have examples where analysis consultants have had to spend days interpreting and recreating CAD geometry before any analysis can take place," says Andy Chinn, Product Manager at FEGS. "CADfix slashes translation time to a matter of hours even for the most complicated models. This can obviously boost productivity – and therefore make organisations more profitable.
"A further benefit is added flexibility," he adds. "Companies with CADfix are no longer restricted by proprietary file formats and can therefore accept CAD models from practically any modelling system – not just ones that happen to work well with their application."
Note to editors:
FEGS Limited was founded in the late 1970s by Dr Geoff Butlin and is an established name in pre- and post-processing for finite element analysis. CADfix is the fruit of FEGS’s ongoing R&D in the field of data exchange over the past 18 years. FEGS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ohio-based International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI).
For further information, please contact:
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Ben Bush/Nick Lerner
The CroCodile Public Relations. Tel: 0171 749 4400 Fax: 0171 739 4042 |
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John Meaney
TranscenData Europe Limited. Tel: 01223 237 111 Fax: 01223 234 192 |
Issued by The CroCodile Public Relations, The Lux Building
2/4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU