ACIS Open Modeling Primer Copyright © 1993 SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY INC

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ACIS Open Modeling Primer Copyright © 1993 SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of Spatial Technology, Inc.

Spatial Technology, Inc. 2425 55th Street, Building A Boulder, Colorado 80301-5704 U.S.A. (303) 449-0649

Geometry Bus is a trademark of Aries Technology. All other brand and product names mentioned in this Primer are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Primer prepared by Impact Technical Publications 7090 Routt Street Arvada, Colorado 80004-1378 U.S.A. (303) 431-8259 Illustrations by Primal Screens P.O. Box 10118 Riviera Beach, Florida 33419 U.S.A.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer Contents

Introduction ...... 1 Executive Summary ...... 3 Solid Modeling ...... 3 Open Architecture ...... 3 Open Solid Modeling ...... 5 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers...... 6 Productivity and Profitability— ACIS Open Solid Modeling Solutions ..... 6 Solid Modeling...... 7 Why Model in Three Dimensions? ...... 7 Why Use Solid Models? ...... 8 How Do Solid Models Differ from 3D Models? ...... 8 What Are the Special Capabilities of Solid Models? ...... 8 Concurrent Engineering ...... 9 Benefits of Solid Modeling ...... 12 Open Architecture ...... 15 Modern Application Development Tools . 17 Reusable Component Technology ...... 17 Collaboration and Technology Sharing .... 17 Industry Standards ...... 18 The Proprietary Systems Dilemma ...... 18 The Open Modeling Solution ...... 20 The Pseudo-Open Compromise ...... 22 Smooth Migration to New Solutions ...... 22 Benefits of Open Architecture ...... 23

ACIS Open Modeling Primer iii Open Solid Modeling ...... 25 ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel ...... 25 Kernel Extensions or “Husks” ...... 29 Object Databases...... 30 Global Development Network ...... 31 ACIS Geometry Bus ...... 32 Benefits of ACIS Open Solid Modeling ... 32 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers35 Applicon...... 36 Aries Technology ...... 37 Autodesk ...... 38 CADCentre Ltd...... 39 Ford Motor Company ...... 40 Hewlett-Packard...... 41 Hitachi Zosen Information Systems...... 42 Point Control Co...... 43 STI Strässle Technische Informationssysteme AG ...... 44 Productivity and Profitability— ACIS Open Solid Modeling Solutions ...... 45 Reduced Cost ...... 45 Increased Revenue ...... 46 Strategic Advantage ...... 46 The Next Generation of Design and Manufacturing Applications ...... 46 Appendix A: Open Systems Value Guide.... 49 Appendix B: ACIS Licensees ...... 51

iv ACIS Open Modeling Primer 1. Solid Modeling. How Introduction companies benefit from solid Today many businesses are evaluat- modeling software products. ing open systems—integrated software 2. Open Architecture. How com- applications supplied by multiple ven- panies benefit from open- dors, based on a standard open archi- architecture software products. tecture, and running on heterogeneous hardware platforms. 3. Open Solid Modeling. The combined benefits of solid Open systems deliver many of the same modeling products with an open benefits as open hardware and operat- software architecture. An ing systems in the PC DOS/Windows introduction to the ACIS® and Unix workstation markets. They Geometric Modeling Kernel. How also deliver other, less-tangible ben- products built on ACIS offer the efits that support long-term corporate best open solid modeling solution. investment strategies. 4. Open Solid Modeling Applica- Another factor in the consideration of tion Suppliers. Profiles for nine of open systems is solid modeling, which the many companies supplying the offers the most complete, unambigu- new generation of ACIS-based ous, and precise representation of prod- open solid modeling applications. uct data. 5. Productivity and Profitability. This ACIS Open Modeling Primer will The fundamental business case for help you evaluate open modeling— a product design and manufacturing open systems with applications that solution composed of ACIS-based support solid modeling—and it will open solid modeling applications: help you decide whether open model- significant increases in productivity ing is the right solution for your com- and profitability. pany. Appendix A. Open Systems Value For a quick overview, read the Execu- Guide. tive Summary and browse through the rest of the Primer, scanning topics of Appendix B. ACIS Licensees. interest, illustrations, and quotations by business and technology experts. For an in-depth analysis, read the five main chapters and two appendixes.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 1 2 ACIS Open Modeling Primer rent engineering lets companies make Executive Summary fundamental improvements in their This Primer explains how solid mod- product development processes and eling software applications with an related activities in marketing, sales, open architecture offer your company distribution, and accounting. the best solution for innovative and With solid modeling, a company can profitable product development from • Get its products to market faster design through manufacturing. • Respond better to customer needs • Increase the frequency of product innovations Solid Modeling • Increase marketplace flexibility • Reduce costs Solid modeling supports fast, efficient, • Deliver higher quality products and competitive product development. • Improve product manufacturabil- The viewing, rendering, and anima- ity, reliability, and maintenance tion capabilities of 3D modeling com- • Improve its internal and external bined with the mass properties and business relationships comprehensive design and manufacturing capabilities of precise solid modeling offer unprecedented levels Open Architecture of product information and immediate feedback to product developers. An open software architecture brings I do not think there can be much “plug-and-play” compatibility and free- ““question in anyone’s mind that dom of choice to software applications. solids modeling will become the Plug-and-play DOS/Windows personal central component that binds to- computers and Unix mini-computers and gether product design, analysis, workstations dominate the hardware visualization, and manufacturing. market because they provide the best combination of flexibility, price, and Charles Foundyller, President, ”” performance. Open software applica- Daratech, Inc. tions deliver similar benefits. Solid modeling facilitates concurrent In an open software architecture, soft- engineering. Activities in different ware vendors have unrestricted access phases of the product development to all software information required to cycle can take place at the same time interface with other open applications. and share one solid model in one com- Using this information, the vendors make prehensive product database. Concur- their applications “plug-compatible”

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 3 Executive Summary

with other applications. By sharing data ❍ Open Applications Share Valuable in a common format, open software ap- Business Data plications dramatically reduce the complexity of interfaces between systems Software applications with an open ar- and eliminate the need to translate files chitecture extend the reach of concur- or manually re-enter data. rent engineering and let companies capitalize on the value of their data. For Companies can drive their own prod- example, information about innovations uct design and manufacturing strategy made using design software is available by assembling an open modeling sys- in a shared product database to engi- tem from a collection of open-archi- neers using manufacturing software, to tecture modeling applications that best marketing specialists using forecasting meet their business needs. software, and to financial specialists In open systems, we’ve gained computing return on investment. ““the interconnectivity and the Companies can gain more benefits by flexibility to choose the hard- sharing their data with their suppliers, ware or application that is best clients, and other business partners. If a for us or strongest for the user. new open software product incorporates Graham Ward, Director, Office of a technological breakthrough, the com- Technology, Boston University Medi- ” panies already have their data in the cal Campus, Open Systems Today, July 1993. ” format required by the new product. Companies that use open modeling ❍ software to develop their products gain Proprietary Systems Lock Up these benefits: Business Data • The freedom to choose the best Proprietary systems, which consist of software and hardware technol- applications compatible only with other ogy available in each area of applications by the same vendor, pre- product development from de- vent companies from increasing pro- sign through manufacturing ductivity by integrating their applica- • Access to a wide range of com- tions. Proprietary systems have closed petitively priced software prod- software architectures; their data is ucts by vendors that respond locked up in proprietary databases; and quickly to their customers’ needs they require file translators to exchange • Product compatibility data with other systems. These very char- • Seamless data sharing acteristics brought about the demise of • Protection against product obso- many proprietary companies in the hard- lescence ware business, and they are fast becom- • Faster access to new technologies ing a major business issue in software.

4 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Executive Summary

ACIS-based open solid modeling ap- Open Solid Modeling plications offer companies The most compatible software Open solid modeling combines the • products power of solid modeling with the com- • The most competitively priced patibility of an open software architec- software products ture to deliver a complete product de- • The largest, most experienced sign and manufacturing solution with community of software compo- built-in access to new technologies. nent developers SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY INC. is the • The lowest possible risk of prod- leading supplier of open solid modeling uct obsolescence technology. Spatial and its business part- • The fastest access to new tech- ners in applied research and component nologies software technology are delivering the • All the benefits of solid modeling industry-standard foundation for open solid modeling applications. ❍ Global Development Network Spatial’s ACIS Geometric Modeling A global development network is ex- Kernel (a geometry engine) provides panding the reach of ACIS-based open underlying functionality common to a solid modeling, making the technol- wide range of applications from cre- ogy of tomorrow available today. This ative design to analysis and manufac- continually growing network contains turing. More than 200 companies have over 100 universities and research cen- licensed the ACIS kernel. Many ap- ters and a large group of world-class plications incorporating the ACIS ker- software component technology de- nel are available in the market today, velopers. The network includes many and many more are in development. of the most prestigious CAE/CAD/ CAM (computer-aided engineering, The existence of ACIS as a design, and manufacturing) applica- ““de facto standard creates the tion specialists with some of the larg- opportunity for users and est installed bases of CAE/CAD/CAM vendors to access leading applications. Appendix B lists the par- technologies across the spec- ticipants in the global development trum of 3D modeling. network. The Anderson Report, Sept. 1993. ””

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 5 Executive Summary

For companies evaluating modeling Open Solid Modeling solutions, ACIS open solid modeling Application Suppliers is difficult to resist. Companies can choose the ACIS-based applications These companies, together with many they want now and plug them into the others, are bringing the next genera- open modeling system. Later, as new tion of ACIS-based open solid model- ACIS-based applications offering new ing applications to market: benefits and built with new technolo- • Applicon gies reach the market, the companies • Aries Technology can plug in the new applications, re- • Autodesk placing older applications as needed. • CADCentre Ltd. Using this approach, companies can • Ford Motor Company tailor their solutions to their own spe- • Hewlett-Packard cific and often unique business and • Hitachi Zosen Information Systems market requirements. This is the fun- • Point Control Co. damental difference between open • STI Strässle Technische modeling solutions and closed, pro- Informationssysteme AG prietary modeling systems. This Primer profiles these companies ❍ and their open modeling applications. The Next Generation of Design and Manufacturing Applications No single set of features in any design or Productivity and Profitability— manufacturing application is more im- ACIS Open Solid Modeling portant than an open software architec- Solutions ture and a large community of technology suppliers. No one company can ACIS-based open solid modeling so- supply all the best technology in every lutions maximize the benefits of solid area of product development. Leading modeling and open software architec- universities, research centers, software ture to deliver wide-ranging funda- component developers, and application mental business value: specialists throughout the world are de- • Opportunities to reduce cost of veloping and testing new capabilities product development from de- that will reduce cost, increase profitabil- sign through manufacturing ity, and provide strategic advantage. • Opportunities to increase prod- These capabilities will drive the next uct revenue generation of design and manufacturing • Opportunities to gain strategic applications—the keys to achieving new advantage over competitors levels of productivity and profitability.

6 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Solid Modeling ❍ Viewing Because 3D models reside in 3D space, By delivering critical benefits through- engineers and other product developers out the product development cycle, can view their models from any per- solid modeling can help a company spective. This provides quick feedback improve its productivity and profit- as they design their products. Direct vi- ability. With solid modeling, a com- sual feedback gives developers much pany can more information about a product’s • Get its products to market faster shape, ergonomics, and overall utility, • Respond better to customer needs and it lets developers optimize many • Increase the frequency of prod- aspects of the product right in the design uct innovations phase. Better product designs save time • Increase marketplace flexibility and money during the prototyping and • Reduce costs manufacturing phases. • Deliver higher quality products • Improve product manufacturabil- ❍ Rendering ity, reliability, and maintenance • Improve its internal and external Rendering applies shading to objects business relationships and computes shadows, reflections, and transparencies. With the appropriate ren- To deliver these benefits, solid model- dering software, developers can produce ing builds on the features of three- realistic images of their 3D models— dimensional modeling. from simple visual representations with hidden lines removed to photo-realism, where a designer specifies materials, fin- Why Model in Three ishes, and textures as well as light Dimensions? sources. Marketing departments can show po- Modeling in three dimensions provides tential customers realistic computer-gen- viewing, rendering, and animation ca- erated images of products. Customer pabilities impossible in two dimensions. feedback early in the design process The immediate feedback from viewing, helps the product development team pro- rendering, and animation helps profes- duce a more marketable product. sionals work more productively.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 7 Solid Modeling

❍ Animation How Do Solid Models Differ To see how various parts of a design from Other 3D Models? move and interact with other parts, designers can animate 3D models. For A computer-generated 3D wireframe example, an architect can see how sun- model defines an object by its edges, light strikes a model of a solar build- which are composed of lines and ing in various locations and orienta- curves between points in 3D space. tions at different times of the day and in different seasons. Each modifica- A computer-generated surface model tion to the design provides immediate is similar to a wireframe model but visual feedback without tedious, time- defines an object by its visible sur- consuming manual calculations. faces. A computer-generated solid model completely defines an object in terms Why Use Solid Models? of its size, shape, density, and physical properties such as weight, volume, Solid modeling contributes to fast, effi- and center of gravity. It unambigu- cient, competitive product development. ously defines all of an object’s parts in It facilitates concurrent engineering, 3D space. And it precisely defines an which lets companies make fundamen- object because its physical dimensions tal improvements in their product devel- and properties can be computed with opment processes and related activities whatever degree of precision the hard- throughout the organization, including ware platform allows. marketing, sales, distribution, customer service, and accounting. Until recently, the “number-crunch- What Are the Special ing” power required to generate elabo- Capabilities of Solid Models? rate solid models and compute their properties was beyond all but the most Solid models let engineers and devel- expensive engineering workstations. opers completely model all critical as- Now, with the arrival of powerful, low- pects of a design, including its mass cost personal computers and worksta- properties, and incorporate all the de- tions, solid modeling is a cost-effec- sign components that are essential to tive development tool for anyone with manufacture better products. products to develop and too little time to develop them.

8 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Solid Modeling

❍ Mass Properties ❍ All Design Components Needed to Manufacture a Product Solid models can simulate the mass properties of physical objects (such as vol- Solid modeling is the only modeling ume, center of gravity, and moments of technique that incorporates all design inertia) throughout all product develop- components needed to manufacture a ment processes. In contrast, 3D wire- product—size, shape, weight, material, frame and surface models only simulate and, texture—directly into the computer the shapes of physical objects. model. Once these components are incorporated, analysis and assessment help Modeling of mass properties enables provide the best possible design. dynamics, the study of the realistic movement of objects, and many other ❍ One Solid Model Does the Work mission-critical design technologies. of Many Other Models The ability to derive mass properties helps designers quickly and directly A solid model completely represents answer many product development design geometry and topology. Mass questions. For example, how much properties and design components are lighter will a model be if its walls are in one model that can be viewed, ren- 50% thinner? Will there be any weak- dered, and animated. Without solid nesses in the structure? How much modeling, a company must create mul- will the cost decrease? tiple models—with a corresponding increase in complexity and loss of Solid modeling lets companies create speed, flexibility, and direct feedback. software prototypes that minimize the need to build and test physical prototypes. For example, a company can create a solid model of a tape cartridge Concurrent Engineering to see how much tape the cartridge Solid modeling helps companies develop can contain at a given size and cost. better products faster. Because solid Without solid models, companies can- models provide comprehensive infor- not obtain direct feedback about mass mation about products in all phases of properties in the design process. They development, they allow processes like must wait until much later—physical conceptual design, detailed design, soft- prototyping or manufacturing—when ware analysis and prototyping, docu- changes to products may require ex- mentation, and manufacturing to over- tensive retooling, loss of materials, or lap. Activities in different phases of the a time-consuming redesign. product development cycle can take place concurrently, sharing product data.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 9 Solid Modeling

Concurrent engineering frees compa- Two keys that facilitate concurrent en- nies from step-by-step, sequential gineering are product development. One process • One informationally complete solid can begin before all the steps in ear- model supporting all phases from lier processes have been completed. design through manufacturing • One product database for storage Figure 1 depicts the time-consuming of all product-related data approach of traditional, sequential engineering with its multiple designs A product database stores both model- and models stored in multiple data- ing and non-modeling information, such bases. as cost estimates, manufacturing dates,

FIGURE 1. TRADITIONAL SEQUENTIAL ENGINEERING: AN OBSTACLE TO COMPETITIVENESS

Product

Manu- facturing

Docu- mentation

Analysis 3D and Model Prototyp- ing 3D Detailed Model Design Data- base 3D Conceptual Model Design Data- Idea base 3D Model Data- base 3D Model Data- base

Data- base

10 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Solid Modeling parts suppliers, and inventory. Informa- database, information developed during tion in the product database is available one process is available for concurrent to all product development processes. use by all the other processes. Figure 2 depicts concurrent engineering For example, a company makes a change as an interconnected set of product de- in materials after prototyping. The velopment processes supported by one change goes into the product database, solid model and one product database. where it is available immediately to other processes in the product development Because all product development pro- cycle, such as detailed design, docu- cesses use the same model and product mentation, and manufacturing.

FIGURE 2. CONCURRENT ENGINEERING

Product

Manu- facturing Docu- mentation Analysis and Prototyp- Detailed ing Idea Design Conceptual Design

One

Solid Model

One

Product Database

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 11 Solid Modeling

Through the product database, the marketing, sales, distribution, and account- Benefits of Solid Modeling ing departments can each receive infor- As new technologies replace current ones mation about the current state of the at an ever faster pace, the windows of product, and they can immediately evalu- opportunity for releasing technology- ate the impact of design modifications sensitive new products grow smaller and on specification sheets, cost estimates, smaller. The first product on the market supply orders, manufacturing dates, and often gets the lion’s share of customers marketing materials—even before the and locks up the distribution channels. design is completed. This time savings is one of many ways in which concur- Solid modeling can help companies de- rent engineering helps cut costs while liver their products within their win- bringing products to market faster. dows of opportunity. At the same time, solid modeling provides a wide range of benefits that help companies maximize their productivity and profitability. Kodak Halves Product Development Time ❍ Getting Products to Market Faster The Eastman Kodak Company used concurrent engineering to One of the biggest benefits of solid mod- develop its disposable camera eling is developing products faster and 50% faster than would have been possible with sequential getting them to market sooner. When a engineering. product has a short life cycle, this time savings can make the difference between CONCURRENT capturing the bulk of the market and ENGINEERING missing the market completely.

SEQUENTIAL Companies producing products with ENGINEERING longer life cycles also benefit from rapid product development. They capitalize 0 TIME on the market opportunity sooner and *Dr. Michael Hammer, Hammer Forum, 1991. generate revenue faster.

❍ Greater Responsiveness to Customers’ Needs Marketing departments can use the information that solid modeling provides during product development to estab- lish customer preferences and identify

12 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Solid Modeling

customer needs. For example, market- ❍ Increased Marketplace Flexibility ing specialists can test different product concepts using product designs with dif- Solid modeling makes more product in- ferent sizes, weights, movements, formation available sooner in the prod- shapes, and densities. They can use the uct development cycle. Companies who input from the tests to directly shape the take advantage of this can use the infor- product at any phase of development. mation to position their products better The result is a product that sells better and react faster to competitive pressures. because it appeals more to customers. They have the flexibility to change their product strategies quickly to incorpo- ❍ More Innovation rate critical new features and technologies and to target specialized markets. Developers obtain immediate feedback when they analyze solid models, and ❍ Reduced Cost this feedback stimulates creative new approaches to product development. For By capitalizing on the unique capabili- example, developers can use immediate ties of solid modeling, companies can results from the simulation of a product’s increase their productivity and reduce motion and tensile strength to select thin- their costs. The following examples are ner materials, design lighter structures, two of the many possibilities. and make many other product innova- Through interactive calculation of mass tions to both increase sales and reduce properties, companies can quickly iden- costs. tify optimum design parameters such as Solid modeling combined with material tolerances, fill volumes, stabil- ““design analysis lets engineers ity during storage and handling, and quickly create and verify software specifications for packaging and ship- prototypes of complex designs ping. By making these discoveries early before drafting, physical proto- in the design process, companies elimi- typing, and manufacturing. This nate expensive changes later in product methodology spurs innovation by development. allowing many more ‘what if’ in- Through a shared solid model in a vestigations in less time at far less shared product database, companies cost. eliminate the need for expensive, time- Richard C. Miller, General Manager,”” consuming, and error-prone interfaces Aries Technology. to move data between systems.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 13 Solid Modeling

❍ Higher Quality sess the impact of the change at all points in all the processes. There is no Solid modeling helps companies pro- manual or partially automated process duce higher quality products. For ex- required to slowly work the change ample, a solid model enables early back through different models in dif- identification and correction of poten- ferent databases in various departments tial manufacturing problems because throughout the company. its physical properties can be analyzed as soon as the initial design is created ❍ Improved Internal and External in the computer. Business Relationships ❍ Better Product Manufacturability, When all product development pro- Reliability, and Maintenance cesses share the same solid model and product database, companies can com- Products are easier to manufacture be- municate information better both because the same informationally com- tween internal divisions and with their plete model links manufacturing di- suppliers and other business partners. rectly to design. As a result, manufacturing concerns are addressed Internally, for example, manufactur- during the design process, and ing teams can review design work im- manufacturability can be built into the mediately and provide feedback on original design rather than tacked on their manufacturing concerns to the at the end through expensive and time- designers as the designs are devel- consuming design modifications. oped, thus reducing a traditional source of conflict. Products developed with solid modeling are more reliable because the com- Precision and integrity of data are the puter model provides more analysis keys to cost-effective business rela- tools and makes these tools available tionships with suppliers, vendors, and throughout product development. De- other partners. With a shared product signers and engineers can identify po- database, manufacturers and their sup- tential reliability problems earlier in pliers can work with the same models product development, and they can of supplied parts in the same views, correct the problems sooner. drawings, and renderings. Companies avoid discrepancies in product infor- Products are easier to maintain be- mation that can result in misunder- cause the solid model contains all the standings with vendors and malfunc- data from all product development pro- tioning parts from suppliers. cesses. When a company evaluates a change to a product, it can easily as-

14 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Architecture The ‘open systems’ concept is no ““longer confined to hardware or While solid modeling can improve a operating systems. Just as we saw company’s productivity and profitabil- a shift away from proprietary sys- ity throughout the product develop- tems in the hardware market, at ment cycle, an open software archi- HP we believe the future of appli- tecture lets a company secure the cation software lies in openness advantages of the best software and and support of industry standards. hardware available for product devel- Dr. Tilman F. Schad, General Manager, ”” opment both now and in the future. Hewlett-Packard, Software Business Unit. An open software architecture gives a ❍ A Common Foundation company • The freedom to choose the best By serving as a common foundation for software and hardware technol- software applications, an open software ogy available in each area from architecture helps make those applica- design through manufacturing tions both flexible and extensible. Access to a wide range of com- • Flexibility allows software applica- petitively priced software prod- tions to support a variety of compa- ucts by vendors that respond nies and their unique needs. No two quickly to their customers’ needs companies take the same approach to Product compatibility and data • product development, and no software sharing application should force them into a Protection against product obso- • single approach. A flexible software lescence application is easy to customize to Faster access to new technologies • support new ideas and new ways to An open software architecture serves develop products that distinguish one as a common foundation upon which company from another. In addition, a software developers are building a new flexible software application makes generation of applications based on seamless connections with other open modern application development tools, software applications and supports a reusable component technology, col- full range of hardware platforms. laboration and technology sharing, and Flexible software applications help com- industry standards. With this new gen- panies work more productively and give eration of open applications, compa- them the freedom to choose the most nies assemble a complete product de- compatible software and hardware and velopment solution that extends from the best technology to suit their needs. design through manufacturing.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 15 Open Architecture

Extensibility allows software applica- ❍ Productivity through Process, tions to grow with the companies that Data, and Technology Leverage use them. An extensible software application is designed with extensions Applications with an open architecture that can harness new technologies such let a company leverage its processes, as the latest developments in hard- data, and technology. The processes that ware processing capabilities, operat- an open software application automates, ing systems, distributed networks, the data that it produces, and the tech- graphical user interfaces, and object- nology that it incorporates are all avail- oriented databases. able to other open software applications in all areas of the company. Extensible software applications help companies access new technologies Integration of highly functional faster and protect themselves from ““heterogeneous MCAE/CAD/ product obsolescence. CAM applications poses the great- est barrier to an enormous im- ❍ Plug and Play provement in productivity in design and manufacturing. Users An open software architecture deliv- today must expend considerable ers the “plug and play” feature that resources to transfer models helped DOS/Windows personal com- across software products. puters and Unix mini-computers and workstations to dominate the hardware Donald H. Brown, Chairman, D.H. ”” Brown Associates, Inc. market. Each open software application is “plug-compatible” with other The benefits of one open application open software applications. become benefits of all the open software in the total solution. For example, When a new application provides a innovations made using design soft- better solution, the company can un- ware are available in the product data- plug the current application from its base to engineers using manufactur- open system and plug in the new one. ing software, to marketing specialists The new application has immediate using forecasting software, and to fi- access to the company’s consistent nancial specialists computing return model and product data. No costly on investment. data conversions are required.

16 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Architecture

Using software components developed Modern Application by component manufacturers, appli- Development Tools cation vendors can bring their products to market faster at significantly To develop applications within an open lower cost. The application products architecture, application specialists use are more stable because both the com- modern development tools such as ob- ponent vendor and the application ven- ject-oriented programming languages dor can concentrate on developing and and object database management sys- testing the software they specialize in tems. These tools help increase the without overextending their resources. productivity of software engineers while they improve application performance, optimize data access and management, separate the applications Collaboration and Technology from the underlying software founda- Sharing tion, and standardize the interfaces between applications. The resulting Increased competition is leading more open applications provide new tech- and more software developers to recog- nologies at competitive prices. nize the benefits of collaboration and technology sharing: faster delivery of products to market, reduced cost of products, lower risk to develop products, Reusable Component access to larger markets, more efficient Technology use of applications expertise, and access to more technology. To deliver the benefits of an open architecture, application vendors are build- While the biggest collaborations make ing reusable software components into headlines regularly, other companies their products. Software has become too are also combining their strengths to expensive for one vendor to develop a develop technology that provides so- product that provides all features to all lutions extending beyond what each customers in all situations. could accomplish alone. Because CAD vendors have to ““bring complete products to the market and do it quickly to stay competitive, it doesn’t make sense for them to try and develop all the software themselves. Dr. John Owen, President, D-Cubed. ””

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 17 Open Architecture

Industry Standards The Proprietary Systems Dilemma The rapidly expanding international marketplace will soon make industry In the 1980s, open hardware and operat- standards within an open software ar- ing systems—DOS personal computers chitecture a requirement. With prod- and Unix workstations—ushered in a uct conception, design, manufactur- new era of flexibility, productivity, and ing, sales, and distribution occurring economy. Today few companies pur- in different countries, companies must chase software that requires specialized be able to use the same product data at or proprietary hardware. The risk and different sites. subsequent cost of premature obsoles- The market requirements of the cence are too great. But many compa- ““future will demand that we be nies routinely purchase proprietary soft- able to exchange products around ware—applications that are compatible the world. You may design some- only with other applications by the same thing using software applications vendor. from America, manufacture it in This closed, single-brand approach to Korea, and sell it in Germany. product development software prevents Hans Eugster, Manager, CAD/CAM ”” companies from driving their own prod- Division, Strässle. uct design and manufacturing strategy. Companies lose valuable time when they Proprietary systems have closed soft- transmit their product data on paper or ware architectures. Data structures and translate it from one proprietary system file formats are locked. The systems are to another. They are at a disadvantage difficult or impossible to customize, and when they compete with companies that they require file translators to exchange make their product data available con- data with other systems. Users must re- currently to all their internal divisions enter data that the translators cannot pro- and external business partners. cess. A single, common, solid model and prod- Many proprietary systems vendors are uct database make file translators and large, traditional computer-aided design file format standards less important to (CAD) suppliers with products that long-term competitiveness. In an open • Try to answer all companies’ needs systems environment, they are needed with a few software applications for the sole purpose of communicating • Incorporate broad-based technol- with proprietary systems. ogy that is insufficient for many specialized needs

18 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Architecture

• Fail to keep up with the latest tech- creep higher while releases offer fewer nologies because the required level new features. The last decade shows the of investment is too high ultimate consequence: the demise of • Evolve slowly because great re- many large, broad-spectrum, proprietary sources are required to develop CAD vendors. software that attempts to solve all problems for all users Figure 3 shows the proprietary modeling dilemma. A company has purchased To make matters worse, proprietary sys- proprietary software from three vendors. tems vendors typically must charge high Vendor A’s proprietary conceptual de- maintenance fees to support software sign software has an impressive list of development. Companies must pay those features, but a significant amount of the fees or abandon the system. As more data is lost when Vendor A’s concep- companies abandon the system, fees tual design is translated to Vendor B’s

Product FIGURE 3. THE PROPRIETARY MODELING DILEMMA Vendor C's Proprietary Software Manufacturing

Vendor B's 3D Model Proprietary Software Detailed Design, Analysis and Prototyping, and Documentation

3D Conceptual Model Design Vendor A's Proprietary Software Conceptual Design Data- Idea base if 3D β ≅ ∴ Model λ File go Translator Data- Input Untranslated base if 3D Information β ≅ ∴ Model λ File go Translator Data- Input Untranslated base Information

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 19 Open Architecture detailed design, analysis and prototyp- is far less than the cost of opportunities ing, and documentation software. The lost due to aging proprietary systems. same situation occurs when Vendor B’s 3D model is translated to Vendor C’s proprietary manufacturing software. The Open Modeling Solution To reduce data exchange problems, companies have traditionally chosen to pur- Vendors of open-architecture software chase all their modeling software from a products provide innovative new so- single vendor. Exchanging data with lutions that overcome the problems of business partners remains difficult, how- proprietary systems and their limited ever, unless the business partners also ability to exchange data. use the same proprietary software—thus An open architecture provides direct ac- the dilemma of proprietary systems. cess to all software levels from the low- Proprietary system vendors often sug- est data structures to high-level func- gest that data translators using standards tions. All software information required such as IGES or PDES/STEP eliminate to interface with open applications is data exchange problems, but these trans- available to all software vendors. lators do not process the full range of Open systems can be extensively cus- product data including geometry, topol- tomized. Users can plug in specialized ogy, cost estimates, and inventory. Much modeling techniques developed inter- of the value of corporate data is lost nally or by third-party sources. because it is locked up in the proprietary database and cannot be translated. Also, Open systems transfer data to and from translators are slow and cumbersome to other software applications as easily use because they translate data between as they transfer data internally. files instead of directly from one data- Companies can drive their own prod- base to another. uct design and manufacturing strategy When a proprietary system becomes by assembling a collection of open- obsolete, companies lose productivity architecture modeling applications into and product quality. They must bear the an “open modeling” system. tremendous expense of reimplementing To assemble the optimum open model- the complete solution. This expense ing system, companies select the soft- sometimes leads companies to retain ware that best meets their needs and aging proprietary systems until the costs budget from a wide variety of special- of designing and manufacturing their ized vendors. Figure 4 illustrates this products have eroded their sales. The open modeling solution. Companies can expense of changing to an open system upgrade any part of the total solution by

20 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Architecture

Manufacturing Software Off-the-Shelf Products Open Modeling Software Compatible Products from a Variety of Vendors Documentation Software Products

K Analysis and Prototyping D Software Products M Detailed Design L Software J Products L E Conceptual A K Design Software A Products H D Product G B

F B Vendor L E Manu- A Vendor K facturing Docu- D Vendor A mentation Analysis & C Vendor E Proto- Detailed typing Vendor D Design Conceptual Idea Design

One Open Solid Model

One Product in Open, Object-oriented Database

FIGURE 4. THE OPEN MODELING SOLUTION

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 21 Open Architecture taking advantage of applications that incorporate the latest technologies, are Smooth Migration to New easier to use, or are more cost-effective. Solutions

Software with an open architecture helps companies migrate smoothly The Pseudo-Open Compromise from current to future technologies while minimizing hardware and soft- The growing popularity of open mod- ware obsolescence, data conversion, eling solutions has led proprietary and personnel retraining. systems vendors to create pseudo- open systems. A vendor retrofits its Open modeling is the only way to proprietary modeling software with ““ensure that customers can select a few capabilities of open systems the best solution today, and still and then markets the resulting hy- have the flexibility to move to the brid as an “open” system. best solution tomorrow. These pseudo-open systems do not Dr. Tilman F. Schad, General Manager, ”” have—and cannot ever achieve—the Hewlett-Packard, Software Business Unit. full power of a true open system. Open When an open software application be- systems have fast, efficient, direct in- comes obsolete, a company can replace terfaces with other applications and it with another one. For example, if a databases. Pseudo-open systems have drafting software application in an open a layer of software (often with names modeling solution fails to keep pace like “tools” or “hooks”) that connects with the latest features and performance, the “open” architecture to the under- a company can replace it with another lying proprietary data structures. The open drafting application. The company pseudo-open system still requires file plugs the replacement into its develop- translators to exchange data with open ment process without impacting the other systems. Flexibility is minimal, cus- software in the process. The new appli- tomizing capabilities are limited, and cation can directly access data produced proprietary data structures prevent full with the previous application. leverage of the system’s data.

22 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Architecture

Because application vendors can buy Benefits of Open Architecture specialized component technology at a fraction of the cost to develop it in- Open software architecture provides a house, they can deliver powerful new wide range of business benefits that software products at highly competitive boost productivity and profitability prices. If one vendor resists lowering throughout the product development the prices of its open applications, a cycle. At the same time, an open soft- competing vendor will take advantage ware architecture supplies the founda- of the opportunity, often by lowering its tion for concurrent engineering by al- prices to gain market share. lowing software applications used by all internal business divisions and ex- ❍ Product Compatibility and Data ternal business partners open access to the same model and product data. Sharing Open software architecture guarantees ❍ Freedom of Choice the compatibility of all models and prod- Open software architecture lets com- uct data between compliant software. panies choose the best solutions from the best software and hardware sup- Costs of Non-Compatible pliers. They can configure product de- Software velopment solutions from “best of The Petrotechnical Open breed” technology to meet their indi- Software Corporation (POSC) vidual needs and budgets. estimates that their member companies spend 150% to 200% more than the cost of new ❍ Wide Range of Competitively software to integrate that software with the rest of their Priced Software Products systems. Open software architecture encourages 20

20 20 TWENTY 200% DOLLARS TWENTY application vendors to develop open ap- 20 20 TWENTY 20 DOLLARS 180% 20 20 TWENTY 20

DOLLARS plications because they have a built-in 20 20 20 TWENTY 160% DOLLARS

20 20 TWENTY 20 DOLLARS 140% market: customers with other open soft- 20 20 TWENTY 20

DOLLARS

20 20 20 20 TWENTY 120% DOLLARS ware applications. As more vendors de- 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20 DOLLARS TWENTY DOLLARS 100% 20 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20

DOLLARS DOLLARS velop open applications, the market 20 20 20 20 20 20 TWENTY TWENTY 80% DOLLARS DOLLARS

20 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20 DOLLARS DOLLARS 60% grows, providing incentive for new ven- 20 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20

DOLLARS DOLLARS

20 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20 40% DOLLARS DOLLARS dors to enter the market. For customers, 20 20 20 20 TWENTY 20 TWENTY 20 DOLLARS DOLLARS 20% the result is a large and growing selec- 20 20 tion of high-quality, competitively priced PURCHASE INTEGRATION COST COST open applications. *Datamation, November 1, 1992.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 23 Open Architecture

Companies can banish error-prone and ❍ Low Risk of Product time-consuming file translators. Obsolescence Many of the costs of proprietary sys- Sometimes companies may acquire soft- tems are hidden in the interfaces and ware that, for one reason or another, other mechanisms necessary to exchange does not deliver the expected benefits. data. These costs can equal 200% of the Software capabilities may be too nar- costs of the proprietary systems. By pro- row, hardware too slow, or use of data viding direct access to data, open sys- too restricted. With a proprietary systems avoid the high cost of interfacing tem, companies have no option but to proprietary systems. The best open soft- abandon the system and start over with a ware has no interfacing costs. whole new system. ❍ Vendor Responsiveness to Open software removes the risk inher- Customers’ Needs ent in a proprietary system. Companies can replace any software that fails to By purchasing component technology pull its weight while keeping the other and by making their applications com- software in the total solution. Most of patible with other applications in the the investment—including current soft- product development cycle, open ap- ware and hardware, personnel training, plications vendors can focus their re- and data—remains intact. sources on their own specialized application technology. They have more ❍ Fast Access to New Technologies time to deliver the features that distinguish their applications from other Open software vendors compete for open applications and that satisfy the market share by developing applications needs of their customers. that incorporate new technologies. Com- petition ensures the rapid release of new We recently integrated several applications. The outburst of new tech- ““ software components from other nology in the personal computer market ACIS developers. This allows is a familiar example. Applicon engineers to focus on developing value-added product Once on the market, new applications functionality. are plug-compatible with other open applications—regardless of the vendor. Jim Fall, Director, Product Manage-”” Companies can purchase new technol- ment, Applicon. ogy sooner and install it with much less effort.

24 ACIS Open Modeling Primer ACIS-based open solid modeling appli- Open Solid Modeling cations offer companies • The most compatible software Open solid modeling combines the products power of solid modeling with the com- • The most competitively priced patibility of an open software architec- software products ture to deliver a complete product de- • The largest, most experienced sign and manufacturing solution with community of software compo- built-in access to new technologies and nent developers protection against obsolescence. • The lowest risk of product obso- SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY INC. is the lescence leading supplier of open solid modeling • The fastest access to new tech- technology. Spatial and its business part- nologies ners in applied research and component • All the benefits of solid modeling software technology are delivering the An open solid modeling solution com- industry-standard foundation for open posed of ACIS-compliant applications solid modeling applications. delivers these benefits because the Spatial exploits modern, object-oriented, ACIS foundation provides the best ar- 3D modeling technologies to advance chitecture and technology for open the level of innovation in computer- solid modeling: ACIS Geometric Mod- aided engineering, design, and manu- eling Kernel, Kernel Extensions or facturing applications worldwide, while “Husks,” and object databases. A glo- accelerating their time to market. bal development network of universities, research centers, and applied tech- Over 200 companies have licensed nology specialists continue to advance Spatial’s ACIS Geometric Modeling the state of the art for ACIS-based Kernel and its component technology open solid modeling applications. extensions. Many applications incorporating the ACIS kernel and components are available in the market today, and many more are in development. These ACIS Geometric Modeling applications and components together Kernel are creating a high-volume market for The ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel other ACIS-based technology. was developed in conjunction with Dr. Ian Braid and his colleagues at Three- Space Ltd., the world’s leading solid modeling experts. Spatial introduced the ACIS kernel in December 1989.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 25 Open Solid Modeling

The ACIS kernel (a geometry engine) Figure 5 shows how ACIS-based solid provides functionality common to models and an object-oriented product many applications combined with flex- database support ACIS-based open solid ible means to adapt and extend the modeling applications in each phase of kernel to particular requirements. the product development cycle. Compact, efficient, and reliable, the kernel can be embedded in a wide The ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel range of applications from creative supplies an open, object-oriented archi- design to analysis and manufacturing. tecture with direct access to all levels of

FIGURE 5. ACIS OPEN SOLID MODELING SOLUTION

Open Application Suppliers

Applicon Aries Technology Autodesk CADCentre Ltd. Ford Motor Co. Hewlett-Packard Hitachi Zosen Point Control Co. STI Strässle AG and many more Manu- Open facturing Applications Docu- mentation Analysis & Proto- Detailed typing Design Conceptual Design One ACIS-based Solid Model Translators • IGES • PDES/STEP • Others One Product in Open Object-OrientedDatabase 3D Model

Data- base 3D Model

Data- Proprietary base Software

26 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling

the software. The kernel is fast, precise, helpful in conceptual design. Designers and proven, and it supports wireframe, and engineers can work with both com- surface, and solid geometry on all major plete and incomplete objects. For ex- hardware platforms. ACIS-based soft- ample, a solid under construction can ware components and applications share have missing faces, and existing faces these features. can have missing edges.

ACIS’ open architecture and the ❍ Object-Oriented Modeling ““range of platforms on which it can operate may make it the key Written in the object-oriented program- product to finally introduce solid ming language C++, the ACIS kernel modeling to the mainstream provides unrestricted, open access to its CAD/CAE/CAM user. data structure and powerful customizing capabilities through C++’s class Gisela Wilson, International Data Cor- ”” poration. mechanism. Objects are grouped into classes. Methods (programs that ma- Figure 6 shows the ACIS open solid nipulate objects in some way such as modeling architecture: ACIS Geomet- rotating, scaling, or deleting) apply to ric Modeling Kernel, Kernel Exten- all the objects in the class. sions or “Husks,” and ACIS-based open modeling applications. Application vendors can develop applications quickly by adding customized ❍ Integrated Modeling Techniques objects to a class and manipulating them with existing methods. In languages that The ACIS kernel brings together the are not object oriented, a great deal of separate worlds of wireframes, paramet- programming is required to define and ric surfaces, and solids by allowing these manipulate each new object. The ben- representations to coexist in the data efits of object-oriented modeling with structure. Users can work with any com- C++ include the highest degree of combination of wireframe, surfaces, or sol- patibility between applications and the ids. Companies with software products least risk of product obsolescence. that incorporate the ACIS kernel can migrate naturally from existing wire- ❍ Open Access frame and surface-based applications into solids when appropriate. As figure 6 shows, both Kernel Exten- sions and applications can access the The ACIS kernel supports a broad range ACIS kernel through Application Pro- of 3D geometry including fully bounded, cedural Interfaces (APIs) or directly partially bounded, and unbounded. This through classes, objects, and messages. “non-manifold” modeling is especially

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 27 Open Solid Modeling

Any Open Modeling Application

API

Others API Machining API Con- straints API Features API Kernel Hidden Extensions Line API or "Husks" Rendering

Application Procedural Interface (API)

Classes Objects Methods Solid Modeling Kernel ACIS Geometric Modeler Parametric Curve and Surface Interface

Parametric Curves and Surfaces

FIGURE 6. ACIS OPEN SOLID MODELING ARCHITECTURE

28 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling

APIs are programs that open modeling applications can access to create, change, Kernel Extensions or “Husks” or inquire about models. The ACIS Kernel Extensions or “Husks” are ap- kernel monitors the access and makes plication-specific subsystems, tightly the changes to data structures. Open coupled with the ACIS Geometric applications can also access the kernel Modeling Kernel. Kernel Extensions through the direct interface, which makes provide powerful support for applica- rapid and efficient inquiries of models, tion development. Application devel- and changes data structures directly. The opers can use them as component tech- two access methods give application nology to perform complex functions. developers the ability to tailor the type For example, the ACIS Advanced of access to the needs of the application. Rendering Husk renders and displays ACIS models so application vendors ❍ Integration with Object Databases do not have to use valuable resources The ACIS Database (ACIS/DB) inte- to develop the functionality. grates open solid modeling applications Many different software component sup- with object databases (discussed later in pliers are developing Husk products that this chapter). Applications at different • Accelerate the availability of locations on different networks can ac- open-modeling applications cess model and product data directly • Integrate easily with both new while also accessing data in traditional and existing applications databases and other sources. Because • Provide applications with maxi- ACIS/DB integrates data through the mum portability across hardware standard ACIS programming interface, platforms and graphics devices companies do not need to use file trans- • Help vendors develop more spe- fers to move data between modeling cialized applications applications and the object database. The following Husk product profiles ❍ Support for All Major Hardware illustrate the power and versatility of Platforms the Husk concept.

The ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel ❍ Strata™ supports all major hardware platforms including Digital Equipment Corpora- Strata is an object-oriented, solid-based tion; Hewlett-Packard; IBM; Intel-based machining kernel that lets applications personal computers running DOS, Win- use informationally complete, solid part dows 3.1, and Windows NT; Silicon models directly in machining and pro- Graphics, Inc.; and Sun Microsystems. cess planning. This functionality can

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 29 Open Solid Modeling dramatically raise users’ productivity. tions where high-quality, interactive ren- Strata enables significant time reduc- dering plays a key role. tions in designing, prototyping, and producing next-generation numerical con- This implementation allows the appli- trol (NC) systems. cation to know about the underlying solid models including their color, tex- Machine tool and controller manufacture, finish, reflectance, and translu- turers are now beginning to develop next- cence. It supports incremental render- generation intelligent machine tools and ing as a model undergoes modification smart controllers with the ACIS kernel, and transformation during an applica- Strata, and other Husk products. tion session.

❍ Precise Hidden Line ❍ Other Husks The Precise Hidden Line Husk, devel- This list highlights some of the other oped by STI Strässle AG, detects and Husk component technologies. removes hidden lines in ACIS-based • Shelling and skinning solid, surface, and wireframe models. • Sheet metal • Features-based modeling The Husk supports interactive graph- • Assembly modeling ics in ACIS-based 3D modeling ap- • Automatic feature recognition plications. The user sees the model • Constraint management “as it is,” detects inconsistencies in • Automatic finite element mesh the model easier, and verifies the ef- generation fects of modeling operations better. • Industry standard import and ex- The Husk also supports production qual- port ity ACIS-based drafting applications. • Direct solids import and export Because the geometry of the hidden line data is precise, it can be used to generate and update precise 2D drawings. Object Databases ❍ Advanced Rendering Spatial’s ACIS Database (ACIS/DB) integrates open solid modeling appli- The ACIS Advanced Rendering Husk, cations with some of the world’s lead- developed by LightWork Design Ltd., ing object databases (ODBs). Object provides direct visualization of solid databases optimize the storage and models. It can be incorporated into ex- management of the complex data struc- isting 3D applications or used as the tures typical of solid models. foundation for next-generation applica-

30 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling

Object databases support ❍ Universities and Research • Larger models Centers • Faster concurrent access to model and product data Over 100 universities and research cen- • Sharing model data in a full-fea- ters throughout the world are working tured product database through- to develop the next generation of ap- out all product development and plied geometric modeling technology support processes in conjunction with the ACIS Geo- metric Modeling Kernel. This research While traditional databases store char- provides a strong foundation for third- acters and numbers, an object data- party software developers. base can store any object—regardless of its size and structure. An object ❍ Third-Party Software Developers database assigns a single ID to each object. Through this capability, object A large and growing group of world- databases provide powerful support for class software component developers data sharing and concurrent engineer- and application specialists is actively ing. Any application at any location expanding ACIS-related technologies in on any network can quickly access areas such as parametric features and data about an object by means of its assembly modeling, constraint manage- ID. Through object databases, the ben- ment and variational design, visualiza- efits of open-architecture software can tion, solids-based machining, surface extend to any department that needs construction and manipulation, and wire- access to product data. frame to solids transformation. Any company that uses ACIS-based open solid modeling applications will Global Development Network have plug-compatible access to the best new technology from some of the A global development network of uni- world’s foremost modeling technology versities, research centers, component experts. technology developers, and application specialists is expanding the reach of ACIS-based open solid modeling solutions, making the technology of tomorrow available today.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 31 Open Solid Modeling

ACIS Geometry Bus Benefits of ACIS Open Solid Modeling The open hardware architecture of the PC bus fueled the personal computer ACIS open solid modeling combines revolution. Similarly, the open software the power of the most advanced solid architecture of the ACIS Geometric modeling technology with the com- Modeling Kernel serves as a Geometry patibility of the best open software Bus™ (also known as an “Open Model- architecture to give companies the best ing Bus”). The Geometry Bus (figure 7) open solid modeling solution. connects ACIS-based applications to the open software of all participants in the ❍ The Most Compatible Software global development network: universi- Products ties and research centers, software component developers, object database de- Companies using ACIS-based appli- velopers, and application specialists. cations can work with 3D wireframe, surface, and solid geometry; migrate The ACIS Geometry Bus now smoothly from wireframe and surface ““provides a standard that allows models into solid models; and access you to exchange geometry a full-feature product database. seamlessly across disparate applications. ACIS allows users to The ACIS architecture separates the plug and play the applications geometric modeling kernel from com- that best suit their needs. ponents such as rendering, automatic feature recognition, and machining. Richard C. Miller, General Manager, ”” This allows ACIS-based applications Aries Technology. to substitute their own functionality Because all applications and compo- when needed without changing the ker- nents are based on the same modeling nel. In monolithic modeling programs, kernel, they are directly compatible component code is mixed together with with each other and can seamlessly code for core functionality. Separa- share data. They have no need for data tion of core from components, com- translators, which are used solely to bined with modern application devel- input data from proprietary systems. opment tools and object database management systems, ensures the The use of a common database highest degree of compatibility among ““and a universe of applications ACIS-based applications. built from it begin to make interfacing a moot point. The Anderson Report, Sept. 1993. ””

32 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling

Open Application Open Developers Applications

ACIS Geometry Bus™

Object Database Global Development Network

Translators Object Database Developers

Proprietary Software

FIGURE 7. ACIS GEOMETRY BUS

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 33 Open Solid Modeling

❍ The Most Competitively Priced ❍ The Lowest Risk of Product Software Products Obsolescence The cost of ACIS-based applications The ACIS Geometric Modeling Ker- built from component technology in an nel and associated component tech- open modeling environment is much nologies incorporate the best modern lower than the cost of software devel- application development tools and oped by proprietary systems vendors. object database management systems, and represent a major long-term com- For example, a major software compo- mitment. Through their open software nent might take five software engineers architecture and data sharing capabili- ten years to design, develop, and refine. ties, ACIS-compliant applications in At $150,000 per person/year (salary, an open solid modeling solution en- equipment, administrative support, and sure the longevity of the total system. other overhead), the total development cost would be $7.5 million. After devel- ❍ The Fastest Access to New oping similar software, a proprietary Technologies systems vendor would need to recoup $7.5 million through sales of its propri- Within the ACIS global development etary system. If the software component network, leading scientists in their re- sold for $100,000, an open application spective fields are developing and ad- vendor would need to recoup only vancing the ACIS Geometric Modeling $100,000 through sales of its open ap- Kernel and related component technolo- plication. The proprietary systems ven- gies like surface intersection, constraint dor must recoup 75 times more money management, feature-based modeling, than the open application vendor! and visualization. Component software suppliers are designing and packaging ❍ The Largest Community of the technologies for easy incorporation Software Component Suppliers into both new and existing applications, and application vendors are competing Companies have access to a large and to deliver their applications to market as growing group of ACIS-based appli- fast as possible. cation software vendors. These include many of the most prestigious compa- By using ACIS, we have substan- nies in CAE/CAD/CAM and some of ““tially increased our development the largest installed bases of CAE/ team’s productivity and decreased CAD/CAM software. For a list of lic- time to market for new products. ensees, see Appendix B. Keith Hone, General Manager, GNC ”” Division, CADCentre Ltd.

34 ACIS Open Modeling Primer To find out more about these compa- Open Solid Modeling nies and their ACIS-based applica- Application Suppliers tions, see the contact information on the back cover of this Primer. This chapter profiles nine of the many Using the ACIS technology as companies developing open solid mod- ““the foundation for our solid eling applications on top of the ACIS modeler is a significant step Geometric Modeling Kernel and Kernel towards seamless integration. Extensions. These companies are bring- Our customers will clearly ben- ing previously unimaginable capabili- efit from the common data for- ties based on innovative new technol- mat for all applications. ogy to market at an ever faster rate. • Applicon Bernd Engel, PE/SolidDesigner Mar- ”” • Aries Technology keting Manager, Hewlett-Packard. • Autodesk • CADCentre Ltd. • Ford Motor Company • Hewlett-Packard GmbH • Hitachi Zosen Information Systems • Point Control Co. • STI Strässle Technische Informationssysteme AG Individually, each company is supplying high-performance product development applications with many excit- ing, new, state-of-the-art features—as the profiles in this chapter show. To- gether these companies and many others are delivering the next generation of integrated, ACIS-based applications—a comprehensive product development and data management solution for businesses of all sizes.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 35 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

Integration of the ACIS Geometric Applicon Modeling Kernel into Bravo is a key component in implementing an open Applicon is a leading supplier of me- modeling engine. chanical design automation software and service to companies in virtually every With over one hundred compa- leading industry throughout the world. ““nies committed to ACIS for their The company has been providing cus- geometric modeling kernel, tomers with advanced CAE/CAD/CAM ACIS has become the de facto and engineering process management standard for geometry in the solutions for over two decades. Head- CAD/CAM industry. Given the quartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, critical importance of data ex- Applicon has sales and support offices change in sharing data among in countries around the world. users and suppliers, ACIS provides a standard medium for Applicon is a pioneer in CAD technol- geometry and puts closed pro- ogy. Its Bravo! product, named Product prietary CAD/CAM systems at of the Year by Fortune magazine when an extreme disadvantage. it was introduced in 1983, provided the first distributed CAD/CAE architecture Brad Morley, President, Applicon. ”” with a common database for a range of With a solid management team, state- mechanical design automation solutions. of-the-art technology, and superior ser- For over 20 years, Applicon has been vice and support, Applicon is uniquely an industry leading supplier of manu- positioned to assume the leadership role facturing solutions. Over 50 million in the mechanical design automation in- hours of NC machining time per year dustry through the 1990s and beyond. depend on the company’s applications. Applicon’s Product Plan is an aggres- sive, five-year initiative to change the paradigm of CAD/CAM. It calls for development of a solution based on seven key elements: • heterogeneous computing • modular software • open modeling engine • ease of use • simulation technologies • manufacturing • data management and control Partner 36 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

major solvers, and intends to create the Aries Technology industry’s most comprehensive FEA- independent capability. Predictive Engineering™ Solutions for Mechanical Design Engineers The MSC/ARIES Series provides all the tools design engineers require to Since 1984, Aries Technology has pur- create, analyze, modify, and optimize sued the mission to provide computer- designs before drafting and prototyping. based Predictive Engineering tools to This methodology sharply reduces prod- all mechanical engineers. Aries decided uct development time and costs. Mod- early to aim for the desktop, adhere to ules in the MSC/ARIES Series provide standards, emphasize ease of use, base interactive precise solid modeling, para- its software products on solid modeling, metric modification of solids, finite ele- and tightly integrate modeling with ment analysis, material property man- proven analysis tools to provide a de- agement, mass and section properties, sign optimization capability. an equation solver that drives geometry creation and modification, associative Aries’ move to the ACIS Geometric ANSI/ISO standard drawings, and links Modeling Kernel greatly aids in linking to most popular drafting and manufac- Aries-generated design data to down- turing systems via the ACIS-based Ge- stream development functions. Many ometry Bus or via PDES/STEP, IGES, other vendors of software products used or DXF data transfer. The MSC/ARIES throughout product development have Series runs on all major engineering also adopted the ACIS standard. Be- workstations, and on PCs based on Intel cause ACIS-based applications commu- 386/486 and Pentium® technologies. nicate without translators, the solid model serves as the data continuum linking all phases of development. Aries has named this “backplane” of geometry- based data the Geometry Bus™. In September 1993, Aries Technology became a division of The MacNeal- Schwendler Corporation (MSC). The Aries family of products is now the MSC/ ARIES™ Series, and Aries users have access to all of MSC’s analysis prod- Aries solid model of space sta- ™ ucts: MSC/NASTRAN , MSC/ tion navigational platform. Photo: ™ ™ DYTRAN , and MSC/EMAS . The Honeywell Space and Strategic Systems Aries Division continues to develop pre- Operations. and postprocessor capabilities for other Partner ACIS Open Modeling Primer 37 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

pendent software products around the Autodesk world. Autodesk products are available in 17 languages and sold through Autodesk, Inc. is the world’s sixth a network of over 3,000 dealers in largest personal computer software over 80 countries. A network of 500 company and a leading supplier of Autodesk Training Centers (ATC®) desktop computer-aided design prod- provides local training and support. ucts. Autodesk develops, markets, and supports a family of computer-aided Over 1200 independent software appli- design automation software products cations are available over a wide variety as well as scientific and multimedia of disciplines including mechanical and software products for use on personal manufacturing, architecture, mapping, computers and workstations. and plant design. Supported hardware platforms include MS/DOS, Windows, AutoCAD®, Autodesk’s flagship prod- Apple computers, and Unix-based work- uct, is the worldwide de facto CAD stations from Sun Microsystems, Digi- standard. It supplies a comprehensive tal Equipment Corporation, Silicon set of 2D and 3D tools for precision Graphics, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. design and visualization by architects, engineers, drafters, and designers. Autodesk selected ACIS in 1993 as a Building on this foundation in the de- key component of its geometric model- sign and drafting markets, Autodesk ing strategy. The integration of ACIS is creating a family of open-architected into AutoCAD is a key part of software products that enable users to Autodesk’s goal to integrate modeling, take ideas from concept to production. drafting, manufacturing, and maintenance with the current worldwide desk- ❍ Open Architecture and Platform top CAD standard. Functions and op- Independence erations familiar to almost one million AutoCAD users worldwide will be ex- Autodesk has demonstrated a long- tended to operate upon geometric mod- standing commitment to providing els based upon the ACIS kernel. open architecture and platform-inde-

Partner 38 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

in the GNC Solid Geometry module to CADCentre Ltd. build part geometry. Fixtures, clamps, and rotary tables can be accurately mod- CADCentre, based in Cambridge, En- eled and stored for use at any time. gland, and Houston, U.S.A., has been Stock or billet geometry can be auto- providing common-sense productivity matically created around part geometry. tools for engineers since it was established in 1967. With more than 1,500 CAMCentre also works as an integrated companies worldwide using its prod- CAM tool with any ACIS-based design ucts, CADCentre has an international modeler, adding manufacturing tool- reputation for high-quality software. paths to the design model for download- ing to the machine tool. Industry stan- Using the latest software development dard geometry translators are available tools has helped CADCentre remain one to transfer geometry from well-known of the world’s best-known providers of modelers that are not ACIS-based. engineering software solutions. CAMCentre uses features to describe ❍ CAMCentre—the Manufacturing and manufacture specific types of ge- Edge ometry, giving users major productivity gains. For example, CAMCentre can CAMCentre—CADCentre’s latest set recognize a tapped hole as a feature with of products—has been developed on the predefined machining rules assigned to ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel and it, automatically carry out all the pre- provides a comprehensive range of ap- assigned machining operations, and op- plications specifically for the engineer. timize tool changes when necessary. CAMCentre has been designed to model CAMCentre does not stop at producing the entire machining process and envi- toolpaths. Engineers can model the com- ronment—including fixtures, clamps, plete metal removal process and exam- parts, and in-process solid models. ine the partially-machined component The software uses solid models of the at any stage. machining environment to drive tool- Designed by engineers for engineers, paths. Adding this manufacturing data CAMCentre combines the latest solid to the design model produces a com- modeling technology with the most in- plete product part description database tuitive user interface. that can easily cater to design changes at a later stage. It allows all companies—large and small—to gain a competitive advantage CAMCentre works as a stand-alone from the leading computer-aided manu- product, using the powerful design tools facturing products on the market today. Partner ACIS Open Modeling Primer 39 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

PDGS includes full-range support for Ford Motor Company geometry viewing, visualization, detailing, printing and plotting, creating Ford Motor Company and Ford’s sup- physical models or prototypes, finite plier base use PDGS, the Product De- element analysis, mechanism analy- sign Graphics System—an integrated sis, special-purpose vehicle develop- CAD/CAM/CAE and data management ment software, and manufacturing. system—for development of interior and exterior vehicle surfaces, structural com- ❍ PDGS Data Management ponents, mechanical development and analysis, manufacture of stamping dies PDGS supports CAD/CAM data man- and tooling, and many special-purpose agement and communication of ve- development and analysis tasks. hicle development information throughout Ford worldwide, includ- PDGS users create vehicle surfaces ing data exchange with automotive where both appearance and structural suppliers, through the PDGS Data integrity are important and also use Collector and network. PDGS for pure structural and component surfaces where engineering de- Communication between PDGS systems sign is the primary concern and ap- on various hardware platforms is trans- pearance is secondary. parent to the user. Communication with remote PDGS systems uses a direct net- ❍ PDGS System Capabilities work interface through the Data Collec- tor. Communication with other CAD/ PDGS offers an easy-to-use interface CAM users is handled in Ford standard with menus and a graphical user inter- format, ACIS format, IGES format, or face. Users can dynamically locate and Patran neutral format. display geometry, detailing information, and other entities. ❍ Communication of Design PDGS provides extensive capabilities Information for geometry development using the ACIS Geometric Modeling Kernel and The design and engineering of the thou- Kernel Extension technology. A few sands of components that go into a Ford examples are 3D wireframe, NURBS product require coordination and coop- surfaces, and solids; the ability to check eration among many activities. PDGS smoothness, tangencies, and other geo- facilitates communication of product metric features; and dynamic surface data throughout the vehicle development modification and analysis. process, including suppliers.

Partner 40 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

❍ PE/SolidDesigner—New Genera- Hewlett-Packard GmbH tion High Performance Modeler Hewlett-Packard’s Mechanical Design PE/SolidDesigner is a new-generation Division (MDD) is the world’s sixth high-performance modeler providing largest MCAD company (source: design freedom without constraining Dataquest) with leading technology the designer’s creativity. The ACIS products in 3D and 2D design, and Geometric Modeling Kernel provides engineering product data management. the foundation for PE/SolidDesigner. MDD develops, markets, and supports PE/SolidDesigner lets designers maxi- the Precision Engineering (PE) family mize productivity from conceptual de- of engineering products: sign to a fully detailed and documented • PE/SolidDesigner: product model in a guided, highly in- 3D Solid Modeling Design System teractive, visual, and predictable way. • PE/ME10: 2D Design and Drafting System Well-proven concepts using 2D pro- • PE/WorkManager: files, workplanes, machining com- Product and Workflow Data mands, realistic visualization, assem- Management System bly modeling, and direct flexible modification of models provide a com- MDD’s Precision Engineering products plete solution to 3D design that is tuned are installed at over 6,500 companies to how designers think and work. worldwide with over 45,000 licenses.

❍ Commitment to Open Architecture Products Open architecture is a cornerstone of Hewlett-Packard’s and MDD’s strategy. The Precision Engineering family of products supports this openness with extensive customizing capabilities, open interfaces for third-party application development, and a his- tory of multi-platform support. This openness enables third-party application vendors to integrate at many lev- PE/SolidDesigner: H-P’s high- els with the Precision Engineering performance solid modeler. products.

Partner ACIS Open Modeling Primer 41 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

This next-generation solid modeler Hitachi Zosen Information makes mechanical design in three di- Systems mensions much easier. It goes beyond the current generation of parametric Hitachi Zosen Information Systems modelers with its ability to model Co., Ltd., was established in 1977 by shapes without having to define fixed consolidating the internal computing parameters. The user can define and departments of Hitachi Zosen Corpo- change an unlimited number of di- ration, one of Japan’s largest ship- mensions at any stage of the modeling building and engineering companies. process. This means that the designer The company began marketing its in- is free to work purely on the shape of a ternally developed CAD/CAM system, model without having to anticipate ar- GRADE, in 1982 and has had a major eas to be modified later. share of the Japanese market since GRADE/Shape was conceived to al- that time. GRADE is currently in use low users employing a high-end sur- at almost 1,000 sites in Japan, provid- face modeler to create geometry to be ing CAD/CAM capabilities for many machined, and this capability distin- of Japan’s leading manufacturers. guishes the product from other solid modelers. GRADE/Shape can create ❍ GRADE/Shape—New Geometric and output complex, high-quality, Modeler for Design and Complex machinable NURBS surfaces, while Machining providing all of the features of next- generation solid modelers. GRADE/Shape 1.0 is an integrated solid and surface modeler based on Surface modeling is an art, re- Spatial Technology’s ACIS Geomet- ““quiring long periods before a ric Modeling Kernel. user reaches full potential. Solid modeling techniques, however, With GRADE/Shape, users can create are easier to understand and use. solids and surfaces with surfaces made GRADE/Shape will help CAD/ of parallel splines, sweeping solids and CAM users achieve high pro- surfaces, four-boundary surfaces, and ductivity faster than traditional skinning surfaces. GRADE/Shape of- surface modelers. fers the capability to undo back to the first operation and redo, dynamic opera- Hajime Yamaguchi, Hitachi Zosen ”” tion of 3D drawings, and full dynamic Senior Manager for Development. shading and rendering operation.

Partner 42 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

machine operations) to generate new Point Control Co. CNC process plans. Available in five languages, products are sold and sup- Point Control Co. is a leading supplier ported through resellers in 35 countries. of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) solutions to the global manufac- ❍ A Commitment to Open Systems turing market. The first company to provide the ability to integrate CAM with Open systems are essential to flexibility CAD on PCs, Point Control has contin- and innovation. Point Control provides ued to develop innovative applications the very best programming and process for both PCs and workstations. Efforts planning tools for the manufacturing focus on improving manufacturing pro- engineer while maintaining seamless ductivity and reducing the client’s time integration with the tools that work best to market through products that inte- for the design engineer. The company is grate and simplify functional processes. committed to open systems that support both task productivity and overall enter- Point Control products are based on prise effectiveness and to leadership in unique CNC process modeling technol- emerging technologies. ogy that is more flexible and productive than traditional programming systems. ❍ SmartCAM FreeForm Machining The flexibility to respond quickly to changes in design and production re- SmartCAM FreeForm Machining™ is quirements is critical. The more flexible Point Control’s first step in integrating the system, the more productive and ACIS technology into their process profitable it will be. Process modeling modeling applications. This application considers the interaction of the entire uses surface or solid data to create ma- design engineering, manufacturing en- chine-ready CNC tool paths. gineering, and machining process planning operation. It ensures that manufac- SmartCAM FreeForm Machining com- turability is an integral part of the bines fully automatic, interference-free design-to-manufacture process, not an multi-surface machining with Point afterthought. Control’s unique CNC process modeling technology to provide unprecedented Point Control offers a full range of manufacturing process optimization. SmartCAM CAM solutions for milling, Complex free-form shapes, such as pro- turning, fabrication, and wire EDM ap- totypes, dies, molds, and patterns can be plications. It is adding a new “experi- machined directly from ACIS solid ence-based” manufacturing planning model files, IGES surface models, or system that captures information on pro- surfaces created by the user. duction methods (materials, tooling, and Partner ACIS Open Modeling Primer 43 Open Solid Modeling Application Suppliers

offers powerful 3D processing tech- STI Strässle Technische niques and can combine wireframe, sur- Informationssysteme AG face, and solid models. With the feature modeling module, users can improve Strässle offers solutions in the areas of their work methods. The module allows management, administration, produc- modeling with parameter-based geomet- tion, engineering and workshop control, ric and technical elements. The ray-trac- based on products such as PSK2000, ing module conveys photo-realistic im- RWT 2000, and KONSYS 2000. ages of constructed objects and supports the production of sales literature. ❍ KONSYS 2000, a Database- Oriented CAD/CAM System With the 3D metal processing module, users can develop and construct sheet KONSYS 2000 is a modular design and metal parts. The work piece is displayed information system consisting of CAD, as a photo-realistic volume model. The CAE, CAM and database components. system generates the flat pattern auto- It supports the manufacturing, produc- matically from the volume model and tion, and logistics stages of product de- transfers geometric data to an NC mod- sign and development as well as all geo- ule for further processing. metric modeling possibilities in the planning and construction phases. The KONSYS 2000 NC system is based KONSYS 2000 is based on the newest on both the ACIS kernel and the Strata generation of open system architecture. Machining Husk. This minimizes the loss of information between individuals KONSYS 2000’s engineering data man- and departments involved in process agement module, strässle INFOSYS, is planning and prevents data redundancy. the core of the computer integrated manufacturing environment. Based upon the relational database Oracle, strässle INFOSYS manages geometric data as well as single and assembly drawings. These are identified through numbering systems, modular design structures, and feature characteristics. Accompanying documents for construction drawings can be accessed at any time. KONSYS 2000’s solid modeler, strässle Strässle SOLID model: free-form SOLID, is based on the ACIS Geomet- surfaces, created by blending. ric Modeling Kernel. strässle SOLID Partner 44 ACIS Open Modeling Primer ACIS-based open solid modeling ap- Productivity and plications facilitate the development of Profitability—ACIS products with improved manufacturability, reliability, and maintenance. Because Open Solid Modeling ACIS-based open solid modeling applications have high performance, they Solutions improve productivity.

ACIS-based open solid modeling solu- ACIS-based open modeling also reduces tions maximize the benefits of solid the cost of modeling software. Applica- modeling and open software architec- tions built upon the ACIS open solid ture to deliver wide-range, fundamental modeling foundation are more economi- business value. This business value be- cal to purchase, and they are completely comes increasingly critical as competi- compatible with other open solid mod- tion forces companies to increase their eling applications, thus preserving a productivity and profitability. company’s investment in modeling software and hardware. ACIS-based open solid modeling makes the business case for open systems (see In addition, ACIS-based open solid Appendix A, Open Systems Value modeling eliminates the hidden costs Guide) even more compelling by pro- of proprietary systems: expensive in- viding companies with opportunities to terfaces with other systems, error- reduce the cost of product development, prone and time-consuming file trans- increase product revenue, and gain stra- lations, and extensive training and tegic advantage over competitors. support requirements during conversions from obsolete proprietary systems. Limitations in the selection of hardware and software compatible Reduced Cost with proprietary systems result in fewer opportunities to purchase eco- ACIS-based open solid modeling ap- nomical modeling software. Limita- plications help companies reduce the tions in the speed with which propri- cost of product development by etary system vendors incorporate new Sharing model and product data • technologies reduce opportunities for Identifying potential design and • companies to control the rate at which manufacturing problems earlier they adopt technology to make their in product development businesses more productive.

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 45 Productivity and Profitability — ACIS Open Solid Modeling Solutions

In addition, ACIS-based applications Increased Revenue give companies access to a wide range of modeling software and the freedom By bringing the power of solid model- to choose the best software and hard- ing and the compatibility of an open ware technology for their individual software architecture to product devel- needs. At the same time, companies are opment from design through manufac- protected against product obsolescence turing, applications built on the ACIS and have access to new technologies. open solid modeling foundation help companies generate more revenue by getting products to market sooner. ACIS- based applications help companies re- The Next Generation of Design spond faster to customers’ needs, design and Manufacturing Applications more innovative products, and manufacture products with higher quality and No single set of features in any design or greater reliability—big advantages in manufacturing application is more im- competitive markets. portant than an open software architecture and a large community of technology suppliers. No one company can supply all the best technology in every Strategic Advantage area of product development. Leading ACIS-based applications offer com- universities, research centers, software panies opportunities to gain strategic component developers, and application advantage over competitors by mak- specialists throughout the world are de- ing comprehensive product develop- veloping and testing new capabilities ment information available to all in- that will reduce cost, increase profitabil- ternal divisions and external business ity, and provide strategic advantage. partners and by making more infor- These capabilities will drive the next mation available earlier in the product generation of design and manufacturing development cycle. applications—the keys to achieving new levels of productivity and profitability.

46 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Productivity and Profitability — ACIS Open Solid Modeling Solutions

Next Generation Innovations from Worldwide Research, Software Component Developers and Application Developers

ACIS Open Modeling Applications + 3D Model Using ACIS Kernel and Components + Object ACIS Open Database = Modeling Solution = Key to New Levels of Productivity and Profits

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 47 48 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Appendix A: Open Systems Value Guide

X/Open as cited in Open Systems Today, pg. 26, July 1993.

Objective Suggested Metrics How Open Systems Add Value Improving Company Competitiveness R&D/product • Time to market • Distributed computing development – faster systems – better price/performance Manufacturing • Quality • Improved vendor communications • Cycle time – common communication standards • Manufacturing costs – greater data sharing • Easier adjustment to changes in manufacturing process – greater system flexibility – greater ease of system/software upgrade Service and • Response time • Better responsiveness through support • Quality of service improved interdepartmental communications – common communications standards Product • Inventory levels • Improved communication between delivery • % of orders shipped manufacturing and distribution • Delivery time – common communications standards – greater data sharing

Improving Overall Business Operations Better access to • Data availability • Greater ease of data sharing critical data – consistent data formats – common communications standards Better tools for • Productivity • Standard graphical user interfaces productivity improve user productivity • Availability of shrink-wrapped software Better respon- • Response time • Better application development siveness to user environments help speed software problems enhancements

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 49 Appendix A: Open Systems Value Guide

Objective Suggested Metrics How Open Systems Add Value Reducing Information Technology System Costs Multiple vendors • Number of vendors • Open architectures bidding

Lower prices • Cost of hardware • More price competition through and software multiple vendors Lower • Vendor stability • Lower investment required for open investment risk • Useful life of systems purchase system • Greater hardware and software interchangeability Low maintenance • Cost • Greater flexibility in deciding and support cost maintenance and support strategy

Improving Communication of Electronic Information Company • Availability of • Greater ease of data sharing internal information – consistent data formats • % of company – common communications standards interconnected Between • Time required for • Greater ease of data sharing company and communication – consistent data formats customers – common communications standards

Between • % of electronic vs. • Greater ease of data sharing company and paper communication – consistent data formats suppliers • Amount of just-in- – common communications standards time inventory • Smaller lot sizes

50 ACIS Open Modeling Primer Hewlett-Packard, USA, Strässle AG, Switzerland, Appendix B: Germany Germany Hitachi Zosen Information Structural Analysis Technology ACIS Licensees Systems, Japan Inc., USA I.C. Packaging Technologies, Tokyo Computer Systems, This list is changing rapidly Inc. (I.C.P.T.), USA Japan as more universities, research IBM T.J. Watson Research Toshiba Engineering centers, software component Center, USA Corporation, Japan suppliers, and application ICEM Systems, USA, Vicam Software GmbH, Austria specialists license ACIS. Germany Visual Computing Inc., USA Institute of Advanced Visual Display Systems SpA, Application System Manufacturing Sciences, Italy Developers and Indepen- Inc., USA Workgroup Technology dent Software Vendors International NC Systeme Corporation, USA GmbH, Germany xEAGLE/Abo Data Srl, Italy A. S. Thomas Inc., USA Italcad Technology Systems, Advanced Graphics Systems, Italy Volume End Users USA Logotec Software GmbH, Allied Signal Aerospace, USA Altair Computing Inc., USA Germany Boeing Computer Services, Ansoft Corp., USA Lujuusteknikka Oy, Finland USA Applicon Inc., USA Marc Analysis Research CERCA, Canada Aries Technology, Inc., USA Corp., USA CETIM, France Armonicos, Japan Mechanical Dynamics, Inc., Electricite de France ATS Technologies Ltd. USA Ford Motor Company, USA Auto-Trol Technology, USA Micro Engineering Solutions, Hughes Aircraft Co., USA Autodesk, Inc., USA USA Intel Corp., USA Automation Intelligence, USA Mitsui Zosen Systems Los Alamos National Bentley Systems Inc., USA Research Inc., Japan Laboratory, USA Brainware, Ltd., Hungary Noel Laboratory, USA Matsushita Electric Industrial, C3 Manufacturing, Partec, Germany Japan Netherlands Point Control Co., USA Mercedes Benz AG, Germany CADAM Systems Company, Radan Computational Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., USA, Japan UK Japan CADCentre, UK Renaissance Software Inc., NASA - Goddard Space Flight CADware, Italy USA Center, USA CADworks Inc., USA RIB/RZB Datenverarbeitung NCMS - Rapid Response Cimio Ltd., UK im Bauwesen GmbH, Manufacturing, USA Cognition Corp., USA Germany Northrup Corp., USA Concurrent Technologies S.I.I.E., Caroline Division, SINTEF, Norway Corp., USA France Sandia National Laboratories, dCADE GmbH, Germany Silma Inc., USA USA Digital Equipment Corp., USA Solid Software Inc., USA Sharp Corp., Japan E-Systems, USA Somatech, France Toyota Motors Corp., Japan Engineering Mechanics Sorum Architects, USA Woodward Governor, USA Research Corp., USA Spaceball Technologies, USA Wright Laboratories, Tyndall FEGS Ltd., UK Star Graphics, USA AFB, USA Godrej & Boyce, India Step Tools Inc., USA Graftek, Inc., USA STLD Srl, Italy

ACIS Open Modeling Primer 51 Appendix B: ACIS Licensees

Strategic Developers Eindhoven University of Seoul National University Technology Stanford University Alyn Rockwood (ASU), USA ETH - Zurich State University of New York Applied Geometry Corp., FHTW - Berlin - Buffalo USA Florida International Stevens Institute of Cadmus, Hungary University Technology CadZooks Inc., USA Fraunhofer Institute T.U. Delft D-Cubed Ltd., UK Gintic Institute of CIM, Technical University of Berlin Godrej & Boyce, India Singapore Technical University of Light & Asociates, USA Helsinki University of Dresden Lightwork Design Ltd, UK Technology Technische Hochschule Saltire Software, USA Heriot Watt University Darmstadt Three-Space Ltd., UK IMU - CNR Milan TNO - Bldg & Construction Woodbourne,Inc., USA Instituto Mathematica Research Other Partners Iowa State University UMIST, Manchester IPK - Berlin (Fraunhofer Universita “La Sapienza” Engineering Systems Corp., Society) Roma USA Kansas University Universitat des Saarlandes Ithaca Software, USA Karlsruhe University Universitat Erlangen - International Technegroup Korea Institute of Science Nuemberg Inc., USA and Technology Universitat-GH-Paderborn NeXT, Inc., USA Korea Institute of Ships and University of Alabama Object Design Inc., USA Ocean Engineering University of Bochum Objectivity, USA Kyoto University University of Braunschweig Olivetti, Italy Labein - Bilbao University of Bristol Quinary, Italy LCAO-IMECO, EPFL University of California at Versant Object Technology, Loughborough University Berkeley USA Louisiana State University University of Cambridge Massachusetts Institute of University of Colorado at Universities Technology Colorado Arizona State University McMaster University University of Edinburgh Ben-Gurion University National Cheng Kung University of Genoa Brigham Young University University University of Hamburg Brunel University National Chio Tung University of Hannover Carleton University University University of Illinois at Carnegie-Mellon University National Chung Hsing Urbana-Champaign CERCA University University of Maryland Chinese University of Hong National Taiwan University University of Massachusetts - Kong Ohio State University Amherst City University of London Oxford University University of Michigan Colorado State University Penn State University University of Missouri - Rolla Columbia University Pohang University University of Stuttgart Cornell University Polytechnic of Kecskemet University of Tokyo Ecole Polytechnique, Purdue University University of Twente l’University de Montreal Queens University of Belfast University of Valenciennes Ecole Polytechnique Federale Rensselaer Polytechnic University of Western Ontario de Lausanne Institute WZL Laboratorium, Germany EDRC, Glasgow University RWTH - University of Aachen Yuan-Ze Institute of Technology

52 ACIS Open Modeling Primer

For more information about ACIS open modeling solutions, contact any of the following companies.

Applicon Hewlett-Packard GmbH 4251 Plymouth Road Mechanical Design Division P.O. Box 986 Herrenberger Strasse 130 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 U.S.A. Postfach 14 30 Telephone: 313-995-6000 71034 Böblingen, Germany FAX: 313-995-6389 Telephone: 49-7031-14-3047 FAX: 49-7031-14-3930 Aries Technology 600 Suffolk Street Hitachi Zosen Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 U.S.A. Information Systems Telephone: 508-453-5310 463 Worcester Road, Suite 205 FAX: 508-458-2541 Framingham, Massachusetts 01701 U.S.A. Autodesk Telephone: 508-879-9081 2320 Marinship Way FAX: 508-872-0851 Sausalito, California 94965 U.S.A. Telephone: 800-964-6432 Point Control Co. CompuServe®: GO ADESK 1750 Willow Creek Circle P.O. Box 2709 CADCentre Ltd. Eugene, Oregon 97402 U.S.A. High Cross Telephone: 503-344-4470 Madingley Road FAX: 503-342-8277 Cambridge CB3 0HB England Telephone: 44-223-314848 STI Strässle Technische FAX: 44-223-65737 Informationssysteme AG Postfach, Kanalstrasse 33 Ford Motor Company CH-8152 Glattbrugg, Switzerland 20,000 Rotunda Drive Telephone: 41-1-828-8111 CAD/CAM Department FAX: 41-1-828-8212 Room 2228, Building #3 Dearborn, Michigan 48121 U.S.A. PDGS Development: 313-322-9073 PDGS Licensing: 313-322-3754

SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY Spatial Technology, Inc. 2425 55th Street, Building A Boulder, Colorado 80301 U.S.A. Telephone: 303-449-0649 FAX: 303-449-0883