CAD/CAM software

CAD/CAM software

2
• An investigation of existing CAD/CAM software in general reveals
th t it has
that h common characteristics
h t i ti regardless
dl off the
th hardware
h d it
runs on. It is an interactive program typically written in a standard
programming language: FORTRAN, PASCAL, or C. It is usually
hardware‐dependent
p and seems different to the user from
conventional software due to the user interface.
• The database structure and database management system of the
software determines its quality, speed, and ease of information
retrieval.
t i l Users
U off the
th software
ft are usually
ll faced
f d withith learning
l i its
it
related semantics and syntax of its user interface.
• Semantics specifies how the software functions and what
information is needed for each operation on an object.
object Semantics
are usually bounded by the principles and theories underlying a
given field. Syntax defines the format of inputs and outputs. It is
considered the grammar of the software. It specifies the rules that
users must follow to achieve the desired semantics.
semantics
• The most important
p characteristic of CAD/CAM software is its
fully three dimensional, associative, centralised, and integrated
database. Such a database is always rich in information needed
for both the design
g and manufacturingg p processes.
• The centralised concept implies that any changes in or additions
to a geometric model in one of its views is automatically reflected
in the existing views or any views that may be defined later.
later
• The integrated concept implies that a geometric model of an
object can be utilised in all various phases of a product cycle.
• The associativity concept implies that input information can be
retrieved in various forms. For example. if the two endpoints of a
line are input, the line length and its dimension can be output.
 Data structure
Data structure
Formallyy a data structure is defined as a set of data items or
elements that are related to each other by a set of relations.
Applying these relations to the elements of the set results in a
meaningful object.
object From a CAD/CAM point of view, view a data
structure is a scheme, logic, or a sequence of steps developed
to achieve a certain graphics, non graphics, and/or a
programming goal.
Data structure
Data structure
 Data structure
Data structure
• As an example consider the object shown in Fig. 2.1. Three
different types of data structures have been identified to
construct the object. They are based on edges, vertices, or
blocks. Within the context of the above formal definition of
a data structure, the set of edges, vertices, or blocks is the
set of data items for each type, and edges, vertices, or blocks
are the data items themselves.
• Furthermore, the connectivity vertices for the first type, the
edge information for the second, and the set operations for
the
h third
hi d form
f the
h set off relations
l i required
i d by
b eachh type. As
A
an example, [1, A&B] indicates that vertex 1 is shared by
edge A and B while [A, 1&4] indicates that edge A has two
vertices 1 and 4.
 Database
• The term “database” is commonly y used and may y mean
different things to different users. Formally, a database is
defined as an organized collection of graphics and
nongraphics data stored on secondary storage in the
computer.
• From a software development point of view, a decision on
the data structure has to be made first, followed by a choice
of database to implement such a structure. There may exist
more than one alternative of database to implement a given
data structure.
 Databases objectives
• The objective of a database is to collect and maintain data in a central
storage so that it will be available for operations and decision
decision-making.
making.
The advantages that accrue fro having centralised control of data, or a
centralised database, is manifold:
1. Eliminate redundancy. This is important for integrated CAD/CAM
functions and CIM applications. The database should be rich enough to
support all various phases of product design and manufacturing. If both
design and manufacturing departments, for example, have access to the
same database,
database inconsistent and conflicting decisions are inherently
eliminated, and data is shared by all applications.
2. Enforce standards. With central control of the database, both national
and international standards are followed. Dimensioningg and tolerancingg
are examples. In addition, company can develop its own internal
standards required by various departments. Standards are desirable for
data interchange or migration between systems.
 Databases objectives
3. Apply security restrictions. Access to sensitive data and
projects
j can be
b checked
h k d and d controlled
ll d by
b assigning
i i each h
user the proper access code (read, write, delete, copy, and/or
none)) to various p
parts of the database.
4. Maintain integrity. The integrity of the database ensures its
accuracy. Lack of database integrity can result in inputting
i
inconsistent
i t t data.
d t
5. Balance conflicting requirements. Compromises can easily be
made when designing
g g a model of the centralised database to
provide its overall bestperformance.
 Databases types
• CAD/CAM databases must be able to store p pictorial data in
addition to textural and alphanumeric data typically stored
in conventional databases. The most popular database
models are:
1. Relational database. Data is stored in tables, called relations,
that are related to each other. One of the disadvantages of
the relational database is that it requires substantial sorting,
which might result in slowing the system response to user
commands.
2. Hierarchical database. In this model, data is represented by
a tree structure.
 Databases types
yp
3. Network database. The network approach permits modelling
of many-to-many correspondence more directly than the
hierarchical approaches. The prime disadvantage of the
network approach
pp is its undue complexity
p y both in the
database structure itself and in the associated programming
of it.
4 Object-oriented
4. Obj i d database.
d b U lik conventional
Unlike i l database
d b
processing, CAD/CAM applications require object-oriented
accessingg and manipulation;
p that is, units of retrieval and
storage are design objects and not individual records in files.
These design objects also form the basis for ensuring
database integrity upon the insertion,
insertion deletion,
deletion or
modification of component objects.
Object-oriented
j database seem to be ideal for CAD/CAM
applications. Hybrid database models may also be useful. The
following are some of the functional requirements and
specifications
p that CAD/CAM databases must support:
pp
1. Multiple engineering applications from conceptual design to
manufacturing operations.
2 Dynamic modification and extension of the database and its
2.
associatively.
3.The iterative nature of design. CAD/CAM database
management systems must support the h tentative,
i i
iterative,
i
and evolutionary nature of the design process.
g versions and levels of detail.
4. Design
5. Concurrent and multiple users must be supported from the
d b
database.
6. Temporary database support. Due to the iterative nature of
design, earlier generated data may not be committed to the
database until the design process is completed.
7. Free design sequence. The database system should not
impose constraints on the h designer
d to follow
f ll b
because
different designs require different sequences.
8. Easy access. Application programs requiring data from a
CAD/CAM database should not require extensive knowledge
of the database structure to extract the data needed. This is
i
important
t t in
i customising
t ii CAD/CAM systems
t f specific
for ifi
design and manufacturing procedures.
 Database management system
Database management system
• A DBMS is defined as the software that allows access to use and/or
modify data stored in a database.
• The DBMS forms a layer of software between the physical database
itself (i.e., stored data) and the users of this database. In general, a
DBMS is responsible for all database-related activities such as creating
files,checking for illegal users of the database, and synchronising user
access to the database.
database
• The requirements of a DBMS for CAD/CAM are fundamentally different
from those required by commercial data processing applications.
Therefore, current DBMS and techniques that are originally designed to
support business data processing are not directly applicable to
CAD/CAM databases. The latter are characterised by many
 Database management system
Database management system
• different data types and also large numbers of instances of
eachh type; that
h is,
i these
h d b
databases exhibit
hibi very large,
l b
but
static, database structures.
• In addition, CAD/CAM databases must support complex
relationships between data items in contrast to business
databases that are designed for record keeping and modeling
off relatively
l ti l simple
i l relationships
l ti hi between
b t d t types.
data t
• Another fundamental difference is that business databases
are relatively y stable over time. However, CAD/CAM
databases must reflect the iterative nature of design and
manufacturing. Object-oriented databases and their related
DBMSs seem to be ideal for CAD/CAM and can result ina
significant improvement of CAD CAM systems.
 User interface
User interface
• A user interface is defined as a collection of commands that
users can use to interact with a particular CAD/CAM
system.
• User-interface or man-machine dialogue represents the only
means of communication between users and CAD/CAM
software.
• The language of the interface should be simple enough for
the user to understand. It should also be efficient and
complete and should have a natural grammar, that is, the
minimum
i i number
b off easy-to-grasp rules.l Thi helps
This h l
minimise user training and allows the user to concentrate on
the problem to be solved.
• The user interface should allow the user to undo mistakes if
needed.
 User interface
User interface
• Regardless of the type of user interface, the generic
structure of a CAD/CAM command consists of two parts:
user communication and database communication.
• The user communication part includes the dialogue that the
user follows to achieve specific goals.
• The database part includes the geometrical data input to or
retrieved from the database.
• For example, consider creating a line between the two points
(5 2,
(5, 2 0) and (4,
(4 5,
5 0) using the command “LINE”
LINE . LINE is
considered the first part of the command and the
coordinates are the database part. Fig. 2.4 shows a typical
menu structure.