Chapter 2: CAD
Standards
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▪ Different vendors (manufacturing) uses many types of CAD/CAM
applications.
▪ Need for CAD data standardization to link different hardware and
software system.
▪ Understand the graphic kernel system and its extensions for
developing the graphic software systems.
▪ Requirements of graphic data exchange formats and their details
such as IGES, DXF and STEP.
▪ Dimensional measurement interface specification for
communication between coordinate measuring machine and the CAD
data.
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• PHIGS (Programmer's Hierarchical Interface for Graphics)
• CORE (ACM-SIGGRAPH)
• GKS-3D
• IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification)
• DXF (Drawing Exchange Format)
• STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data)
• DMIS (Dimensional Measurement Interface Specification)
• VDI (Virtual Device Interface)
• VDM (Virtual Device Metafile)
• GKSM (GKS Metafile)
• NAPLPS (North American Presentation Level Protocol Syntax)
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Various standards in graphics
programming
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Graphical Kernel System (GKS)
▪ Was the first ISO standard for low-level computer
graphics, introduced in 1977. GKS provides a set of
drawing features for two-dimensional vector graphics
suitable for charting and similar duties.
▪ The calls are designed to be portable across different
programming languages, graphics devices and
hardware, so that applications written to use GKS will
be readily portable to many platforms and devices.
▪ Defines a common interface to interactive computer
graphics for creating, manipulating, and displaying or
printing computer graphics on different types of
computer graphics output devices. 5
GKS
▪ Main objectives that were put forward for GKS are:
– To provide the complete range of graphical
facilities in 2D, including the interactive
capabilities.
– To control all types of graphic devices such as
plotter and display devices in a consistent manner.
– To be small enough for a variety of programs.
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Layer model of Graphics
Kernel System
▪ Major contribution of GKS for graphic programming-
layer model.
▪ Environment for user to work in GKS-workstation (eg:
VDU, plotter or printer)
▪ For programmers, all workstations are identical-
characteristics of workstations are built in GKS-possible
to work simultaneously on more than one workstation 7
▪ Input methods:
1. LOCATOR – a means of entering the location in world coordinates,
(X,Y).
2. VALUATOR – inputs real value in terms of distances.
3. CHOICE – selects from a set of alternatives for example an integer
options such as 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.
4. PICK – to select an object or segment in a drawing already created,
identifies a displayed object.
5. STRING – inputs a string of character values.
6. STROKE – to provide continuously the location values in world
coordinates, sequence of (X,Y) positions
▪ To draw lines-PEN (attributes for thickness, color and line
types)
▪ In GKS, pictures are considered to be constructed from a
number of basic building blocks.
▪ These basic building blocks or primitives are of a number of
types each of which can be used to describe a different
component of a picture.
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▪ 5 basic primitives in GKS:
1. POLYLINE – which draws a sequence of connected line segments; for lines
after specifying the line type, line width and line color.
2. POLYMARKER – which marks a sequence of points with the same symbol;
for specific marker types after specifying the type, size and color.
3. GENERALISED DRAWING PRIMITIVES (GDP) – for specific graphic
primitives such as arc, circle, ellipse, spline, etc.
4. TEXT – which draws a string of characters; after specifying font type,
precision, color, height of the box, expansion factor, spacing, up vector and
the path (left, right, up or down).
5. FILLAREA – which displays a specified area; for hatching and filling of
areas.
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Layer model of Graphics
Kernel System
Capable to be integrated into all communication networks such as
television broadcasting signals, videotape etc.
Color look-up tables from part of NAPLPS transmission – enable large range
of colors to be produce instantaneously on host system.
With developments of VLSI(Very Large Scale Integration) technology, these
graphic standards already started appearing in hardware in the form of
graphic adapter cards or special purpose chips (IC) to improve the
graphic performance
(e.g. VLSI VL82C106 Super I/O chip,
G-Force 6600GT (128MB) Graphic Card) 2004 – 250USD
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti ACX (8GB) 2018 – 650USD
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Exchange of data
modeling
- Since CAD/CAM software is available from a number of
vendors, it is necessary that information can be
interchanged from different systems to avoid duplication
of effort involved in geometric model creation.
- It is possible to identify a certain format for drawing
exchange and make it standard so that various systems
can convert their internal format to this standard.
- Example of standards: IGES (developed by NBS USA), DXF
(AutoCAD software on IBM PC compatible)
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Data exchange
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Development
in drawing
data exchange
formats
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CAD/CAM systems in the
Indian market
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IGES (Initial Graphics
Exchange Specification)
- The most comprehensive standard and is designed to
transmit the entire product definition including that of
manufacturing and any other associated information.
- CAD user can exchange product data models in the form
of circuit diagrams, wireframe, freeform surface or solid
modeling representations. Applications supported by
IGES include traditional engineering drawings, models
for analysis, and other manufacturing functions.
- The records are present with 80 column fields, with
columns 1 to 72 providing the data and columns 73 to 80
providing a sequence number for the record with
identification as to the location of the sub-section.
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IGES (Initial Graphics
Exchange Specification)
6 sub-sections:
1. Flag Section
2. Start Section
3. Global Section
4. Directory Entry Section
5. Parameter Data Section
6. Terminate Section
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Data interchange method
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Component drawing and
part of IGES file generated
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STEP: Standard for the Exchange
of Product model Data
▪ Officially is ISO standard 10303 (Product data
representation and exchange)
▪ A series of International Standards with goal of defining
data across full engineering and manufacturing life cycle.
▪ Main goal : able to share data across applications, across
vendor platforms and between contractors, suppliers and
customers.
▪The broad scope of STEP is as follows:
1. The standard method of representing the information necessary to
completely define a product throughout its entire life, i.e., from
the product conception to the end of useful life.
2. Standard methods for exchanging the data electronically between
two different systems
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STEP: Standard for the Exchange
of Product model Data
STEP documentation is split into eight major areas:
1. Overview
2. Description methods
3. Implementation methods
4. Conformance and tools
5. Integrated- generic resources
6. Application information models
7. Application protocols
8. Application interpreted constructs
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STEP Application Protocol
AP 203 Explicit Drafting
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STEP Application Protocol AP 203
Configuration Controlled Design
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DXF – Drawing Exchange
Format
- The DXF format has been developed and supported by
Autodesk for use with the AutoCAD drawing files- used for
lower end drafting and model information exchange.
- Not an industry standard developed by any standards
organization, but in view of the widespread use of AutoCAD
made it a default standard for use of a variety of CAD/CAM
vendors.
- A Drawing Interchange File is simply an ASCII text file with a
file extension of .DXF and specially formatted text.DXF files
are either standard ASCII text or special binary form files
which are more compact.
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Organization of DXF File
- Overall organization of a DXF file:
1. HEADER Section
2. CLASSES Section
3. TABLES Section
4. BLOCKS Section
5. ENTITIES Section
6. OBJECTS Section
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DMIS – Dimensional Measurement
Interface Specification
- Is a new standard in communication being established by CAM-I for
manufacturing.
- This standard tries to establish a means of knowing what has been
made by CAM process.
- Main objective : to provide a bi-directional communication of
inspection data between computer systems and inspection equipment.
- Database is in form of geometric instructions and manufacturing
information is already present, which is being used by some part of the
part programming systems of automatically converting into CNC part
programs.
- From same database, it is also possible to generate inspection
programs for the co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM).
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Product Development
Cycle
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Co-ordinate Systems
- Right handed Cartesian co-ordinate system is used for
defining geometry of part.
- Types of co-ordinate systems:
▪ World co-ordinate system (WCS)
▪ User co-ordinate system (UCS)
▪ Display co-ordinate system (DCS)
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Example
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(WCS) World Co-ordinate
System
▪ This refers to the actual co-ordinate system used as
master for the component.
▪ Some times it may also be called as model co-ordinate
system.
▪ Default coordinate system when user starts modeling.
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UCS (User Co-ordinate
System)
▪ However, sometimes it becomes difficult to define
certain geometries if they are to be defined from the
WCS. In such cases alternate co-ordinate systems can be
defined relative to the WCS.
▪ These co-ordinate systems are termed as user co-
ordinate systems (UCS) or working co-ordinate systems.
▪ UCS can be defined by shifting origin only or by
combining origin with orientation of axes as well.
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(DCS) Display Co-ordinate
System
▪ This refers to the actual co-ordinates to be used for displaying the image
on the screen.
▪ Also known as screen coordinate system
▪ The actual screen coordinates relate to the pixels whether actual values of
the screen or the virtual image that can be displayed to help in image
display.
▪ Virtual size will be larger than the actual pixels of screen resolution.
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