Western Canada PTC Weekly Email

Western Canada PTC Weekly Email
June 20, 2000

Topics:

A) Flexible Engineering Seminar - Sign up Today! Space is Limited!

B) PTC Product Focus: DIVISION ProductView and DIVISION Mockup

C) This week's technical tip

D) Upcoming Events & Training Schedules

A)Flexible Engineering Seminar : July 11, 2000 - Vancouver, BC & July 18, 2000 - Calgary, Alberta

Come see PTC's vision of flexible engineering become reality with the latest groundbreaking release of Pro/ENGINEER Release 2000i².

Where can you learn about the latest updates to Pro/Engineer and Windchill technologies? Where can you network with some of Western Canada's best Pro/Engineer users? Where can you get a free lunch?

These are all good reasons to come to the Flexible Engineering Seminar on July 11 or 18.

Even if you can't make it for the whole day, come for lunch and enjoy the afternoon sessions.

To find out more, and to register.... go to the following link:

http://www.ptc.com/events/flex_eng/

B) PTC Product Focus: DIVISION ProductView and DIVISION Mockup

I.DIVISION ProductView

ProductView is a web-based view and access tool enabling universal access to product design information. The ProductView client software allows users to view all types of electronic product information including: Product structure, 3D CAD data, 2D drawings, raster images, metadata, and documents. Users can view native CAD data from a wide range of systems including: Pro/ENGINEER, CADDS5, AutoCAD, CATIA, SolidWorks, and Unigraphics.ProductView Extracts native geometry directly from the 3D CAD data and as such precise measurements and mass calculations can be taken from your CAD data. Users can additionally access several PDM systems including: Pro/Intralink, Optegra, Pro/PDM, Sherpa, and Matrix.

Key features and benefits include:

Feature	Benefit
Ease of use	No need for expertise in complex CAD systems to view and mark-up design data.No need for access to specialist workstations.An intuitive, web-based interface enables rapid deployment and time-to-benefit with minimal training.
Enterprise-wide data access	Allows multidisciplinary review and analysis of design data through an easy to use, intuitive interface.Enables suppliers and customers to quickly access data without the need for specialized hardware and software.
Web-based view and access	Provides a common, intuitive interface to disparate sources of design data (CAD, PDM, etc.), independent of the program that created it.Utilizes standard web technology.
Modular architecture	Scaleable, configurable.Can be easily expanded as data needs grow.
Data caching	Speeds data access.No need for ?batch conversions?.Dynamically checks user requests against the most recent source data and converts only as necessary.
Access to product structure	Enables viewing of appropriate product structure and review of the associated attributes without requiring the entire model to be loaded.
Associated attribute data	Each node in the product structure may contain any type of data: Geometry, drawings, images, OLE objects, documents, meta-data, web page references, etc.
3D Model Viewer	Universal accessibility to CAD geometry with a single, easy to use interface to access otherwise complex data without a CAD seat.Enables shaded, wireframe, transparent, and hidden-line viewing.Retains original CAD topology.
Multiple Component Viewing	Provides the ability to open multiple windows for multiple component viewing within the same viewer.Windows can easily be cascaded or tiled.Buttons in the toolbar dynamically update depending on the type of component activated. Tabs indicate which document windows have been opened.
Improved Feedback	Buttons have an intuitive associated mouse icon. User will be able to tell whether the mouse is in a measurement, sectioning, flythrough or various other modes from the shape of the mouse cursor.
Groups	Allows grouping of selected objects with a defined name. Grouped objects can be recalled at a later time and operations performed on the group without having to re-select individual objects.
Measurement tool	Accurate to original CAD geometry. Provides various measuring options that snap to desired geometry.Tool displays legitimate snap points for measurement during mouse drag over geometry to aid user in locating desired measurement points.
Sectioning tool	3D cross-sectioning with separate 2D view.Accurate to original CAD geometry, i.e. can take dimensions etc. Allows creation of different sectioning geometry for use during sectioning. Created sectioning plane can be dragged to position the section to the desired location.Sectioning increment can be adjusted by dragging the sectioning plane with the mouse.
Mass properties	Enables interrogation of object mass, area, and volume as well as center of mass information.
Integrated mark-up	Mark-up any data accessible through the client: 3D geometry, drawings, images, documents, cross-sections, etc.Includes email and ftp access to notify users and post mark-ups to web server or PDM.Uses standard HTTP protocols.
Annotation	Create annotations on both 3D and 2D data that is stored as a graphic overlay associated with the data.Multiple annotations can be viewed simultaneously, and retain the 3D view at the time of creation. Annotations can be stored and accessed at a later time.
Raster image viewer	View most common image formats. In addition images can be rotated with 90 degree increments.
Vector drawing viewer	Supports DWG, DXF, HPGL and major CAD drawing formats.Enables zoom, pan, printing and viewing of multi-sheet drawings and overlays.
Drawing compare	Compare multiple drawings, and review changes.
Document viewer	Basic document viewer enables access to any rich-text format documentEnhanced document viewer enables viewing of most popular desktop application formats: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, WordPerfect, FrameMaker, AmiPro, Quattro Pro, WordStar, Lotus, Harvard Graphics, Dbase, Paradox.
Document Printing	Print single or multiple documents, with the option of printing a watermark.
OLE object viewer	Displays any media for which there is an OLE server present: PowerPoint presentation, Excel objects, WAVE sound files, video and more.
Simulation player	View complex, interactive simulations such as assembly/disassembly sequences or training scenarios. Fly-through very large assemblies (100,000 parts or more) and interact with simulations as they run.
Fly through	Enables flythrough for close-up viewing and analysis of objects.Level of detail is dynamically adjusted during flythrough of large assemblies for increased rendering performance.
Dynamic Explosion	Allows explosion of objects with a simple drag of a mouse in the direction of a specified axis. The axis can be a bounding box or a user defined axis. The length of the drag determines the amount of explosion associated with the dragged object. The shift key can be used to rotate a selected object instead of drag.
Performance	Allows fast rendering of large assemblies by dynamically controlling the LOD displayed during rotations, flythrough, zooming etc.. using geometry and feature reduction techniques. Object with full level of detail are immediately rendered when the object becomes static after the rotation, flythrough, zooming etc?
Visibility control	Allows for control of Color, Visibility and Material property of an object and its associated children. These controls can be inherited or set on individual components depending on preferences set by the user.
Multi component selection	Multiple components within ProductView can be selected by a simple drag of the select button across components. You can remove components that are not currently selected using the Unload command while holding the Shift key.This functionality is useful for removing large data sets from the view window.
Printing capabilities	Provides ability to print the various formats supported by ProductView.The batch printing utility allows selection of multiple types of documents, models, and drawings for printing, including OLE documents. The batch printing utility allows re-ordering of documents, drawings etc? to be printed. Printing can also be invoked from command line. In addition, the print utility allows placing watermarks on printouts.
Native application viewing	Allows documents in ProductView to be retrieved by the native application.This allows Microsoft word, excel and other authoring applications to be launched from ProductView.
Saving product structure in zipped format	Allows saving product structure files in a zipped format (.edz) that includes product structure and available files. The zipped file can easily be attached to e-mails and sent to other users or suppliers.
Server Performance	Allows indexing of databases in the Engineering data repository for fast response when performing queries. Query results are returned in manageable chunks (default is 20 rows ? can be adjusted) thus avoiding swamping the browser with a large html page.
Scalability	Each user query runs completely independently in its own thread of execution. Allows multiple storage roots to be setup for load distribution. Common storage roots allow automatic synchronization with other servers sharing the common storage root.
Security	Takes full advantage of NT security providing ability to assign security to a database, a project, or an individual object. If a user does not have access rights, they will not see the database, project, or object.
Search Utility	Graphics Server provides various search utility to select object for viewing. PDM object adapters provide various search capabilities including searches using system and user defined attributes.
Administration Utility	Allows easy creation of databases and projects.Also allows easy assignment of access control to databases and projects. Provides ability to cut/copy/paste/delete/rename/view any object in the data repository.
Purge Utility	Command line utility that allows purging old versions of data in the repository. The utility takes various arguments to facilitate data selection for purging.
Batch Publish Utility	Provides utility for publishing data to the repository in unattended batch mode.Various search scripts or list of objects can be input as arguments to initiate the batch publish.

II.Division Mockup

DIVISION MockUp 2000i is a family of tools for generating advanced virtual mockups to enable design and manufacturing companies to study the form, fit and function of their products.

DIVISION MockUp 2000i provides a comprehensive range of tools in the following key areas:

Real-time Visualisation of the Largest Assemblies

The largest assemblies (100,000s of parts) can be quickly imported into DIVISION MockUp 2000i allowing you to work within the context of the overall design. The advanced rendering technology within DIVISION MockUp 2000i provides you with real-time flythrough of large assemblies and the ability to easily pick and move parts. You have access to the entire product structure, allowing you to control which sub-assemblies are loaded and quickly fly to selected parts and assemblies.

Analysis of Form and Fit

·With the Interference Manager, users can identify soft and hard clashes of the entire design including moving parts. By creating sets of components users can quickly manage and test for clashes between sets (e.g. do any electrical components clash with HVAC) or test within sets (e.g. do any engine parts clash with each other). The interference reports allow the user to step through each interference, view details of the clash (e.g. the polyline where parts interfere), and save for later analysis or dissemination.

·Users can quickly create multiple section cuts and manipulate these in real-time.

·DIVISION MockUp 2000i 2.0 users will be able to measure distances within the Virtual Product on a point-to-point basis.

·The creation of interactive animations (using the Sequencer Tool) allows the study of assembly and disassembly sequences, maintenance validation, etc.

·Real-time joints and part constraints may be coupled with realistic part behaviors to study in real-time how the design will function, how it will be used, etc.

Enhanced Communication

A powerful tool for frequent design reviews, DIVISION MockUp 2000i improves communication by allowing users to communicate in real-time and work within a concurrent environment. Multiple users (which may be at different sites) can conduct collaborative design reviews, immediately seeing changes made by other users.

·The common Virtual Product provides a medium through which frequent design reviews can be easily prepared to enhance communication both vertically and horizontally across the extended enterprise

·Concurrency is improved by allowing teams to evaluate their part of larger projects within the context of the WHOLE design. i.e. electrical teams can validate harness routes around the engine and through bodywork. By ensuring that the Virtual Product is accessible to multiple design teams (generally in read-only mode) multiple teams can work concurrently.

·Content created in DIVISION MockUp 2000i can be easily distributed throughout the enterprise within interactive web documents (through EchoCast) or as MPEG movies.

Simple Data access and Integration

DIVISION MockUp 2000i is designed to allow you to access data from multiple CAD sources into a single virtual mockup. The virtual mockup is more than just static 3D CAD data - it provides a common medium for design analysis, visualization and communication. Just 5-10% of the size of source CAD data, the virtual mockup provides a compact medium for easy deployment and sharing of product data.

DIVISION MockUp 2000I supports the easy import of data from the following sources: Pro/ENGINEER, CATIA, CADDS, I-DEAS, Unigraphics, Microstation, Alias, IGES, STL, VRML, Inventor, 3D StudioMax, Wavefront, MultiGen and DXF.

DIVISION MockUp 2000i has been designed to integrate with PDM systems and user working practices. Supported PDM systems include EPD.Connect.

Simulation of Function

MockUp 2000i incorporates a powerful event and action metaphor which allows users to build fully functional virtual models. A number of predefined event types (e.g. Collide, Pick, Touch, Create, Delete, Move, etc.) are provided to trigger or sequence behaviors. The behaviors are constructed from actions which can simulate all aspects of design interaction and behavior.

Some key benefits:

·Build interactive training manuals

·Conduct operator studies - study how the backhoe is manipulated

·Create functional SmartPartswhich behave as the in the real world

-actuators which manipulate flaps

-doors that open

-radios that switch on and play music

-parts which monitor user proximity to hazardous conditions

-parts which link to other systems

-mechanisms which operate

Scalable interface

Uniquely, DIVISION MockUp 2000I provides a common family of tools and data for deployment across the widest range of hardware platforms and user interfaces: from low end PCs, through engineering desktop workstations, through to high-end visualization hardware and projection environments (including CAVE), thereby protecting customer investment in DIVISION MockUp 2000i and the virtual mockup

DIVISION MockUp 2000i provides a unique range of options for interacting with and viewing the Virtual Product, including 2D mouse, Spaceball, 3D mouse, CyberGlove, a variety of projection systems (including stereo) and tracked head mounted displays.

Integration into Working Processes

As a product moves through its lifecycle, the Virtual Product continues to provide an interactive nucleus for frequent design reviews. With seamless CAD integration, the mockup can be automatically kept up to date with any changes to components or product structure, ensuring that your users work in the context of the latest state of the design. Additionally, PDM users can integrate DIVISION MockUp 2000i to manage the virtual mockup and deploy it across the enterprise.

C) Tip & Technique:

Automated Simplified Reps-Added Intelligence Improves Large Assembly Performance

Pro/ENGINEER 2000i² contains over 400 new and exciting enhancements in it’s Mechanical Design Portfolio and related suite of solutions.A powerful enhancement that has been made to the Large Assembly Management functionality is the ability to create Automated Simplified Representations.

Key features include:

Associative Definition Rules

·These are rules which are automatically reapplied while the design evolves ensuring up-to-date Simplified Rep content.

On-Demand Simplified Representations

·This improves performance by adding or removing design data in memory dynamically. The system is providing additional design content as required by a users actions, ensuring the minimal amount of design data is being used at all times.

To understand this better, assume that we are working with a Graphics Representation of a large assembly.In order to assemble a component into this assembly, the user must fetch the required geometric information into memory before this action can be completed.This means that the Geometry Rep or the Master Rep must be retrieved which may take some time depending on the size of the assembly, thus making this an undesirable solution.However, using Automated Simplified Representations, the user has the ability to perform the assembly action from within the Graphics Rep of the assembly.This is possible because as the user assembles the component, Pro/ENGINEER automatically brings into memory the geometric information needed to properly place the component in the assembly.Once the component is completely assembled, Pro/ENGINEER automatically removes this information from memory and returns all components, including the one being assembled, to the Graphics Representation.

To Create and Automatic Simplified Rep:

Open a simplified rep by selecting File, Open, Open Rep.
Select the Enable On-Demand Updating

This will bring up the On-Demand Simplified Rep Settings dialogue box where you can select your desired options for how the Automatic Rep should behave.

4.Select OK from the dialogue box and the Automatic Simplified Rep is now activated.

I will demonstrate this new functionality at the FLEXIBLE ENGINEERING SEMINARS in July so keep this in mind.

D) Upcoming Events & Training Schedule

July 11, 2000     Flexible Engineering Seminar - Vancouver, BC      http://www.ptc.com/events/flex_eng/index.htm
July 18, 2000     Flexible Engineering Seminar - Calgary, AB          http://www.ptc.com/events/flex_eng/index.htm
                         Vancouver Pro/E Users Group Meeting                 http://www.provan.org/
2001                  Pro/USER International Conference                     http://www.prouser.org/2000conf/index.htm

Call Terri Kartonchik @ (905)602-4660 x256	*PTC MISSISSAUGA, ON, CANADA*
DATE	CLASS
22-June-00	Pro/ENGINEER For Managers
26-June-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER
6-July-00	Pro/ENGINEER System Administration
10-July-00	Fundamentals of Design
17-July-00	Fundamentals of Pro/MECHANICA Structure/Thermal Training
24-July-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER
31-July-00	Fundamentals of Drawing

Call Mike Paskerian @ (425)455-1930	*PTC BELLEVUE, WA, USA*
DATE	CLASS
26-June-00	Fundamentals of Design
6-July-00	Advanced Surfacing
12-July-00	Fundamentals of Pro/MECHANICA Motion Training
17-July-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER
24-July-00	Importing/Exporting 3D Data
25-July-00	Large Assembly Management
27-July-00	Advanced Top-Down Design
31-July-00	Fundamentals of Drawing

Call Christy Kendrick @ 905-625-2000/888-695-9997 Ext 2234	*RAND RICHMOND, BC, CANADA*
DATE	CLASS
21-June-00	Cable/Harness/Design
26-June-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER
10-July-00	Pro/INTRALINK Administration
10-July-00	Pro/INTRALINK User
14-July-00	Piping Design
17-July-00	Fundamentals of Drawing
24-July-00	Fundamentals of Drawing
31-July-00	Advanced Surfacing

Call Kelly Coates @ 905-625-2000/888-695-9997 Ext 2310	*RAND MISSISSAUGA, ON, CANADA*
DATE	CLASS
26-June-00	Fundamentals of Pro/MECHANICA Structure/Thermal Training
10-July-00	Advanced Surfacing
12-July-00	Fundamentals of Sheetmetal Design
12-July-00	System Administration
17-July-00	Fundamentals of Design
17-July-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER
24-July-00	Fundamentals of Drawing
24-July-00	Advanced Surfacing
26-July-00	Importing and Exporting 3D Data
27-July-00	Release 2000i Core Update
28-July-00	Advanced Top Down Design
31-July-00	Pro/INTRALINK Administration
31-July-00	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER

PTC

Suite 200
1311 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC
V6Z-2P3
Phone: 604-691-1758, 888-791-5511

Note: This weekly PTC email will continue to be used for the following:

1) Inform you on events in Western Canada related to PTC products. (user groups, conferences, training schedules, etc.)

2) Educate you on products that are available at PTC

3) Tips and Techniques using PTC products

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