CA2371622C - Cell descriptor - Google Patents
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- CA2371622C CA2371622C CA002371622A CA2371622A CA2371622C CA 2371622 C CA2371622 C CA 2371622C CA 002371622 A CA002371622 A CA 002371622A CA 2371622 A CA2371622 A CA 2371622A CA 2371622 C CA2371622 C CA 2371622C
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06T19/00—Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F30/00—Computer-aided design [CAD]
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F2111/00—Details relating to CAD techniques
- G06F2111/04—Constraint-based CAD
Abstract
A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management.
Cell descriptors are used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model.
The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells.
The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.
Cell descriptors are used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model.
The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells.
The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.
Description
CELL DESCRIPTOR
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to the field computer-aided design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), computer aided engineering (CAE), and product lifecycle management systems (PLM).
Known CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM systems (hereinafter "CAD" systems) generally include a geometrical modeler, which is in charge of building and maintaining model geometry at all times. Each geometrical element of a model, that is to say each vertex, edge, face and each volume of the model, corresponds to a different cell in the geometrical modeler. For example, a model of a square box would have a cell for each comer of the box (eight cells), each edge of the box (twelve cells), each face of the box (six cells), and the volume of the box (one cell). Generally, each cell has a unique identifier, and contains data defining the specific geometric feature with which it is associated.
More advanced known CAD systems build the geometry of a model from higher level specifications, called features, which are more intuitive for users and provide the user with a more flexible and more general way of defining the geometry he seeks to achieve. In such feature-based systems, a model is defined as a set of features. An example of a feature would be a cylinder, a hole, a fillet on an edge, or a rectangular box.
Features are often represented in a feature tree, which is a listing of all of the features comprising a model. A feature tree can exist in many forms. For example, it can be expressed in the form of a simple table listing all the features of the model, or it can take the form of feature icons displayed on the screen of a CAD system simultaneously with the display of the model.
The geometry corresponding to the set of features is a set of cells, in which each vertex, each edge, each face and each volume corresponds to a specific cell. A
model feature, depending on its character and complexity, when translated into cells, may translate into as few as no cells (as in the case of a non-geometrical feature, such as a Qeometrical constraint), one cell, or many geometrical cells. On the other hand, each geometrical cell may come from one or more features. In other words, two or more features of a model may have common cells. In feature-based CAD systems, the geometric modeler is usually associated with a component, sometimes called the topological journal, which keeps track of the history of topological modifications in the model, and another component, sometimes called the generic name server, discussed below.
Some features of a model can be expressed purely in terms of their geometrical characteristics. For example, a parallelepiped box can usually be characterized simply by its dimensions in an x, y, z coordinate system. Other features, however, cannot be so simply characterized. For example, a particular edge of the box referred to above cannot usually be identified purely by its geometrical characteristics. It is only by reference to the box and by additional specifications of its position on the box that the edge can be uniquely identified. Such a unique identifier of a cell containing this additional information is known as the "generic name" of the cell, and is generated by the generic name server. The generic name of a cell is stored in the model together with the cell itself.
Current generic naming schemes suffer from a lot of drawbacks. The generic names created by the system, when they can be accessed, are extremely complex to read so that it is almost impossible for all but the most experienced computer experts to read and/or write generic names. Also, they are based on system logic, which is usually quite different from the logic employed by users when envisioning models. These drawbacks make it very difficult if not impossible for users to write a script describing cells they want to act upon. This is a major disadvantage of current systems, particularly for users who want Lo design and modify a model by means of scripting language only. It also prevents users from using their own logic of the association between features by forcing them to rely on the associativity defined by the system's own logic.
There is therefore a need for a system that would allow a user to easily identify a cell or set of cells of a model using simple and intuitive syntax.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to the field computer-aided design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), computer aided engineering (CAE), and product lifecycle management systems (PLM).
Known CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM systems (hereinafter "CAD" systems) generally include a geometrical modeler, which is in charge of building and maintaining model geometry at all times. Each geometrical element of a model, that is to say each vertex, edge, face and each volume of the model, corresponds to a different cell in the geometrical modeler. For example, a model of a square box would have a cell for each comer of the box (eight cells), each edge of the box (twelve cells), each face of the box (six cells), and the volume of the box (one cell). Generally, each cell has a unique identifier, and contains data defining the specific geometric feature with which it is associated.
More advanced known CAD systems build the geometry of a model from higher level specifications, called features, which are more intuitive for users and provide the user with a more flexible and more general way of defining the geometry he seeks to achieve. In such feature-based systems, a model is defined as a set of features. An example of a feature would be a cylinder, a hole, a fillet on an edge, or a rectangular box.
Features are often represented in a feature tree, which is a listing of all of the features comprising a model. A feature tree can exist in many forms. For example, it can be expressed in the form of a simple table listing all the features of the model, or it can take the form of feature icons displayed on the screen of a CAD system simultaneously with the display of the model.
The geometry corresponding to the set of features is a set of cells, in which each vertex, each edge, each face and each volume corresponds to a specific cell. A
model feature, depending on its character and complexity, when translated into cells, may translate into as few as no cells (as in the case of a non-geometrical feature, such as a Qeometrical constraint), one cell, or many geometrical cells. On the other hand, each geometrical cell may come from one or more features. In other words, two or more features of a model may have common cells. In feature-based CAD systems, the geometric modeler is usually associated with a component, sometimes called the topological journal, which keeps track of the history of topological modifications in the model, and another component, sometimes called the generic name server, discussed below.
Some features of a model can be expressed purely in terms of their geometrical characteristics. For example, a parallelepiped box can usually be characterized simply by its dimensions in an x, y, z coordinate system. Other features, however, cannot be so simply characterized. For example, a particular edge of the box referred to above cannot usually be identified purely by its geometrical characteristics. It is only by reference to the box and by additional specifications of its position on the box that the edge can be uniquely identified. Such a unique identifier of a cell containing this additional information is known as the "generic name" of the cell, and is generated by the generic name server. The generic name of a cell is stored in the model together with the cell itself.
Current generic naming schemes suffer from a lot of drawbacks. The generic names created by the system, when they can be accessed, are extremely complex to read so that it is almost impossible for all but the most experienced computer experts to read and/or write generic names. Also, they are based on system logic, which is usually quite different from the logic employed by users when envisioning models. These drawbacks make it very difficult if not impossible for users to write a script describing cells they want to act upon. This is a major disadvantage of current systems, particularly for users who want Lo design and modify a model by means of scripting language only. It also prevents users from using their own logic of the association between features by forcing them to rely on the associativity defined by the system's own logic.
There is therefore a need for a system that would allow a user to easily identify a cell or set of cells of a model using simple and intuitive syntax.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system, method, and apparatus for providing greatly increased productivity in CAD modeling. The invention presents a system and method for generating and using "cell descriptors" for some or all of the geometrical cells of a model, the generated cell descriptors being easily scriptable, that is to say, capable of being declared by a user in a script by usirg a simple and intuitive syntax. The cell descriptors serve the same function as the generic names generated by the generic name server, but have several advantages, which are disclosed herein.
The cell descriptor system of the invention consists in the definition of a set of constraints on the properties of the target cell onset of cells. The constraints relate to cell information already available in CAD systems. Five types of constraints have been defined in the preferred embodiment:
1. Constraints relative to cell dimension: a vertex would be of zero dimensions, an edge one-dimensional, a face two-dimensional and a volume three-dimensional.
2. Constraints based on the topology, that is, how the cells are arranged with respect to one another, including the concept of neighborhood.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system, method, and apparatus for providing greatly increased productivity in CAD modeling. The invention presents a system and method for generating and using "cell descriptors" for some or all of the geometrical cells of a model, the generated cell descriptors being easily scriptable, that is to say, capable of being declared by a user in a script by usirg a simple and intuitive syntax. The cell descriptors serve the same function as the generic names generated by the generic name server, but have several advantages, which are disclosed herein.
The cell descriptor system of the invention consists in the definition of a set of constraints on the properties of the target cell onset of cells. The constraints relate to cell information already available in CAD systems. Five types of constraints have been defined in the preferred embodiment:
1. Constraints relative to cell dimension: a vertex would be of zero dimensions, an edge one-dimensional, a face two-dimensional and a volume three-dimensional.
2. Constraints based on the topology, that is, how the cells are arranged with respect to one another, including the concept of neighborhood.
3. Constraints based on the history of the model evolution, for example, successive creations, fusions, scissions and reuses that gave birth to the cell. Thus, for example, the user could write a script identifying the intersection of two cylinders in a model, even though the two cylinders no longer exist as such cylinders in the model.
However, the intersection of the two cylinders can be derived from the data containing the history of the model evolution.
However, the intersection of the two cylinders can be derived from the data containing the history of the model evolution.
4. Constraints based on specific attributes. The attributes are of two sorts.
Attributes that are defined by the specific geometric modeler being used in a system (for example attributes related to spatial positioning, such as UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, FRONT, BACK), or attributes that are attached to a feature by the user herself (such as colors, material characteristics, manufacturing properties, technological attributes... ).
S. Constraints based on geometrical indications. For example, such a constraint could be all faces that are visible in a given direction (i.e., along a given vector), all the spheres in a model, all planar faces, all the faces having a certain area, etc. ~~
Each type of constraint, as well as each actual constraint, can be described in a simple and intuitive language that considerably simplifies the declaration of constraints by the average user.
In addition, according to another aspect of the invention, different types of constraints can be combined in a single constraint by means of Boolean operators.
According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are "persistent", that is to say, they can be saved and loaded as part of the model itself.
According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are amenable to distribution, e.g., over communication networks, to other machines, even if these other machines use different geometric modelers and associated components. In the latter case, only a very simple interpreter would need to be added to the other machines' components to alloy the cell descriptDrs to_be understood as such by the other machines.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD system is provided.
The method comprises the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells; for each constraint, determining whether each of the geometric cells meets a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information and each constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, a CAD/CAM apparatus is provided.
The CAD.CAM apparatus comprises: an input device; a central processing unit;
and a display device. The central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for: displaying a representation of a model comprising geometric cells;
receiving input comprising at~least one constraint relating to cell information of the model;
for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the model meet a requirement ofthe constraint. wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information ..." . ~ i. ~~. , y.a - , ., and each constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of at least one geometric cell of a modelled object in a CAD
computer system.
The data stream is generated by the CAD computer system according to a method comprising the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for each geometric cell; for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet a requirement of the constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object. The method comprises the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells; for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet the requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information and each constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
system. The method comprises the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of 4a -the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of theinput; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a CAD
apparatus comprising: an input device and a central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of a model comprising geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of one or more geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
computer system.
The data stream is generated by the CAD computer system according to a method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying the components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset - 4b -i ,."~i~ ~ i li ii~ ~I I~p ~., i ~ I
thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and fj repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer .executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object. The method comprises the steps of a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
system that meet a requirement of at least one constraint of a cell descriptor. The method comprises the steps of determining for each constraint of the cell descriptor those components of the CAD
system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of cell information for the geometric _4c _ a~.i i i I. ~~~ .I ~4~n ~.
cells and each constraint; and identifying a list of the geometric cells that meet a requirement of each constraint ofthe cell descriptor.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for defining three dimensional modelled objects in a CAD
system using a textual description. The method comprises the steps of: receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each part;
generating geometric cell information for each part; receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each part; for each constraint, determining whether geometric cells of each part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the geometric cell information of each part and each constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for defining three dimensional objects using a textual description. The method comprises the steps of: receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each part;
generating geometric cell information far each part; receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each part; for each constraint, determining whether the geometric cells of each part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the geometric cell information of each part and each constraint; and generating a list of cells meeting the requirements of the constraints.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of identifying geometric cells in a CAD/CAM system is provided. The method comprises the following steps:
creating a set of scripting rules for describing at least one characteristic of geometric cells in the CAD/CAM system; receiving a user script input describing at least one characteristic of the geometric cells to be identified, the user input using the set of scripting rules; interpreting the user input for translating each described characteristic into at least one cell selecting command; and selecting the cells that meet each of the described characteristics, using the cell selecting commands.
- 4d -BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system capable of use with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an example of a CAD system display of a model showing a cell descriptor script input according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the progression from cell descriptor to a list of cells, according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a table that graphically displays the steps taken by the system of the present invention to create a list of cells in accordance with the cell descriptor of the present invention.
- 4e -DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Fig. l, physical resources of a computer system 100 capable of use in practicing the present invention are depicted. The computer 100 has a central processor 1 O1 connected to a processor host bus 102 over which it provides data, address and control signals. The processors 101 may be any conventional general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip microprocessor such as a Pentium~ series processor, a K6 processor, a MIPS~ processor, a Power PC~ processor or an ALPHA~ processor. In addition, the processor 101 may be any conventional special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor. The microprocessor 101 can have conventional address, data, and control lines coupling it to a processor host bus 102.
The computer 100 can include a system controller 103 having an integrated RAM
memory controller 104. The system controller 103 can be connected to the host bus 102 and provide an interface to random access memory 105. The system controller 103 can also provide host bus to peripheral bus bridging functions. The controller 103 can thereby permit signals on the processor host bus 102 to be compatibly exchanged with signals on a primary peripheral bus I 10. The peripheral bus 1 10 may be, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, or a Micro-Channel bus. Additionally, the controller 103 can provide data buffering and data transfer rate matching between the host bus 102 and peripheral bus 1 10. The controller 103 can thereby allow, for example, a processor 101 having a 64-bit 66 MHz interface and a 533 Mbytes/second data transfer rate to interface to a PCI bus 110 having a data path differing in data path bit width, clock speed, or data transfer rate.
Accessory devices including, for example, a hard disk drive control interface coupled to a hard disk drive 113, a video display controller 112 coupled to a video display 11 ~, and a keyboard and mouse controller 12 I can be coupled to a bus 120 and controlled by the processor 101. The computer system can include a connection to a computer system network, an intranet or an Internet. Data and information may be sent and received over such a connection.
The computer 100 can also include nonvolatile ROM memory 122 to store basic computer software routines. ROM 122 may include alterable memory, such as EEPROM
(Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), to store configuration data.
BIOS routines I23 can be included in ROM 122 and provide basic computer initialization, systems testing, and inputJoutput (I/O) services. The BIOS 123 can also include routines that allow an operating system to be ''booted" from the disk 113.
Examples of high-level operating systems are, the Microsoft Windows 98TM, Windows NTT'~, Windows 2000TM,UNIX, LINUX, the Apple MacOS T~' operating system, or other operating system.
An operating system may be fully loaded in the RAM memory 10~ or may include portions in RAM memory 105, disk drive storage 113, or storage at a network location. The operating system can provide functionality to execute software applications, software systems and tools of software systems. Software functionality can access the video display controller 112 and other resources of the computer system 100 to provide models of objects on the video computer display 115.
A detailed description of the cell descriptor is provided by referring to the example shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, a model is shown on a CAD system display.
The model 20, resembling a waffle iron, is displayed such that two of the side faces and the upper surface are visible. In this particular example, the display is separated into a model display portion on the right 21, a feature tree portion on the left 22, and menu toolbars 23 along the top of the display. It is to be understood that the configuration of the display can be varied in many ways, which are evident to a person of skill in the art.
In this particular example, the user wishes to place a fillet on all of the edges of the raised portions of the upper surface, a representative one of which is designated by reference number 24. In fact, Fig. 2 shows the model with the fillets already in place, for ease of illustration. As is readily discernable from Fig. 2, the number of edges onto which a fillet is to be placed is rather large (i.e., 64 edges). Under existing systems, each edge would have to be separately designated to be identified as the context of a fillet command. This could be done in existing systems, for example, by placing a cursor over each edge and clicking a mouse while holding the Ctrl key. However, with the present invention, all of the desired edges can be identified with one script, which is written by the user using a simple and intuitive syntax. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, all the desired edges can be identified and acted upon with only two user interactions.
Thus, in the example, the user commences a fillet command by selecting any edge of the model and designating that a fillet is to be placed on the edge. In practice, the user would select an edge that is easily selectable in the display, such as edge 24; however, the user may select any edge to commence the command. When this is done, the user can then designate the edge or edges onto which he wishes the system to place a fillet by writing a cell descriptor script. In the present example, the user types the cell descriptor in the area on the display 25 designated for this purpose. In this example, the user would write the following representative script:
''{body=<~~P> dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"}}"
The script means that from the part (body=<~~P>), we select the edges (dim=1) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the "UP" attribute (attribute="UP").
Thus the system is instructed to add fillets to each edge that matches the given cell descriptor. The system will run the script and return a list of cells that match the script. The fillet command is then performed on each of the cells in the list.
The example illustrates the vast improvement in productivity that is achieved with the present invention. Rather than having to pick each desired edge one by one, and perform a fillet command on each edge, the user need only designate one fillet command, and write a simple script to identify all of the desired edges. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the particular syntax used in writing the script can vary, provided that the script conveys the presence of one or more of the constraints discussed above.
Another example is provided that demonstrates the power of the tool provided by the present invention. Focusing again on Fig. 2, we can see from the feature tree that the model consists of a box to which six "blind pockets" have been applied along the top face. Three of the blind pockets run parallel to one side of the box, and the other three run perpendicular to the first three blind pockets. This creates the "waffle iron" or "chocolate bar" pattern on the top face of the box. Suppose that the user wishes to add fillets only to the outside edges of the face with the waffle iron surface.
There are sixteen such edges (four per side) that were created when the blind pockets were added. These sixteen edges are the remaining portion of the original four edges that existed along the top face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. As such, they can be defined using the history data for the model. After having commenced a fillet command, the user then would write a script specifying that the edges to which the fillets should be added are those edges that were connected to the upper face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. The script would read:
"{body=<~~P> dim=1 from={body=~B dim=1 } neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"} }"
The script means that from the part (body=<~~P>), we select the edges (dim=I) that come from the B box edges (from={body=~B dim=1 }) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the "UP" attribute (attribute="UP").
In the foregoing example, the user is able, with one script, to designate sixteen edges using information that is not directly in the model itself, but is found in history data. This greatly facilitates the design process. It can be seen that through various combinations of the constraints described above, the user will be able to select any portion of the model he desires with relative ease.
It is further seen that the vast improvement in productivity is achieved partly as a result of the fact that the cell descriptor is composed by using constraints that are readily understandable, and that relate directly to the user's logic. The general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is now described.
Focusing on Fig.
3, a schematic representation of the cell descriptor processing system is shown. When a user wishes to target a cell or a set of cells, he declares in a cell descriptor script 30 the constraint or the sequence of constraints that define the target, as described above. The system, starting with the first declared constraint, goes through the whole set of cells in the model to retain only those cells which meet the constraint. If more than one constraint is declared, the system applies the next constraint to the subset of cells retained at the previous level. This "filtering" process ends when all constraints have been applied. The set of constraints that could be applied 32 are the constraints discussed above relating to dimension, neighborhood, history, attributes and geometry.
The arrows in Figure 3 between the interpreter and the CAD system signify the exchange of codes from the interpreter to the appropriate portion of the system. The interpreter determines, based on the filters in the cell descriptor, which portion of the system to access to obtain the desired cell information. The set of cells available at the end of the process 33 are those which meet all the criteria set by the user in the cell descriptor. The corresponding cells can then be acted upon according to a user-defined command.
In Fig. 3, an interpreter 31 is shown interfacing with the geometric modeler 34 to obtain a list of cells. The interpreter deciphers the syntax of the cell descriptor and determines, for each filter, the portions) of the CAD system that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the filter. In the event that the cell descriptor script is being processed by a system that uses a geometric modeler different from the system in which the cell descriptor originated, then the interpreter also serves the function of determining for the specific geometric modeler being used those portions) of the modeler that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the cell descriptor. The cell descriptor of the present invention is general enough to accommodate all CAD systems. The resulting list of cells generated is the same, regardless of the system used.
Referring to Fig. 4, the general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is shown. The process of the invention begins when the system receives a cell descriptor (40). As discussed, the cell descriptor may have been generated by the user locally, or may have been received by the system through a communications network from another user or system. A list for storing the identification of cells ("cell ID") is reset (41), and the interpreter selects the first filter in the cell descriptor script (42). The interpreter then launches an algorithm asking the geometric modeler for a list of cell ids that meet the requirement of the first filter or constraint (43).
In response, the geometric modeler builds a list of cell IDs that meet the constraint (44), which is stored in the list of cell IDs. The system then determines whether any other filters are in the cell descriptor (45). If so, the process is repeated for the next filter using the subset of cells identified in the previous level as a starting point. The cell IDs of such cells are stored, and the process repeats until all of the filters in the cell descriptor have been applied, and a final list of cell IDs is stored.
The present invention also provides for vast improvements in productivity by its facilitation of the use of "macros". Macros are macro-commands that allow a user to tie several actions together and then activate the actions with one step. In a CAD/CAWCAE/PLM application, the user can assemble in a macro a series of commands that he wishes to use repeatedly during a design process. For example, a user may wish to add a surface finish to each face of an object that faces "up", and in addition, specify a color for such faces. The user could create a macro adding a color to each selected face, and specifying a surface finish for each face. The user would then individually select in serial fashion the "up" faces, and run the macro on each face.
It would be of great utility to be able to write macros that also select the desired portion of the part (faces facing "up" in the example) upon which the action is to be taken. This is not possible in existing systems because the generic name for each face is unique, as discussed above, and is therefore not amenable to use in a macro.
However, using the cell descriptor of the present invention, it is possible to specify such cells as part of the macro. This aspect of the invention is a powerful tool for increasing productivity. Such macros could not only be transferable from face to face in a given object, but could be transferable to different objects. In fact, a macro of the sort described could even be transferred to a different CAD system, provided it is written in software-independent language, and the transferee system is equipped with an interpreter for deciphering the cell descriptor.
In another aspect of the invention, cell descriptors provide a vehicle for the introduction of design concepts based on the user's (or an enterprise's) knowledge. For example, above was discussed the case of adding a fillet to "all the external edges" of the "waffle iron" model of Fig. 2. However, through the introduction of knowledge-based constraints, the user could select, using a cell descriptor, "all dangerous edges" of the object. The user need only define. or import from another source, the definition of a dangerous edge (for example, edges having a chamfer radius below a specified minimum). The definition of "dangerous" would be found in a macro.
The foregoing is an example of the use of knowledge-based constraints being used to find cells in a model in its existing state, or "static state". Using the cell descriptor of the present invention, a user also could specify cells "dynamically", that is, the cell descriptor would specify a value for a parameter of a cell that is not fixed in the model, but is calculated during the interpretation of the cell descriptor. As an example, consider the case where a device, such as a robot, is positioned within a work cell, and the user desires to know what cell of the model (the robot) will collide with an adjacent object in the work cell when the robot is swung through an arc. The cell descriptor of the present invention could be written to access existing functionality of the CAD
system to find the desired cells.
In a further aspect of the invention, the cell descriptor method of the present invention can be used to create "generative scripts", i.e., a purely textual description of an object. For example, referring to Fig. 2, the "waffle iron" model can be created using only a scripting language using the following text as a representative example:
MyModel isa Model components P isa Part components:
B isa Box properties:
Height = 60.0 Width = 100.0 Depth = 100.0 Pocketl isa Pocket f properties:
Height = 10.0 Width = 10.0 Depth = 100.0 X = 30.0 Y = 0.0 Z = 30.0 Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pockets isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ...
In the foregoing example, the model is defined as being composed of a part "P", which is, in turn, composed of a box "B", and six blind pockets. The basic shape of the waffle iron part P is box B, with the specified height, width and depth dimensions (properties). The box is thus created and placed at the specified location in a three dimensional (x,y,z) coordinate system. The waffle iron pattern on the top face of the box is made by adding six "blind pockets" to the box, as discussed above. The six blind pockets are defined by specifying the height, width and depth of the blind pocket, and specifying where in the x,y,z coordinate system the blind pockets would be placed so as to change the shape of the top face of the box. The blind pockets each create a void in the part, which ultimately yields the waffle iron configuration in the top of the box. In the example script above, only the first blind pocket is defined. The second through sixth blind pockets are defined in a similar manner, but with different x,y,z coordinates. As the box is built, the CAD system creates a generic name for each geometric cell of the model.
Having created the basic shape of the model with the foregoing script, the user would then need to put fillets on the edges of the waffle iron pattern, as depicted in Fig.
2. However, this is not feasible without the cell descriptor of the present invention since the edges to which the fillets are to be applied are not easily identified. As discussed above, each of the edges has a unique generic name that is based on system logic, and therefore there is no way to reference one or several edges and add a fillet feature on them with a simple script. In order to add the fillets on the upper edges, a cell descriptor is needed. The script set forth above is modified with the addition of the cell descriptor as follows:
MyModel isa Model {
components P isa Part {
components:
BisaBox...
Pocked isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pockets isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ...
Filled isa Fillet {
edges = " {body=<~~P> dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"} }"
radius = 5.0 i Here the cell descriptor designates that a fillet of radius S.0 be placed on the edges specified in the cell descriptor.
It can be seen that the cell descriptor of the present invention allows a user to create an object entirely from a textual script, without reference to a graphical depiction of the object. The user need only visualize the object in his mind, and can write a script creating the object. This feature is yet another example of the way the present invention can increase the productivity of the user.
It is to be understood that the foregoing method can be applied to any system for designing objects, including any CAD/CAI~L'CAE/PLM system. The invention may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Apparatus of the invention may be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps of the invention may be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output.
The invention may advantageously be implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The application program may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired;
and in any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.
Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random access memory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, other implementations are W ithin the scope of the following claims.
Attributes that are defined by the specific geometric modeler being used in a system (for example attributes related to spatial positioning, such as UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, FRONT, BACK), or attributes that are attached to a feature by the user herself (such as colors, material characteristics, manufacturing properties, technological attributes... ).
S. Constraints based on geometrical indications. For example, such a constraint could be all faces that are visible in a given direction (i.e., along a given vector), all the spheres in a model, all planar faces, all the faces having a certain area, etc. ~~
Each type of constraint, as well as each actual constraint, can be described in a simple and intuitive language that considerably simplifies the declaration of constraints by the average user.
In addition, according to another aspect of the invention, different types of constraints can be combined in a single constraint by means of Boolean operators.
According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are "persistent", that is to say, they can be saved and loaded as part of the model itself.
According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are amenable to distribution, e.g., over communication networks, to other machines, even if these other machines use different geometric modelers and associated components. In the latter case, only a very simple interpreter would need to be added to the other machines' components to alloy the cell descriptDrs to_be understood as such by the other machines.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD system is provided.
The method comprises the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells; for each constraint, determining whether each of the geometric cells meets a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information and each constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, a CAD/CAM apparatus is provided.
The CAD.CAM apparatus comprises: an input device; a central processing unit;
and a display device. The central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for: displaying a representation of a model comprising geometric cells;
receiving input comprising at~least one constraint relating to cell information of the model;
for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the model meet a requirement ofthe constraint. wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information ..." . ~ i. ~~. , y.a - , ., and each constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of at least one geometric cell of a modelled object in a CAD
computer system.
The data stream is generated by the CAD computer system according to a method comprising the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for each geometric cell; for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet a requirement of the constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object. The method comprises the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells; for each constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet the requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the cell information and each constraint; and generating a list of the geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
system. The method comprises the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of 4a -the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of theinput; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a CAD
apparatus comprising: an input device and a central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of a model comprising geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of one or more geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
computer system.
The data stream is generated by the CAD computer system according to a method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying the components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset - 4b -i ,."~i~ ~ i li ii~ ~I I~p ~., i ~ I
thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and fj repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer .executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object. The method comprises the steps of a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for the geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD
computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of the input;
d) selecting another constraint of the input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of the another constraint of the input; and repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in the input.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD
system that meet a requirement of at least one constraint of a cell descriptor. The method comprises the steps of determining for each constraint of the cell descriptor those components of the CAD
system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of cell information for the geometric _4c _ a~.i i i I. ~~~ .I ~4~n ~.
cells and each constraint; and identifying a list of the geometric cells that meet a requirement of each constraint ofthe cell descriptor.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system operation method for defining three dimensional modelled objects in a CAD
system using a textual description. The method comprises the steps of: receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each part;
generating geometric cell information for each part; receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each part; for each constraint, determining whether geometric cells of each part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the geometric cell information of each part and each constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each constraint.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium. The code when executed by a CAD
computer system causes the system to perform a method for defining three dimensional objects using a textual description. The method comprises the steps of: receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each part;
generating geometric cell information far each part; receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each part; for each constraint, determining whether the geometric cells of each part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of the geometric cell information of each part and each constraint; and generating a list of cells meeting the requirements of the constraints.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of identifying geometric cells in a CAD/CAM system is provided. The method comprises the following steps:
creating a set of scripting rules for describing at least one characteristic of geometric cells in the CAD/CAM system; receiving a user script input describing at least one characteristic of the geometric cells to be identified, the user input using the set of scripting rules; interpreting the user input for translating each described characteristic into at least one cell selecting command; and selecting the cells that meet each of the described characteristics, using the cell selecting commands.
- 4d -BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system capable of use with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an example of a CAD system display of a model showing a cell descriptor script input according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the progression from cell descriptor to a list of cells, according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a table that graphically displays the steps taken by the system of the present invention to create a list of cells in accordance with the cell descriptor of the present invention.
- 4e -DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Fig. l, physical resources of a computer system 100 capable of use in practicing the present invention are depicted. The computer 100 has a central processor 1 O1 connected to a processor host bus 102 over which it provides data, address and control signals. The processors 101 may be any conventional general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip microprocessor such as a Pentium~ series processor, a K6 processor, a MIPS~ processor, a Power PC~ processor or an ALPHA~ processor. In addition, the processor 101 may be any conventional special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor. The microprocessor 101 can have conventional address, data, and control lines coupling it to a processor host bus 102.
The computer 100 can include a system controller 103 having an integrated RAM
memory controller 104. The system controller 103 can be connected to the host bus 102 and provide an interface to random access memory 105. The system controller 103 can also provide host bus to peripheral bus bridging functions. The controller 103 can thereby permit signals on the processor host bus 102 to be compatibly exchanged with signals on a primary peripheral bus I 10. The peripheral bus 1 10 may be, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, or a Micro-Channel bus. Additionally, the controller 103 can provide data buffering and data transfer rate matching between the host bus 102 and peripheral bus 1 10. The controller 103 can thereby allow, for example, a processor 101 having a 64-bit 66 MHz interface and a 533 Mbytes/second data transfer rate to interface to a PCI bus 110 having a data path differing in data path bit width, clock speed, or data transfer rate.
Accessory devices including, for example, a hard disk drive control interface coupled to a hard disk drive 113, a video display controller 112 coupled to a video display 11 ~, and a keyboard and mouse controller 12 I can be coupled to a bus 120 and controlled by the processor 101. The computer system can include a connection to a computer system network, an intranet or an Internet. Data and information may be sent and received over such a connection.
The computer 100 can also include nonvolatile ROM memory 122 to store basic computer software routines. ROM 122 may include alterable memory, such as EEPROM
(Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), to store configuration data.
BIOS routines I23 can be included in ROM 122 and provide basic computer initialization, systems testing, and inputJoutput (I/O) services. The BIOS 123 can also include routines that allow an operating system to be ''booted" from the disk 113.
Examples of high-level operating systems are, the Microsoft Windows 98TM, Windows NTT'~, Windows 2000TM,UNIX, LINUX, the Apple MacOS T~' operating system, or other operating system.
An operating system may be fully loaded in the RAM memory 10~ or may include portions in RAM memory 105, disk drive storage 113, or storage at a network location. The operating system can provide functionality to execute software applications, software systems and tools of software systems. Software functionality can access the video display controller 112 and other resources of the computer system 100 to provide models of objects on the video computer display 115.
A detailed description of the cell descriptor is provided by referring to the example shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, a model is shown on a CAD system display.
The model 20, resembling a waffle iron, is displayed such that two of the side faces and the upper surface are visible. In this particular example, the display is separated into a model display portion on the right 21, a feature tree portion on the left 22, and menu toolbars 23 along the top of the display. It is to be understood that the configuration of the display can be varied in many ways, which are evident to a person of skill in the art.
In this particular example, the user wishes to place a fillet on all of the edges of the raised portions of the upper surface, a representative one of which is designated by reference number 24. In fact, Fig. 2 shows the model with the fillets already in place, for ease of illustration. As is readily discernable from Fig. 2, the number of edges onto which a fillet is to be placed is rather large (i.e., 64 edges). Under existing systems, each edge would have to be separately designated to be identified as the context of a fillet command. This could be done in existing systems, for example, by placing a cursor over each edge and clicking a mouse while holding the Ctrl key. However, with the present invention, all of the desired edges can be identified with one script, which is written by the user using a simple and intuitive syntax. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, all the desired edges can be identified and acted upon with only two user interactions.
Thus, in the example, the user commences a fillet command by selecting any edge of the model and designating that a fillet is to be placed on the edge. In practice, the user would select an edge that is easily selectable in the display, such as edge 24; however, the user may select any edge to commence the command. When this is done, the user can then designate the edge or edges onto which he wishes the system to place a fillet by writing a cell descriptor script. In the present example, the user types the cell descriptor in the area on the display 25 designated for this purpose. In this example, the user would write the following representative script:
''{body=<~~P> dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"}}"
The script means that from the part (body=<~~P>), we select the edges (dim=1) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the "UP" attribute (attribute="UP").
Thus the system is instructed to add fillets to each edge that matches the given cell descriptor. The system will run the script and return a list of cells that match the script. The fillet command is then performed on each of the cells in the list.
The example illustrates the vast improvement in productivity that is achieved with the present invention. Rather than having to pick each desired edge one by one, and perform a fillet command on each edge, the user need only designate one fillet command, and write a simple script to identify all of the desired edges. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the particular syntax used in writing the script can vary, provided that the script conveys the presence of one or more of the constraints discussed above.
Another example is provided that demonstrates the power of the tool provided by the present invention. Focusing again on Fig. 2, we can see from the feature tree that the model consists of a box to which six "blind pockets" have been applied along the top face. Three of the blind pockets run parallel to one side of the box, and the other three run perpendicular to the first three blind pockets. This creates the "waffle iron" or "chocolate bar" pattern on the top face of the box. Suppose that the user wishes to add fillets only to the outside edges of the face with the waffle iron surface.
There are sixteen such edges (four per side) that were created when the blind pockets were added. These sixteen edges are the remaining portion of the original four edges that existed along the top face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. As such, they can be defined using the history data for the model. After having commenced a fillet command, the user then would write a script specifying that the edges to which the fillets should be added are those edges that were connected to the upper face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. The script would read:
"{body=<~~P> dim=1 from={body=~B dim=1 } neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"} }"
The script means that from the part (body=<~~P>), we select the edges (dim=I) that come from the B box edges (from={body=~B dim=1 }) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the "UP" attribute (attribute="UP").
In the foregoing example, the user is able, with one script, to designate sixteen edges using information that is not directly in the model itself, but is found in history data. This greatly facilitates the design process. It can be seen that through various combinations of the constraints described above, the user will be able to select any portion of the model he desires with relative ease.
It is further seen that the vast improvement in productivity is achieved partly as a result of the fact that the cell descriptor is composed by using constraints that are readily understandable, and that relate directly to the user's logic. The general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is now described.
Focusing on Fig.
3, a schematic representation of the cell descriptor processing system is shown. When a user wishes to target a cell or a set of cells, he declares in a cell descriptor script 30 the constraint or the sequence of constraints that define the target, as described above. The system, starting with the first declared constraint, goes through the whole set of cells in the model to retain only those cells which meet the constraint. If more than one constraint is declared, the system applies the next constraint to the subset of cells retained at the previous level. This "filtering" process ends when all constraints have been applied. The set of constraints that could be applied 32 are the constraints discussed above relating to dimension, neighborhood, history, attributes and geometry.
The arrows in Figure 3 between the interpreter and the CAD system signify the exchange of codes from the interpreter to the appropriate portion of the system. The interpreter determines, based on the filters in the cell descriptor, which portion of the system to access to obtain the desired cell information. The set of cells available at the end of the process 33 are those which meet all the criteria set by the user in the cell descriptor. The corresponding cells can then be acted upon according to a user-defined command.
In Fig. 3, an interpreter 31 is shown interfacing with the geometric modeler 34 to obtain a list of cells. The interpreter deciphers the syntax of the cell descriptor and determines, for each filter, the portions) of the CAD system that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the filter. In the event that the cell descriptor script is being processed by a system that uses a geometric modeler different from the system in which the cell descriptor originated, then the interpreter also serves the function of determining for the specific geometric modeler being used those portions) of the modeler that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the cell descriptor. The cell descriptor of the present invention is general enough to accommodate all CAD systems. The resulting list of cells generated is the same, regardless of the system used.
Referring to Fig. 4, the general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is shown. The process of the invention begins when the system receives a cell descriptor (40). As discussed, the cell descriptor may have been generated by the user locally, or may have been received by the system through a communications network from another user or system. A list for storing the identification of cells ("cell ID") is reset (41), and the interpreter selects the first filter in the cell descriptor script (42). The interpreter then launches an algorithm asking the geometric modeler for a list of cell ids that meet the requirement of the first filter or constraint (43).
In response, the geometric modeler builds a list of cell IDs that meet the constraint (44), which is stored in the list of cell IDs. The system then determines whether any other filters are in the cell descriptor (45). If so, the process is repeated for the next filter using the subset of cells identified in the previous level as a starting point. The cell IDs of such cells are stored, and the process repeats until all of the filters in the cell descriptor have been applied, and a final list of cell IDs is stored.
The present invention also provides for vast improvements in productivity by its facilitation of the use of "macros". Macros are macro-commands that allow a user to tie several actions together and then activate the actions with one step. In a CAD/CAWCAE/PLM application, the user can assemble in a macro a series of commands that he wishes to use repeatedly during a design process. For example, a user may wish to add a surface finish to each face of an object that faces "up", and in addition, specify a color for such faces. The user could create a macro adding a color to each selected face, and specifying a surface finish for each face. The user would then individually select in serial fashion the "up" faces, and run the macro on each face.
It would be of great utility to be able to write macros that also select the desired portion of the part (faces facing "up" in the example) upon which the action is to be taken. This is not possible in existing systems because the generic name for each face is unique, as discussed above, and is therefore not amenable to use in a macro.
However, using the cell descriptor of the present invention, it is possible to specify such cells as part of the macro. This aspect of the invention is a powerful tool for increasing productivity. Such macros could not only be transferable from face to face in a given object, but could be transferable to different objects. In fact, a macro of the sort described could even be transferred to a different CAD system, provided it is written in software-independent language, and the transferee system is equipped with an interpreter for deciphering the cell descriptor.
In another aspect of the invention, cell descriptors provide a vehicle for the introduction of design concepts based on the user's (or an enterprise's) knowledge. For example, above was discussed the case of adding a fillet to "all the external edges" of the "waffle iron" model of Fig. 2. However, through the introduction of knowledge-based constraints, the user could select, using a cell descriptor, "all dangerous edges" of the object. The user need only define. or import from another source, the definition of a dangerous edge (for example, edges having a chamfer radius below a specified minimum). The definition of "dangerous" would be found in a macro.
The foregoing is an example of the use of knowledge-based constraints being used to find cells in a model in its existing state, or "static state". Using the cell descriptor of the present invention, a user also could specify cells "dynamically", that is, the cell descriptor would specify a value for a parameter of a cell that is not fixed in the model, but is calculated during the interpretation of the cell descriptor. As an example, consider the case where a device, such as a robot, is positioned within a work cell, and the user desires to know what cell of the model (the robot) will collide with an adjacent object in the work cell when the robot is swung through an arc. The cell descriptor of the present invention could be written to access existing functionality of the CAD
system to find the desired cells.
In a further aspect of the invention, the cell descriptor method of the present invention can be used to create "generative scripts", i.e., a purely textual description of an object. For example, referring to Fig. 2, the "waffle iron" model can be created using only a scripting language using the following text as a representative example:
MyModel isa Model components P isa Part components:
B isa Box properties:
Height = 60.0 Width = 100.0 Depth = 100.0 Pocketl isa Pocket f properties:
Height = 10.0 Width = 10.0 Depth = 100.0 X = 30.0 Y = 0.0 Z = 30.0 Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pockets isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ...
In the foregoing example, the model is defined as being composed of a part "P", which is, in turn, composed of a box "B", and six blind pockets. The basic shape of the waffle iron part P is box B, with the specified height, width and depth dimensions (properties). The box is thus created and placed at the specified location in a three dimensional (x,y,z) coordinate system. The waffle iron pattern on the top face of the box is made by adding six "blind pockets" to the box, as discussed above. The six blind pockets are defined by specifying the height, width and depth of the blind pocket, and specifying where in the x,y,z coordinate system the blind pockets would be placed so as to change the shape of the top face of the box. The blind pockets each create a void in the part, which ultimately yields the waffle iron configuration in the top of the box. In the example script above, only the first blind pocket is defined. The second through sixth blind pockets are defined in a similar manner, but with different x,y,z coordinates. As the box is built, the CAD system creates a generic name for each geometric cell of the model.
Having created the basic shape of the model with the foregoing script, the user would then need to put fillets on the edges of the waffle iron pattern, as depicted in Fig.
2. However, this is not feasible without the cell descriptor of the present invention since the edges to which the fillets are to be applied are not easily identified. As discussed above, each of the edges has a unique generic name that is based on system logic, and therefore there is no way to reference one or several edges and add a fillet feature on them with a simple script. In order to add the fillets on the upper edges, a cell descriptor is needed. The script set forth above is modified with the addition of the cell descriptor as follows:
MyModel isa Model {
components P isa Part {
components:
BisaBox...
Pocked isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ...
Pockets isa Blind Pocket ...
Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ...
Filled isa Fillet {
edges = " {body=<~~P> dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute="UP"} }"
radius = 5.0 i Here the cell descriptor designates that a fillet of radius S.0 be placed on the edges specified in the cell descriptor.
It can be seen that the cell descriptor of the present invention allows a user to create an object entirely from a textual script, without reference to a graphical depiction of the object. The user need only visualize the object in his mind, and can write a script creating the object. This feature is yet another example of the way the present invention can increase the productivity of the user.
It is to be understood that the foregoing method can be applied to any system for designing objects, including any CAD/CAI~L'CAE/PLM system. The invention may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Apparatus of the invention may be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps of the invention may be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output.
The invention may advantageously be implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The application program may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired;
and in any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.
Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random access memory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, other implementations are W ithin the scope of the following claims.
Claims (22)
1. A computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD system, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
for each said constraint, determining whether each of said geometric cells mats a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said eel! information and each said constraint; and generating a list of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
for each said constraint, determining whether each of said geometric cells mats a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said eel! information and each said constraint; and generating a list of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
2. The computer system operation method of claim 1, wherein each said constraint is chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and c) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and c) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
3. A CAD/CAM apparatus comprising:
an input device;
a central processing unit; and a display device;
wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
displaying a representation of a model comprising geometric cells;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of the model;
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the model meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said cell information and each said constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
an input device;
a central processing unit; and a display device;
wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
displaying a representation of a model comprising geometric cells;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of the model;
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the model meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said cell information and each said constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
4. The CAD/CAM apparatus of claim 3, wherein the application program processes constraints chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
5. A computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of at least one geometric cell of a modelled object in a CAD computer system, wherein said data stream is generated by the CAD
computer system according to a method comprising the steps of:
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for each said geometric cell;
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet a requirement of the constraint; and generating a list of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
computer system according to a method comprising the steps of:
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for each said geometric cell;
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet a requirement of the constraint; and generating a list of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
6. The computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream of claim 5, wherein each said constraint used in said method is chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
7. Computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium, the code when executed by a CAD computer system causing said system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object, the method comprising the steps of receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet the requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said cell information and each said constraint; and generating a fist of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
for each said constraint, determining which geometric cells of the modelled object meet the requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said cell information and each said constraint; and generating a fist of said geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
8. Computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein said constraints used in said method are chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
9. A computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modellod object in a CAD system, the method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model led object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model led object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
10. The computer system operation method of Claim 9, wherein the constraints are chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to call topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to call topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
11. A CAD apparatus comprising:
an input device; and a central processing unit;
wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of a model comprising geometric cells;
b} selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
an input device; and a central processing unit;
wherein the central processing unit runs an application program comprising code for:
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information of a model comprising geometric cells;
b} selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the model and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD apparatus that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
12. The CAD apparatus of claim 11, wherein the application program processes constraints chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
13. A computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream readable by a computer and comprising data representing the identity of one or more geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD computer system, wherein said data stream is generated by the CAD computer system according to a method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying the components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
a) receiving input comprising constraints relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying the components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
e) searching the subset of geometric cells and retaining therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
14. The computer data signal embodied in a digital data stream of claim 13, wherein each said constraint is chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
15. Computer executable code stored en a computer readable medium, the code when executed by a CAD computer system causing said system to perform a method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object, the method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
c) searching the subset of geometric cells and retain ing therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
a) receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to cell information for said geometric cells;
b) selecting a first constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the first constraint;
c) searching the geometric cells of the modelled object and retaining as a subset thereof only geometric cells that meet the requirement of the first constraint of said input;
d) selecting another constraint of said input and identifying components of the CAD computer system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of said another constraint;
c) searching the subset of geometric cells and retain ing therein only the cells that meet the requirement of said another constraint of said input; and f) repeating steps d) and e) for every other remaining constraint in said input.
16, Computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein said constraints used in said method are chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
17. A computer system operation method for identifying geometric cells of a modelled object in a CAD system that meet a requirement of at least one constraint of a cell descriptor, the method comprising the steps of:
determining for each said constraint of said cell descriptor those components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of cell information for said geometric cells and each said constraint; and identifying a list of said geometric cells that meet a requirement of each said constraint of said cell descriptor.
determining for each said constraint of said cell descriptor those components of the CAD system that must be accessed to find geometric cells meeting a requirement of the constraint, wherein the step of determining comprises a comparison of cell information for said geometric cells and each said constraint; and identifying a list of said geometric cells that meet a requirement of each said constraint of said cell descriptor.
18. A computer system operation method for defining three dimensional modelled objects in a CAD system using a textual description, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each said part;
generating geometric cell information for each said part;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each said part;
for each said constraint, determining whether geometric cells of each said part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said geometric cell information of each said part and each said constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
receiving textual input specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each said part;
generating geometric cell information for each said part;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each said part;
for each said constraint, determining whether geometric cells of each said part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said geometric cell information of each said part and each said constraint; and generating a list of geometric cells which meet a requirement of each said constraint.
19. The computer system operation method of claim 18, wherein the constraints are chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
20. Computer executable code stored on a computer readable medium, the code when executed by a CAD computer system causes said system to perform a method for defining three dimensional objects using a textual description, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving textual input. specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each said part;
generating geometric cell information for each said part;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each said part, for each said constraint, determining whether the geometric cells of each said part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said geometric cell information of each said part and each said constraint; and generating a list of cells meeting the requirements of the constraints.
receiving textual input. specifying at least one pre-defined geometric part, and a location and size of each said part;
generating geometric cell information for each said part;
receiving input comprising at least one constraint relating to the geometric cell information of each said part, for each said constraint, determining whether the geometric cells of each said part meet a requirement of the constraint, wherein said step of determining comprises a comparison of said geometric cell information of each said part and each said constraint; and generating a list of cells meeting the requirements of the constraints.
21. Computer executable rode stored on a computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein said constraints used in said method are chosen from a group comprising:
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
a) constraints relating to cell dimension;
b) constraints relating to cell topology;
c) constraints relating to model evolution history;
d) constraints relating to specific attributes of a cell; and e) constraints relating to geometrical indications of a cell.
22. A method of identifying geometric cells in a CAD/CAM system, the method comprising the following steps:
creating a set of scripting rules for describing at least one characteristic of geometric cells in said CAD/CAM system;
receiving a user script input describing at least one characteristic of the geometric cells to be identified, said user input using said set of scripting rules;
interpreting said user input for translating each said described characteristic into at least one cell selecting command; and selecting the cells that meet each of said described characteristics, using said cell selecting commands.
creating a set of scripting rules for describing at least one characteristic of geometric cells in said CAD/CAM system;
receiving a user script input describing at least one characteristic of the geometric cells to be identified, said user input using said set of scripting rules;
interpreting said user input for translating each said described characteristic into at least one cell selecting command; and selecting the cells that meet each of said described characteristics, using said cell selecting commands.
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| US09/815,896 | 2001-03-23 |
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| EP1672533B1 (en) * | 2004-12-20 | 2013-02-27 | Dassault Systèmes | Method and computer system for interacting with a database |
| EP1672548A1 (en) * | 2004-12-20 | 2006-06-21 | Dassault Systèmes | Process and system for rendering an object in a view using a product lifecycle management database |
| EP1804183B1 (en) * | 2005-12-30 | 2017-06-21 | Dassault Systèmes | Process for selecting objects in a PLM database and apparatus implementing this process |
| EP1804184B1 (en) * | 2005-12-30 | 2017-06-28 | Dassault Systèmes | Process for selecting an object in a PLM database and apparatus implementing this process |
| EP2031564B1 (en) | 2007-06-25 | 2018-08-29 | Dassault Systèmes | Method of computer-aided design of a 3D object modeled by geometries |
| CN102483860B (en) * | 2009-06-10 | 2015-07-15 | 鹰图公司 | Ontological filtering using spatial boundary of 3d objects |
| US8473257B2 (en) * | 2010-03-26 | 2013-06-25 | Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. | System and method for constraining curves in a CAD system |
| US9400853B2 (en) * | 2010-05-05 | 2016-07-26 | Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. | System and method for identifying under-defined geometries due to singular constraint schemes |
| US11281820B2 (en) | 2019-04-02 | 2022-03-22 | Desktop Metal, Inc. | Systems and methods for growth-based design |
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| US20020180735A1 (en) | 2002-12-05 |
| JP2002297680A (en) | 2002-10-11 |
| EP1244062A3 (en) | 2005-04-06 |
| CA2371622A1 (en) | 2002-09-23 |
| EP1244062A2 (en) | 2002-09-25 |
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