MCAD Data in Tech Docs

Although engineering design data are an important source of illustration reference material, many automated design and manufacturing environments lack a streamlined method for repurposing solids/surfaced design data for direct use in product assembly and life cycle support documentation.

MCAD data are well suited to manufacturing operations, but engineering blueprints are not sequentially-oriented pictorial instructions conducive to driving product installation, assembly, operation, or maintenance procedures.

However, MCAD data are very useful as reference within TI for producing the wide array of illustrations required to support the product throughout its life cycle. Therefore, TI complements CAD/CAM software through direct repurposing of existing 3D design data—further leveraging the sizeable MCAD technology investment by linking design engineering to technical documentation.

Importing MCAD Data

Successful exchange of data between dissimilar systems requires careful calibration between the sending and receiving systems. To achieve optimum results, this is true even when employing standard exchange formats.

MCAD data can be imported into TI as either a 2D picture element--resulting from the MCAD application's boundary representation hidden line removal (B-rep HLR), or as a true 3D digital model.

Engineering multi-views and other 2D technical drawings can also be imported into TI for use as reference. These data are then readily transformed into illustrations that serve to visually communicate tasks and procedures to the target audience.

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Incorporating the HLR View

Simply put, the boundary-representation hidden line removal (HLR) file created by a solids or surfaces-based MCAD system, is a depiction of the object in its given orientation, with only those geometric elements visible that are required to describe the line art view. All elements that would be either completely or partially obscured from view are hidden.

Ideally, HLR files are composed of vector geometry such as ellipses, splines, arcs, and polylines, so that the base line art view is both compact and fully editable within the target TI system. In this manner, the base CAD data can easily be modified and transformed into a masked and rendered intelligent illustration component—replete with embedded attribute data. Components are then used to make assemblies, exploded views, and detail drawings.

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Using the 3-D Digital Model

Three-dimensional digital models are easily opened within TI's fully 3D environment and can readily be projected to any desired ad hoc or precise axonometric or perspective view.

Once cast to view, the data can be Z-stripped or flattened into a single plane by removing the model's Z-depth information. Then it can be transformed into a line art component using a variety of editing, construction, and illustrative rendering tools.

For this reason, many users elect to maintain archives of compact and fully rotateable wireframe models. Each can be used to create a wide range of mathematically precise vector illustration views for product assembly and life cycle support documentation.

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Using Other MCAD Data

Engineering multi-views, working drawings, details, auxiliary views, sections, schematics, and other technical drawings can also be put to use within TI as reference material for creating technical illustrations.

Tasks can be as simple as replacing stick fonts with publishing quality PostScript^® typography or upgrading uniform line weights in adherence to illustration style guidelines, to something more involved such as developing axonometric, oblique, or perspective graphics from imported 2D orthogonal geometry.

Once this wide variety of MCAD reference data has been transformed into useful illustrations, TI also facilitates creation of camera-ready output and manages file export to page composition systems and other downstream publishing applications.

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Benefits of Repurposing

The ability to directly repurpose MCAD data into product assembly and support documentation has numerous benefits:

• Quality and accuracy are improved through the direct use of precision MCAD parts
• Productivity is improved by economizing on the efforts of engineering designers, rather than recreating new graphics
• Costs are reduced through process improvements that embrace the principles of concurrent engineering

All of these help to further leverage your firm's collective IT investments to greater economic gain.

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