Learn computer-aided design, manufacturing with 'Catia'<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Each time we hear the term computer-aided design
\nmentioned, we'd immediately think of AutoCAD. Architects,
\ninterior designers and hordes of other engineers use AutoCAD in
\ntheir work. In the world of computer-aided design, manufacturing
\nand engineering (CADAM\/CAE), however, Catia is the most widely
\nused tool. Catia is a product of Dassault Systemes, a subsidiary
\nof Dassault Aviation, the French aircraft maker. Big Blue is
\nresponsible for marketing the software product and providing
\nsupport for its users.<\/p>\n
When IBM announced the latest update, Catia 5.0, and offered
\nme a short one-day tutorial, I was excited. I know this heavy-
\nduty manufacturing design tool is used in a large number of
\nmanufacturing companies all over the world, including the Danish
\npump maker Grundfos, which I visited earlier this year, and our
\nown national aircraft industry IPTN.<\/p>\n
So, last week I found myself playing around with the US$17,000
\nsoftware on a very powerful IntelliStation M Pro at IBM's office
\nin the LandMark Building, Jakarta. IBM Indonesia has only one
\nunit of this Pentium III 500 MHz-based workstation, so I could
\nnot take it home and toy around with it for two weeks as usual.
\nThey needed the powerful machine for their demo and training
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
I was told earlier versions of Catia ran only on UNIX
\nmachines, and IBM's RS\/6000 used to be the ideal platform. Today,
\nthe latest release can run on Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows
\nNT, and therefore a Wintel Workstation will do. Versions for the
\nUNIX platforms are still available, of course. The requirements
\nare quite high, though. I was also told that the graphics engine
\nalone accounted for one third of the total price of the
\nworkstation, and no wonder the rendering was so fast. I was able
\nto turn the wheel around without any jerky movement at all.<\/p>\n
The use of the Windows platform also adds several benefits,
\nlike drag and drop, object linking and embedding (OLE) and the
\nability to open multiple documents at the same time. And,
\ncompared to Version 4.0 that was shown to me, the Windows-based
\nVersion 5.0 Release 2 looks much more familiar with all the icons
\nand toolbars. The screen is well-organized, and most of the tools
\nare hidden until you call them up. This helps make the formidable
\nprogram less threatening.<\/p>\n
Knowledgeware<\/p>\n
All this time I had thought a CADAM\/CAE wouldn't be so much
\ndifferent from graphics design software like CorelDRAW or Adobe
\nIllustrator. That day, Hindra Salim, IBM's marketing specialist,
\nand Nanang Ali Sutisna, their CAD\/CAM\/CAE specialist, led me step
\nby step through the process of designing a bicycle gear, and they
\nexplained to me what made a CADAM\/CAE application different.<\/p>\n
First of all, every step of the design process is recorded.
\nWhatever action is taken to produce the gear -- or the wheel of
\nthe car that you see in the accompanying picture -- is recorded
\nin a tree form. Any change that we'd like to make later on to the
\nso-called \"part\" can be made just by clicking on the appropriate
\nbranch of the process tree. So, for example, if I want to change
\nthe \"edge filet\" of an object, I can go to the process tree, look
\nfor the branch, click on it and use the pop-up menu or dialog box
\nto change the \"radius\".<\/p>\n
The good thing about the tree, which you can see on the left
\nof the screen, is that I can also reverse-engineer the drawing of
\na part. I can trace back the design process by loading a part and
\ngoing back one step at a time up the process tree. This can be a
\nfast way of learning to design an object or its components.<\/p>\n
However, the most powerful feature of the tool is perhaps its
\nKnowledgeWare. Suppose I am designing a pair of high-precision
\nforceps. I may not be aware that the manufacturer does not have a
\n1 mm chisel that it can use to create the object that I am
\ndesigning. Therefore, when my design is ready, the manufacturer
\nwill have to reject it and return it to me for modification.<\/p>\n
In Catia, the knowledge that there is no 1 mm chisel can be
\nentered into the database so that when I create my design I will
\nbe warned if the specification does not conform to it. In other
\nwords, Catia will remind me that I can only use the 4 mm
\nspecification as the minimum.<\/p>\n
Data can also be entered into the program's database prior to
\nthe design process so that I will not design an object made of a
\nspecific material with a thickness less than 2 cm, for example,
\nbecause with such a thickness, it will become too brittle and
\nwill crack easily. This feature certainly helps me avoid errors
\nvery early in the process. Besides, other people can replicate my
\nwork very easily.<\/p>\n
Another powerful feature of the program is its rules, which
\ncan also be seen in the accompanying screen shot. The wheel, for
\nexample, has five holes for the bolts that secure it to the car's
\naxle. We can add a rule that will automatically reduce the number
\nof holes to four if the diameter of the entire wheel is reduced
\nbelow 26 inches, for example.<\/p>\n
Two Platforms<\/p>\n
One thing is obvious. A one-day hands-on training session may
\nnot make us a proficient Catia user, but it's enough to give a
\nnovice like me a feel of the breadth of its functionality.<\/p>\n
Because CADAM\/CAE requirements are not the same among all
\ncustomers, Catia is offered in two different platforms, P1 and
\nP2. The choice of the word \"platform\" is rather misleading here,
\nas it actually refers to the configuration of the package that
\nhave been targeted to two different levels of needs.<\/p>\n
P1, for instance, has been targeted at small and medium
\nprocess-oriented companies. With scaled down functions, it helps
\nusers in solid modeling tasks in the already familiar Windows
\nenvironment. P2, on the other hand, consists of products based on
\na hybrid modeling technology. It provides expanded digital
\nproducts, process and resource definitions plus review functions
\nthat can operate on complex projects.<\/p>\n
With an advanced 3D graphic user interface, P2 is an
\nenvironment for knowledge-driven design and full-scale digital
\nmock-up (DMU). The one I used in the one-day tutorial was the P2
\nof Version 5, Release 2. Release 3 was announced last month.<\/p>\n
Incidentally, take a look at the latest models of Samsonite
\nsuitcases, and you may be impressed by the precision of the parts
\nthat allow the manufacturer to use lighter materials without
\nsacrificing strength. Like a lot of cars, trains and airplanes,
\nSamsonite suitcases are designed with the help of Catia. If
\nyou're into mechanical design, engineering and drafting, this is
\na software product that you may want to get familiar with.<\/p>",
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