Learn computer-aided design, manufacturing with 'Catia'

Learn computer-aided design, manufacturing with 'Catia'

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): Each time we hear the term computer-aided design
mentioned, we'd immediately think of AutoCAD. Architects,
interior designers and hordes of other engineers use AutoCAD in
their work. In the world of computer-aided design, manufacturing
and engineering (CADAM/CAE), however, Catia is the most widely
used tool. Catia is a product of Dassault Systemes, a subsidiary
of Dassault Aviation, the French aircraft maker. Big Blue is
responsible for marketing the software product and providing
support for its users.

When IBM announced the latest update, Catia 5.0, and offered
me a short one-day tutorial, I was excited. I know this heavy-
duty manufacturing design tool is used in a large number of
manufacturing companies all over the world, including the Danish
pump maker Grundfos, which I visited earlier this year, and our
own national aircraft industry IPTN.

So, last week I found myself playing around with the US$17,000
software on a very powerful IntelliStation M Pro at IBM's office
in the LandMark Building, Jakarta. IBM Indonesia has only one
unit of this Pentium III 500 MHz-based workstation, so I could
not take it home and toy around with it for two weeks as usual.
They needed the powerful machine for their demo and training
activities.

I was told earlier versions of Catia ran only on UNIX
machines, and IBM's RS/6000 used to be the ideal platform. Today,
the latest release can run on Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows
NT, and therefore a Wintel Workstation will do. Versions for the
UNIX platforms are still available, of course. The requirements
are quite high, though. I was also told that the graphics engine
alone accounted for one third of the total price of the
workstation, and no wonder the rendering was so fast. I was able
to turn the wheel around without any jerky movement at all.

The use of the Windows platform also adds several benefits,
like drag and drop, object linking and embedding (OLE) and the
ability to open multiple documents at the same time. And,
compared to Version 4.0 that was shown to me, the Windows-based
Version 5.0 Release 2 looks much more familiar with all the icons
and toolbars. The screen is well-organized, and most of the tools
are hidden until you call them up. This helps make the formidable
program less threatening.

Knowledgeware

All this time I had thought a CADAM/CAE wouldn't be so much
different from graphics design software like CorelDRAW or Adobe
Illustrator. That day, Hindra Salim, IBM's marketing specialist,
and Nanang Ali Sutisna, their CAD/CAM/CAE specialist, led me step
by step through the process of designing a bicycle gear, and they
explained to me what made a CADAM/CAE application different.

First of all, every step of the design process is recorded.
Whatever action is taken to produce the gear -- or the wheel of
the car that you see in the accompanying picture -- is recorded
in a tree form. Any change that we'd like to make later on to the
so-called "part" can be made just by clicking on the appropriate
branch of the process tree. So, for example, if I want to change
the "edge filet" of an object, I can go to the process tree, look
for the branch, click on it and use the pop-up menu or dialog box
to change the "radius".

The good thing about the tree, which you can see on the left
of the screen, is that I can also reverse-engineer the drawing of
a part. I can trace back the design process by loading a part and
going back one step at a time up the process tree. This can be a
fast way of learning to design an object or its components.

However, the most powerful feature of the tool is perhaps its
KnowledgeWare. Suppose I am designing a pair of high-precision
forceps. I may not be aware that the manufacturer does not have a
1 mm chisel that it can use to create the object that I am
designing. Therefore, when my design is ready, the manufacturer
will have to reject it and return it to me for modification.

In Catia, the knowledge that there is no 1 mm chisel can be
entered into the database so that when I create my design I will
be warned if the specification does not conform to it. In other
words, Catia will remind me that I can only use the 4 mm
specification as the minimum.

Data can also be entered into the program's database prior to
the design process so that I will not design an object made of a
specific material with a thickness less than 2 cm, for example,
because with such a thickness, it will become too brittle and
will crack easily. This feature certainly helps me avoid errors
very early in the process. Besides, other people can replicate my
work very easily.

Another powerful feature of the program is its rules, which
can also be seen in the accompanying screen shot. The wheel, for
example, has five holes for the bolts that secure it to the car's
axle. We can add a rule that will automatically reduce the number
of holes to four if the diameter of the entire wheel is reduced
below 26 inches, for example.

Two Platforms

One thing is obvious. A one-day hands-on training session may
not make us a proficient Catia user, but it's enough to give a
novice like me a feel of the breadth of its functionality.

Because CADAM/CAE requirements are not the same among all
customers, Catia is offered in two different platforms, P1 and
P2. The choice of the word "platform" is rather misleading here,
as it actually refers to the configuration of the package that
have been targeted to two different levels of needs.

P1, for instance, has been targeted at small and medium
process-oriented companies. With scaled down functions, it helps
users in solid modeling tasks in the already familiar Windows
environment. P2, on the other hand, consists of products based on
a hybrid modeling technology. It provides expanded digital
products, process and resource definitions plus review functions
that can operate on complex projects.

With an advanced 3D graphic user interface, P2 is an
environment for knowledge-driven design and full-scale digital
mock-up (DMU). The one I used in the one-day tutorial was the P2
of Version 5, Release 2. Release 3 was announced last month.

Incidentally, take a look at the latest models of Samsonite
suitcases, and you may be impressed by the precision of the parts
that allow the manufacturer to use lighter materials without
sacrificing strength. Like a lot of cars, trains and airplanes,
Samsonite suitcases are designed with the help of Catia. If
you're into mechanical design, engineering and drafting, this is
a software product that you may want to get familiar with.