Model analysis and quality

Model quality is a critical issue for manufacturing companies worldwide. France’s automotive makers and their first-tier suppliers recently got together to draw up a list of the tools available on the market. The initiative was overseen by AF MICADO, a French industry association that develops and promotes the use of IT tools and methods to improve the management of product life cycles and industrial processes.

Datakit was at the meeting along with JM Brun, founder of Coretech international and creator of Trans-Xpert ®. A meeting with SASIG* enables a targeted approach to the needs of manufacturers and to developing a future data exchange standard based on measurable, objective criteria. La qualité des modèles est un sujet d’importance pour les industriels du monde entier. Les grands donneurs d’ordre du secteur automobile et ses équipementiers se sont réunis récemment sous l’égide de l’AF MICADO pour tenter de faire un bilan des outils disponibles en la matière.

*SASIG (Strategic Automotive product data Standards Industry Group) www.sasig.com

Trans-Xpert’s Quality--Xpert now contains a module for analysing model quality. Designed to address the day-to-day needs of companies that have to deal with idiosyncrasies such as faces that fold back on themselves, face tangency problems, etc., it also offers a function for comparing models before and after correction to identify any gaps.

A tool kit for importing, analysing, correcting and exporting models, it focuses on geometry defects (bad singularities, for example) topological problems (imprecise vortices, gaps, intersections, short edges, etc.) in models, and other quality problems such as surfaces with unnecessarily high pole counts.

Version 2.1 of Trans-Xpert, launched at the start of 2006, offers a more intuitive user interface with context-sensitive menus and pre-configured icons that guide users through procedures.
Additional native interfaces supplied by the team in Lyons are also available to import parts and assemblies in the JT, SolidEdge, SolidWorks and Pro-E formats. Users can also take advantage of a solution for reading Catia V5 data that runs faster than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Unigraphics converter, that has already been an integral part of Trans-Xpert for the last few years, also supports NX3 and NX4 files.

The next version, currently being tested, is scheduled for release at the start of May, and will have significantly enhanced algorithms. Analysis performance on the whole model, the selected faces or active B-reps has been significantly improved.

Other functions that have been substantially enhanced are the deletion of edges that are too short to be processed, free edges and splinter surfaces, the recomputing of UV curves to simplify model geometry, their intersections or connectivity, face tangency and division checks, and the correction of faces that fold back on themselves, and inaccurate vertices. This version also makes it possible to change UV parameters to redefine geometry while keeping an equivalent shape. Assembly management is also better integrated. To address the needs of the export market, notably to Asia, the version will also store and accept Unicode data. Furthermore, specific bundles dedicated to some software such as SolidWorks or WorkNC will be soon available.

Datakit is pursuing its commitment to the development of its worldwide distribution network, with the recent addition of new dealers such as AGS and Thinkline Solutions GmbH in Germany and Smart Solution Products in Korea. Datadesign Co Ltd will be strengthening Datakit’s Japanese representation alongside Applicraft, which already has a strong foothold in the SolidWorks and Inventor sales networks. Frank Aboulker, Datakit sales manager sums up the situation: “There really is a big need for reliable solutions capable not only of analysing solids and surfaces and correcting all types of flaws, but also of simplifying CAD data for a very large population of viewer and digital simulation software users”.

Coretech International ® develops the Trans-Xpert range of solutions