STEP AP203 and AP214 Protocols

The STEP protocols AP203 and AP214 were the first ones for 3D CAD software:

AP203 - Configuration Control Design - applied to Mechanical CAD in general,
AP214 - Core Data for Automotive Mechanical Design Process - was more focused on Automotive Industry.

Below are brief descriptions of AP203 (Editions 1 and 2) and AP214.

AP203 : 3D Design and configuration control for mechanical parts and assemblies

Scope of AP203 (Edition 1) covered:

Products as mechanical parts and assemblies,
Data for configuration control applied to design phase,
Data related to the documentation of design change process, approval, security classification,
Geometrical data as : wireframe, surfacic models, faceted models, manifold surfaces and solids (BREP).

AP203 Edition 2 : evolution of AP203

This version has been firstly published in 2004.

AP203 edition 2 provided better interoperability. It provided, in a modular way:

Colors and Layers,
Textual annotations associated to the geometry,
Geometrical Dimensions and Tolerances (GD&T), with graphical presentations,

At that time additional definitions were already under study, in particular to complete the Geometrical Dimensions and Tolerances (GD&T).

The whole scope of AP214 covered:

Products as mechanical parts, assemblies, tools used by manufacturing (in principle applied to description of cars),
Information for process plan, configuration control, applied to design phase,
Data related to the documentation of design change process, approval, security, classification,
Geometrical data as: wireframe, surfacic models, faceted models, manifold surfaces and solids (BREP), constructive solid geometry, hybrid models,
References to product data represented in an other format than STEP,
Kinematic structures,
Tolerance data,
Surface conditions.