ePLM Interoperability ASD Strategic Standardization Group

ASD SSG : Visualization of STEP CAD 3D with Product Manufacturing Information (PMI)
Latest update: February 2014
Activity Start date: May 2013
Activity End date: February 2014

Objective and rationale

Aerospace and Defense industries use more and more full 3D definition without 2D drawings, and archive full 3D definition in STEP standards (as recommended by NAS/EN 9300 LOTAR, Part 120).
Some companies would like to use on the compliance of the manufactured parts using the STEP CAD 3D PMI document, which has been approved and released. The resulting business requirement is to visualize the same STEP file, both:

• To approve the CAD models for parts and assemblies,
• And to pronounce the conformity of the manufactured parts with the specification.

In consequence, the ASD SSG promotes the development and deployment of STEP 3D viewers. 

Current 3D Viewers are not fully able to read STEP AP203/AP214 and emerging AP242 files, and have already useful functionalities for their own proprietary formats

The STEP viewers shall cover at least the following CAD 3D PMI essential information available in the STEP format:

• 3D exact BREP representation,
• 3D tessellated BREP representation,
• PMI (polyline presentation)
• User Defined Attributes associated to geometric elements,
• Links between shape and PMI, for cross-highlight,
• Predefined views,
• Assembly structure.

The STEP viewers shall support the associated following functions:

• sectioning,
• measurement,
• cross highlight,
• and filtering.

In addition, to comply with NAS / EN 9300, the STEP 3D viewers shall support the validation properties associated to this essential information.

 IT vendors invited to participate 

Autodesk, CT CoreTechnologie, Datakit, Dassault Systèmes, ITI, Kubotek, LKSoft, PTC, SAP, Steptools, Siemens PLM solutions, Techsoft 3D, Theorem

Participating IT vendors

The active participants to the ASD SSG evaluation process are:

• CT CoreTechnologie,  
• Dassault Systèmes (see nota 1), 
• Datakit (see nota 2), 
• LKSoft, 
• Techsoft 3D 

nota 1:  Dassault Systèmes participated to the activities but no final presentation of an application was performed
nota 2: DATAKIT participated with a STEP to PDF converter and DATAKIT also presented the SAP viewer (VE-Author 7.1)

List of representative models

The following representative models are available in STEP AP203, AP214 and AP242

The following representative models are available in AP214

Link to test data used for this evaluation (not to be used as a reference).

Related standardization projects

Standard / Specification date

• ISO 10303-203 Configuration controlled 3D design of mechanical parts and assemblies 2011

• ISO 10303-214 Core data for automotive mechanical design processes 2010
  

• ISO/DIS 10303-242 Managed Model-based 3D Engineering 2013

   

Test result.

The following table is based on the information given by the IT vendors during dedicated teleconferences in December 2013.  During these teleconferences, a live demonstration of the viewers by the IT vendors was performed using the ASD-SSG test cases. (The tests of applications were not performed directly by the ASD-SSG member)

According to the following results, the European A&D companies (OEM and suppliers) will have to organize company specific assessments based on their own needs, and to select their preferred STEP 3D PMI viewer.
For more information, see the web site of each IT vendors. Additional information the CAX IF are also available on the following link: http://www.cax-if.org/vendor_info.php

 Links
 

CoreTechnologie:

• 3D ANALYZER http://www.coretechnologie.com/3D_Analyzer_Products

DATAKIT:

• CrossManager http://www.datakit.com/en/cross_manager.php

LKSoft:

• IDA-STEP: http://www.ida-step.net

Tech Soft 3D:

• Acrobat pro / 3D reviewer: http://www.tetra4d.com/products/conversion/3d-pdf-converter
• Hoops communicator: http://www.techsoft3d.com/our-products/hoops-communicator

This evaluation process complements the CAx IF testing activities - and ASD SSG invites the solution provider of visualization tools to participate to the CAx IF works

• CAx IF : Link to CAX IF
• LOTAR: www.lotar-international.org/home.html

This evualation process considers only the visualization of STEP files. For the long term archiving of visualization data, activity done by the LOTAR 3D visualization working group has to be considered:
http://www.lotar-international.org/lotar-workgroups/3d-visualization.html