Translation Technologies - CAD File Translations

The lack of interoperability between CAD systems has been a long-standing problem in the manufacturing industry. NIST, the National Institute for Standards and Technology, estimated that CAD interoperability difficulties cost the U.S. automotive industry alone more than $1 billion a year. Because traditional translation methods do not include the valuable individual feature information that is designed into each CAD model, much of the cost identified in the NIST study comes from the resources needed to manually recreate features that cannot otherwise be translated. A solution for sharing full-featured CAD files across different CAD systems has been elusive until now. TTI's groundbreaking feature-based interoperability solution, based on the patent-pending software Acc-u-Trans offers fast and accurate translations, with tremendous opportunity for reducing cost and shortening design cycle times.

Acc-u-Trans provides its customers highly automated, accurate, full feature-based native CAD translations between six of the major CAD systems--CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, I-DEAS, SolidWorks, and Unigraphics. The translated model is verified by Acc-u-Trans' patent-pending Mirror Model Comparator (MMC) module for geometric accuracy of all surfaces and edges. Unlike traditional CAD model translations, which lack intelligence, may not verify results, and have limited value, TTI's feature-based native translations provide complete intelligence, transforming CAD data into information assets that can be shared.

The source CAD system is the original CAD system in which the model already exists. The target CAD system is the new CAD system to which the model needs to be translated. Through automation, we remove the drudgery of extracting all the detailed information from the source CAD system, creating the files in the target CAD system, mapping names and feature information, and creating the models in the target CAD system. During the translation process, many parts go thru automatically. However, if at some point in the creation stage, TTI's Acc-u-Trans encounters a feature that doesn't map automatically to the target system, it uses an exciting patent-pending process called the Manual Intervention Strategy (MIS). The software pauses and gives the operator the information necessary to add the feature manually and then passes control back to the software and resumes the automatic creation of the target mode. TTI's solution can be operated in "batch" mode and be left to run overnight. Simple select "Translate all" from the Acc-U-trans GUI and walk away. Also, all interventions can be toggled off, and the translation can be fully automated.

Preservation of design intelligence and design intent, and the accuracy of our converted models, is what sets TTI's software apart from other CAD data exchange tools.

TTI has further reinforced the value of its Acc-u-Trans software by going beyond part translation/re-mastering capability and adding enhanced assembly translation/mapping capabilities.

Assemblies are a collection of multiple parts that fit and work together to form a complete machine, structure, or machine unit. Acc-u-Trans is able to extract assemblies automatically. Due to the varying manner in which each CAD system structures assembly models, maintaining this structure for the assembly hierarchy and bill of materials in the target file can be a tedious process. Acc-u-Trans automates this process. To translate assemblies across, Acc-u-Trans extracts both the individual part files and the assembly information from the source CAD system and recreates them in the target CAD system. It also verifies that both bill of materials are identical and that the parts are correctly located in the assembly.

Performance benchmarking reveals that Acc-u-Trans translations typically take 5 to 25% of the time (depending on the particulars of the translation) required to perform manual re-mastering and checking.

TTI is the only MCAD company that offers a choice for meeting interoperability needs through either:

The announcement of the licensed version of Acc-u-Trans, named Acc-u-Trans CSI (Customer Site Installation), heralded an industry first amongst translation providers. Companies seeking an interoperability solution now had a choice of either outsourcing their translation needs by paying on a service basis, or licensing software for their internal use. The licensed software is a fortified version of the original Acc-u-Trans software, and includes a graphical user interface and an extensive on-line support infrastructure.

TTI's breakthrough solutions allow a significant segment of the mechanical engineering market to compete for new business in sectors that demand native CAD data from their engineering suppliers. You can design in one CAD system and confidently deliver modifiable feature-based native files to your customers in another. Or, you can receive a native design in another system and be able to use it as if were designed directly in your own system.

TTI has distinguished itself by developing a solution that can produce fully modifiable feature-based CAD translations. The result is a dramatically improved translation turn-around time, with the security of built-in accuracy. The solutions provided by TTI are a harbinger of things to come for those seeking the ability to communicate within the 3D CAD world. TTI is committed to continuing to serve its customers' needs by aggressively breaking new ground and pushing beyond long-standing barriers in the engineering and manufacturing industries.

Increase productivity, save money, and do business with a more diverse base of companies. Evaluate TTI's value proposition to your company today.