Best Practices for Working with CAD
and Product Structures
Steve Shaw
Product Management Director, PTC
June 2011
Agenda
Best Practices for Working with CAD and Product Structures
 Background
 PTC Best Practices Overview
 PTC Best Practices Details & Supporting Capabilities
 Q&A
2
Background
CAD-Driven Product Structure
Requirements
Data Sheet
CAD Model
Builds
Assembly
Part
Part:
Part No:
Cost:
Weight:
Cell Phone
CEL9412
$34.95
3.5 oz.
Test Plan
Software Code
Analysis
Requirements
Viewable
Part No:
Name:
Cost:
Weight:
Manuf:
KEY124
Keypad
$0.65
0.25 oz.
Key, Inc.
Part No:
Name:
Cost:
Weight:
Manuf.:
SCR243
Screen
$1.04
0.35 oz.
Screen, Inc.
CAD Model
Data Sheet
Builds
Component
Part
Analysis
Viewable
Skeleton
Model
Not Built
Software Code
Test Plan
CAD Model
Requirements
Data Sheet
Builds
Component
Part
Analysis
Viewable
Software Code
CAD Structure
Test Plan
Enterprise Structure
3
Storyboard Overview
2
START
1
Business
Administration
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
fullest
2
3
4
Enterprise
Top Down Design
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
3
Detailed Design
Execution
Detailed
Design
Finalizing Product
Structure
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
END
Reconcile
CAD-to-Part
Relationships
4
5
Downstream
deliver/usage
4
Preparation
System Administration, Configuration and Process considerations
START
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
fullest
2
3
4
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
Detailed Design
Execution
Finalizing Product
Structure
 Maintaining data consistency is a must
 What CAD tools does the system need to manage & do
they have differing needs?
 What information should be extracted from the CAD
models?
– relevant to Search?
– does it contain information relevant to the Part
 Do different design/product/organizational disciplines have
differing needs?
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
END
5
1 Preparation
Attribute Management
 Identify File-based or Non-file-based
attributes required for CAD
– Designated Dimensions / Parameters coming from
CAD authoring tools (file-based)
– Attributes strictly managed in Windchill
– Identify and define any constraints
 What CAD attributes should be
propagated to its related Part?
– Building Part structure from CAD propagates
attributes to the Part
– All, Some, maybe None
6
1 Expanded CAD Document Soft-type support with 10.0
Possible use cases may be one of the following
 Desiring certain behavior based on a given
authoring tool.
 Wanting more granular control of attributes that
might be applicable for specific model types or
disciplines
– Previous Windchill Releases have all attribute go on a
single type.
– For example: If I’m modeling a bearing, there may be
attributes that are not applicable
 Managing differing OIRs (conventions and life
cycles) for different disciplines.
7
1 Support for multiple CAD document soft types
 Select while Creating New CAD Document in
Workspace
 New Create New CAD Document while
creating New Part
 Drive type created based on CAD model
attribute (parameter) value
– Use designated parameter UPLOAD_SOFT_TYPE
– Drives creation on upload of content to server
Select CAD
Document Type
 Map CAD Document soft
type to Part soft types
– As part of CAD document
soft type definition
Forward looking information subject to change without notice © 2010 PTC
8
1 Support for multiple CAD document soft types
 Define types based on authoring tools
– Ex. Different soft types for Creo and AutoCAD
– Site wide configuration using EPMDefaultSoftTypes.xml
Forward looking information subject to change without notice © 2010 PTC
9
1 CAD Document Templates
CAD Documents Template Support
 Create and check in CAD start parts into
Windchill
 Steps to create CAD Document
Template
– Navigate to the “Templates” page
• Available from Site Level to Context
– View “CAD Document Templates”
– Select new CAD Document template
– Navigate to the Cad Object to be used
as a template
– Identify the necessary information
• Including Soft Type
– Select OK
 You can create as many templates off
the same type object as necessary
10
1 Attributes to Control Associations & Part Behavior
On/Off association with Boolean
New Gathering Part concept
Using an attribute to control whether an
association between a CAD document
and a part should be created
Improves handling of CAD assemblies
that exist only for modeling purposes
Resolves the problem when the
“assembly” doesn’t belong in the eBoM
but it’s children do
Details
Details
– New Part attribute Gathering (Yes/No)
– Set manually on Part common attributes
– Drive setting based on CAD document
attribute, with new Windchill 10.0 Sitewide preference Phantom Assembly
Override Attribute Name
– New Windchill 10.0 Site-wide preference
Part Structure Override Attribute Name
• Located under Operation > Auto
Associate
– Exclude auto association/creation with
Boolean attribute on CAD Document
– Define attribute per CAD authoring tool
• Located under Operations > Auto
Associate
• Defines attribute to be used per
authoring tool
© 2010 PTC
12
Defining a New Product Concept
Using Enterprise Top Down Design Capabilities
START
Iterative process of developing complex products in a concurrent fashion by
going from concept product architecture to a defined set of design
deliverables
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
Concept Product
fullest
Detailed Product Definition
Develop Top-Down
Top Level
Architecture
2
3
4
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
Detailed Design
Execution
Finalizing Product
Structure
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
A.asm
A
Top Level
Top Level
A
A
A Create
B
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CAD
A.asm
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b.asm
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B
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C
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D.asm
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END
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13
2 Enterprise Top Down Design
Challenge: Design complex multi-disciplined products
Practice:
Develop hi-level product architecture that drives a
defined set of MCAD design deliverables used in
concurrent and iterative development of complex
products
Create initial
enterprise product
architecture
Capabilities:
Create corresponding CAD
deliverables
Simultaneous creation of enterprise part &
associated CAD structures
Interactive preview for conceptual development of
design structures and validation
Preview and manipulate in
lightweight environment
Concurrent editing of associated structures with
pro-active reconciliation of differences
Drive CAD
deliverables
Synchronize and drive controlled changes
throughout concurrent design development
Benefits:
Manage changes and
relationships
Engineer products from top-down
Shorten time to design by enabling concurrent
design process
Eliminate manual rework with automated
communication of changes
© 2010 PTC
14
2
View the video here
15
2 Enterprise Top Down Design Capabilities & Workflow
 Simultaneous Creation of Part & Associated
CAD Document from Create Part UI
– Folder browser
– Product Structure Browser
Edit
 Edit part structures in PSB and PSE
– Supports Adds & Removes
– Manual position entry/editing
– Set flag to indicate change to be reflected in CAD
 Positioning in Creo View and Save to PSB
– Components positioned in CAD when loaded
Compare
& Build
 Update CAD Assembly from Part Structures
– Compare and build in Structure Compare UI
– Option to execute “reverse build on check-in
 CAD Tools supported
– Creo 1.0 and Creo Elements/Pro 5
– CATIA V5
Validate
Forward looking information subject to change without notice © 2010 PTC
16
Detailed Design Execution
“Bottom Up” design completion and product structure updates
START
– Creo 1.0 ability to accept/reject TDD changes
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
fullest
2
3
4
 Retrieval of TDD created assembly
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
Detailed Design
Execution
Finalizing Product
Structure
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
 Complete detailed design
–
–
–
–
Working in CAD tool
Data reuse
New models/geometry
constraints
 Design complete
– Associate/auto-associate new models to Parts
– Flag item as gathering
– Use parameters to control part creation behavior
 Check-in
– Product structure updated
END
17
3 Detailed Design
design of new
components
define parametric
relationship
Designate Parameter
& Attributes
design
collaboration
Edit/Create CAD-toPart Associations
apply constraints
18
3 Design In Context Overview
Enable Designers to create or update designs faster by finding the right
information
 Filter CAD Assemblies and/or Product Structures in Windchill
– Spatial criteria (Box, Sphere, Proximity)
– Attribute criteria
 Preview Filtered Structures in Lightweight Viewer (Creo View)
– Configured Digital Mockup (cDMU)
– Design Reviews
– Clash and Interference Mgmt
 Load in CAD Tool to perform Design change
 CAD Tools supported
– Creo Elements/Pro 5.0
– Creo 1.0
– CATIA V5
Forward looking information. Subject to change without notice © 2010 PTC
19
Finalization of Product Structure
Reconcile differences between CAD Assembly and Product Structure
START
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
fullest
2
3
4
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
Detailed Design
Execution
 Leveraging the CAD assembly to generate rich intelligent
Product Structures
 How things are modeled doesn’t always reflect the product
structure, or Engineering Bill of Material
 Engineers need tools (and) flexibility to make adjustments
 Downstream consumers and processes depend on an
accurate BoM
Finalizing Product
Structure
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
END
20
4 Detailed Design
CAD Driven Product Structure Challenges
CAD Model
BOM
Parts Structure
For Modeling
purposes only
CAD
DMU
CAD Model
specific subassy
level not needed
in Product
structure
Erroneously
built in
structure
Incorrect
Quantity
modeled in CAD
 More flexibility
 Management of attributes &
processes limited for CAD
 CAD and Product Structure not
always the same
 Product Structure changes tied to
workspace & CAD users
 No tools to view and compare
structure
© 2006 PTC
21
4 Improved Part – Document Relationships
Top Level
A
 Goals
– Deliver more flexibility to user working with product
structure driven from CAD data
– Enable user outside of CAD tools to work with CAD
driven product structure
 Key Capabilities
Top-level.asm
A.asm
a
a.prt
b
b.asm
1
1.prt
How can I change my Product Structure but
keep the association to the CAD Model?
– Provide environment for viewing CAD and Product
Structure side-by-side
• Compare differences
• Make edits
• Provide graphical feedback
– Relax restrictiveness of build rules
• Edit Product Structure qty.
• Restructuring capabilities
– Parameter driven part creation capabilities
© 2008 PTC
22
4 Structure Compare
Launched from the
Compare Action
 Side-by-side comparison of structures
– CAD-to-Part
– Part-to-CAD
– Part-to-Part
 Highlight and Navigate differences
 Additional cross-highlighting reporting in
lower third
 Lightweight editing
 Bottom Up and Top Down Design build
support
© 2008 PTC
23
4 Structure Compare
Central Column for
difference reporting
Build
Structure
on RHS
Difference
Navigation
Configure table
display
Add’l reporting
and comparison
on highlighted
row
Search
structure
© 2008 PTC
24
4 Editing CAD Driven Product Structure
Gathering Parts
Toggle gathering
part on/off
 Purpose
– Handing assemblies that are for modeling only
– Elevating its children in the BoM
 Product Structure
– Identified with special part icon
– Controlled by Part attribute
• Edit Common Attributes toggle on/off
– Ability to initially set using CAD attribute
 BoM reports
– Excluded from BoM reports
– Children of gathering part maintained
– Children elevated up a level in BoM
Toggle gathering
part on/off
Sub-asm_1 excluded
children comp_3.prt &
comp_4.rt elevated
to 1st level
© 2008 PTC
25
4 Editing CAD Driven Product Structure
What’s modeled isn’t always exactly what you want
 Changing Quantities
– Including for CAD built
occurences
 Adding non-modeled items
– Bulk items
© 2008 PTC
26
4 Editing CAD Driven Product Structure
What’s modeled isn’t always exactly what you want
 Deleting unwanted (built) members
– Model included in assembly for reference (not part of BoM)
– Correcting any unwanted items in structure
 Decide whether change should be propagated back to CAD
 System automatically keeps track of changes with Deleted Occurences
© 2008 PTC
27
4
View the video here
28
Release to production systems
START
1
Preparation
Leveraging New Windchill
10.0 capabilities to the
fullest
2
3
4
Defining a New Product
Concept
Using enterprise top
down design
Detailed Design
Execution
 Releasing BoM to
downstream
process
– Exporting BoM
reports
– Available for MPM
– Publishing to ERP
other downstream
systems
Manufacturing
Engineer
Finalizing Product
Structure
5Available for downstream
activities/systems
END
29
Questions?
Thank you!