STEP Tools Weekly News for Monday May 10

Mon May 10 13:13:01 EDT 1999

This weekly newsletter is a brief update of what is going on in STEP
and at STEP Tools, Inc.  If you want to know more, try the STEP Tools
web site (http://www.steptools.com).

------------------------
A Summer of Beans (Java)

This year's demonstrations for the National Industrial Information
Infrastructure Protocols (NIIIP) project will focus on managing
product model information using Enterprise JavaBeans.

	http://www.niiip.org

In one of the projects, information will be mapped from STEP to a
business object model for ship building. The information will be
edited using Java applications over the Internet and changes to the
business objects will be used to update the STEP database. Noteworthy
features of the demonstration include:

1. We will be using EXPRESS-X to map data from STEP to the
   business objects, and to update the database using changes
   to the business objects.

2. We will use Level II of the SDAI Java to define the interface
   between STEP (ST-Repository) and the Enterprise JavaBean
   middleware (IBM WebSphere).

3. A parallel demonstration will show how the same set of
   Enteprise JavaBeans can be populated from a legacy database.

4. The end-user applications will not need to know if the data
   is coming from STEP or the legacy database.

--------------------------------------------
Application Protocols in Space! - Correction

Three weeks ago a piece was published on the Space Application
Protocols that did not give enough credit to the European Space
Agency.

"I would appreciate however if you would inform the author of some
 incorrect information given in his newsletter: STEP-TAS and STEP-NRF
 were not developed by "The French Space Agency CNES", but by the
 European Space Agency ESA.  Of course the work done by CNES,
 especially their preceding work with SET and their co-operation and
 contributions during the development of STEP-TAS and STEP-NRF, have
 been very valuable, but in the newsletter ESA has even not mentioned.

 The pioneering work done by ESA, especially Pau Planas, deserves a
 place in the history of STEP-TAS and STEP-NRF!

 I would appreciate a correction to be made in the STEP ToolsWeekly.

 It is also worthwhile to mention that the relation of STEP-TAS and
 STEP-NRF with ISO will now go via the ECSS E-10-07, the new Working
 Group in the European Coordination for Space Systems (ECSS),
 responsible for the coordination of all data exchange matters for
 space."

--------------------------------
ST-Repository Previews in Norway

A preview of ST-Repository will be available for demonstration at the
SC4 meeting in Norway (June 7-11). We will show:

* The Internet Translation Service being used to translate CAD data.

* The Universal Visualization Service being used to visualize product
  model information on both a "thin" netscape client and a "thick"
  plug-in client.

* The Enterprise Integration Service being used to package product
  model information into business objects for enterprise wide data
  access and data updates.

The three services have been designed so that they can be added to
your existing CAD, PDM and database systems.

The demonstrations will be given by special arrangement only so
if your time is limited please contact us in advance.

-------------------
Translation Service 

Last week the translation service crossed the 4,000 user mark.

Summary:
Period Covered: Sun May  2 03:25:03 1999 -- Sun May  9 03:25:03 1999
Total usage: 94
Successful usage: 82 (87%)
Errors: 12 (12%)

Translator	total	errors	success rate

acis-ap203	18	1	94%
ap203-acis	42	8	80%
ap203-stl	2	0	100%
ap203-vrml	6	2	66%
expfront2	6	0	100%
gifviz		7	1	85%
step2xml	6	0	100%
steptoimage	4	0	100%
xml2step	3	0	100%

=======================================
All-Time stats

------------------------------------
Summary:
Period Covered: Wed Dec 31 19:00:00 1969 -- Sun May  9 03:25:17 1999
Total usage: 4114
Successful usage: 3614 (87%)
Errors: 500 (12%)

Translator	total	errors	success rate

acis-ap203	858	33	96%
ap203-acis	1532	158	89%
ap203-stl	107	39	63%
ap203-vrml	375	101	73%
ap203-xml	87	18	79%
ap203check	199	17	91%
expfront	124	17	86%
expfront2	90	0	100%
express2html	259	2	99%
expxfront	11	1	90%
gifviz		150	45	70%
iges-ap202	10	0	100%
sp203-xml	13	2	84%
step2xml	72	9	87%
steptoimage	208	51	75%
xml2step	19	7	63%

--------------------
Our Tools

Programming:
* ST-Developer -- programming tools for writing STEP applications,
  translators and databases.

* ST-ORACLE -- SQL programming tool for moving STEP data into and
  out of ORACLE databases. 

* ST-ObjectStore -- ObjectStore binding of ST-Developer for moving
  STEP data into and out of ObjectStore databases.

* ST-ACIS Library -- programming functions to convert STEP data to 
  and from ACIS models and SAT files.

* ST-Parasolid Library -- programming functions to convert STEP data to 
  and from Parasolid models.

Desktop:
* ST-EXPRESS -- desktop tool to visualize EXPRESS schemas.

* ST-ACIS Translator -- desktop tool for translating STEP data to
  ACIS and vice versa.

* ST-Parasolid Translator -- desktop tool for translating STEP data to
  Parasolid and vice versa.

* ST-Visualizer -- desktop tool to view, analyze and check the
  accuracy of STEP databases.

Database:
* ST-Repository -- Internet Translation, Universal Visualization
  and Enterprise Integration services for your CAD, PDM and database
  systems.

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