STEP Tools news for Monday October 25

Mon Oct 25 17:11:11 EDT 1999

Since 1991 STEP Tools has been developing tools and databases for
product data. 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).

This newsletter announces a free party to be held in New Orleans.

-----------------------------
NIIIP Demonstrations for 1999

The third NIIIP demonstration of the 1999 season was held at AMP in
Harrisburg last week. AMP is a multi-national company that makes
electrical connectors such as the ones that can be found in many
personal computers.

The NIIIP demonstration showed how the NIIIP protocols can be used 
optimize the production of a connector by helping the shop floor
process an order, select the right equipment and molds, produce the
connectors and inspect the final product.  The various applications
were written in Java, in an Enterprise JavaBean framework and linked
by an XML object model.

ST-Repository was used in the demonstration to insert CAD and PDM data
into the XML object model.

For STEP the lessons learned from 1999 are that EXPRESS-X and XML are
a very powerful combination. We map STEP data to an object model using
EXRPESS-X and then deliver the data using the late bound XML format
described by Part 28. An application is able to read the data using as
little as 50 lines of Java or Visual Basic code.

In the reverse direction the application writes late bound XML code
using another small Java or Visual Basic program and an EXPRESS-X
mapping is used to update the STEP file that came from the CAD system.

Late bound XML is used so that the linked applications are not so
sensitive to changes in the object model. An early bound XML uses a
different object model for every kind of entity, a late bound model
uses one object model for every kind of entity. Data access is
slightly more complicated because the application must search for
strings with the right name, but the result is more flexible because
the application will not care if an entity is given more attributes.

--------------
Upcoming Dates

November 8 - Free party in New Orleans from 6PM to 8PM.

We will be holding a party on Monday night during the ISO STEP
meeting. Food and drink will be free to anyone willing to listen to a
30 minute presentation on ST-Repository and the "Super Model" (MDICM)
project. There will be a brief demonstration showing how to link STEP
with desktop applications and there will also be a useful free gift.

****New Date ******
December 12-13, 1999 -- Information and Organization Meetings for
	MDICM "Super Model" Project

MDICM is the $2.9M Model Driven Intelligent Control of Manufacturing
project awarded to STEP Tools and a team of sub-contractors by the ATP
program. We will have an organizational meeting for the Industrial
Review Board of this project.

	http://www.atp.nist.gov/www/comps/index99.htm

November 15, 1999 -- Introduction to STEP

A one day hands-on workshop for professionals that need to know what
STEP is and how it can be a key element in solving your product data
exchange problems.

	http://www.steptools.com/training/introstep.html

November 16-18, 1999 -- Programming STEP Applications 

Learn how our most popular programming tool, ST-Developer, can help
you to reduce development time of in-house STEP applications by 75%.
Taught by a STEP Tools developer with over eight years experience.
Dr. Dave Loffredo will show you how to use and implement the wide
variety of case tools during this intensive hands-on class.
Opportunities will be available to discuss all aspects of how to
program with the ISO 10303 STEP standard and to gain experience with
ST-Developer.

	http://www.steptools.com/training/apstep.html

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

Summary:
Period Covered: Sun Oct 17 03:25:03 1999 -- Sun Oct 24 03:25:03 1999
Total usage: 78
Successful usage: 71 (91%)
Errors: 7 (8%)

Translator	total	errors	success rate

acis-ap203	4	0	100%
ap203-acis	27	4	85%
ap203-vrml	10	0	100%
ap203check	21	0	100%
gifviz		4	1	75%
step2xml	8	0	100%
steptoimage	1	0	100%
xml2step	3	2	33%

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

------------------------------------
Summary:
Period Covered: Wed Dec 31 19:00:00 1969 -- Sun Oct 24 03:25:23 1999
Total usage: 6353
Successful usage: 5419 (85%)
Errors: 934 (14%)

Translator	total	errors	success rate

acis-ap203	1183	52	95%
ap203-acis	2255	239	89%
ap203-stl	137	48	64%
ap203-vrml	648	192	70%
ap203-xml	87	18	79%
ap203check	386	35	90%
expfront	124	17	86%
expfront2	141	1	99%
express2html	285	2	99%
expxfront	11	1	90%
gifviz		221	60	72%
iges-ap202	10	0	100%
para-step	146	80	45%
sp203-xml	13	2	84%
step-para	159	92	42%
step2xml	185	18	90%
steptoimage	314	59	81%
xml2step	48	18	62%

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

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

* ST-Visualizer Library -- programming functions to visualize STEP
  data.

Desktop:
* 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-Viewer -- inexpensive desktop tool to view, analyze and annotate
  STEP data.

Database:
* ST-Repository -- Parts library database for the supply chain with
  services for translating, viewing and editing product data using
  web browsers and desktop applications.

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