Build Anywhere Newsletter Vol.1 No.5

[Martin Hardwick]

If you want to know more about STEP-NC try the virtual tours 
at www.stepnc.com or the resource pages at www.steptools.com


------------------------------ 
AP-238 Ballot Comments resolved

All of the ballot comments against AP-238 were successfully resolved 
at the ISO meeting last week in Seoul. As a result of the resolution 
documentation will be added to AP-238 describing how the PDM information 
in STEP (owner contact info, date-time, approval, etc.c) should 
be applied to the AP-238 NC plans and working steps.


-------------------------------------------- 
STEP-NC Turning Model Harmonized with AP-224

The differences between the turning features proposed for Part 12 
of STEP-NC and the features in AP-224 were resolved during the Korea 
meeting. Part 12 is now ready for proto-typing and STEP Tools is 
looking for an implementation partner.


--------------------------- 
EXPRESS-X Passes DIS Ballot

EXPRESS-X is a language for extracting object models out of EXPRESS 
information models. We make extensive use of  EXPRESS-X in our
STEP-NC and shipbuilding projects. 

There are two important recent developments:

1. The language passed its Draft International Standard Ballot with 
   unanimous approval so it can go direct to International Standard 
   status without any more ballots.

2. We have completed an EXPRESS-X to C++ compiler that creates 
   efficient C++ code out of an EXPRESS-X mapping specification.

What this all means is we are getting very close to a second 
generation of STEP implementations. In this new generation, 
applications are built by formulating EXPRESS-X queries to extract 
object models out of the STEP models as XML data. A wide range of user 
interfaces and tool kits are used to process that data, before it
is put back into the STEP data using an EXPRESS-X update query.

We will be making announcements about new software tool products for 
CAD, NC and Shipbuilding that come complete with EXPRESS-X mappings, 
the EXPRESS-X compiler and specialized viewers in the upcoming months.


------------------------------- 
How to make Parts using STEP-NC

1. Go to www.stepnc.com and take the "Virtual Tours". 
2. If you are a manufacturing engineer, download the ST-Plan plug-in 
   and begin to use STEP-NC for operation planning. 
3. If you are a CNC machining engineer download an ST-Machine plug-in 
   to find out how to intelligently machine parts on or off a CNC 
4. Contact us to find out how to make this procedure a regular 
   part of your operations.


------------------------------------ 
Summary: 

Period Covered: Sun Nov 3 04:26:51 2002 -- Sun Nov 10 04:26:51 2002 
Total usage: 74 
Successful usage: 74 (100%) 
Errors: (0%)
Translator total errors success rate 
ACIS to STEP: 8 0 100% 
STEP to ACIS: 24 0 100% 
AP203 Checker: 1 0 100% 
CEB XML Writer: 3 0 100% 
OSEB XML Writer: 1 0 100% 
Parasolid to STEP: 17 0 100% 
STEP to Parasolid: 5 0 100% 
======================================= 
All-Time stats 
------------------------------------ 
Summary: 
Period Covered: Wed Dec 31 19:00:00 1969 -- Sun Nov 10 04:27:24 2002 
Total usage: 17615 
Successful usage: 16169 (91%) 
Errors: 1446 (8%)


--------------------------- 
Tools From STEP Tools, Inc. 

The world's foremost firms use the STEP Tools product line to help 
them share engineering product information. Over one million people 
use product data applications built with ST-Developer, the company's 
flagship product.

The STEP Tools vision is to enable digital manufacturing ANYWHERE 
using STEP-NC. 

For a complete listing of the available products check out the STEP 
Tools web site at http://www.steptools.com


== ST-Announce Administrative Notes ==================================
To be removed from this mailing list, send mail to majordomo at steptools.com
with the line "unsubscribe st-announce" as the body of the message.  To be
added to this list, send mail with the body "subscribe st-announce"
-
Short news items can be submitted to st-announce-owner for inclusion in
the next STEP Tools newsletter.  Other questions or requests can be sent
to info at steptools.com.