Parametric exchange of data between a modeling system and an external application program

• US 7,013,246 B1
• Filed: 05/24/1999
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Original Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Inventors: Gerlovin, Emmanuel, Cro Granito, Jose A., Shkolnik, Dmitriy
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAY, HERNG DER
• Application Number:
  US09/318,105
• Time in Patent Office: 2,486 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2, 703/6, 345/420, 345/419, 700/97
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A facility enables an external application program (EAP) to exchange data with a modeling program, such as a computer-aided design (CAD) program. The data may be parametric data used in parametric models of geometric objects in the CAD program. In one embodiment, the EAP registers with the CAD program to indicate that the EAP provides output data to the CAD program for use within a model. When the CAD program needs to reevaluate a model due to changes, the CAD program calls a callback that results from the registration of the EAP with the CAD program. The callback sends new input data to the EAP, causes the EAP to recalculate the output data and pass the new output data to the CAD program. The CAD program then integrates the new output data into the model so as to fully update the model.

Claims

1. In a computer system running a computer-aided design (CAD) package and an external application program (EAP), a method, comprising the steps of:

providing a model of an object in the CAD package, wherein said model includes output data from the EAP integrated into said model, the EAP located in a separate address space from the CAD package;

registering the EAP with the CAD package, the registration registering a callback to the EAP from the CAD package;

modifying the model;

determining programmatically without user input that the modifying of the model requires recalculation of the output data from the EAP; and

in response to the determining, programmatically sending new input data to the EAP and obtaining new output data from the EAP.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the step of calling the EAP from the CAD package to obtain the new output data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the EAP performs analysis on at least a portion of the model to produce the original output data and the new output data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the analysis is an engineering analysis.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

further modifying the model;

determining that the further modifying of the model requires further recalculation of the output data from the EAP; and

in response to the determining that the further modifying of the model requires further recalculation of the output data, obtaining new output data from the EAP.

6. In a computer system having a computer-aided design (CAD) program for manipulating a model of an object, a method, comprising the steps of:

registering an external application program (EAP) with a CAD program, the registration registering a callback that is called from the CAD program to access the EAP;

exporting data from a CAD model in the CAD program to an EAP, the EAP located in a separate address space from the CAD program;

using the exported data as input data to execute the EAP and obtain output data from the EAP;

importing the output data into the CAD program from the EAP;

integrating the output data into the CAD model such that future changes to the model require additional calculations to be performed by the EAP;

modifying the CAD model;

determining programmatically without user input that the modifications to the model require new output data from the EAP;

in response to the determination that the modifications to the model require new output data from the EAP, programmatically calling the EAP without user input and passing new input data to the EAP, the new input data generated from the modification of the model, the new input data used by the EAP to generate updated output data; and

automatically integrating the updated output data into the CAD model without a user request.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the CAD model is a feature-based model.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the CAD model is a parametric model.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one of said integrating the output data into the CAD model and said automatically integrating the updated output data into the CAD model comprises adding parameters to the CAD model.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one of said integrating the output data into the CAD model and said automatically integrating the updated output data into the CAD model comprises adding geometric entities to the CAD model.

11. A computer-aided design (CAD) system, comprising:

a CAD program;

an external application program (EAP) that is located in a separate address space from the CAD program;

a model of an object that contains output data from the EAP integrated into the model such that future changes to the model are programmatically determined without user input to require additional calculations to be performed by the EAP; and

a registration facility for registering a callback for the EAP with the CAD program so that the CAD program calls the EAP when the output data from the EAP in the model needs updating as a result of changes to the model.

12. The CAD system of claim 11 wherein the model is a feature-based model.

13. The CAD system of claim 11 wherein the model is a parametric model.

14. In a computer system running an external application program (EAP) and a computer-aided design (CAD) package with a model of an object that includes output data from the EAP, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

registering the EAP with the CAD package, the registration registering a callback to the EAP from the CAD package;

modifying the model;

determining programmatically without user input that the modifying of the model requires recalculation of the output data from the EAP, the EAP located in a separate address space from the CAD package; and

in response to the determining, sending new input data to the EAP and obtaining new output data from the EAP.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises the step of calling the EAP from the CAD package to obtain the new output data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the EAP performs analysis on at least a portion of the model to produce the output data and the new output data.

17. In a computer system having a computer-aided design (CAD) package program for manipulating a model of an object, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

registering an external application program (EAP) with a CAD program, the registration registering a callback that is called from the CAD program to access the EAP;

importing output data into the CAD program from an external application program (EAP), the EAP located in a separate address space from the CAD program;

integrating the output data into the model such that future changes to the model require additional calculations to be performed by the EAP;

modifying the model;

determining programmatically without user input that the modifying of the model requires recalculation of the output data from the EAP; and

automatically updating the output data by calling the EAP with new input data without a user request.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the model is feature-based.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the model is parametric.