[cad-linux] Re: Base file format for our efforts...
- From: Ray Henry <rehenry@xxxxxx>
- To: cad-linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 19:43:56 -0600
On Wednesday 15 January 2003 01:19 pm, Arthur wrote:
> On 14 Jan 2003 at 7:32 PM, Andrew Lowe wrote:
> > The obvious way to go at the moment is some form of XML.
> >This is text based and we can define our own schema, although I
> >think there are already one or two schema's being developed at the
> >moment that are aimed at the CAD market - I will look through my
> >bookmarks. In terms of the one file being all things, have a look at
> >cimsteel, www.cis2.org. This is a thing in the structural steel
> > industry where the one file can be used by a wide variety of
> > packages, modelling, analysis, detailing, costing. It is done in the
> > EXPRESS language and is working its way towards a STEP format.
>
> Just to follow up on this a bit. STEP has been around for about 20
> years or so. It was intended for transferring both graphical and
> non-graphical information between cad systems. Files are generally
> stored in something called the "Part 21" clear text format and are
> reasonably compact. Recently, xml schemas for various parts of STEP
> have been developed and people are starting to store STEP data in XML.
>
> The good thing is that quite a few existing cad platforms have at least
> some tools for importing/exporting step data. There are also companies
> that make STEP specific tools. So by using STEP as a native file
> format, you would start off with at least some interoperability with
> existing systems.
>
> The bad thing is that STEP has changed courses a number of times over
> the years. It's big and bulky and difficult to get a grasp on. But at
> least it's something to consider.
And for those interested in machine tool control, there is an
experimental interpreter of STEP files that was written for the EMC
controller. Preliminary tests were run a few months back but I have not
heard any results.
Ray
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