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CADD: What can DITA learn from CAD?
Computer-aided design (CAD) software uses hierarchies, assemblies, and reusable components to optimize design and manufacturing. Content authoring systems like DITA can learn from CAD approaches to improve reuse, change management, and production of technical documentation. CAD uses bills of materials (BOMs) that list all required parts to guide production; DITA can similarly use maps, topics, and relationships between them as the basis for manuals.
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CADD: What can DITA learn from CAD?
- 1. CADD: Computer- Aided Documentation Design Whatcan DITA learn from CAD ? Jang F.M. Graat
- 2. Jang F.M. Graat Part-timeDITA user Full-time philosopher 25+ years Technical Communicator 10+ years in machine manufacturing domain Who’s talking ? Automating Adobe FrameMaker
- 3. IBM did notinvent reuse
- 4.
- 5. 3D CAD :visual feedback
- 6. 3D CAD :HYDIHYM
- 7. assembly make part stock part virtual part virtual part 3D CAD : assembling parts
- 8. car car body body chassis chassis controls controls frame frame axle axle wheel wheel engine engine Product : assembly shaft shaft bearing bearing flange flange hierarchy
- 9. where where stock stock logistics logistics manpower manpower used used ERP ERP material material VRML VRML production production CAM CAM item ID item ID CAD CAD 3D 3D finishing finishing 2D 2D parts parts item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID Item : information hub
- 10.
- 11.
- 12.
- 13. CAD CAD Supervisor Supervisor workstation workstation Server Server workstation s workstation s use item A item A release 1 release 1 check out check out item A item A temp temp check in release item A item A use release 2 release 2 Managing changes
- 14. car car body body chassis chassis controls controls other other frame frame axle axle wheel wheel engine engine cars cars Changing an item shaft shaft bearing bearing flange flange version
- 15. where where stock stock logistics logistics manpower manpower used used ERP ERP material material VRML VRML production production CAM CAM item ID item ID CAD CAD 3D 3D finishing finishing 2D 2D parts parts Change impacts item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID everything
- 16. FFF : FormFit Function
- 17.
- 18. car 1 car 1 body 1 body 1 chassis 1 chassis 1 controls 1 controls 1 frame 1 frame 1 axle 2 axle 1 axle 2 axle 1 wheel 1 engine 1 wheel 1 engine 1 Minimizing change shaft 2 shaft 11 shaft 2 shaft bearing 2 bearing 11 bearing 2 bearing flange 2 flange 11 flange 2 flange impact
- 19.
- 20. All parts mustbe available
- 21. car car body body chassis chassis controls controls frame frame axle axle wheel wheel engine engine Product : assembly shaft shaft bearing bearing flange flange hierarchy
- 22. BOM : BillOf Materials
- 23. where where stock stock logistics logistics manpower manpower used used ERP ERP material material VRML VRML production production CAM CAM item ID item ID CAD CAD 3D 3D finishing finishing 2D 2D parts parts BOM : basis for item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID production
- 24. How we createmanuals
- 25. car.ditamap body.ditamap chassis.ditamap frame.dita axle.dita wheel.dita DITA : hierarchy of maps
- 26. hrefs hrefs maps maps conrefs conrefs xrefs xrefs where used where used item ID item ID DITAVAL DITAVAL references references CMS : chaos hrefs hrefs topicrefs topicrefs maprefs maprefs conrefs conrefs management
- 27. map 1 map 1 submap 1 submap 1 submap 1 submap 1 submap 1 submap 1 topic 1 topic 1 topic 2 topic 1 topic 2 topic 1 topic 1 topic 1 topic 1 topic 1 CMS : change conref 2 conref 11 conref 2 conref xref 2 xref 11 xref 2 xref href 2 href 11 href 2 href management
- 28. where where stock stock logistics logistics manpower manpower used used material material production production CAM CAM ERP ERP VRML VRML finishing finishing item ID item ID CAD CAD 3D 3D specs specs 2D 2D tasks tasks Doc Doc parts parts trouble- trouble- shooting shooting CADD : content item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID item ID production
- 29. BOM : BasisOf Manuals
- 30. Jang F.M. Graat JANG Communication Amsterdam,NL jang@jang.nl www.jang.nl Questions, reactions ?
Editor's Notes
- #4 Nor did Henry Ford, but he sure made a big impact on manufacturing, by changing the focus from the product to the production. Without reuse, production lines cannot be nearly as efficient as they are today. Reuse went from serendipity to becoming the norm.
- #5 To make the production line work, parts must be designed and manufactured according to strict rules. After all, adapting parts in each particular car is not feasible when working on the production line.
- #7 In the design phase, required parts are assembled and - where needed - created. Although this type of 3D visual user interface might make you think of WYSIWYG, a different acronym is more suited to the method of designing: How You Design Is How You Manufacture. If you cannot make a part, it is useless to put it in the design. Modern 3D CAD software works like you are manufacturing the part: take a block, drill a hole, create the thread, weld parts together, etc.
- #8 Along with the 3D visual design comes a hierarchical list of parts required to make the product. The list contains singular stock parts, make parts, virtual parts (combination of parts to make them handle like one item), subassemblies and assemblies, all the way to the top. Each part has a unique identifier, which includes the item ID, a version indicator and an instance number.
- #9 The product is created from modules, which are built from assemblies, which are created out of subassemblies, which contain parts. There may be more levels, depending on the complexity of the product and its composing parts. The hierarchy follows a tree model.
- #10 Each item is stored in a database along with all the information attached to it. For each item, there is (or should be) information about how the part becomes available (either purchasing or creating it - which involves CAM data and ERP info). All applicable technical details are attached to the item. In practice, the 3D model is often used as the hub, instead of using an empty item with just an ID to attach everything to. The upward link is given via the ‘ where used ’ query.
- #12 Car manufacturers do not really like to reinvent the wheel. They reuse the same basic parts to create a whole series of models. The models may have different body parts, different engines, different wheels, different transmissions, different controls. Many parts will remain the same between one model and the other.
- #13 This means that most of the parts in the car manufacturing domain are reusable. They can be used in many models. Often they can also be replaced by other parts, but this may involve changes to higher-level items as well. That is where version control comes in. Sometimes a part must be changed, for a variety of reasons.
- #14 Changing a part becomes a matter of extreme caution: what is the impact on other products ? This calls for several levels of content management, not just checkin-checkout but a separate layer of in process versus released. Depending on your own status and the state of your own work you may or may not have permissions to use unreleased checked-in assemblies. Beyond a certain point, no unreleased items are permitted. Releasing is not done by the engineer but by the person responsible for production - who knows the implications throughout the factury.
- #15 Changing an item may have effects on other parts in the same assembly, and changes to the assembly may affect higher levels. A simple replacement may require revision of a large number of models, which in turn require changes in the production line.
- #16 Each item is stored in a database along with all the information attached to it. For each item, there is (or should be) information about how the part becomes available (either purchasing or creating it - which involves CAM data and ERP info). All applicable technical details are attached to the item. In practice, the 3D model is often used as the hub, instead of using an empty item with just an ID to attach everything to. The upward link is given via the ‘ where used ’ query.
- #19 Following the FFF rule, the impact of changes can be minimized. When a part is replaced by another part that complies on all three F ’ s, no further changes are required. The part can be replaced even halfway during production. Example: one SD card can be replaced by another SD card (brand) of the same memory size. In some domains (automotive, aerospace), such replacements will never be accepted: traceability requires at least another release of the item, which in turn invalidates the current release of the assemblies that incorporate the part.
- #22 The product is created from modules, which are built from assemblies, which are created out of subassemblies, which contain parts. There may be more levels, depending on the complexity of the product and its composing parts. The hierarchy follows a tree model.
- #23 Every manufactured product contains many parts, each of which may in turn be composed of many parts. Assembling a Volkswagen Golf takes thousands of prefabricated parts.
- #24 Each item is stored in a database along with all the information attached to it. For each item, there is (or should be) information about how the part becomes available (either purchasing or creating it - which involves CAM data and ERP info). All applicable technical details are attached to the item. In practice, the 3D model is often used as the hub, instead of using an empty item with just an ID to attach everything to. The upward link is given via the ‘ where used ’ query.
- #28 Following the FFF rule, the impact of changes can be minimized. When a part is replaced by another part that complies on all three F ’ s, no further changes are required. The part can be replaced even halfway during production. Example: one SD card can be replaced by another SD card (brand) of the same memory size. In some domains (automotive, aerospace), such replacements will never be accepted: traceability requires at least another release of the item, which in turn invalidates the current release of the assemblies that incorporate the part.
- #29 Each item is stored in a database along with all the information attached to it. For each item, there is (or should be) information about how the part becomes available (either purchasing or creating it - which involves CAM data and ERP info). All applicable technical details are attached to the item. In practice, the 3D model is often used as the hub, instead of using an empty item with just an ID to attach everything to. The upward link is given via the ‘ where used ’ query.
- #30 Every manufactured product contains many parts, each of which may in turn be composed of many parts. Assembling a Volkswagen Golf takes thousands of prefabricated parts.