JPH0997277A - Design supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a design supporting device which is capable of controlling any design history and displaying the history by a relation tree structure. SOLUTION: A first memory 10a successively stores the state information on a design model to be prepared/changed in a design process and first relating data relating the command column transferring the state of the design model to the design model. A second memory 10b successively stores a command column to be executed in a design process and second relating data relating the command column to the design model before and after the execution of the command column. A design history control part 9 prepares a relation tree structure showing a design history by referring to the storage contents of the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b, displays the structure on a display means 1, receives the instruction from an input part 7, edits the storage contents of the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b, and changes the display of the display part 1 by operating a CAD part 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a design support apparatus for interactively designing a shape, and more particularly to a design support apparatus capable of managing a design history and effectively utilizing the design history. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a design support device for designing a three-dimensional shape, a method for expressing the three-dimensional shape is as follows.
Three types of models are used: wire frame models, surface models, and solid models. Here, the wire frame model represents a three-dimensional shape only with ridges and vertices like wirework. The surface model has the data of the surface and the data of the wire frame model so that the contour of the wire is covered with paper. What is a solid model? 3
It is a three-dimensional model that can fully express the three-dimensional shape and is full of contents.

Usually, the designer uses the above three types of models appropriately to design efficiently. For example, the procedure is such that a three-dimensional shape contour is input by a wire frame model, a surface is attached to the contour by the surface model, and finally a solid model is converted. Also, if necessary, you can convert the solid model to a surface model, convert the surface model to a wireframe model to modify the shape, and vice versa, or convert the solid model to a wireframe model. Create the final shape by cutting with.

In the above design process, in order to interactively create a product shape intended by the designer, a function of canceling an erroneous operation by the designer and a function of reproducing a shape existing in the past are indispensable. Also, in designing the product shape,
A function that can change a part of the generated shape so that it can respond to design changes due to changes in various requirements (product appearance, material, reliability, cost, etc.) imposed on products,
A function that can support design is required.

Therefore, the design state and the history of design operations at each design stage are stored in a time series in an external storage device, and when a designer requests operation cancellation, necessary information is stored from the external storage means. There is known a design support device that reads out and reproduces a past design state (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-2).
80277, JP-A-6-51888).

As another device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-78009.
The design support device described in Japanese Patent No. 0 is known. With this device, you can reverse the command for the executed shape deformation.
It is decomposed into a series of retransformable basic transformation operations, and these operation sequences and command arguments are stored in a tree structure branch that saves the history of the design process, and when the designer requests operation cancellation, the shape is restored. The required command string is obtained by tracing the tree structure and the command string is executed. Then, a part of the generated shape is changed by similarly tracing the tree structure to obtain a command string, changing the argument, and executing the command again.

[0007]

However, in the conventional design support apparatus, the design state and the history of the design operation are not associated with each other, and the data are simply stored in time series, or the tree structure is used as a basis. It is possible to trace the design operation one by one, but it is impossible to create the entire relational tree structure, because only the modified operation sequence and the command argument are stored. Therefore, it is difficult for the designer to grasp the entire design history, and it is difficult to effectively use the history information for design.

Further, when the design is carried out through a continuous process in time, history information is managed, and history processing operations such as executing a past executed command string by changing parameters are executed. However, if there is a temporally discontinuous design process, for example, after creating the design model A from the design history a, the design model B is created from the design history b.
And then design model C is created by referring to design model A and design model B, design history a and design history b cannot be associated, and history information cannot be managed. The history processing operation could not be performed. That is, in the conventional design support apparatus, when a new design model is created / changed using a plurality of design models having independent design histories (for example, a solid model and a wire frame model), There is a problem that it is not possible to manage each design history of the design model in a composite manner.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. By storing the design state and the history of design operations in association with each other, an arbitrary portion in the design history can be stored.
A feature of the present invention is to provide a design support device capable of easily returning to a past state, reproducing a past model, and re-executing a command.

[0010]

A design support apparatus according to claim 1 comprises input means, design means for creating / changing a shape based on an instruction from the input means, and display means for displaying the shape. In the design support apparatus, the storage unit stores data relating to a design model created / modified by the design unit in the past and a command sequence executed in the past, and a relational tree structure indicating a design history by referring to the storage unit. When the tree structure creation / display means created and displayed from the display means and the design model created / changed in the past or the command sequence executed in the past is specified from the input means, the design model specified from the storage means or History data calling means for calling data related to a designated command string.

In the above structure, since the relational tree structure showing the design history is displayed from the display means, the designer can design while referring to the relational tree structure, and can provide effective design support.

Further, it becomes possible to take out data relating to an arbitrary design model or command sequence in the design process.

A design support apparatus according to a second aspect is the design support apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising design history processing means for instructing the design means to perform the processing operation instructed by the input means. It is a thing.

A design support apparatus according to a third aspect is the design support apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the design history processing means has a reproduction means for reproducing the design model designated by the input means. Is.

A design support apparatus according to a fourth aspect is the design support apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the design history processing means uses the design model or command sequence designated by the input means for another design. It has a conversion means for converting into a model or another command sequence.

In the design support apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, when the design model designed / created in the past or the command sequence executed in the past is instructed, the history data calling means is called. Based on this data, it is possible to call / reproduce the design model designed in the past, and re-execute the command sequence with different parameters. Therefore, it is possible to easily carry out design operation and design modification.

A design support apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the design support apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the storage means stores state information of the design model created / changed in the design process and the design model. First association data for associating a command sequence for transitioning the state of
Sequentially storing first storage means for sequentially storing the command sequence, a command sequence executed in the design process, and second association data for associating the command sequence with the design models before and after execution of the command sequence. And a second storage means.

In the above structure, since the tree structure creating means can create the relational tree structure using the first association data and the second association data, the designer grasps the design history from the relational tree structure. Therefore, the design operation and the design change can be easily performed.

Further, by utilizing the relation tree structure, it becomes possible to easily perform processing operations such as returning to a past state, reproducing a past design model, re-executing a command, etc., and improving operability. To do.

Furthermore, regarding a design model created by referring to a plurality of design models having independent design histories, the above-mentioned plurality of design models are associated and managed by the first association data and the second association data. Therefore, the history processing operation can be performed in an arbitrary part of the relation tree structure.

A design support apparatus according to a sixth aspect is the design support apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the first storage means is
It has a geometric information storage unit for storing the shape data of the design model created / changed in the design process.

With the above structure, it is possible to easily take out a design model created / modified in the past.

A design support apparatus according to a seventh aspect is the design support apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in which the third storage means stores the design history of the portion designated by the input means. It has.

According to the above configuration, when the design history before the design change is stored in the third storage unit, for example, when the design is changed, it is easy to call the data before the change later. Become. This is particularly effective when there are several tens to several hundreds of design steps and it is difficult to extract a design history of a necessary part.

A design support apparatus according to claim 8 is the design support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a fourth storage is provided for storing sub-information of the design model designated by the input means. It has means.

In the above configuration, for example, the characteristic design model is provided with sub-information in the design process and stored in the fourth storage means, so that the design model can be easily called later. . This is particularly effective when there are tens to hundreds of design steps and it is difficult to extract a necessary design model.

[0027]

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the present invention. This design support device (hereinafter, referred to as CAD device) stores a CAD unit (design means in claims) 8 that creates a design drawing based on an input from a designer, and stores design information designed in the past. An external storage unit 3 to be taken out, an input unit 7 including a mouse device 5 and a keyboard device 6 as input means, a display unit 1 including a CRT display for displaying designed drawings and design history
(Display unit in claims), a storage unit 10 that stores design history information designed in the past, and a design history management unit that manages the stored contents of the storage unit 10 to create a tree structure and perform a history operation (claim) Tree structure creation display means in the section,
A history data processing means and a design history processing means [reproducing means, converting means] 9).

The storage unit 10 comprises a first memory 10a and a second memory 10b. The first memory 10a is a memory that stores the shape data of the drawing created by the shape creating / modifying command sequence in the CAD unit 8 in time series, and includes a geometric information storage unit and a state information storage unit. The geometric information storage unit stores the shape data name, geometric information, and sub information of the created drawing. For example, in the case of point data, it is stored as shown in Table 1 below.

[0029]

[Table 1]

The state storage unit relates to the state of the drawing created by the CAD unit 8 by the shape creation / modification command sequence, the shape data name in the geometric state storage unit, the element ID of each storage element, and the state change of the shape data. Command sequence names (first association data in claims) are stored in time series.

The second memory 10b regards the command sequence executed in the design process in the CAD unit 8 and the shape data related to the execution of the command sequence as one processing system, regarding the command sequence as one processing system, and the input and output thereof. The element IDs (second association data in claims) of the state storage unit of the first memory 10a are stored in time series.

In the CAD system of the present embodiment, at the time of shape design, the design history management unit 9 causes the CAD unit 8 to sequentially design the shape data / state information data of the design model.
Commands and the like are stored in the storage unit 10. Then, when the design history is searched or the model created in the past is taken out, the design history management unit 9 creates a tree structure showing the design process based on the stored contents of the storage unit 10.

First, the creation of this tree structure will be specifically described.

Now, assume that the design is performed as follows.
First, profile1 which is a frame model is created from line1 to line3 and spline1, then solid1 which is a solid model is created by referring to this profile1, and solid1 and solid are created.
A modified model of solid1 by combining d2 (hereinafter, so
(hereinafter referred to as lid1 '). At this time,
By the processing of steps 301 to 309, which will be described later, the contents stored in the state storage unit of the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b of the storage unit are as shown in Table 2 and Table 3, respectively.

[0035]

[Table 2]

[0036]

[Table 3]

Here, for example, when the "solid1 '" portion displayed on the display unit 1 is double-clicked with the mouse, the storage management unit 9 refers to the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b, and more specifically In Table 2, sol
By referring to the row in which id1 'is described and the row in which CMD8 is described in Table 3, the state on the one level higher (design state before one) is investigated to create a tree structure, and the display unit 1 Will display it.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the display screen at this time. The command string name is written in parentheses in this figure. From this figure, solid1 'is soli
It can be understood from d1 and solid2 that it is created by the solid set operation in the solid model. In addition, solid1 'has shown that it is the model which solid1 was corrected. Further, the symbol * added to the head of solid1 indicates that the design was changed in the past. When the display of "* solid1" is double-clicked, the storage management unit 9 causes the first memory 10a and the second memory 1
A tree structure is created with reference to 0b, and the portion surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 2B is displayed. FIG. 2C shows solid.
It is a figure which shows that the structure called profile1 which appears in the 1'relational tree structure exists separately. This is so
lid1 and profile1 are models that exist separately, and profile1 is created when solid1 is created.
1 is created by reference.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the designed design model and the executed command are associated with each other, the tree structure can be created as described above. Therefore, the designer can see through what process the design was performed, and can easily perform the design operation and the design change. Also, even if there are multiple models with independent design histories (for example, if there are wireframe models and solid models), you can create a tree structure that shows those design histories, and realize effective design support. it can.

Needless to say, the operation and display screen for displaying the tree structure are not limited to those described above.

3 and 4 are flow charts showing the flow of processing of the CAD system of FIG. The operation of the CAD system of this embodiment will be described below with reference to these drawings.

First, the shape creating / changing process will be described with reference to FIG.

(Step 301) It is judged whether the input from the input unit 7 is a shape creation / modification command or a history operation (processing operation in claims) command, and if it is a history operation command, the process proceeds to (FIG. 4). .

(Step 302) The execution command string, its parameters, and auxiliary information (command name, command execution date, user name, etc.) are stored in the second memory 10b of the storage unit 10 as command information.

(Step 303) The execution command string is analyzed to check whether there is a model to be designed.

(Step 304) In step 303, if “No”, the stack counter is cleared,
Go to step 305. In the case of "Yes", the design target model name is stored in the stack.

(Step 305) The execution command string is executed.

(Step 306) It is checked whether or not there is a newly created model.

(Step 307) If "No" in step 306, the process proceeds to step 308, and "Yes"
In the case of "s", the model information having the status of the new model is stored in the first memory 10a, and the output model information is additionally stored in the command information of the second memory 10b.

(Steps 308, 309) Check model information in the stack until the stack counter reaches 0.
The model information having the status after command execution is stored in the first memory 10a and the output model information is stored in the command information of the second memory 10b.

The above is the processing at the time of designing in the CAD unit 8. By this processing, the input / output relationship of the model related to command execution is stored in the storage unit 10 as history information.

Next, the case of the history operation command (the case of branching in FIG. 3) will be described. In the history operation, a tree structure showing the design history is displayed, and based on the displayed tree structure, restoration to the past state, reproduction of the past model, and change of the current model are performed. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the flow of this processing.
Hereinafter, description will be given based on the flow chart shown in FIG.

(Step 310) A history operation processing item is selected.

(Step 311) It is checked whether or not to return to the past design state, and if "Yes", Step 320
The following "return to past state" processing is performed. In the case of “No”, the process proceeds to step 312.

(Step 312) It is investigated whether or not the past design history is duplicated and reproduced. If "Yes", the process proceeds to "Reproduction of past model" process of Step 330 and thereafter, and "No" If so, the process proceeds to step 313.

(Step 313) It is investigated whether or not the command section of the relational tree structure is to be changed, and if "Yes", the process proceeds to "command re-execution" processing from step 340 onward,
In the case of “No”, the process returns to step 310.

"Return to past state" (step 320) Display the relational tree structure up to the necessary part on the display unit 1, and mouse over the node (model at the design stage) in the relational tree structure of the past model to be returned. And so on.

(Step 321) The design history management section 9
Of the stored contents of the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b, the portion of the relational tree structure after the point of time when it is desired to return is deleted. Then, the design history management unit 9 calls the shape data at the point of time to return stored in the geometric information storage unit of the first memory 10a, and displays it on the display unit 1 via the CAD unit 8. Thereby, the return to the past state is performed. still,
Here, the stored content of the portion of the relational tree structure after the point of time to be returned is deleted, but the stored content of that portion is
If it is stored in the geometric information section of the memory 10a, it can be reused later.

[Reproduction of Past Model] (Step 330) The relational tree structure up to the necessary portion is displayed on the display unit 1, and the node in the relational tree structure of the past model which is desired to be duplicated and reproduced is input by a mouse or the like. .

(Step 331) The design history management section 9
Create a copy of the design history information below the input section.

(Step 332) The design history management section 9
The node model input in step 330 is stored in the first memory 1
It is called from the geometric information storage unit 0a and displayed on the display unit 1 via the CAD unit 8. As a result, the past model is reproduced.

"Re-execution of command" (step 340) The relational tree structure up to the necessary part is displayed on the display unit 1, and the input unit 7 inputs the node in the relational tree structure of the command to be executed by changing the parameter.

(Step 341) Input new parameters.

(Step 342) The design history management unit 9 sets the model before execution of the above command in the first memory 10a and the second memory 10a.
The shape data is extracted from the geometric information storage unit of the first memory 10a by referring to the memory 10b and conducting an investigation. And C
The AD unit 8 re-executes the command sequence with new parameters and displays a new model on the display unit 1. Further, the design history management unit 9 changes the storage contents of the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b. This command re-execution is performed by tracing the relation tree structure until the designer desires.

As described above, in the CAD system of this embodiment, the design history management unit 9 records information in the storage unit 10 at the time of shape designing, and indicates the design history based on the stored contents of the storage unit 10 at the time of history operation. Since the tree structure is created, the past design model can be easily called using the relational tree structure. Therefore, an efficient design can be realized. Further, even when the current model is created by referring to a plurality of models having independent design histories, they can be associated with each other, so that the conventional CA
Unlike the D device, it is possible to perform the above history operation on any part of the relation tree structure.

In the flow chart of FIG. 4, "return to past state", "reproduction of past model", and "re-execution of command" are described, but in the CAD apparatus of this embodiment,
In addition, it is possible to perform various history operations such as converting a model that is a section of the relation tree structure into another model.

By the way, in the above description, the first memory 1
0a also stores the shape data of the model in the design stage as the geometric information, but it is not necessary to store the geometric information when the memory capacity is small. Even when the geometric information is not stored, by referring to the state information storage unit of the first memory 10a and the storage content of the second memory 10b,
It is possible to create a tree structure and easily design. However, in the history operation shown in FIG. 4, when retrieving a past model, a method of sequentially executing commands backward from the current model, or tracing the tree structure from the starting point of the relation tree structure It is necessary to regenerate models older than the method.

By the way, in the usual shape design, the number of steps may reach several tens to several hundreds. In such a case,
If you try to display the design history in a tree structure, the current CRT
The display range of the device is greatly exceeded, and it becomes difficult to search for a desired design stage when performing the processing of steps 320, 330, and 340 described above. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 5, the third memory 10c for storing the design history of the designated portion is provided, or the fourth memory for storing the sub information added to the model created as shown in FIG. 6 is provided. It should be provided.

The operation of the CAD device shown in FIG. 5 will be described below.

First, for example, when a design is changed, the design history (hereinafter referred to as a partial history) designated by the designer is stored in the third memory 10c. This third
The memory 10c stores state information (model name, transition command, etc.) of a model existing in the partial history, geometric information, and a command existing in the partial history and model names before and after the execution. Then, according to an instruction from the designer, a list of partial histories stored in the third memory 10c is displayed on the display unit 1 via the design history management unit 9 (see FIG. 7). Then, the design history management unit 9 restores the partial history designated by the designer.

FIG. 8 shows a relational tree structure for explaining a specific example of the above operation. In this figure, after creating solid4 and solid5 from solid3 by command a and command b, the design is changed back to solid3, and solid6 and solid are created by command c and command d.
7 is a relation tree structure when 7 is created. Where sol
When the design is changed after the id5 is created, the partial history 100 in the drawing is stored in the third memory 10c. This allows the design history management unit 9 to refer to the third memory 10c and restore the partial history 100 when the designer gives an instruction.

By providing the third memory 10c as described above, it is possible to restore an arbitrary portion such as a design-changed portion without searching the relational tree structure, and the operability is improved.

Next, the operation of the CAD system shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

First, sub-information (hereinafter referred to as a mark) is attached to a characteristic design model, for example, specified by the designer, and the sub-information and a simple comment are stored in the fourth memory 10d. Then, according to an instruction from the designer, the display unit 1 displays a list of the sub information stored in the fourth memory 10d via the design history management unit 9 (see FIG. 9). Then, the design history management unit 9 reproduces the model designated by the designer.

A detailed description will be given with reference to FIG. Here, solid3 is marked with a mark (*) and the fourth memory 1
The information is stored in 0d. Therefore, when there is an instruction from the designer, the design history management unit 9 can refer to the fourth memory 10d and reproduce solid3.

By providing the fourth memory in this way, it is possible to reproduce the characteristic model without searching the relational tree structure, and the operability is improved.

In the CAD device as described above, since the relational tree structure is displayed, it becomes easy for an operator other than the designer to grasp the design history. If the sub-information such as the intention is written and stored in a memo, the design history can be easily grasped. In the CAD device shown in FIG. 1, as shown in Table 3, the sub information is stored in the second memory 10b. Then, by double-clicking the command portion of the relational tree structure displayed on the display unit 1 with the mouse 5, the design history management unit 9 refers to the second memory 10b, and the design history management unit 9 displays it on the display unit 1 as shown in FIG. Display a screen like this. This makes it possible to see the designer's intention, memo, etc. at the time of executing the command later, and the design becomes easier. Further, the operator can instruct the comment in FIG. 10 to freely enter a memo,
It can be used for later operations.

In the above embodiment, the design history is managed by using the design history management unit 9, the first memory 10a and the second memory 10b, and the relation tree structure is created.
The present invention is not limited to this, as long as it can store the design history, display the relation tree structure, and call the data regarding the model created / changed in the design process and the executed command sequence. For example, a relation tree structure may be created every time a design / change operation is performed, and the relation tree structure may be stored in a memory (however, in this case, the relation tree structure and each model may be stored). -It is necessary to store the command in association with it).

[0079]

According to the CAD system of the present invention, since a tree structure showing a past design history can be created and displayed, a designer can see the design history and design operation becomes easy. Further, by utilizing the tree structure, it becomes possible to easily perform the restoration to the past state, the reproduction of the past model, the re-execution of the command, etc., and the operability is improved. Furthermore,
Even when the current model is created from a plurality of models having independent design histories, the plurality of models are associated with each other, so that the design history can be managed and the history operation can be performed.

Further, by storing the shape data of the designed model, the past model can be called quickly.

Further, by storing the partial history up to the portion where the design is changed, it is possible to quickly return to the time when the design is changed.

Further, information necessary for the design process is added as sub information to the designed model, and the sub information is stored, so that the information can be utilized in the subsequent design to perform efficient design. It will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a CAD device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a tree structure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a shape creating / changing operation of the CAD device in FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a history operation of the CAD device in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the CAD device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing still another configuration of the CAD device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a partial history.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a tree structure for explaining the operation of the CAD device of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display of sub information.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sub-information screen of a command sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 display section 7 input section 8 CAD section 9 design history management section 10 storage section 10a first memory 10b second memory 10c third memory 10d fourth memory

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A design support apparatus comprising an input means, a design means for creating / changing a shape based on an instruction from the input means, and a display means for displaying the shape. Storage means for storing the created / modified design model and data relating to a command sequence executed in the past, and tree structure creation for creating a relational tree structure indicating a design history by referring to the storage means and displaying it on the display means When a display means and a design model created / modified in the past or a command sequence executed in the past are designated from the input means,
A design support apparatus, comprising: history data calling means for calling data related to the designated design model or the designated command sequence from the storage means. 2. The design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising design history processing means for instructing the design means to perform a processing operation instructed by the input means. apparatus. 3. The design support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the design history processing means includes a reproducing means for reproducing the design model designated by the input means. . 4. The design support apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the design history processing unit converts the design model or command sequence designated by the input unit into another design model or another command sequence. A design support apparatus comprising a conversion unit for converting. 5. The design support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage unit changes the state information of the design model created / changed in the design process and the state of the design model. And first designating data before and after execution of the command sequence, a first storage unit that sequentially stores first association data that associates the command sequence with the design model. And a second storage unit that sequentially stores second association data that associates with the design support apparatus. 6. The design support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first storage unit has a geometric information storage unit that stores the shape data of the design model created / changed in the design process. Design support device characterized by. 7. The design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third storage unit that stores a design history of a portion designated by the input unit. Design support device. 8. The design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth storage means for storing sub-information of the design model designated by the input means. Characteristic design support device.