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ParaDraft
COPYRIGHT 1991 By ParaWare Systems
All rights reserved worldwide
USER MANUAL
FOR
SHAREWARE TRIAL VERSION
ParaDraft ( Parametric Drafting System for AutoCAD)
V 1.01S
This file has the manual for test running the shareware TRIAL version
of ParaDraft for evaluation. Please read the terms and conditions of
use of ParaDraft shareware version given in this file.
ParaDraft COPYRIGHT 1991 ParaWare Systems, India
USE CTRL-S TO STOP AND START THE SCROLLING PROCESS AS YOU READ THIS FILE.
Distributed by:
ParaWare Systems
B-23, Alokpuri
Ravindrapalli
Lucknow-226016
India
You may print this file by using either PRINT.COM (a DOS utility) or
use the DOS COPY command as follows:
A>COPY PGDRAFT.DOC PRN <ENTER>
This file already has the necessary page breaks and therefore it may
not work with the page formatting programs. Page length has been set
to 58 lines so the file should print properly on laser printers.
Please use fixed spacing font for printing on laser printers.
___________________________________________________________________________
AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk Corporation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
INTRODUCTION
ParaDraft - Parametric Drafting System for AutoCAD iii
ParaDraft Trial, Extended and Professional Versions iii
Registration information iv
ParaDraft License Agreement v
INTRODUCTION TO PARAMETRIC DRAFTING AND PARADRAFT
What is Parametric Geometry? 1
What is a Parametric Geometry program(a PgProgram)? 1
What is Parametric Drafting? 1
Paradraft makes parametric drafting affordable 2
Affordable Parametric Drafting for Draughtsmen 2
ParaDraft for CAD programmers - making CAD Effective 3
An example of Parametric Drafting - "BASEPLATE" 3
Developing the application with ParaDraft 4
Creating Dimensioned Drawings - ParaDraft Professional 4
USING PARADRAFT - AN OVERVIEW 5
Generating PgPrograms 5
Running PgPrograms 5
Customizing PgPrograms to develop application 5
GENERATING PGPROGRAMS WITH PgPg!
What is Parent Geometry ? 6
Required characteristics 6
Reference point: 7
Geometry: 7
Supported entities 7
Rules for creation of geometry 7
Layer convention 8
Dimensioning: 8
Supported dimension types 8
Rules for dimensioning 9
Dimensioning characteristics 9
Center lines and Symmetry 9
Parent Geometry Specification 10
Parameterisation 10
Sample session 10
Loading PgPg! 10
Geometry Name 11
Reference point 11
Geometry 11
Symmetry axis 12
Zoom options 12
Parameterisation 12
Undoing the changes 13
Solving problems of parameterisation 14
Parameterisation assumptions 14
PGDEBUG 14
Locating the problem point 14
Suggestions for solving problems 15
Using PGCAL to solve these problems 16
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems i
RUNNING PARADRAFT APPLICATIONS WITH PGRUN 17
PGDIR 17
PGSHOW 17
Running Generated programs 18
Dimension values 18
Insertion point and angle 18
Drawn geometry 18
Running Customized programs 19
Input parameter values 19
Running fully customized applications 19
Loading customized application definitions 19
DEVELOPING PARAMETRIC DRAFTING APPLICATIONS
BY CUSTOMIZING PGPROGRAMS 20
Procedure of customization 20
PGCAL and PGCUSTOM 21
What is PGCAL 21
PGEDIT and PGDATA 21
Template file helps you start off 22
PGCAL file structure 22
i. Temporary variables 22
ii. Variables for dimensions 22
iii. Variable for assumed coordinates 23
Defining input parameters 23
Defining Formula for a parameter 23
Using tables 23
PICKFROM keyword 24
Example 24
Using a PLOT or PRPLOT 25
Testing the formulae 25
Testing the program 25
Input parameter values 25
Customizing User Interface 26
PGCUSTOM 26
PGMSLIDE - Replacing the slide file 27
PGINSERT - Inserting the parent geometry 27
Appendix A. General and Registration information 28
Shareware version restrictions 28
Appendix B. Installation notes 29
Appendix C. How does PgPg! work 32
Appendix D. PGCAL Syntax 33
Appendix E. Features of Paradraft Shareware, 35
Registered and Professional Versions
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems ii
INTRODUCTION
------------
ParaDraft ( Parametric Drafting System for AutoCAD)
ParaDraft is a system for parametric drafting, that brings
higher drafting productivity within easy reach of your drawing
office. It boosts up the productivity of the draughtsmen,
without requiring any retraining. With ParaDraft, a draughtsman
can develop his parametric drafting applications himself for
drawings unique to his practice. ParaDraft greatly speeds up and
simplifies the task of developing these applications by building
upon the existing skills of the draughtsman, without making him
learn programming. This lets you automate drafting of drawings
unique to your practice, and boost up drafting productivity
affordably and consistently.
ParaDraft fully automates the task of parameterisation of geometry,
which is the most programming intensive part of the application
development. Its parameterisation expert system takes a fully
dimensioned AutoCAD drawing as the input, applies heuristics and
geometric reasoning, and automatically generates an AutoLISP
parametric geometry program for the application in just a few
minutes. The generated program can draw the corresponding
to-the-scale drawing accurately from the dimension values. This
drawing is optionally dimensioned, the way it is done in
the input drawing. This automates the drafting for all variants
of the geometry, both in the assembly and the detailed drawings.
Created applications can be customized without doing any
programming in AutoLISP. The dimension values for a drawing can
be automatically computed from the specified formulae. ParaDraft
features an easy-to-use formula calculator, that does it
after taking the value of key input parameters from the user.
With ParaDraft the draughtsman can create and maintain all parts
of his parametric drafting application himself, and produce a
custom drafting automation system of professional quality.
ParaDraft Trial, Extended and Professional Versions
ParaDraft Trial Version is available as shareware for you to try
it free of charge for a trial period. On registration for the
shareware version, you get an extended version which has no
imposed restrictions on the size of the geometry. With the full
package called Paradraft Professional, you can develop
applications for drawing fully dimensioned, hatched and
annotated drawings. The comparative features of the trial,
extended and professional versions are given in the Appendix E
of this manual, and in README.DOC.
Five sample applications are supplied with the shareware package
to illustrate the features and capabilities of the trial, extended
and professional versions of ParaDraft.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems iii
ParaDraft Shareware Version 1.01S, September 1991
ParaDraft Copyright (c) 1991, ParaWare Systems, India. All Rights Reserved.
Published by:
ParaWare Systems, B-23, Alokpuri, Ravindrapalli, Lucknow-226016, India
Phone: (204)-275-0642 or (91)-522-76741 Compuserve: 100015,3116
Registration Information
ParaDraft is a copyrighted program protected by both Indian and
international copyright law. If you obtained ParaDraft from a shareware
disk vendor, an on-line computer service or bulletin board, a friend or
colleague, or another similar source, you have an unregistered (trial)
copy. You are authorized to use this copy without charge for a limited
period of time under the terms of the ParaDraft license agreement. After
this time is up, you must register and pay for ParaDraft to continue
using it, or for using any application created with it.
This method of distribution is known as shareware. It allows you to
determine whether ParaDraft meets your needs before you pay for it.
The shareware version of ParaDraft has some restrictions in terms of
the size of the geometry and capabilities as compared to the registered
versions. However, these restrictions do not interfere with the purpose
of letting you test ParaDraft for its suitability to your requirements.
ParaDraft Professional is available at an introductory price of $495 for
a limited period, and entitles you to:
* A diskette with the latest version of ParaDraft Professional
* One copy of the printed ParaDraft Users Manual.
* Site license for PGRUN, the runtime component of ParaDraft.
* Registration certificate
* Technical support via electronic mail or telephone for 90 days
If you prefer, you may register just for Extended version of ParaDraft
for $195, and recieve only the diskette with the latest version of
ParaDraft Extended, single user PGRUN license and the registration
certificate.
If you only want to use the applications generated with ParaDraft,
you require just a runtime license of PGRUN, the runtime component of
ParaDraft. A single user license comes for $30, and entitles you to
the diskette with the latest version of PGRUN for running the
Parametric Drafting applications, generated either by yourself during
the trial period, or by another user with any of the other versions
of ParaDraft.
The actual order form is in the file ORDER.FRM of the shareware package.
The comparative features of the trial, extended and professional
version are given in the Appendix E of the manual, and in README.DOC.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems iv
ParaDraft License Agreement
(1) Copyright: The ParaDraft family of programs and all other
programs and documentation distributed or shipped with it are
copyright ParaWare Systems,India 1991, or are distributed under
license to ParaWare Systems,India and are protected by Indian, U.S.
and international copyright law. In the rest of this document,
this collection of programs is referred to simply as
"ParaDraft". You are granted a license to use your copy of
ParaDraft only under the terms and conditions specified in this
license agreement.
(2) Definitions: ParaDraft is distributed in three different
forms, differing in features and capabilities. ParaDraft
Professional is a separately priced software product distributed
by ParaWare Systems and its authorized dealers, and which includes
a serial number and the legend "PROFESSIONAL" in the program
sign-on messages and on the diskette label. A "registered" copy
of ParaDraft is a copy of ParaDraft Extended version distributed
on diskette, purchased from ParaWare , Systems or from a dealer,
and which includes a serial number and the legend "EXTENDED" or
"REGISTERED" in the program sign-on messages and on the diskette
label. A "shareware" copy of ParaDraft is a copy of ParaDraft
Trial version distributed on diskette or via an electronic
bulletin board, on-line service, or other electronic means, which is
obtained from a shareware disk vendor, or obtained from another
individual, and which displays the legend "shareware" in the
program sign-on messages, and in most cases on the diskette label
as well (if applicable). "PGRUN" is the runtime component of
ParaDraft, also supplied along with the ParaDraft shareware
version. A "runtime license" is a license to use PGRUN on the
number of computers specified on the PGRUN diskette label and
PGRUN load message. "PgPrograms" are the AutoLISP programs
generated using ParaDraft.
(3) Shareware Copies: Shareware copies of ParaDraft Trial
version are distributed to allow you to try the program before
you pay for it. They are Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems, and
do not constitute "free" or "public domain" software. You may
use a shareware copy of ParaDraft at no charge for a trial
period of up to 21 days. If you wish to continue using
ParaDraft after that period, you must purchase a registered
copy. If you choose not to purchase a registered copy, you must
stop using ParaDraft, though you may keep copies of ParaDraft
and pass them along to others.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems v
(4) Registered Copies: Registered copies of ParaDraft are
distributed to those who have purchased them. Your registered
copy of ParaDraft may only be used on the number of computers
specified on the diskette label and program sign-on messages.
(5) PgPrograms: ParaDraft is based on a Parametric geometry
Program (PgProgram) generator for AutoCAD. To run these programs
you require PGRUN, the runtime component of ParaDraft, supplied
along with ParaDraft shareware version. PGRUN is a part of
ParaDraft and its use for running ParaDraft generated programs
beyond the trial period by you is expressely disallowed. You
may not use the PgPrograms generated during the trial
period beyond it without obtaining a "runtime license". You may
not distribute the programs generated with the shareware version
to any other user not having a valid "runtime license", except
for the purpose of trial, along with the rest of the ParaDraft
Trial version package.
(6) PGRUN: You may not reverse-engineer PGRUN and create your
own runtime functions component compatible with the PgPrograms
generated with ParaDraft. You may not pass along the copies of
the shareware version of PGRUN without the rest of the ParaDraft
Trial version package.
(7) Runtime license : You must obtain the "runtime license" for
PGRUN, if you wish to continue to use PgPrograms generated
during the trial period for your own use. A runtime license
entitles you to the licensed copy of PGRUN with which you can
continue to use ANY program generated with ParaDraft. It also
entitles you to a free upgrade to the next version of PGRUN. If
you choose not to purchase a "runtime licensed" copy of PGRUN
you must stop using the PgPrograms generated with ParaDraft.
(8) Use of ParaDraft on Networks or Multiple Systems: You may
install your registered copy of ParaDraft on a computer attached to
a network, or remove it from one computer and install it on a
different one, provided there is no possibility that your copy
will be used by more users than it is licensed for. A "user" is
defined as one keyboard which is connected to a computer on which
ParaDraft is installed, regardless of whether or not the user of the
keyboard is aware of the installation or use of ParaDraft in the
system.
(9) Making Copies: You may copy any version of ParaDraft for normal
backup purposes, and you may give copies of the shareware version
to other individuals, which they may also use and copy subject to
the terms of this agreement. If you copy the shareware version of
ParaDraft for others, you must include all of the files distributed
with it, including this one. You may not give copies of the
registered version to any other person for any purpose, and you
may not make any copies of the printed and bound ParaDraft manual
without explicit written permission from ParaWare Systems.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems vi
(10) Distribution Restrictions: You may NOT distribute ParaDraft other
than through individual copies of the shareware version passed to
friends and associates for their individual use. Specifically, you
may not place ParaDraft or any part of the ParaDraft package in any
user group or commercial library, or distribute it with any other
product or as an incentive to purchase any other product, without
express written permission from ParaWare Systems, and you may not
distribute for a fee, or in any way sell copies of ParaDraft or any
part of the ParaDraft package including PGRUN. If you are a
shareware disk vendor approved by the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP), you may place ParaDraft in your library without
prior written permission, provided you notify ParaWare Systems
within 15 days of doing so; and provided your application has been
fully approved in writing by the ASP, and is not simply submitted or
awaiting review.
(11) Use of ParaDraft: ParaDraft is an AutoCAD application
generator. While we have attempted to build in reasonable
safeguards, if you do not use ParaDraft properly you may
disfigure AutoCAD drawings or cause other damage to your
computer software and data with the generated programs. You
assume full responsibility for the selection and use of
ParaDraft to achieve your intended results. As stated below,
ParaWare Systems limits its warranty to replacement of a defective
program diskette or manual.
Good data processing procedure dictates that any program be
thoroughly tested with non-critical data before relying on it.
The user must assume the entire risk of using ParaDraft.
(12) LIMITED WARRANTY: ParaWare Systems warrants to owners of
registered copies of ParaDraft that the software will operate in
accordance with the description given in the documentation, and
that the diskette and manual will be free of physical defects
which interfere with normal use. For a period of 90 days from
the date of your purchase of ParaDraft, ParaWare Systems will,
at its sole option and subject to the restrictions above and
below, repair or replace any defective item(s), or refund the
purchase price of any diskette and/or manual and/or any other
parts or components of ParaDraft found to be defective, if such
defect is the fault of ParaWare Systems and not the result of
misuse or abuse. Such a refund, repair, or replacement shall be
your sole remedy for any defects, program error(s), or
documentation error(s). In no event shall ParaWare Systems be
responsible for any other costs or damages whatsoever due to
errors in usage or your failure to read, understand, or follow
instructions in the documentation. ParaWare Systems MAKES NO
OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ParaWare Systems's warranty is expressly
limited to the cost of replacement of any defective diskette or
other part.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems vii
INTRODUCTION TO PARAMETRIC DRAFTING AND PARADRAFT
What is parametric geometry?
Parametric geometry is a generalised geometry that defines
geometries with same shape, but with different parameter values.
A common example of use of parametric geometry in engineering
drafting is in parametric representation of standard shapes, such
as standard sections, bolts, nuts etc. However, in fact, every
dimensioned drawing represents a parametric geometry, where the
dimensions are the parameters that can be varied.
A geometry corresponding to a given set of parameter values is
called an instance of the parametric geometry. In some cases, the
count of useful instances of a parametric geometry is small, and
it is practical to create and store the drawings for these
instances for later use. However, more frequently, these
geometries allow very large variability in the dimensions,
making it impossible to either create or store the drawings
of all possible instances.
What is a Parametric Geometry Program (a PgProgram) ?
Every parametric geometry can be represented by a parametric
geometry program, called PgProgram by ParaDraft. This PgProgram
accepts the values of the dimensions and draws the corresponding
geometry. PgPrograms require little space to store and draw the
instance geometry quickly.
What is parametric drafting?
Parametric drafting refers to automatic creation of drawings
from the values of the dimensions, using parametric geometry
techniques. It is of particular relevance to the assembly
drawings with many standardized parts, as well as to the
manufacturing drawings of such parts. Every standardized part
belongs to a family of parts, which can be represented by
parametric geometry. The drafting for all members of this
family of parts can be automated using parametric drafting,
both in the assembly and the manufacturing drawings. Use of
parametric drafting in drafting practice can take the tedium out
of it and really speed it up. Productivity gains of 20-to-1 are
common with such applications of parametric drafting.
Application of parametric drafting is beneficial for both the
design process and subsequent stages, since the resulting drawings
are drawn accurately to-the-scale with it. First, a correctly drawn
drawing helps design visualization and checking. Next, parametric
drafting promotes consistency and standardization, while saving
valuable time and eliminating errors as compared to drawing from
the scratch. Further, the same drawing can be used in the
subsequent planning and manufacturing tasks without
rectification. Finally, modifications to the design at a later
stage, even those affecting several dimensions, can be
incorporated by recreating the drawing nearly automatically.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 1
ParaDraft makes Parametric Drafting affordable
Parametric Drafting applications can be developed for AutoCAD, the
favorite drafting system for Mechanical drafting, using AutoLISP.
These applications have been usually developed by specialist AutoLISP
programmers, who have to manually write parametric geometry
programs ("parameterise the geometry") for the application. This is
very time consuming, and therefore the cost of development is quite
high. Since in most cases this cost must be offset against the time
saved in drafting, parametric drafting has been unaffordable for many
draughtsmen and drawing offices. Further, these applications are hard
to modify and enforce an artificial rigidity on the draugtsmen.
ParaDraft fully automates the task of parameterisation of geometry,
and thereby makes parametric drafting equally well affordable for an
individual draughtsman, as for a drawing office with many draughtsmen
supported by a specialist AutoLISP programmer. ParaDraft can be used
by the draughtsmen, and has features for building sophisticated CADD
applications by the CAD programmers.
Affordable Parametric Drafting for Draughtsmen
If you are a draughtsman, you must be already having first hand
knowledge of benefits of Parametric drafting, particularly for
standard parts and geometries as standard sections, bolts, nuts
etc. With ParaDraft the same benefits can be realised for parts
and geometries unique to your practice. Just from the values of
the dimensions, you can automatically create to-the-scale
geometries to be inserted in the assembly drawings, as well as
fully dimensioned and annotated detailed to-the-scale drawings.
You do not have to learn programming or AutoLISP to use
ParaDraft. Once you create a dimensioned geometry to its
requirements, ParaDraft automatically generates the
corresponding AutoLISP Parametric Geometry Program (PgProgram).
You can easily build your Parametric Drafting application on top
of the PgProgram. ParaDraft helps you to customize your
application, so that the application:
∙ is invocable with its own AutoCAD command,
∙ displays a customized slide file,
∙ requires only the values of key dimensions,
∙ computes dimension values from the specified formulae or tables,
and, ∙ draws the geometry using these computed dimensions.
You can realise the aim of drafting automation by developing
such applications yourself without requiring a specialist
programmer, or acquiring extensive programming skills yourself.
If your geometry changes, you can make the corresponding change
in the PgProgram, without doing any editing of the PgProgram.
Instead, you can do it by editing the original geometry for the
desired changes, and create the new PgProgram automatically, all
within AutoCAD. Therefore, you can develop and maintain (keep up
with the changes) your Parametric Drafting applications yourself
with ParaDraft - with tremendous power and flexibility.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 2
ParaDraft for CAD programmers - making CAD Effective
If you are a CAD programmer, supporting a group of draughtsmen,
ParaDraft can simplify your task. Each of your users can
develop his unique Parametric Drafting applications himself with
your support more efficiently. Further they can develop these
applications as they need it, without waiting for you for their
turn. You can instead develop the applications for those
geometries that are standard in your design office.
Using ParaDraft, you can develop more complex design and
drafting automation applications, since the required PgPrograms
can be generated by it automatically. You can configure these
PgPrograms and integrate them for your application. ParaDraft
Professional has many features that help you in this task. It
has AutoLISP, GW-BASIC and Turbo Pascal 5.5 interfaces, besides
its own programmable calculator, for calculating the dimension
values. With these interfaces, you can develop sophisticated
applications in the programming language of your choice.
An example of Parametric Drafting - "BASE PLATE"
There are many examples of parametric geometry found in every
drawing office. Using ParaDraft for Parametric drafting is best
illustrated with the simple example of drawing a base plate.
This example has been taken from "The AutoCAD Productivity Book",
and is a straightforward example of Parametric Drafting.
The drawing for this application is given in BASEPLT.DWG .
"The baseplate program was originally developed for a user who
designs steel light poles. Welded to the bottom of each pole is
a base plate with center hole and bolt holes. The light pole is
bolted to a concrete base through the base plate. The size,
thickness and bolt spacing are determined by the bending moment
produced in a strong wind".
In such a case, a PgProgram developed with ParaDraft is the
ideal solution. To draw this base plate each time from scratch is
time consuming and error prone. On the other hand, the drawings
for all the possible sizes of the baseplates cannot be stored.
The PgProgram requires little space to store and draws the base
plate quickly and correctly. A very large number of different
base plates can be drawn with this PgProgram saving considerable
time and effort, and awkwardness of table drawings.
The PgProgram for such a base plate can be generated by
ParaDraft without any AutoLISP programming. This PgProgram will
draw the baseplate to the correct size from the values of all
the dimensions. The formulae can be defined with PGCAL for
calculating the size of base plate and all the other dimensions
needed to draw it, from the pole height and wind loading values.
Developing an equivalent program in AutoLISP can take up to 4-6
hours for an average AutoLISP programmer. With ParaDraft, you
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 3
can create such an application yourself in about one hour.
During this time, you would be working at specifying what you
want, rather than any programming. Moreover, your complete
application will have professional quality.
Such a program could conservatively save a quarter hour per
drawing. Based on that time saving, the payback for the program
is just 4-5 base plates. But this is not all; to quote the book:
"The AutoCAD user for whom the original program was developed
makes 30 base plates a week. These drawings are accurate and
mistake free - another big payback. Never again a dimension will
be left off a base plate drawing."
Example: Developing a Parametric Drafting application - "Base Plate"
We will follow the example of the base plate throughout this
manual. With it, you could create your first PgProgram, and
then customize it to make it work with the standards.
First, you would draw the baseplate and dimension it. To simplify
your task we have provided a sample drawing of such a baseplate,
which you may use; or you may make another drawing. Next, you
would submit the drawing to ParaDraft and generate the
parametric AutoLISP program for it. You would then test this
program for several set of values, to verify the program.
Next, you would modify the calculator program file to
customize the program. You would do it by specifying all
other dimensions in terms of the pole diameter and plate
thickness, (in this example, we have omitted the
engineering calculations and assumed that pole diameter and
plate thickness are known.) and by entering a table for the
standard values of tap diameters. Then you can draw the baseplate
by just giving the values of pole dia and plate thickness.
Finally, you would customize the user interface of your program
to define its own command, and display its customized slide file
for taking the input values.
This application, developed with ParaDraft Professional (sample
application ABASEPLT) produces a completely dimensioned detailed
drawing as the output. We estimate that first three such
applications will pay off the cost of the system for most users,
including the cost of learning ParaDraft.
Dimensioning with ParaDraft Professional:
The shareware versions of ParaDraft do not have the dimensioning
feature for the output drawing. With ParaDraft Professional you
can develop applications where you produce fully dimensioned and
annotated drawings. The sample "PULLEY" shows the kind of
results that can be achieved. Please note that the PgProgram of
"PULLEY" is an un-retouched output of the ParaDraft Professional.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 4
USING PARADRAFT - AN OVERVIEW
------------------------------
A parametric drafting application is a customized parametric
geometry program(PgProgram). You use PgPg!, the parameterisation
expert system, to generate a PgProgram for the geometry of your
application. Then you use PGCAL, the formula calculator, to
specify the input parameters and the formulae for calculating
the dimension values. Finally, with PGCUSTOM you customize the
user interface of this PgProgram. The resulting application is
run using PGRUN, the runtime component of ParaDraft.
All modules of ParaDraft are fully integrated with AutoCAD,
and all ParaDraft commands are given from the AutoCAD
drawing editor command line, or optionally with a menu option.
Generating PgPrograms
Generating the AutoLISP PgProgram for a geometry is a process
integrated with AutoCAD. As input, you create a dimensioned
drawing that is representative of the parametric geometry, and
conveys your intent unambiguously. This dimensioned drawing is
refered to as the Parent Geometry and constitutes the
specification of the PgProgram. The parent geometry is accepted
by the parameterisation expert system PgPg! inside AutoCAD. It
processes this geometry and develops a parametric model by
heuristics and geometric reasoning. From this model it generates
the corresponding AutoLISP PgProgram automatically. In case of
problems, you are provided enough help to solve them graphically.
Running PgPrograms:
On running the PgProgram, a slide is displayed showing the parametric
geometry and the parameters.The PgProgram takes the values of all
these parameters, and the insertion point and angle for the geometry.
Then, it draws the geometry corresponding to the input values.
Customizing PgPrograms to develop applications
ParaDraft comes with PGCAL and PGCUSTOM, that allow you to
customize the PgProgram, so that the resulting application
∙ is invocable with its own AutoCAD command,
∙ displays customized slide file, showing the geometry
∙ requires values of only the key dimensions,
∙ computes dimension values from the specified formulae or tables,
and, ∙ draws the geometry using these computed dimensions.
PGCAL is a formula calculator, that requires very elementary
knowledge of programming, limited to writing formulae using
variables with a text editor. If you already have some
programming experience, you can use the GW-BASIC interface or
Turbo-PASCAL interface for still superior customization
(available with ParaDraft Professional).
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 5
GENERATING PGPROGRAMS USING PgPg!
----------------------------------
The PgPrograms are generated by the parameterisation expert
system, PgPg!. The name PgPg! stands for Parametric geometry
Program generator. PgPg! accepts the parent geometry as the
specification of parametric geometry, and converts it into
the corresponding AutoLISP program.
Generating AutoLISP PgPrograms for the geometry of your
parametric drafting application is a four step procedure:
1. Create the geometry unambiguously and accurately
2. Dimension the geometry completely
3. a. Submit the geometry to ParaDraft
b. Command PgPg! to generate the program
4. Run the generated program for verification
All these steps can be performed from inside AutoCAD. In some
installations the third step may be split into two steps - (a)
one inside AutoCAD and, (b) the other outside AutoCAD. On
most installations, the later step is performed automatically.
What is Parent Geometry:
------------------------
Parent geometry is what you create to specify the Parametric
geometry to PgPg!. This is all what PgPg! knows about your
geometry and must use for creating the AutoLISP PgProgram. The
AutoLISP PgProgram can then be used to draw (spawn!) thousands
of variations (children!) of the Parent Geometry, but the
information ( genes!) must come from the Parent Geometry.
Parent geometry consists of the geometry to be parameterised along
with the dimensions, extension lines, center lines and symmetry
information. It also has a reference ( or insertion) point.
Required Characteristics of Parent Geometry:
Parent geometry is definitional, and yet processable by the
program. It can be considered as the executable specification of
the parametric geometry. For this reason, it is more than just a
collection of entities. Given the parent geometry, a draughts-
person should be able to draw a to-scale drawing for any set of
dimension values. Therefore the parent geometry should be drawn
accurately and unambiguously, to convey your intent correctly.
You must draw the most general instance of the parametric
geometry. ParaDraft uses heuristics about all parallel,
perpendicular, coincidences, ON-entity (an end or center point
lying ON an entity such as line or arc) and intersection
conditions found in the Parent Geometry to parameterise the
geometry. Therefore, you must be careful and avoid any
unintended specification in this way.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 6
A common source of error is the use of perpendicular lines
angled at +/- 45 degrees, which leads ParaDraft to falsely
identify perpendicularity conditions. A more complete description
of the heuristics used by PgPg! is found in the Appendix C. titled
"How does PgPg! work", and must be read before using ParaDraft.
Reference point:
You should select a reference point that is meaningful for the
geometry. The geometry is parameterised starting from this
point. It should be possible to relate all other points
defining the geometry to this point.
GEOMETRY:
---------
The geometry should be drawn so that it fits into a box of size
200x200 units. This makes PgPg! more robust and free of round off
errors. Features smaller than 1 unit can be problematic due to
the roundoff performed by PgPg!.
Supported entities:
In this shareware version only LINE,ARC and CIRCLE entities are
supported. Therefore, explode any Polylines and block insertions
that you may have used. You should also delete any hatch
entities, solids, ellipses etc that may be present. Please refer
to AutoCAD reference manual for the details about the way to
draw and edit these entities.
Rules for creation of geometry:
The following discipline is requested of you while creating the
Parent geometry :
1. Create the geometry accurately, avoiding any gaps and mismatches.
2. Use OSNAP modes wherever required.
3. Use Ortho mode when you want a horizontal or vertical line, or a
line at the snap angle.
4. Clear up any dangling unfinished lines and avoid lines broken in
the middle.
5. You can import geometry from other drafting systems. However, be
AWARE of TRACE entities, and exploded dimensions.
6. Use only the supported entities.
7. Do not use shortcuts at the cost of accuracy.
Most drawing offices require adherence to the first three rules
and mostly to the last rule. Therefore, you may have drawings
that already follow these specifications. But you must examine
it thoroughly for violation of rules of the layer and dimensions.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 7
LAYER Convention:
Dimensions, centerlines and Extension lines must follow a layer
convention:
1. All dimension entities and extension lines should be in a
single layer called "DIM" by default.
2. All the center lines should be in a single layer called "CEN"
by default.
All entities i.e. lines,arcs, circles from these two layers will
be ignored for the creation of the new geometry by the
PgProgram, and will be used only for geometric reasoning. If you
are already using a layer naming convention, you can specify
that to ParaDraft with PGPGSET command.
Dimensioning:
-------------
The central idea of dimension driven geometry is that the
dimensions, such as appear on a mechanical drawing, are a
natural descriptor of geometry. They provide the most
appropriate means for altering a geometric model, like an
AutoCAD drawing. Dimensioning is, therefore, used in ParaDraft
for specifying the parameters for the parametric geometry. These
parameters can be lengths, radius, diameters or angles.
Supported dimension types:
Following dimension entities are supported by ParaDraft and can be
used for doing the dimensioning of the parent geometry:
1. Linear dimensions
o Horizontal o Aligned
o Vertical o Rotated
2. Angular dimensions
3. Radial dimensions
4. Diametric dimensions
Please refer to AutoCAD reference manual for the details about
the way to draw these dimensions.
Please note that leader dimensions are not recognized by ParaDraft.
The shareware version ignores the text of the dimensions, and
no such specification is interpreted e.g. DIA 10, 4 HOLES .
Each dimension appearing in the parent geometry is assigned a
unique name by ParaDraft. This name is composed of a string,
followed by a running number. The string "L" is for linear
dimensions, "R" for radial dimensions, "DIA" for diameter and
"ANG" for angular dimensions.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 8
Rules for dimensioning:
1. All dimensioning must be done using DIMASO as ON.
2. No dimension should be exploded.
3. All dimensions and extension lines should be contained in
layer DIM, or your own dimensioning layer specified with
PGPGSET command.
4. All points for the extension lines must be defined using the
OSNAP modes.
5. DIMCEN should be non zero, so that center lines are
automatically drawn for each radial dimension.
Dimensioning characteristics:
You must dimension the Parent geometry completely. With the
given dimensions, it should be possible to recreate the
to-the-scale drawing. All small features must be dimensioned
completely. For instance fillets, chamfers, undercuts and
internal threads must be dimensioned in full detail. Finally,
you should remove any redundant dimensions, since the present
version of ParaDraft does not check against such redundancies.
If you want a corner point to be related to a dimension, it must
be joined with an extension line. Otherwise ParaDraft assumes that
the point is only accidentally coincident. Please see the sample
application PULLEY and note the use of extension lines
If the diameter of a circle is not specified, it is taken to
be a constant value, as drawn on the drawing. Do not use a linear
dimension for specifying the diameter of a circle.
Center line and symmetry:
In drafting practice if a mirror symmetry exists, the linear
dimensions that are symmetric about it are shown as a single
dimension. ParaDraft uses the same convention for such dimensions.
It requires you to draw a center line wherever such a symmetry
exists and later specify the range of influence of the symmetry.
A symmetry axis is presently used internally for splitting such
linear dimensions into two equal halves, that are symmetric
about the axis. For other symmetric dimensions, the dimensioning
must be done on both sides, since such dimensions that are
although fully inside the range of influence of the symmetry are
not mirrored in the current versions. Further, the angular
dimensions are not split. All the center lines should be in a
single layer called "CEN" by default. You can give your own layer
name using the PGPGSET command.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 9
Parent Geometry Specification
Parent geometry is specified using the command PARENT within the
AutoCAD drawing editor. You have to give the following
information about the geometry with this command:
1. Insertion point : This is the reference point for the geometry
2. Entities : The geometry and the dimensions
3. Symmetry : the lines of symmetry and their region
of influence
Then, the parameter names will be assigned to the dimensions.
Finally, a slide will be made for the geometry for future use.
Parameterisation:
Parameterisation of the geometry is performed by the main
parameterisation program PgPg!. The name PgPg! stands for
Parametric geometry Program generator. PgPg! accepts the parent
geometry as the specification of parametric geometry, and
converts it into the corresponding AutoLISP program.
On most installations, ParaDraft will automatically run the
PgPg! by shelling out. The program runs without attention and
should not take over 3 minutes on an average PC-AT for the
shareware version geometries.
SAMPLE SESSION:
---------------
We will now demonstrate the procedure of use of PgPg! using
the sample BASEPLT. In the drawing BASEPLT.DWG, our examplery
baseplate has already been drawn as specified in the previous
chapter. Copy it into your own directory from the ParaDraft
directory. Also copy the file PGINIT.SCR. Start AutoCAD and enter
the drawing editor with the drawing BASEPLT.
Loading PgPg! :
Enter the following command at the AutoCAD drawing editor command
line.
Command: SCRIPT
File name: PGINIT
The script command loads the PGINIT lisp file. Please refer to
the appendix B for alternate procedures for loading this file.
Next enter the command:
Command: PGPG
to load the Parent Geometry Specification Program. A countdown
is made as this program as loaded. At the end a beep is sounded.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 10
Now give the command:
Command: PARENT
to start the Parent Geometry Specification Program.
Geometry Name:
PgPg! needs a name for your parent geometry and prompts you for
it.
« Enter the Parent geometry name: » BASEPLT
This name should not be more than 8 characters long. The same
name will be used later for running the executable part. Do not
use names starting with "PG".
You can also attach a short one word description of the geometry
as a response to the following prompt. The above name and the
following description are used to identify the geometry.
« Description of the geometry: » JustABaseplate
Reference point:
When prompted with the following, you should select a reference
point that is meaningful for the drawing.
« Insertion point: »
Select the center point of the baseplate center hole.
Geometry:
When prompted with the following, you should select all relevant
geometry ( which you want to parameterise) and the dimensions.
« Select the entities making up the geometry »
« Select object: » Select the entire baseplate with its dimensions
using a crossing window
While processing is going on the system will give the message:
« Writing the geometry information. Please wait... »
Meanwhile, the parameter names will be assigned to the
dimensions. After all the entities have been written out, you
will be informed:
« 37 entities found in the parent geometry ....... »
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 11
Symmetry axis:
A symmetry axis is presently used for the simple purpose of splitting
such linear dimensions into two equal halves, that are symmetric
about the axis.
Since there are many mirror symmetries in the geometry, answer YES to
the following prompt:
« Is there any symmetry in the geometry (Yes/No) ? » Yes
You should point at a center line in reply to the following prompt:
« Show a line as the axis of symmetry: » show one of the
center line
« Show the range of influence for this axis of symmetry: »
« First corner: » Take a box
enclosing
« Other corner: » the full baseplate
Perform the procedure for both the symmetries in the drawing.
Only the dimensions that are fully enclosed in the specified
box are split.
Zoom options:
ParaDraft prepares a slide file to show you the dimensions
corresponding to variables. It is necessary that you position
the drawing well on the screen with the help of zoom commands.
These zoom commands are similar to the AutoCAD ZOOM command in
operation.
<< Zoom into the parent drawing.>>
<< Zoom Window/In/Out/Pan/Exit <Exit> : >>
Parameterisation:
ParaDraft will automatically run the main parameterisation program
PgPg!, at the end of the parent geometry specification by shelling
out. PgPg! shareware version first presents you with information
about ParaDraft Professional. After that it requires no further
inputs and runs unattended. It shows a status window at the
bottom and a main window for giving some messages to indicate
the progress. At the end of parameterisation, it would report
the following statistics about the parent geometry:
Number of entities :
construction lines :
construction arcs :
dimensions :
symmetry :
points :
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 12
If the parent geometry specification is complete and adequate,
PgPg! will report the success message
« Parameterisation Successful »
in the status window. You have created your first application.
In case PgPg! cannot parameterise the geometry with the provided
information, it would report the number of assumptions required
to be made during the parameterisation as following:
« Parameterisation done with N assumptions »
in the status window. At the end of this process, you will
have the following output files :
BASEPLT.LSP ........ generated PgProgram
BASEPLT.CAL ........ template PGCAL file
HELP\BASEPLT.LSP ....... debugging and explanation file
HELP\BASEPLT.DWG ....... parent geometry drawing
Note : ParaDraft shells out to run PgPg!, which requires over
500 KB memory to run. Whether this memory can be released
or not, depends upon your PC hardware and AutoCAD installation.
In case ParaDraft cannot shell out to run PgPg!, you must
adopt the following procedure:
Quit AutoCAD and change directory to ParaDraft directory. There
should be a BASEPLT.PG file i.e. with the name given by you to
the geometry. Enter the following command at the DOS command
line without any extra blanks:
C:\ACAD10\PGDRAFT> PGPG BASEPLT
After this run AutoCAD again. Please refer to the Appendix B. for
the installation notes, where ParaDraft installation settings
for PgPg! are explained.
Undoing the changes
ParaDraft changes the drawing during the process of creating the
parent geometry information. After this step is over, and the
geometry parameterisation has been performed, it performs an UNDO
command to get the drawing back to its status at the beginning.
Please answer YES to any prompt generated by AutoCAD for
verification of UNDO command.
However, ParaDraft stores the modified drawing for further use,
in its HELP subdirectory. This drawing can be inserted in the
current drawing with PGINSERT command. You may take its plot,
which will come useful during customisation. You can use it for
customising the slide file. You can also use it for making changes
to your application, in case the original drawing is not available.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 13
Solving problems of parameterisation
In case ParaDraft cannot parameterise the geometry with the given
parent geometry, it would report the number of assumptions required
to be made during the parameterisation. You now have a program that
may not work to your specifications. Therefore you must
solve the problem before using the program for developing your
application.
Parameterisation assumptions:
When ParaDraft finds that it cannot parameterise a geometry, it
assumes X or Y coordinates ( or both) for a point in order to
continue processing. For each coordinate assumed, it reports
one assumption.
PGDEBUG
You need not pore over the resulting AutoLISP program to find
the cause. ParaDraft generates another AutoLISP program to help you
in finding the problem. To run this program you should give the
following command from AutoCAD command line:
Command: PGDEBUG
Enter geometry name: XXXXX
Insertion point:
This program draws the parent geometry and shows all the points.
Since ParaDraft uses points internally for parameterising the
geometry, it shows you the same points and with each point a
name is displayed next to it. Even the ParaDraft construction
points are shown. Explanation is given for parameterisation of
each point (This facility is not available in the shareware
version).
Locating the problem point:
The points for which it has made the assumptions, are shown in
YELLOW color. If you have a color monitor, it is easy to spot
these points. Otherwise, use the support file, SSX.LSP to create
a selection set of these points by specifying :
Command: (load"ssx")
Command: LIST
Select object: (ssx)
Blockname/Color/Entity/LAyer/LTyp/Style/height: C
Color: YELLOW
Blockname/Color/Entity/LAyer/LTyp/Style/height: B
Block: EXPLAIN
Blockname/Color/Entity/LAyer/LTyp/Style/height:
This will list these blocks and give you the names and locations.
The name of the point is stored in the attribute POINT.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 14
Suggestions for solving problem
The explanation facility available with ParaDraft Professional
helps you in trouble shooting problems of parameterisation. It
provides the reasons for taking the parameterisation decisions.
There is additional information given for the problem points.
Since this facility is not available in trial version, for now
once you have spotted the problem points, proceed along the
following lines to solve the problem of parameterising these
points:
1. It is often the case that you have underspecified the Parent
geometry than what is required by PgPg!. Therefore, you need to
add only some dimensions or extension lines to solve the
problem. You can judge for your particular drawing, the actual
constructs to be added.
2. Look carefully at the parent geometry statistics to spot
missing symmetry information. Also check the parent geometry
to see, whether the center line is exactly in the middle.
3. Look for a dimension that is drawn inaccurately so that it
does not exactly match the geometry. You should delete and
redraw such dimensions in parent geometry.
4. Check if a line is broken in the middle and is made up of two
or more pieces, if PGDEBUG shows a problem point in the middle of
a line.
5. Check for any unwanted small arcs or lines, representing an
unnoticed detail for your application. In such cases you may
decide to reduce the complexity of the drawing by eliminating
such small details. Or you should dimension them completely.
Locate any unrecognised fillets.
6. If all fails, redraw that part of geometry that is causing
problems. It probably has some problematic inaccuracies.
This version of PgPg! does not understand complex geometric
constructions, such as a line tangent to two circles, or cases
of cyclic geometric description, often found in solution of
triangle problems. It also lacks an understanding of arc to arc
intersections or tangency. You will find that PgPg! reports
assumptions in such cases. You must add additional dimensions in
such cases to generate the correct program. It is however the
users (yours !) responsibility to give correct values to these
redundant dimensions.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 15
Using PGCAL to solve the problem:
For every X or Y coordinate assumed for a point, an X or Y
variable is added to the PGCAL template file. It has a name made
up of string "X" or "Y", followed by the number of the point.
You can also circumvent the problem of parameterisation by
changing the PGCAL program. This can be done by defining
expressions for calculating the assumed X or Y coordinate in
terms of other dimensions. This way you avoid having to
parameterise the geometry again.
In case you add redundant dimensions to get the geometry
parameterised, you must make sure that the value of these
dimensions is consistent with the rest of dimensions. For this
purpose as well you can modify the generated PGCAL program so
that the value of the additional dimensions is consistent with
the rest of the dimensions.
PGCAL and its interface to the PgProgram is explained in more
detail in the chapter "customizing PgPrograms".
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 16
RUNNING PARADRAFT APPLICATIONS WITH PGRUN
-----------------------------------------
To run a ParaDraft applications, you should have installed PGRUN
completely. You should copy the file PGINIT.SCR into the current
directory. After starting AutoCAD and entering into the drawing
editor you must first load PGINIT lisp file with the following
command:
Command: SCRIPT
File name: PGINIT
Please refer to the appendix for alternate procedures for
loading this file.
Now you can load the shareware version of PGRUN with the
following command:
Command: PGRUN
PGRUN defines several commands to facilitate use of the PgPrograms.
PGDIR:
You can see the directory of the available PgPrograms generated
with ParaDraft or supplied as the samples with the following
command:
COMMAND: PGDIR
File name:
You can use the * and ? wildcard characters just as for the DOS
directory command.
PGSHOW:
You can see the slide file for the parent geometry with the
following command:
Command: PGSHOW
geometry name:
You must give the full name of the geometry.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 17
Running Generated programs:
You can draw the geometry defined by a PgProgram with the
following command:
Command: PGDRAW
geometry name:
You must give the full name of the geometry. If you have not
customized the PgProgram, you should give NO to the following
question asked by the system:
Do you want to use the PGCAL program (Y/N) : NO
Dimension values
PGRUN will then display a slide of the parent geometry. This is
to help you identify the parameters in the geometry. You will be
asked the values of the dimensions. You must enter a positive
real number or an integer, as a response. Negative values and
zero values can be given, but then the results may not always be
as expected.
Insertion point and angle
After taking the values of all the parameters, a REDRAW will be
performed and you will be asked for an insertion point for the
geometry. The point must be specified. The drawn geometry can be
inserted at an angle. You should enter a counter-clockwise angle
in degrees.
Drawn geometry
After you specify the insertion point and angle, the PgProgram
computes the points needed to draw the geometry using PGRUN.
Then the geometry is drawn and rotated, if required. You can now
manipulate this geometry the way you want. You can verify that
the geometry has been drawn to the dimension values as specified
by you.
Please note that PGRUN resets the osnap setting to NONE.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 18
Running customized programs
To run the programs customized using PGCAL, the process is
similar. You can draw the geometry with the following command:
Command: PGDRAW
geometry name:
You must give the full name of the geometry. You should give YES
to the following question asked by the system:
Do you want to use the PGCAL program (Y/N) : YES
Input parameter values:
If you have not modified the default PGCAL file, you will not be
asked the values of the dimensions. This file has by default the
dimension values same as those in the parent geometry.
If you have specified your own input parameters in the PGCAL
file, these input parameter values will be asked by the system.
They will be asked in the sequence in which you have given them
in the PGCAL file. This will be done on the text screen after
shelling out of AutoCAD. As a consequence, you can
not see the parent geometry while giving the values of the
parameters. PGCAL will calculate all the dimension values and
these will be taken in by PgProgram.
Running fully customized application
A fully customized application has its own command name that is
assigned to it with the PGCUSTOM feature of ParaDraft. This
command will take the input values inside AutoCAD, so that you
can see the customized slide of parent geometry while giving the
values of the parameters. Then, PGCAL will calculate all the
dimension values, after shelling out of AutoCAD. These values will
be taken in by the PgProgram to draw the geometry.
In the end, a REDRAW will be performed and you will be asked for
an insertion point and angle for the geometry. After computing
the points the geometry will be drawn.
Loading customized application definition
On AutoCAD release 10, the customised application definitions
are loaded automatically. On earlier versions, you must
you must load these definitions with the PGCUSTLOAD command.
Command: PGCUSTLOAD
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 19
DEVELOPING PARADRAFT APPLICATIONS BY CUSTOMIZING PGPROGRAMS
-----------------------------------------------------------
PgPrograms generated by PgPg! require you to enter the values of
all the dimensions as the inputs. However often these dimensions
are interrelated and can be specified in terms of a few key
dimensions or parameters. PGCAL allows you to makes use of
specified formulae and tables for computing dimension values
from these parameters.
With PGCAL and PGCUSTOM, you can customize the PgPrograms generated
by ParaDraft to a great extent. They have been designed to allow
you to create a customized application with a more intuitive user
interface. A fully customized ParaDraft application :
∙ is invocable with its own AutoCAD command
∙ displays slide file with only the key dimensions,
while accepting the inputs,
∙ accepts the values of only the key dimensions,
∙ Computes the dimension values from the specified formulae,
∙ Or, picks some dimension values from the specified tables
and draws the geometry using these computed dimensions. Since
this customized program is easier to use and requires fewer
inputs, the process of drafting is further speeded up.
Procedure of customization:
First, you create a PGCAL file and specify the input
parameters and their prompts. Next, you add formulae to compute
rest of the dimensions to this file. You can create data tables
for picking the standard dimension values corresponding to one
or more parameters. With PGCAL command, you can test the
formulae and tables for correctness. On running the PgProgram
PGCAL is automatically called, and the dimension values to be used
for drawing the geometry are computed using the provided formulae.
At this stage of customization all the inputs will be taken by
PGCAL without showing any graphics on the text screen.
Next, you can define an AutoCAD command for running this
application using the PGCUSTOM command. With it, you can get
the input parameters specified in the PGCAL file asked
inside AutoCAD, while the slide file is on display.
Finally you can overwrite the slide file that is displayed for
taking the inputs, using PGMSLIDE command. For instance, you may
want to show only the remaining input parameters, or any other
information of interest along with the geometry. You can thereby
completely customize the user interface of the PgProgram.
You can use the drawing of the parent geometry stored in the
HELP subdirectory of ParaDraft for customisation. Its plot
comes useful while writing the formulae with PGCAL to find
which parameter is which dimension. The same drawing
can be used for modifying the slide file.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 20
PGCAL and PGCUSTOM
PGCAL and PGCUSTOM are fully integrated with AutoCAD and all
commands for customization can be given from within AutoCAD.
PGCAL has following commands:
1. PGEDIT - Edit the template file and enter the formulae
2. PGDATA - Create the tables (standard data) files
3. PGCAL - Test correctness of the formulae
PGCUSTOM has following commands:
1. PGCUSTOM - Define your own command for the application
and take inputs inside AutoCAD
2. PGMSLIDE - Overwrite the slide file
Each of these commands is explained in the following sections of
this chapter.
What is PGCAL:
PGCAL is a simple and easy-to-use programmable calculator that is
integrated with PGRUN for customizing the generated PgPrograms. With
PGCAL you can specify:
∙ the input dimensions or parameters with their prompts.
∙ the formulae for calculating a dimension value in terms
of other dimension values and parameters
∙ tables for picking the standard dimension values
corresponding to one or more key dimensions
The formulae use the normal (infix) syntax, which makes them
easy to enter and correct. These tables look like the data tables
that draughtsmen commonly use. PGCAL requires only very
elementary knowledge of programming, limited to writing formulae
using variables with a text editor.
PGEDIT and PGDATA
These commands let you edit the PGCAL file for a parametric
geometry, or a data table file.
Command: PGEDIT or PGDATA
geometry name: xxxx or Data Table name: xxxx
You must give the full name of the geometry. PGEDIT and PGDATA
use the command EDIT defined in ACAD.PGP file. By default this
means using EDLIN for editing the files. You must save the
file when exiting the editor for the changes to take effect.
If you are used to another editor, you can change EDIT
line in the ACAD.PGP file to use your own editor. Your editor
must accept the file name with path as the first command line
parameter. Please refer to the manual for the editor (for EDLIN,
the MS-DOS manual) for editing a file. Please refer to the AutoCAD
manual for changing the ACAD.PGP file.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 21
Template file helps you start off
To begin the customization, you are provided with some aids to
take care of startup problems. When you parameterise a geometry
with PgPg!, a template PGCAL file is created for you. First, you
can use the template file for running the PgProgram for drawing
the geometry with the default values. Next, you can edit this
file to specify the key parameters, prompts and formulae using
PGEDIT. The template file is divided into two sections; first
section has the temporary variables, that are assigned the
default values. Second section has variables corresponding to
the dimensions, that take value from the corresponding temporary
variable.
PGCAL File structure
PGCAL file has a very simple structure. Each line has a
variable which is assigned a value either from the user input,
or with a formula using other variables. Only exception is the
PICKFROM table command, where all the variables given in the
table are assigned values. Comment and blank lines are allowed.
PGCAL file can have three types of variable in it:
i. Temporary variables
Each dimension appearing in the parent geometry is assigned a
temporary variable. These variables are called P1,P2,..etc with
the same number as the corresponding dimension. These are also
assigned the values of the corresponding dimension as drawn in
the parent geometry. However, their value is not used by the
PgProgram directly but through the parameters for dimensions.
You are advised to calculate all the values using the temporary
variables only. You should select temporary variable names, that
do not conflict with the variable for dimensions.
ii. Variables for dimensions
Each dimension appearing in the parent geometry appears in the
template file as a variable, whose value is used by the
PgProgram. This variable has a unique name used everywhere
consistently by ParaDraft. This name is composed of a string,
followed by a running number. The variable names beginning with
the string:
"L" are for linear dimensions, e.g. L11
"R" are for radial dimensions, e.g. R12
"DIA" are for diameter, e.g. DIA13, and
"ANG" are for angular dimensions, e.g. ANG14.
These variables appear at the end of the file, and are assigned
to the the corresponding temporary variable. This scheme may
seem a bit odd, but is essential. It has the advantage in case
you may change the parent geometry a little, and change some of
the dimensions. You would still like to use the existing PGCAL
file. With this scheme, you only have to change this last
section to assign the correct dimension to the correct variable.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 22
iii. Variables for assumed coordinates
In case of successful parameterisation, no such variable is
included. Otherwise, for every X or Y coordinate assumed for a
point, an X or Y variable is added to the PGCAL template file.
It has a name made up of string "X" or "Y", followed by the
number of the point.
A PGCAL variable can take only a real value. No other data type
is supported. You can define a temporary variable by simply
assigning a value to it. A variable must be assigned a value,
before it is used. Otherwise, it will be taken as an input
parameter.
Defining input parameters
You can define the input parameters by giving a prompt within
double quotes. For example,
L1 = "Value of Length"
will result in question to the user,
Enter the Value of Length : 125.0
And the entered value (125.0 in this case) will be stored under
the variable name L1.
Defining Formula for a parameter
The formula for a parameter is written in the following way
<Variable name> = <Expression>
For example,
L2 = 100.0 + L1
where L1 already has a value of 125.0, will result in the
assignment of value 225.0 to L2. The syntax for expressions
is INFIX that is common with programming languages as BASIC,
FORTRAN or PASCAL. A number of useful trignometric and
engineering functions are also supported. Please see the
appendix D for the details.
Using Tables
Tables are natural way of describing standard values, and are
often used by engineers. Given one or two key values, rest of
the standard values can be picked from such a table.
PGCAL allows a simple, but powerful table lookup feature. A
table for PGCAL is a text file, formatted as rows and columns.
Each row represents one set of values for variables. Each column
represents the possible values of a particular variable.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 23
The first row of the table is a header row, that defines the names
of the columns. Columns may be separated with a vertical bar ("|")
character for better readability. The rows may also be separated
by blank or comment lines.
The name of the columns correspond to the variable names in
PGCAL file. These names can not contain blanks for this reason.
No column is predefined to be input or output column. If the
variable for a column already has a value, then it is considered
as a key value.
PICKFROM keyword
In the PGCAL file, a table lookup is performed by the following
statement:
PICKFROM table
The table name is assumed to have a .DAT extension. All the
variables in the PGCAL file, that have been defined till the
point of table lookup, and match with the column names of the
table, are taken to be keys. PGCAL performs a search for a row
that has all the matching key values. Now the variables
corresponding to the other columns are created and assigned the
values found in the matched row.
Example of use of a table for PGCAL
The following is an example from the sample BASEPLT, where
the tap diameters are picked from the table giving the
minor dia for the major dia of the tap hole.
TAP.DAT
% Tap dia for coarse threads
Holedia | TapDia
12.0 | 10.0
16.0 | 12.0
18.0 | 16.0
20.0 | 17.5
24.0 | 20.0
PGCAL file
% First take input
Holedia = "hole diameter(12/16/18/20/24)"
% Now lookup in the table
PICKFROM TAP
DIA6 = TapDia
The PICKFROM statement will pick the row corresponding to the
entered value of hole diameter. As a result, the variable
TAPDIA, which is the other column in the table, will be assigned
the selected value.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 24
Using a PLOT or PRPLOT
You should take a PRPLOT or PLOT of the drawing of the parent
geometry for writing the formulae. In this drawing, all the
dimensions display the variable names used by PGCAL file and the
application. This is useful while using PGEDIT to find out which
dimension is which one. To insert the parent geometry in current
drawing, enter PGINSERT on the drawing editor command prompt:
Command: PGINSERT
Geometry name: xxxxxx
Insertion point: Show an insertion point
Please refer to the AutoCAD reference manual for PLOT or PRPLOT.
Testing the formulae
PGCAL command lets you execute the PGCAL program and shows the
values of the dimensions as computed by it. To run PGCAL, enter
command :
Command: PGCAL
Geometry name: xxxxxx
The specified PGCAL file will be executed, and all the dimension
values will be computed. These values will be displayed inside
AutoCAD, while the slide is on display. You can thus verify whether
the file has been correctly created or not.
Testing the program
You can draw the geometry with the following command:
Command: PGDRAW
geometry name:
You should give YES to the following question asked by the system:
Do you want to use the PGCAL program (Y/N) : YES
Input parameter values:
If you have not modified the default PGCAL file, you will not be
asked the values of the dimensions. This file has by default the
dimension values same as those in the parent geometry.
If you have specified your own input parameters in the PGCAL
file, these input parameter values will be asked by the system.
They will be asked in the sequence in which you have given them
in the PGCAL file. These values will be asked on the text
screen after shelling out of AutoCAD. As a consequence, you can
not see the parent geometry while giving the values of the
parameters. PGCAL will calculate all the dimension values and
these will be taken in by PgProgram.
In the end, a REDRAW will be performed and you will be asked for
an insertion point and angle for the geometry. After computing
the points the geometry will be drawn.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 25
Customizing User Interface
Once you have created the formulae in the PGCAL, your first
level of customization in terms of parameters is complete. Your
application is ready to run, but its user interface has scope
for improvement. It can be easily improved in terms of quality
using PGCUSTOM and PGMSLIDE.
First, at this level of customization, the values of key
inputs are taken on the text screen after AutoCAD has been
suspended. Therefore, the user may not relate the prompts for
inputs to the geometry. He also has no option of measuring
the drawing, for deciding an appropriate value. Therefore,
these inputs should be taken inside AutoCAD. To do this,
PGCUSTOM translates the input commands given in the PGCAL file
into a corresponding AutoLISP function, which is automatically
called by the application.
Secondly, the displayed slide shows the parent geometry after
the parameter names have been assigned to dimensions. These
names make no sense to the user. Further, this clutters up the
slide unnecessarily, since most of the dimensions would be
computed, and are irrelevant. You can replace the slide file
with your own custom slide file with PGMSLIDE command.
Lastly, the PGDRAW command is used for drawing the geometry,
which is not natural. For a menu based application, this can be
transparent for the user, but for a "keyboard-happy" user this
is an unnatural command. PGCUSTOM lets you assign your own
AutoCAD command for running this application to draw this
geometry.
PGCUSTOM
PGCUSTOM lets you assign your own AutoCAD command for running
the application for drawing the geometry. It also translates
the input commands given in the PGCAL file into a corresponding
AutoLISP function, which is automatically called by the program.
To run PGCUSTOM, you should first load PGRUN. You should have
already parameterised the geometry, and the PGCAL file should be
present.
Command: PGCUSTOM
Name: xxxxxx
You should enter the name of the geometry. PGCUSTOM will now
suspend AutoCAD and shell out.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 26
PGCUSTOM - ParaDraft APPLICATION CUSTOMIZATION UTILITY
Do you want to assign an AutoCAD command (Y/N):
If you answer yes to the above question, PGCUSTOM will ask you
for the name of the command. You should avoid giving a builtin
AutoCAD command name as the reply.
Enter the command name:
PGCUSTOM creates a file PGCUSTOM.LSP that has this function
definition. If the file already exists, this function is just
appended to it. Next, PGCUSTOM asks you:
Do you want to create the input function (Y/N):
If you answer Yes to the above question, PGCUSTOM will process
the PGCAL file and extract input commands from it. The PGCAL
file does not have to be modified. This function is also added
to PGCUSTOM.LSP. At the end, PGCUSTOM.LSP file is loaded so that
the changes are effective immediately. In every session of
PGRUN, PGCUSTOM file is automatically loaded (Release 10 only).
You can run PGCUSTOM for an application any number of times.
PGMSLIDE - Replacing the slide file
You can overwrite the slide file, that is displayed for
taking the inputs, to show only the key input parameters,
and any other information that you wish. Thereby you can
completely customize the user interface of the PgProgram.
To overwrite the slide file, give command PGMSLIDE after
you have the desired information on the screen in the
current drawing, and give the application name.
Command: PGMSLIDE
Name: xxxxxx
The command functions similar to MSLIDE command. For details,
see the AutoCAD reference manual.
You could insert the drawing of the parent geometry for changing
the slide file. In this drawing, the geometry is exactly as you
had drawn it. Further all the dimensions display the variable names
used by your application. To insert the parent geometry in current
drawing, enter PGINSERT on the drawing editor command prompt:
Command: PGINSERT
Geometry name: xxxxxx
Insertion point: Show an insertion point
Now use EXPLODE command to explode the inserted block into entities
that you can erase or change. Please refer to the AutoCAD reference
manual for details of EXPLODE command and block insertions.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 27
Appendix A. : GENERAL INFORMATION
----------------------------------
ParaDraft will run on any IBM PC/XT/AT/386/486 or any MS-DOS compatible
computer running PC/MS-DOS 3.2 or higher with a minimum of 512K
free RAM. It requires AutoCAD version 2.62 or higher to be present,
with ADE-III (English or German version). A hard disk with more than
1 MB free space is also required.
IBM is a registered trademark of the International Business Machine
Corporation.
PC-DOS, PC, PC XT, PC AT, and PS/2 are trademarks of IBM Corporation.
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Turbo Pascal is a registered trademark of Borland International
AutoCAD and AutoLISP are the registered trademarks of Autodesk
Corporation.
SHAREWARE TRIAL VERSION INFORMATION
ParaDraft is a copyrighted program protected by both Indian and
international copyright law. If you obtained ParaDraft from a shareware
disk vendor, an on-line computer service or bulletin board, a friend or
colleague, or another similar source, you have an unregistered (trial)
copy. You are authorized to use this copy without charge for a limited
period of time under the terms of the ParaDraft license agreement. After
this time is up, you must register and pay for ParaDraft to continue using
it, or for using any application created with it.
This method of distribution is known as shareware. It allows you to
determine whether ParaDraft meets your needs before you pay for it. The
shareware version of ParaDraft has some restrictions in terms of the size
of the geometry and capabilities as compared to the professional version.
The major restrictions are (i) a limit on the trial period of 21 days,
(ii) a limit of less than 40 entities in the parent geometry, (iii) no
support for polylines and related features, (iv) no support for
dimensioning in the output drawing, (v) No support for exploded
dimensions in the input drawing, (vi) No recognition of the information
given in the dimension text for typical fillet radius, diameters etc.
and (vii) no GW-BASIC or Turbo-Pascal interface.
However, these restrictions do not interfere with the purpose of letting
you test ParaDraft for its suitability to your requirements. Specifically,
you can test the crucial geometry parameterisation expert system, and
even develop applications from the generated programs for your use.
The registered version of ParaDraft is the ParaDraft Extended version.
It has just the same features as the trial version that you are
testing. It however does not have the advertising messages, the time
restrictions, or the restriction on the size of the geometry. It has
a GW-BASIC interface for custmoization, and the AutoLISP code produced
by it, is readable and indented. The extended version is meant for the
the users, who would like to try ParaDraft for geometries of their
application area before they decide in favor of ParaDraft Professional,
the full system.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 28
APPENDIX B. INSTALLATION NOTES
Loading ParaDraft
ParaDraft is fully integrated with AutoCAD. All ParaDraft
modules must be run from within AutoCAD. For this purpose, you
have to load the PGINIT.LSP file from the ParaDraft directory
into the AutoCAD drawing editor session, to access PgPg! or PGRUN.
This can be done in many ways as following:
1. Copy the file PGINIT.SCR into the directory from where you are
running AutoCAD, using DOS copy command. This file is created in
the directory where ParaDraft is installed. Give the following
command at the command prompt of AutoCAD.
Command: SCRIPT
File <>: PGINIT
2. Add the following lines in your ACAD.LSP file, after
correcting the name of the directory where ParaDraft has been
installed (Release 10 or above) :
(LOAD "/ACAD/PGDRAFT/PGINIT") ; To load ParaDraft
3. Copy the contents of PGINIT.LSP into your ACAD.LSP file.
Using PGDRAFT menu
All the ParaDraft commands can be issued using the PGDRAFT menu in
the AutoCAD release 9 and above. To load the menu use the command
PGMENU from the AutoCAD drawing editor command prompt, after
loading PGINIT. The menu commands are self explanatory.
ACAD.PGP file settings
ParaDraft shells out to execute many of its commands. For this
purpose, your ACAD.PGP file needs to be extended. In particular,
to enable ParaDraft to automatically run the PgPg! parameteri-
sation program by shelling out, you must add the PGSHELL line.
Please add the following lines in your ACAD.PGP file:
PGSHELL,,500000,*DOS Command: ,0
SHELL,,125000,*DOS Command: ,0
EDIT,EDLIN,40000,File to edit: ,0
AutoLISP settings
If you are using normal AutoLISP (not extended), then you must
set AutoLISP DOS environment variables as following before running
AutoCAD, so that the AutoLISP part of ParaDraft can work.
SET LISPHEAP=38000
SET LISPSTACK=7000
Text style settings
STANDARD text style from TXT.SHX is required for ParaDraft.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 29
Setting runtime parameters - PGSET command
PgPrograms generated by PgPg! require you to enter the values of all
the dimensions as the inputs. However, you can use one of the
interface like PGCAL or GW-BASIC, to compute the values for the
geometry. Please refer to the chapter on customisation for details.
With PGSET command you can define how the dimension values should be
obtained for PgPrograms. Normally, the user must specify this every
time a PgProgram is run. However, with PGSET command you can set
the expert mode ON and then define the default setting for the rest
of the session.
In trial version of PGRUN only PGCAL interface can be used.
Setting PgPg! parameters - PGPGSET command :
With PGPGSET command, you can set the method of running PgPg!, and
the dimensioning and center line layers, for a session.
Method of running PgPg!:
You can specify the command name defined in ACAD.PGP file that releases
500KB for running PgPg!. By default this name is PGSHELL. If you
enter NONE, it is assumed that you will run PgPg! from the command
line later, and shelling out is not attempted.
Dimensioning and center line layers:
PgPg! uses two layers for dimensioning and center lines. While
creating the PgProgram for the geometry, all the entities of these
layer are discarded. You can set these layers for a session by
selecting an entity of the layer from the screen.
To run PgPg! from the command line
----------------------------------
This is required on some installations where too many memory
resident programs, leave no memory for AutoCAD to shell
out and release the needed 500KB memory. Further, AutoCAD
Release 10 - 386 version can not release more than 300K. You
need a program such as BIG-SHELL to release the needed memory
with the 386-version. In case you cannot shell out and run PGPG,
you must adopt the following procedure to run PgPg!:
Quit AutoCAD and change directory to ParaDraft directory. There
should be a xxxxxx.PG file, of the name given by you to the
geometry. Enter the following command at the DOS command line:
C:\ACAD\PGDRAFT> PGPG BASEPLT
After completion of parameterisation, enter AutoCAD again.
Please note that you can not run PGPG from any other directory.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 30
ParaDraft directory and files
ParaDraft files are stored in a subdirectory called PGDRAFT of the
directory from where you ran the installation program. For
example, if you have installed ParaDraft in the C:\ACAD
directory, the files would be in C:\ACAD\PGDRAFT. You will find
following files in this directory after the installation program
reports success:
Executables files and AutoLISP functions
PGPG.EXE PGPG.IDB PGINIT.LSP
PGPG.LSP PGRUN.LSP PGCAL.EXE
PATCH.LSP PATCH10.LSP REFPT.DWG
SETPATH.EXE EXPLAIN.DWG
Documentation
PGDRAFT.DOC README.DOC ORDER.FRM
Message files
PGRUN.MSG PARENT.BEG PARENT.END
PARENT.MSG
ParaDraft demonstration and sample files
1STLOOK.BAT PGINIT.SCR PGDEMO.MSG
ABOLT.DEM ABOLT.DWG ABOLT.LSP
ABOLT.PG ABOLT.SLD
BASEPLT.DEM BASEPLT.DWG BASEPLT.LSP
BASEPLT.PG BASEPLT.SLD ABASEPLT.LSP
PULLEY.DEM PULLEY.DWG PULLEY.LSP
PULLEY.SLD
FLANGE.DEM FLANGE.DWG FLANGE.LSP
FLANGE.SLD
PIPEBEND.DEM PIPEBEND.DWG PIPEBEND.LSP
PIPEBEND.PG PIPEBEND.SLD
TBLOCK.DEM TBLOCK.DWG TBLOCK.LSP
TBLOCK.PG TBLOCK.SLD
Installation related files
INST.EXE INSTALL.BAT PGDRAFT.ZIP
README.1ST
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 31
Appendix C. : How does PgPg! work ?
-----------------------------------
You need to know how PgPg! works in order to be able to use it
efficiently. PgPg! works on the principle of generalisation. It
applies heuristics and geometric reasoning on what it knows
about the parent geometry, and thereby creates the more general
Parametric geometry model. This model is in terms of expressions for
parametrically calculating coordinates of the points defining the
geometry. It is finally translated into an AutoLISP PgProgram.
The heuristics have been developed by experienced AutoLISP
parametric geometry programmers. These are tested to work on a
wide variety of geometries encountered in drafting practice.
For instance, one of the common observations is that a
horizontal line in the parent geometry remains horizontal in all
cases, and so is true for the vertical lines. Therefore it is
one of the heuristics applied.
Another powerful heuristic states that, if any two lines are
parallel in the Parent Geometry, they can be assumed to remain
parallel in all cases. Similarly, a perpendicular pair of lines
can be assumed to remain perpendicular.
An awareness of these heuristics will help you in creating the
parent geometry, that will be correctly interpreted by PgPg!.
List of heuristics
-------------------
If one of the following is found to be true for the parent geometry,
the same is also assumed to be true for all the instances of the
geometry that can be generated with the PgProgram:
1. A line is horizontal.
2. A line is vertical.
3. Two lines are parallel.
4. Two lines are perpendicular.
5. A point lies at the intersection of two entities.
6. A line is tangent to a circle or an arc.
7. A point lies on another entity.
8. Two lines if extended, are coincidental.
9. Two arcs if extended, are coincidental.
10. Two circles are concentric.
11. An extension line of a dimension defines all the points falling
on it, when extended.
12. If a corner has an extension line passing through it, it can be
used for defining it.
13. If two points are within 0.1 mm of each other, they
represent the same point.
Limitations
-----------
PgPg! can handle a wide variety of cases, but cannot resolve cyclic
cases such as double tangency. Do not attempt to solve complex
geometric puzzles using PgPg!.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 32
Appendix D.
PGCAL SYNTAX
The following syntax must be used while creating the PGCAL
files:
1. PGCAL is line based. Each line contains a statement for assigning
value to a parameter. Blank and comment lines are permitted.
2. ";" and "%" are the comment characters. All the characters
following these are ignored in a line.
3. You can define variable names by assigning values to
them. A variable name must begin with a character. Lower and
upper cases are not differentiated. Maximum variable name length
is 10.
4. A variable must be assigned a value, before it is used.
Otherwise, it will taken as an input parameter. A variable can
have only real values, for example 10.0, -102.5, 0.0 etc.
5. A variable can be assigned value in one of the three ways:
i. Input from the user
ii. Calculated from a formula involving constants and
other variables
iii. Imported from a table
6. Syntax for a taking input from the user is as following:
<Variable name> = " .... prompt ..... "
7. Syntax for defining a formula is as following:
<Variable name> = <Expression>
The syntax for expressions is INFIX that is common with
programming languages as BASIC or PASCAL.
8. Expressions are made up of operators and operands. These are
the operands:
constants variables
function calls
9. PGCAL supports the following operators, in order of precedence:
* Real multiplication.
/ Real division.
+ Real addition.
- Real subtraction.
Subexpressions may be enclosed in parentheses to change the
order of precedence.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 33
10. Following functions are supported by PGCAL. All functions must
be used as FUNC(<Expression>), where any other expression can be
used.
Function Example Value
----------------------------------------------------------------
'ABS' - ABS(-10.2) 10.2
'ATAN' - ATAN(1.0) 45.0
'COS' - COS(90.0) 0.0
'EXP' - EXP(1.0) 2.73
'LN' - LN(1.0) 0.0
'ROUND' - ROUND(1.5) 2.0
'SIN' - SIN(90.0) 1.0
'SQRT' - SQRT(100.0) 10.0
'SQR' - SQR(10.0) 100.0
'TRUNC' - TRUNC(1.5) 1.0
----------------------------------------------------------------
11. PICKFROM is a reserved word, and is used for picking values
from the tables. More than one variable may be assigned values.
12. PGCAL uses the following format for the tables:
The table file is row and column oriented.
Header row:
The first non comment - non blank row should be the header row. The
header row has following format.
P1 | P2 | P3 | P4 | P5 | P6
Here P1,P2 etc are the variable names for the columns, which can be
maximum 10 character long. There can be a maximum of 100 columns.
Value rows:
There should be at least one row giving the values of these variables.
ALL the values for every row must be supplied.
V11 | V12 | V13 | V14 | V15 | V16
V21 | V22 | V23 | V24 | V25 | V26
V31 | V32 | V33 | V34 | V35 | V36
V41 | V42 | V43 | V44 | V45 | V46
: : : : : :
Here V11,V12 etc are the values for the columns. The values can be
only real (e.g. 10.3, 0.0 , -2.0) or integer ( 3,0,-3324).
There is no limit to number of rows in a table.
Separator:
The use of vertical bar ("|") is optional.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 34
Appendix E.
Features of ParaDraft Trial version
o Parametric Drafting for the industry standard - AutoCAD
o Converts a dimensioned AutoCAD drawing into a parametric AutoLISP
program for drawing the geometry
o Based on an expert system for geometry parameterisation that uses
"Heuristics" and "Geometrical Reasoning"
o Allows convenient customization of the generated programs
for calculating the dimension values from the key dimensions
o Allows convenient customization of the user interface
o Uses standard dimensioning conventions for the input drawing
o Supports line,circle and arc entities
o Supports all AutoCAD dimension types
o Understands implied geometric constructs
o Free trial period
o Registered and Professional versions are available
The following tables gives the comparative features of the
shareware (trial), registered(extended) and professional version
of Paradraft. The features are divided into the three categories:
I. Features of the parent geometry
II. Features of the generated programs
III. customization features
Features available only in the ParaDraft Professional are marked
with an asterix (*) in these tables.
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 35
Features of the parent geometry
-------------------------------
The following are the features for the specification of the
geometry to be parameterised as parent geometry. Coprocessor
support is available with only extended and professional
versions.
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Sr | Feature of the | Trial | Extended | Professional |
| | Parent Geometry | version | version | version |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| 1. | Support for | Y | Y | Y |
| | LINE,ARC and | | | |
| | CIRCLE entities | | | |
| | | | | |
| 2. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | POLYLINE entity | | | |
| | | | | |
| 3. | Support for | Y | Y | Y |
| | layer and line- | | | |
| | type of entities | | | |
| | | | | |
| 4. | Support for | Y | Y | Y |
| | specification | | | |
| | of symmetry | | | |
| | condition | | | |
| | | | | |
| 5. | Support for | Y | Y | Y |
| | ALL dimension | | | |
| | types, except | | | |
| | leader | | | |
| | | | | |
| 6. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | EXPLODED | | | |
| | dimensions | | | |
| | | | | |
| 7. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | offset dimensions| | | |
| | and geometry | | | |
| | | | | |
| 8. | Support for | N | Y | Y |
| | unspecified | | | |
| | fillet radius | | | |
| | | | | |
| 9. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | hatching | | | |
| | specification | | | |
| | | | | |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Y - feature available N - feature not available |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
...contd
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 36
Features of the parent geometry (contd.)
---------------------------------------
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Sr | Feature of the | Trial | Extended | Professional |
| | Parent Geometry | version | version | version |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| 10. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | specification | | | |
| | of dimensions | | | |
| | not to be drawn | | | |
| | | | | |
| 11. | Support for | N | N | Y * |
| | specification | | | |
| | of fixed geometry| | | |
| | to be attached | | | |
| | (block insertion)| | | |
| | | | | |
| 12. | Heuristics and | | | |
| | geometric | Y | Y | Y |
| | reasoning for | | | |
| | parameterisation | | | |
| | | | | |
| 13. | Specification | | | |
| | of geometry | Y | Y | Y |
| | with geometric | | | |
| | constructions | | | |
| | | | | |
| 14. | Limit on number | Y | N | N |
| | of points in | | | |
| | the geometry | | | |
| | | | | |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Y - feature available N - feature not available |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
* Features available only in the ParaDraft Professional
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 37
Features of the generated programs
----------------------------------
The following are the features of the programs generated by each of
the versions of ParaDraft.
The shareware versions of ParaDraft do not have the dimensioning
feature for the output drawing. With ParaDraft Professional you
can develop applications where you produce fully dimensioned and
annotated drawings. The sample "PULLEY" shows the kind of
results that can be achieved. Please note that the PgProgram of
"PULLEY" is an un-retouched output of the ParaDraft Professional.
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Sr | Feature of the | Trial | Extended | Professional |
| | generated program | version | version | version |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| 1. | Draws the | Y | Y | Y |
| | LINE,ARC and | | | |
| | CIRCLE entities | | | |
| | | | | |
| 2. | Draws the | N | N | Y * |
| | POLYLINE | | | |
| | | | | |
| 3. | Draws all the | N | N | Y |
| | dimensions | | | |
| | types, except | | | |
| | leader | | | |
| | | | | |
| 4. | Performs the | N | N | Y * |
| | hatching | | | |
| | | | | |
| 5. | Explains the | N | N | Y * |
| | parameterisation | | | |
| | | | | |
| 6. | Inserts the | N | N | Y * |
| | fixed geometry | | | |
| | as specified | | | |
| | (block insertion)| | | |
| | | | | |
| 7. | Explains the | N | N | Y * |
| | problems of | | | |
| | parameterisation | | | |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Y - feature available N - feature not available |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
* Features available only in the ParaDraft Professional
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 38
Customization features
----------------------
Some of the cutomization features and related programs are a part of
PGRUN, the runtime component of ParaDraft. (1,2,3 & 6)
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Sr | customization of | Trial | Extended | Professional |
| | generated programs| version | version | version |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| 1. | PGCAL interface | Y | Y | Y |
| | for formulae | | | |
| | | | | |
| 2. | PGCAL interface | Y | Y | Y |
| | for standard | | | |
| | table lookup | | | |
| | | | | |
| 3. | customizable | Y | Y | Y |
| | user interface | | | |
| | | | | |
| 4. | Modifiable | N | Y | Y |
| | AutoLISP program | | | |
| | | | | |
| 5. | Configurable | N | N | Y * |
| | AutoLISP program | | | |
| | | | | |
| 6. | GW-BASIC | N | Y | Y |
| | interface | | | |
| | | | | |
| 7. | Turbo-Pascal 5.5 | N | N | Y * |
| | interface | | | |
| | | | | |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
| Y - feature available N - feature not available |
+-----+-------------------+-----------+------------+----------------+
* Features available only in the ParaDraft Professional
ParaDraft Trial Manual Copyright 1991, ParaWare Systems 39