Linking Civil Engineering Design and Drafting Software via IGES

Abstract

A Methodology for integrating application design programs and Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) packages is presented. Application of the methodology enables the automatic translation of the final design information into production drawings of the design, reducing the possibility of translation errors and increasing the engineering and drafting productivity. A model system to demonstrate the methodology has been designed and implemented, utilizing a reinforced concrete box culvert design program. The drawing files were generated using the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES), a neutral drawing file data format that can be utilized by a variety of CAD systems. The success of the model was demonstrated on three different CAD systems residing in the mainframe and microcomputer environments. One example problem is provided to illustrate the success of the methodology. Guidelines for implementing the methodology are summarized.