Data Exchange is a key factor in using Open CASCADE Technology (and applications based on it) concurrently with other software such as CAD systems.
It ensures the openness of the Open CASCADE Technology in a multi-software environment, by allowing it to process external data and providing a good level of integration.
This means obtaining results of good quality, and covering the needs of exchanges from Open CASCADE Technology based applications. This is done whatever the quality or requirements of external data, in particular for allowed data types and arrangements between them, accepted gaps between geometries.
This matter is addressed by Data Exchange Module, itself organized in a modular way, as explained below.
This also involves Open CASCADE Technology in normalization concerns and their implementation.
What Open CASCADE Technology provides for Data Exchange
Data Exchanges in Open CASCADE Technology have these purposes: to allow software based on Open CASCADE Technology to exchange data with various CAD software, thereby ensuring a good level of integration, and provide tools to exchange data, connectors ... between CAD software, based on Open CASCADE Technology, such as the Data Exchange Modules to perform data exchange.
Exchanges act through standards which can be used between various software packages for CAD, PDM ... : IGES, STEP. Or by direct connectors which work on proprietary formats or call run-time libraries to access external data: they can then go beyond the limits of standards and beyond the issues which can come from their interpretation.
Standardized Data Exchange
Standard Exchanges by IGES and STEP
Read and Write 3D data as IGES format (5.3) and STEP format (AP203, AP214 and AP209) , for:
The shape Healing module is used in a conversion process (with external data). It can also be applied independently for:
- data analysis
- quality upgrading
This module also allows "customization" of shapes, regarding mathematical definitions of geometry and topology, scaling, sewing.
The covered data types are the geometrical and topological models (also known as BREP), which concern the Open CASCADE kernel.
XDE allows you to adapt the scope of exchange, as an addition to geometric ("BREP") data, thereby improving interoperability with external software. Data types such as colors, assembly descriptions and validation properties (i.e. center of gravity etc..), which are handled in OCAF, are supported.
Added to benefits of Shape Healing and XDE, the Data Exchange module also gives a way to query and examine a file, the results of a conversion and its validity. It is designed to support extensions (like new standards) in a common modular architecture.