ME10 Overview
Workgroup Co-Creation in the Engineering Environment
Powerful Assembly Design - ME10 features a "parts concept" that simplifies the design and modification of assemblies through a hierarchical parts structure. With "shared parts," several instances of a part may occur on the same drawing. It's also possible to define multiple drawing scales to handle assemblies with exceptionally large and small parts. A parts structure editor helps maintain control even in the most complex assembly structures. All design activities are simplified, such as defining sub-assemblies, creating instances, re-naming and changing ownership.
File Browser with Preview Window
When engineering teams work together on large assemblies, the importance of finding the correct parts quickly increases. Project leaders, in particular, will appreciate the capability of ME10 to preview parts before loading them. The preview window of the File Browser simplifies the process of merging parts to form large assemblies. The File Browser also shows the file history of previously loaded parts, and makes it easy to access them by simply double-clicking on the file history list.
Revision Checker - ME10 provides a Revision Checker, which helps synchronize engineering work. The Revision Checker automatically highlights design changes, and notes differences between design revisions. Revision checking is also supported by WorkManager so that drawings which matched a database query can be transferred to ME10 to show differences.
Design Modifications - With ME10, engineers have powerful modification
commands that allow them to copy, rotate, mirror, scale and stretch all
elements. Advanced trim and extend capabilities provide a quick,
effective means to refine drawings and close contours. Dimension-driven
modifications allow quick design changes by simply changing the driving
dimensions. To make design modifications an easy task ME10 provides
advanced component selection commands that give engineers various ways to
select drawing elements, like with a polygon area, Boolean operators or
with element attributes.
Full Associativity.
ME10 features a concept called "Intelligent Data Structures," which form a foundation for providing full associativity between geometry, annotation, hatches and all other data entities supported by ME10.
Complete Data Management Capabilities.
WorkManager, the data management module deeply integrated into ME10, allows users to manage 2D drawings and ME10 parts.
Parts Library
Fully integrated with HP ME10, the Parts Library offers the best and most convenient method for efficient standard parts processing. The use of standard parts in the CAD environment contributes to shorter cycle times from design to production, reductions in part variety and part diversity, greater planning stability and more transparency in commercial applications.
Engineering Symbols
Engineering Symbols is the powerful tool integrated into ME10 for the easy
creation of ISO and DIN tolerance and welding and surface symbols within
mechanical drawings. The Engineering Symbols product allows users to design
drawing symbols according to ISO symbols.
Viewer Product
The ME10 viewer is based on the full functionality of ME10 except for the save command. This product allows a cost effective access to CAD drawings for peripheral department and external companies.
Advisor Technologies Provide Built-in Intelligence
Design Advisor - The Intelligent Companion Copilot
ME10's Copilot capability offers intelligent, context-sensitive guidance to aid engineers during the creation of geometry. Key information is displayed on-line to help reduce errors and increase productivity. Displayed information includes: geometry relationships such as parallels and tangents; important geometry elements such as center points and vertices; and geometry proportions that are being created such as radius or diameter.
Construction Lines
Construction lines are widely used on drawing boards, and are well known to
designers. ME10 leverages this knowledge by providing a comprehensive set of
construction commands that emulate a pencil sketch. Construction lines can be
composed of any type of linear or circular elements. The creation of complex
shapes can be simplified by overdrawing construction lines.
Design Intent Capture
During geometry creation, ME10 generates design rules automatically and, as a result, captures the design intent. This way, sketches evolve into detailed drawings, which can be modified and refined simply by altering dimensions.
Dimension Advisor - More Built-in Intelligence
Automatic dimensioning - Groups of dimensions can automatically be created and placed with one keystroke. ME10 recognizes potential interferences of dimensions with other objects and automatically creates appropriate islands in the dimension pattern.
Pre-configured dimension styles - ME10 provides pre-set dimension styles for compliance with international drafting standards (ISO, DIN, JIS, ANSI).
Dimension style database - Beyond pre-set standard dimension styles, ME10 makes it easy to define and store user-specific dimension styles that are in compliance with company specifications. A dimension preview window assists during style definition and symbols can conveniently be defined with a font/symbol editor.
Feature-based dimensioning - Frequently used geometric features, e.g. screw, can be stored together with dimension patterns. Once stored, ME10 recognizes topological matches of design geometry with stored features. Dimension patterns can then be applied with one mouse pick.
Advanced Design Technologies Parametrics - Parametric design capabilities
provide a powerful, interactive way to adapt existing drawings and create
families of parts. With these capabilities, it's possible to accomplish the
most complex design modifications by simply changing the driving dimensions.
ME10 allows users to parameterize drawings and specify design rules whenever
it makes the most sense in the design process. Users can parameterize all or
any part of a design, while ME10 handles under over constraint designs.
Customization through Macro Language - ME10 features a comprehensive BASIC-oriented macro language which provides a high degree of customization and ease-of-use. This language also allows structured programming, with on-line editing and debugging aids to meet highly specific and often complex needs. The power of the macro language can be seen in ME10's user interface which is based on this macro language. It is very easy to implement user preferences that allow a look and feel optimized to the needs every user.
User Interface - ME10's user interface not only distinguishes itself for being easy to use but also fast. A flat structure of menu layers (main- and sub-menus) features self-explanatory commands, prompts and on-line help. Menus can be easily picked and arranged on-screen. The menu buttons are easy to understand for engineers because the text contains typical terminology for mechanical engineers. This drastically reduces learning time.
Associativity between SolidDesigner and ME10 - ME10 provides a full
associative documentation process for SolidDesigner. Changes, updates,
revisions and modifications made to design models in SolidDesigner are
accurately reflected in ME10's corresponding technical drawings. All
modifications on the 3D model are highlighted graphically in the 2D drawing,
making it easy for designers to see changes. In addition, the parts structure
of the model and the drawing maintain associativity at all times, guaranteeing
data integrity.
CoCreation with up- and down-stream processes
Bill of Materials - Bill of Materials can be processed with an easy to use Module of WorkManager. This allows the direct creation and update of one- and multiple-level bill of materials from ME10's assembly structure in the WorkManager database. Bill of materials can be processed with an easy-to-use BOM editor in WorkManager. In addition, the integration capabilities in ME10 provide everything needed to assign position numbers and position flags to the ME10 drawing. Different position flags, corresponding to ISO and DIN standards as well as user specific definitions, are supported. With a single command, the bill of materials table is placed directly on the drawing.
Scanning of Paper Drawings - With ME10 it is possible to import scanned paper drawings. Once in ME10, users can make basic modifications such as resize, rotate, erase, copy and paste. Furthermore, it is possible to add vector information on the pixel drawing, and plot the information or save it in a hybrid data format.
Hidden Line - This feature helps automate the creation of assembly drawings, thanks to its intelligent 2D hidden line removal. Z-levels are interactively assigned to permit on-line corrections. The algorithm allows great flexibility and instant feedback when repositioning parts and geometry.
Isometric Views - In order for engineers to better communicate their ideas with up- and down-stream processes, it is important to have the ability to easily generate technical illustrations. ME10 supports the semi-automatic generation of isometric views like top, front and side views. An entire set of commands evolve around this functionality, including the isometric coordinate system, isometric rectangle, isometric cursor/ruler/grid and isometric dimensioning.
Data Exchange - ME10 is equipped with bi-directional data translators between
its internal data format and the IGES 5.1 and the DXF/DWG file format. These
translators allow conversion optimization through entity mapping control
files. The translation can occur in batch or in single translation modes, and
the results can be examined with a translation log file. ME10 also supports
different plot file formats like HPGL, HPGL II and Postscript.