PARAMETRIC MODELLING

ASSIGNMENT NO.2
(Computer Integrated Manufacturing)

SUBMITTED BY
LT CDR ABDUL RASOOL MEMON PN
MS (MSE&M)
SEMESTER: FALL 2008
 PARAMETRIC MODELLING

1. Many fields have witnessed the emergence of a revolutionary vision that not only
represented a sharp break from the past but also reshaped their development for a
period of many years. In the field of mechanical design software, where new products
with hundreds of innovative features are introduced every year, the development of
parametric, feature-based, fully associative, solid modelling technology has played
such a role. Twenty-years ago, engineers were thinking through the formulas for
geometric shapes as they positioned 2D or 3D entities, with full knowledge that
unforeseen elements in the design would be likely to force them to start over from
scratch many times before they were done.

2. Samuel P. Geisberg, a mathematics professor who left Russia to come to the

United States, had a vision of a better way to do mechanical design. His goal was to
develop a modelling system using features and parameters, a method of linking
dimensions and variables to geometry in such a way that when the parameter values
change, the geometry updates accordingly. With this innovation, many design concepts
could be explored and changes could be made remarkably quickly compared with the
redrawing required by traditional CAD. It’s not hard to make the case that the
development of mechanical design software since that time has merely represented the
fleshing out the original parametric vision. This article will explore the emergence of
parametric, feature-based, fully associative, solid modelling and its continued
development with new features and capabilities that have kept it at the leading edge of
mechanical design to this very day.

Traditional CAD

3. The first commercial computer aided design (CAD) tools, which were introduced
in the 1970s, were primarily a replacement for the drawing board. So, while they
improved productivity and accuracy of drawing creation, they did not have a major
impact on the mechanical design process. A considerable amount of geometrical and
trigonometric calculations were required to create even relatively simple components.
The surface and solid modelling tools that followed from the late 1970s to the late
1980s extended the drafting paradigm by allowing engineers and designers to draw
lines in 3D space. The result was wireframe models that could later be patched with
surfaces. The extension of the drafting paradigm to 3D space had the effect of
increasing the complexity of the required calculations to the point that considerable
background in mathematics and surface geometry was often required to effectively
utilise the tools. Another basic problem with the earlier generation of design software
was that all the geometry was explicitly created in reference to a spatial coordinate
system. This meant that changes to the design often required that major sections of the
design, or in many cases the entire design, be re-created from scratch. If we consider
the case of a 1/4 inch thick plastic moulding with hundreds of holes, bosses, and ribs.
Let’s suppose that at some point in the design process the decision is made to increase
the thickness to 3/8 inch. Now the through-holes in the part have suddenly become
blind, and bosses and ribs have become partially buried. Substantial and time-
consuming changes needed to be made merely to reproduce the original design intent.
This was the situation faced by every computer-aided design software user up to the
point when Geisberg entered the scene.

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Advancement

4. Arriving in the United States in 1974, Geisberg worked for two of the pioneering
computer aided design firms, Computer vision and Application. He became frustrated
with the limitations of traditional CAD systems and spoke to his employers about
developing a system that was less rigid and more flexible. His employers were focused
on making incremental improvements to their existing products so Geisberg obtained
venture capital backing from Charles River Ventures and other investors and founded
Parametric Technology Corporation (now PTC) in 1985 to pursue his vision. Charles
River brought Steven Walske in as Chief Executive Officer in 1986 and the
Pro/Engineer product was shipped in 1988, marking the beginning of a new era in
mechanical design. One key difference between Pro/Engineer and all other CAD tools
up to that point is the way geometry is modelled. The software contains solid primitives
called features consisting of common engineering shapes such as holes, slots, bosses,
fillets, chamfers, protrusions, shells, etc. These features know how to behave relative to
each other and are defined by a set of parameters. Rather than drawing the geometry
line by line and arc by arc, the software prompts the engineer for specific constraints.
For example, Pro/Engineer prompts an engineer for the surface to begin a through-hole
and the diameter, which is a parameter, of the through-hole. It doesn’t ask for a depth
because the software knows that a through-hole always goes through the full depth of
the material. This means that when the depth of the material changes, also a parameter
and all the through holes referencing that material will update automatically.
Pro/Engineer is parametric in that objects are positioned using parameters and mating
constraints rather than the coordinate system. This means engineers can change
dimensions or move objects and the connected geometry will automatically move or
change itself to stay in sync.

Reforming the design process

5. This invention dramatically streamlined the mechanical design process, making it

practical for engineers to create many more design variations at a higher level of
integrity in a fraction of the time. Going back to the earlier example, when the thickness
of the plastic part is increased, the through-holes will automatically adjust to go all the
way through the thicker part, the bosses and ribs will move so that they remain affixed
to the surface of the part, and so on. The practical impact of the parametric modelling
concept is that engineers can now change designs and modify dimensions with a few
keystrokes or mouse motions. The underlying geometry of the part automatically
adjusts itself to accommodate the change. The initial parametric vision included
associability, where changes ripple through the design and all related deliverables. Up
to that point, CAD software was similar to the drawing board in that each drawing or
model was independent of the others. Drafters had to wait until the design was done
before they could make 2D manufacturing drawings. If one view of a three view set of
manufacturing drawings changed, the others had to be manually changed as well. The
advent of associative CAD meant that downstream tasks such as drafting could be
started in parallel with upstream activities such as design, thereby shortening
development time. This was the birth of concurrent engineering. Whenever the design
changed, the manufacturing drawings and other downstream activities referencing that
change would automatically update.

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Changing the Conventional and Basic Methods

6. If that was it, the concept of parametric modelling would be a milestone in the
development of mechanical design software, but not something that we would be
talking about today. But the parametric concept so changed the ground rules in
mechanical design that it has ushered in a stream of major developments that are
continuing to drive software development to this day. Each of these developments flows
from the original concept of embedding intelligence into the features that define a part
thus automating the tedious aspects of mechanical design and allowing the engineer to
focus on the creative process. The expansion of the original parametric modelling
concept was driven by customer demand. One of the first improvements that customers
asked for was assembly modelling. Assembly modelling was a natural extension of the
parametric modelling concept that essentially provided the same advantages to
complex assemblies that the initial concept had provided to component parts. Soon
after parametric modelling reached users, versions became available that provided
hierarchically linked assembly layouts designed to simplify the conceptual design of
complex assemblies and relate all base components using global dimensions, relations,
and common datum. Users can use either graphics or spreadsheets to adjust
parameters for the entire assembly to play out “what-if” scenarios for different
conceptual designs and perform packaging studies to represent assembly components.

7. A solid model generally consists of a group of features, added one at a time, until
the model is complete. Engineering solid models are built mostly with sketcher-based
features; 2-D sketches that are swept along a path to become 3-D. These may be cuts
or extrusions for example. Another type of modeling technique is 'surfacing' (Freeform
surface modeling). Here, surfaces are defined, trimmed and merged, and filled to make
solid. The surfaces are usually defined with datum curves in space and a variety of
complex commands. Surfacing is more difficult, but better applicable to some
manufacturing techniques, like injection molding. Solid models for injection molded
parts usually have both surfacing and sketcher based features. Engineering drawings
are created semi-automatically and reference the solid models.
The learning curve for these software packages is steep, but a fluent machine designer
who can master these software packages is highly productive. The modeling of solids is
only the minimum requirement of a CAD system’s capabilities. Parametric modeling
uses parameters to define a model (dimensions, for example). The parameter may be
modified later, and the model will update to reflect the modification. Typically, there is a
relationship between parts, assemblies, and drawings. A part consists of multiple
features, and an assembly consists of multiple parts. Drawings can be made from either
parts or assemblies. Example: A shaft is created by extruding a circle 100 mm. A hub is
assembled to the end of the shaft. Later, the shaft is modified to be 200 mm long (click
on the shaft, select the length dimension, modify to 200). When the model is updated
the shaft will be 200 mm long, the hub will relocate to the end of the shaft to which it
was assembled, and the engineering drawings and mass properties will reflect all
changes automatically.
Examples of parameters are: dimensions used to create model features, material
density, formulas to describe swept features, imported data (that describe a reference
surface, for example). Related to parameters, but slightly different are Constraints.
Constraints are relationships between entities that make up a particular shape. For a
window, the sides might be defined as being parallel, and of the same length.
Parametric modeling is obvious and intuitive. But for the first three decades of CAD this

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was not the case. Modification meant re-draw, or add a new cut or protrusion on top of
old ones. Dimensions on engineering drawings were created, instead of shown.
Utilizing the models for Manufacturing

8. The next major logical extension was downstream into the manufacturing arena.
Pro/Engineer modules were introduced that utilise the original product design definition
to delineate the process steps and operations required to build the design. The
principle of associability was extended to allow interactive changes to the design model
to propagate through the development of the manufacturing tool paths, which reference
the part model, and update manufacturing instructions and documentation. The final
step was typically the creation of code that was used to drive computerised numerical
control (CNC) machinery such as turning centres and machining centres. Later
enhancements extended this concept to other machining operations such as sheet
metal forming and blanking. As parametric modelling tools became the standard for
mechanical design, their use expanded into industries with specialised requirements.
For example, designers of automobile bodies and consumer electronics packages,
among other products, need to define the flowing surfaces that often distinguish cutting-
edge industrial design. In the past, designers of these products typically used
sketchpads, modelling clay and foam, and specialised surface modelling software to
define the product geometry. Mechanical engineers usually wound up with the
challenge of mathematically defining the geometry to a level of precision that enabled it
to be economically manufactured. These requirements were addressed with the
development of parametric modelling tools with powerful surfacing capabilities needed
to turn out the complex surfaces that characterise cutting edge consumer products. The
parametric surfaces produced by these tools are designed in relation to the rest of the
model so as the design changes, so do the surfaces, and vice-versa.

Integrating analysis

9. By enabling engineers to generate a vastly higher number of design alternatives

in a relatively short period, parametric modelling raised the question of how engineers
would determine which designs were better than others were. Clearly the time and
money did not exist to physically build and test all of these designs. Computer aided
engineering tools that could analyse the performance of a design from a structural,
thermal, fluid flow, and other standpoints predated the original parametric modelling
concept. The critical innovation that appeared less than a decade after the original
parametric concept was linking the parametric modeller to the analysis tool so that
engineering could optimise performance, reduce manufacturing costs, and improve
quality. In this way, engineering analysis becomes an integral part of the design
process. As competition increased, manufacturers began developing products in a
globally distributed environment, creating the need to collaborate across time zones
and between different companies. Product Data Management (PDM) software used to
store, control and provide access to design models and other engineering information
was developed to address this need. But its usefulness was limited by the fact that it
was developed separately from design software. An important milestone in the
development of mechanical design was the integration of PDM capabilities with the
core parametric modelling software so they both work as a single integral system.
Using this system, companies can create highly accurate digital products, collaborate
digitally throughout their extended value chain, control all associated product
information and processes, and communicate via dynamic technical publications that
reference the right version of the model. This product development system becomes
expandable, linking legacy applications and heterogeneous CAD systems while

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protecting past IT investments. These newer capabilities have become collectively
known as Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions.
10. Parametric modelling is very powerful, but requires more skill in model creation.
A complicated model for an injection molded part may have a thousand features, and
modifying an early feature may cause later features to fail. Skillfully created parametric
models are easier to maintain and modify. Parametric modelling also lends itself to data
re-use. A whole family of cap screws can be contained in one model, for example. Each
of these developments and many others that space does not exist to include here,
flowed logically from the original concept of simplifying the mechanical design process
by providing a mathematical framework that maintains logical consistency between the
different elements of the design. Parametric, feature-based, fully associative, solid
modelling, which began by revolutionising the way that engineers define the geometry
of mechanical designs, has been integrally linked with data management and
collaboration to dramatically improve the entire product development process. The
result is that engineers have the power to model any product design from simple to
complex, define products to a higher level of precision, create more design alternatives,
predict the performance of those alternatives without the need for a physical prototype,
and manage the entire product development lifecycle. For these reasons, parametric
modelling remains in exactly the same position that it was in 20 years ago, at the
cutting edge of mechanical design.

Parametric Modelling Examples

Figures 1 and 2 show views of a cylindrical dia grid generated by a lisp program, which
is used to explore different options for modelling a building's structure. Close to a
hundred variations were modelled, of which two are illustrated here. In each case, a
single dia grid member, which spirals from the base of the building to the top, is created
by the program and repeated by rotation and reflection to create the entire structure. In
the second example shown in Figure 2, as in most of the models, the member varies
from bottom to top, in this case by splitting (one member at the base splits into four
members) and by tapering.

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Figure 1. Example of a cylindrical dia grid on which a building's structure could be
based. (Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)

Figure 2. Other variations of a cylindrical dia grid generated using lisp. (Courtesy of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another example of a lisp-based model, in which a frit pattern
for glass is generated based on simple graphics that control the parameters for
generating the pattern. In each case, the red line is the centreline of the pattern, the
blue line determines the spacing of the dots, and the green line determines the size of
the dots. We have used these lisp routines to generate frit patterns for a variety of
design projects, where we can control the area/percentage of opacity of the glass, and
vary this in a controlled and interesting way over the panel.

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Figure 3. Several examples of frit patterns created using lisp for use in glazing design.
(Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)

Figure 4. Another example showing a more complex frit pattern. (Courtesy of Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill LLP)

Many of the processes described here were used in the design, analysis, and
documentation of the building project shown in Figure 5, which is the Lotte Tower in
Seoul, Korea. The building model is created both as a 3D model and as an unfolded
model for laser-cutting, as well as for representation (see Figure 6). The lisp program
generates one-quarter of the structure, and uses symmetry to complete the models.
Parameters in the program control the dia grid—the parameters are refined after much
iteration to optimize structural performance, program area contained within the building,
and aesthetic judgments. The form of the 550+ meter tall tower transforms from a
square at the base to a circle at the top.

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Figure 5. SOM's Lotte Tower project in Seoul, Korea, on which many parametric
modelling processes have been used. (Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)

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Figure 6. The basic structure of the Lotte Tower project derived using parametric
modelling in AutoCAD. Both the 3D model and the unfolded model are shown.
(Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)

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We also used AutoCAD-based parametric modelling to develop a tool for analyzing
solar incidence angles for the project, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

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Figure 7. Examples of solar incidence angle analysis for the Lotte Tower project. The
top image shows analysis results for mornings during spring, while the lower image
shows the analysis for afternoons during autumn. (Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill LLP)

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Figure 8. The complete set of solar incidence angle analysis for the same project,
allowing solar penetration to be studied for the entire year. (Courtesy of Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill LLP)

The summary image shown in Figure 9 was part of our competition entry package for
this project (which we were awarded), and represents a solar incidence angle analysis
of the tower. An analysis was performed for each facet of the tower model. At each
hour from morning to evening for one day of each month, the normal vector of each
facet was compared to the direction to the sun. If this angle is small, the facet is getting
direct sunlight, causing poor energy performance and decreasing occupant comfort.
Small angles are indicated in red and as the angles grow—and energy performance
improves—the colour changes to orange, yellow, green, and blue respectively. While
the analysis was done on a three-dimensional model, the results are shown on an
unfolded model, allowing us to see a "report" of the analysis for the entire building in a
single image.

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 Figure 9. The solar incidence angle analysis summary image for the Lotte Tower
project. (Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)
REFERENCES

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_modeling

2. http://www.ptc.com

3. http://mcadonline.com

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4. http://www.csse.monash.edu.au

5. http://www.computationaldesign.ca

6. http://www2.ivcc.edu

7. http://www.linuxjournal.com

8. http://www.aecbytes.com

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