An Associative Approach to 3D CAD Product Data Management

Through analyzing the fundamental data types in 3D CAD,the structured management information is extracted and the constraining relationship and associativity among these data types are defined.In view of the data lifecycle management （Check in,Check out,release,etc.）,operation rules are designed for the automated update of associative parts data.This helps to preserve the original design intent or specifications during engineering changes.At the same time,associative management provides instructions for process and knowledge management.A special data model is defined for CAXASOLID,and the system integration is accomplished on SMARTEAM.Association between 3D model and 2D drawing is maintained in PDM,and synchronized check in and check out keep the consistency of 3D and 2D.