CATIA V5 Modeling, Design, and Drafting Standards

[SteveKerns]

I have been tasked to set up my company's CATIA V5 Design, Modeling, and Drafting Standards.
Where can I get an example of CAD design, modeling, and drafting standards?

 

[knobhead]

I work as a subcontractor in the gas turbine industry, and see a lot of drawings/models from differnt aerospace companies. In my experience, most companies make standards up for themselves! As long as whoever needs to is aware of your standard, (and provided it's not total nonsense) you can just develop your own. I've yet to come across a company that doesn't have an in-house 'drawing interpretation' standard, and they all have differences.
However, a quick flick through our company database pulled out these standard specs, which you might find useful:
ASMEY14.36- Dimensions and tolerancing
DIN7168-General Tolerances
ISO2768 1/2- Geometrical tolerances.

Hope thats useful.

 

[swertel]

Are you in the US or other?

Check out DoD standards such as DOD-D-1000, DOD-STD-100, MIL-STD-100. Most of these point you to commercial specs (ANSI/ASME as appropriate):

Y14.1 (14.1M)- Drawing Sheet Size and Format
Y14.2M - Line Conventions and Lettering
Y14.3 - Multi and Sectional View Drawings
Y14.5 (14.5M) - GD&T
Y14.6 - Screw Thread Representation
Y14.7 - Gears and Splines
Y14.13 - Mechanical Spring Representation
Y14.15 - Electrical and Electronics
Y14.17 - Fluid Power
Y14.36 - Surface Texture
Y32.4 - Plumbing


--Scott

 

[SteveKerns]

All of these are good specs for drawing preparation and interpretation, but what I am looking for are some CAD (or CATIA V5) specific standards:
-How to model parts to get the most out of parametrics.
-Use of layers.
-Start-up models.
-Assembly models.
Also, are there ways of doing things that make things easier when using a PDM system?

 

[swertel]

OHHHH!

Well, there are many ways to skin a cat. So, as knobhead said, each company will have to develop their own.

When it comes to standardizing on parametrics, don't. Keep it flexible. The technology changes so rapidly that if you force CAD jockeys to model a specific way, then you loose some of the power of the CAD program, the jockey's inventiveness, and updating software becomes a real chore. Training is the operative word in model standardization. Train the designers they way you prefer them to model, but don't standardize (force) that method.

You may want to post this in the CATIA forum (forum560) since it is a CATIA modeling issue and not a drawing standardization issue.

Some hints:
1) Name critical features -- When editing a model, finding the feature you need to modify will be easier.
2) Name critical variables (dimensions) -- see above.
3) Use the primary planes as axis of symmetry if the part is symmetric.
4) The fewer dimensions and equations the better. Use more construction geometry with relationships when creating profiles and locating features.

HTH,
--Scott