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CompareVidia is a specialized application to validate and compare CAD models.
A simple workflow enables you to load two CAD models and compare them with each other against user defined criteria. Shape differences are analyzed and models are classified as either PASSED or FAILED. A report is automatically generated to digitally certify compliance with a set criteria including Boeing D6-51991 “Quality Assurance Standard for Digital Product Definition”.
CompareVidia delivers a new solution to customers looking for efficient and automatic way to validate CAD model integrity at different staged of digital product life cycle management.

How it works - Video Presentation

The comparison process is organized in a very intuitive way and strictly driven by user-defined criteria which allow to specify different levels of comparison:

• Global check compares volume, surface area and centre of mass of the models
• Local check finds correspondence between the models’ faces and measures distance between them
• Set of Additional checks allows to take into account properties of the corresponding entities (such as topology, color, label, layer etc).
  

Application areas

• Detection of changes introduced during translation, migration or CAD data archiving
• Tracking undocumented changes between design revisions
• Detection of unanticipated (invisible) model changes caused by migration to other CAD environment
• Detection of changes in CAD assembly structure
  

CompareVidia detects problems, often not possible for human to detect, fully automatically. CAD data shape alterations resulting from translation, conversion, repair & healing, re-mastering, or unintentional change are potential risk to the CAD data integrity. If extended to processes relying on accurate model representation (e.g. manufacturing and data exchange with suppliers) can create unmanageable risks, potential liabilities and significant financial loses. CompareVidia brings prediction into processes relying on reuse of CAD data.

Implementing validation procedures at different stages of the product life cycle management results in traceable procedures (as IS0  standards) and increases the global product quality.

Validation Scenarios

Supplier data validation
CompareVidia can be used to validate supplier data against the original design. Shape and model quality differences are detected automatically at the user defined tolerance. Not documented design changes and model changes resulting from using different CAD environments or CAD data formats will be automatically detected.

Manufacturing Validation
CompareVidia validates automatically that model prepared for the manufacturing complies with the original CAD model before the manufacturing process is started. The smallest deviations are detected to prevent possible manufacturing faults and inconsistencies. Only validated CAD models are allowed for the further manufacturing. The manufactured detail is usually submitted for inspection. The collected on physical model inspection points can be compared with the original CAD model to validate the final quality of the manufactured detail.

CAD legacy migration
Bringing CAD data from a legacy system into your current CAD design system can introduce shape and quality changes. Independent from the used methodology (BREP, feature-based or manual re-mastering) and used data formats (native, neutral) CompareVidia will validate the results and help you to define the optimal migration strategy.

Long term archiving
Before submitting 3D data for long term archiving original models are converted into STEP format. CompareVidia validates the resulting STEP models with the original native data. In addition the STEP data can be verified against standard requirements for long term data storage (CAD model quality compliance with ISO EN 9300) using QualityVidia.

CompareVidia - How it works?

User chooses the Authority File (reference model) and the Check File (model to validate). The validation process is controlled by the Compare Settings which include the Global Check to verify Volume, Area and Centre of Mass, the Local Check to verify the model shape and set of the Additional Checks to verify entities attributes and topology.

User can choose units that he prefers to work with [mm, inches, etc.], or use option "Authority file units". In this case the units used in the validation process are automatically driven by the units of the Authority File.

The validation results are presented in the Compare Tree. User gets a global indication Passed/Failed (green/red) icon further detailed by the information classified into folders of the Compare Tree.

In the Global Check folder you will find the information about Volume, Area and Centre of Mass. In the Local Check folder you will have three sub-folders: Matched Entities, Deviated Entities, and Different Entities. In case a CAD model is not passing the validation you will see a warning icon attached to all entities not compiling with the set of validation criteria. You can select each problematic entity in the compare tree and further analyze it in the graphical window. Two synchronized graphical windows simplify the investigation of all identified differences. The comparison results will be also stored in the Report (in PDF, HTML or 3D XML formats).

CompareVidia features:

• Works with CAD Parametric models, Mesh models, Wireframes or Cloud of Points
• Works with CAD parts and Assemblies
• Checks total volume, surface area, and centre of mass
• Detects geometrical deviations and topological differences
• Checks entities’ attributes
• Represents comparison results in a structural way - the comparison tree (matched entities folder, deviated entities folder, different entities folder)
• Clearly visualizes differences on the compared 3D models with use of the gradient fill
• Measures deviation between corresponding entities automatically (visualizing linear of angular dimension)
• Includes a special Assembly Comparison Mode
• Generates the comparison report with different level of details and in a text format (pdf, html) or 3D format (3D XML)
• Available in the both 32 and 64-bit versions for Windows XP, Window Vista and Windows 7
• Supports verification of models stored in all major CAD formats:
  • CATIA V4 (.model, .exp / up to 4.2.4), CATIA V5 (.CATPart, .CATProduct / up to R20), CATIA V5 PMI, Unigraphics (.prt / up to 18, NX6.0), Unigraphics PMI, Pro/E (up to Wildfire 4), Pro/E PMI, Inventor (up to 12), Parasolid (up to 20), ACIS, STEP, IGES (5.x - 6.x), VDA-FS, AutoForm (.af, .afm), STL, VRML, 3DTransVidia XML

Increase of CAD data re-use requires well defined and efficient CAD validation procedures at different stages of the product life cycle. Capvidia has been developing engineering software solutions for over 10 years based on market and customer requirements. CompareVidia is best positioned to deliver solution to customers looking for efficient way to automatically detect shape differences between CAD models.

Read more about CompareVidia Validation process and Application areas