Patent Description:
In general, the present disclosure is directed to computer-aided design, visualization, and manufacturing systems ("CAD/CAM systems"), product lifecycle management ("PLM") systems, and similar systems, that manage data for products and other items (collectively, "Product Data Management" systems or PDM systems).

Product Data Management (PDM) systems can be utilized to access computer-aided design (CAD) files from a CAD system. Improved systems for managing materials are desirable.

<CIT> discloses a design support apparatus which includes an evaluation unit that evaluates a recyclability of a product at the stage of the product design by directly using CAD data, using an evaluation condition and parts/material data, an analysis unit that analyzes a factor obstructing the recyclability based on an evaluation result of the evaluating unit, and a display unit that displays a remedy against an obstruction factor provided as an analysis result of the analysis unit.

<CIT> discloses a design supporting system which includes a unit that acquires, from a component design supporting program which is executed in a client terminal, component design information including volume information indicative of a volume of a designed component, a unit that generates list information that is indicative of a list of names of usable materials for the component classification corresponding to the designed component, and sends the list information to the client terminal, an acquisition unit that acquires, from the material data-base, controlled substance information corresponding to the material name that is selected from the list information by the client terminal, a unit that calculates a content of the controlled substance that is included in the designed component when the material of the selected material name is applied to the designed component, and a unit that outputs the calculated content of the controlled substance as evaluation information of the designed component.

<CIT> discloses a computer-based engineering design system to design a part and a process to make the part. The design system has a processor and a memory. The memory stores feature template, each feature template being a representation of a primitive object having a form and a function. Each feature template is indexed by the function of the primitive object and includes a representation of a primitive geometric entity having the form of the primitive object. Each feature template can include information relating to a tool to make the primitive object and a process to make the primitive object. The design system also includes an input device for receiving a request to design the part. This request includes one or more predetermined functions that the part performs. A core design module, executable by the processor, designs the part, the tool to make the part and processes to make the part by accessing the plurality of feature templates in the memory to locate one or more primitive objects that perform the one or more predetermined functions.

The invention relates to a method for integrating material assignments between a computer-aided design (CAD) system and a product data management (PDM) system, a data processing system, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in the independent claims. Further embodiments and improvements are listed in the dependent claims.

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers designate like objects, and in which:.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged device. The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with reference to exemplary non-limiting embodiments.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a data processing system in which an embodiment can be implemented, for example as a CAD, PDM, or PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system particularly configured by software or otherwise to perform the processes as described herein, and in particular as each one of a plurality of interconnected and communicating systems as described herein. The data processing system depicted includes a processor <NUM> connected to a level two cache/bridge <NUM>, which is connected in turn to a local system bus <NUM>. Local system bus <NUM> may be, for example, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) architecture bus. Also connected to local system bus in the depicted example are a main memory <NUM> and a graphics adapter <NUM>. The graphics adapter <NUM> may be connected to display <NUM>.

Other peripherals, such as local area network (LAN) / Wide Area Network / Wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi) adapter <NUM>, may also be connected to local system bus <NUM>. Expansion bus interface <NUM> connects local system bus <NUM> to input/output (I/O) bus <NUM>. I/O bus <NUM> is connected to keyboard/mouse adapter <NUM>, disk controller <NUM>, and I/O adapter <NUM>. Disk controller <NUM> can be connected to a storage <NUM>, which can be any suitable machine usable or machine readable storage medium, including but not limited to nonvolatile, hard-coded type mediums such as read only memories (ROMs) or erasable, electrically programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic tape storage, and user-recordable type mediums such as floppy disks, hard disk drives and compact disk read only memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs), and other known optical, electrical, or magnetic storage devices.

Also connected to I/O bus <NUM> in the example shown is audio adapter <NUM>, to which speakers (not shown) may be connected for playing sounds. Keyboard/mouse adapter <NUM> provides a connection for a pointing device (not shown), such as a mouse, trackball, track pointer, touchscreen, etc..

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in <FIG> may vary for particular implementations. For example, other peripheral devices, such as an optical disk drive and the like, also may be used in addition or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is provided for the purpose of explanation only and is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present disclosure.

A data processing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an operating system employing a graphical user interface. The operating system permits multiple display windows to be presented in the graphical user interface simultaneously, with each display window providing an interface to a different application or to a different instance of the same application. A cursor in the graphical user interface may be manipulated by a user through the pointing device. The position of the cursor may be changed and/or an event, such as clicking a mouse button, generated to actuate a desired response.

One of various commercial operating systems, such as a version of Microsoft Windows™, a product of Microsoft Corporation located in Redmond, Wash. may be employed if suitably modified. The operating system is modified or created in accordance with the present disclosure as described.

LAN/ WAN/Wireless adapter <NUM> can be connected to a network <NUM> (not a part of data processing system <NUM>), which can be any public or private data processing system network or combination of networks, as known to those of skill in the art, including the Internet. Data processing system <NUM> can communicate over network <NUM> with server system <NUM>, which is also not part of data processing system <NUM>, but can be implemented, for example, as a separate data processing system <NUM>.

There is an increasing trend of manufacturing parts (such as automotive parts) with multiple materials. Currently about <NUM>% of automotive parts have multiple materials. The increasing trend can be due to many factors. For example, new manufacturing techniques such as friction welding, additive manufacturing (such as stereolithography (SLA), fused definition modeling (FDM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), and selective laser sintering (SLS)), bonded structures with phenolic, metals, resins, and adhesive have been developed. The mixing of metals and plastics in piece part design (such as chrome plated plastics) is used to produce better designs. Additionally, plating, coating, 3D printing, and echo friendly light-weight designs have also contributed to the increase in parts with multiple materials. <FIG> illustrates an example of a piece part <NUM> that includes multiple materials according to this disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, piece part <NUM> includes rubber material <NUM>, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material <NUM>, and rubber material <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates an example of a CAD part file <NUM> that includes multiple materials according to this disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, CAD part file <NUM> includes a tungsten alloy material <NUM>, a steel material <NUM>, a porcelain material <NUM>, and a copper alloy material <NUM>.

However, parts with multiple materials consume a disproportional amount of engineering time (for example to perform regulatory analysis for controlled substances) while also creating errors due to missing material assignments and errors when calculating mass and center of gravity (CG). Precise tracking of multiple materials can be used during a part's lifecycle starting from a simple calculation of mass and CG in a CAD system to a calculation of a direct material and manufacturing costs, an amount of a regulatory substance, an amount of recyclable content, an impact on an environment, and otherwise in a PDM system.

Furthermore, material assignments made at the lower level entities in the CAD system representations such as on a solid-body, a surface, a curve, and a point may not be correctly transferred to the PDM system. For example, entities in a CAD representation may not be transferred to PDM at the lower entity levels for performance and scalability reasons. As disclosed herein, the need for representation of material assignments in a PDM system for correct transfer and tracking of material assignments between a CAD system and the PDM system without representing low-level geometric entities such as a solid-body, a surface, a curve, and a point in PDM is addressed.

In an embodiment, a material name as an attribute of a part in a PDM system can be tracked. When a part in a PDM system has only one material, using the material name as an attribute of the part in the PDM system can be a simple and effective approach to track the part. However, this approach becomes more complicated when the part has more than one material. For example, attributing a single material to a part can make scaling for parts with multiple materials more difficult because a material name is not always a reliable way to identify the material while taking into account different grades, gages, and treatments that can significantly impact the physical properties of the material represented in a CAD system or a PDM system. Furthermore, attributing a single material to a part can make scaling for parts with multiple materials more difficult because a first industry and a second industry may use the same part but the first industry may also require different materials or a different quantity of materials in the part than the second industry. By assigning a material name of a part as an attribute, manual handling practice outside the PLM system environment may be needed to synchronize material assignments between a CAD system and a PDM system which can be prone to error (such as miscalculations of mass and CG) and lost man power.

In an embodiment, a data processing system (such as an integrated Material Lifecycle Management system) can utilize material assignments to capture the fundamental relationship between geometry and a material. The data processing system can be used as the basis for precise tracking to calculate mass, CG, and otherwise. Furthermore, the data processing system can also use material assignments as key inputs to material data driven design validation. Assignments in PDM can be represented as PDM Assignment Objects that can have their own lifecycle and can be visualized, reviewed, approved. The integration between CAD and PDM can roll-up the CAD associations between materials and geometric entities to PDM Design objects in order to represent assignments appropriate for PDM. The number of assignments created can be the same as the number of materials. All CAD assignments that have the same material and the same application type can be rolled up into one assignment with combined volume.

<FIG> illustrates an example diagram <NUM> of modeling and integration of material assignments between a CAD system and a PDM system according to this disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, material objects <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> can be stored in a PDM system and can represent different materials. For example, a first material object <NUM> can represent tungsten, a second material object <NUM> can represent aluminum, a third material object <NUM> can represent copper, and a fourth material object <NUM> can represent a plastic.

Furthermore, a CAD file <NUM> can include a part (such as virtual part) including one or more geometric entities represented by entity objects <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Entities can include solid bodies, surfaces, curves, points, and otherwise. For example, a first entity object <NUM> can represent a first geometric entity of a part, a second entity object <NUM> can represent a second geometric entity of a part, a third entity object <NUM> can represent a third geometric entity of a part, and a fourth entity object <NUM> can represent a fourth geometric entity of a part.

The data processing system (such as data processing <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>) can create assignment objects <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> assigning each of the material objects to the entity objects. For example, the first assignment object <NUM> can assign the first material object <NUM> to the first entity object <NUM>, the second assignment object <NUM> can assign the second material object <NUM> to the second entity object <NUM>, the third assignment object <NUM> can assign the third material object <NUM> to the third entity object <NUM>, and the fourth assignment object <NUM> can assign the fourth material object <NUM> to the fourth entity object <NUM>. In an embodiment, each of the assignment objects can be created in CAD.

Each of the assignment objects can also indicate a type of entity and a volume, length, area, or count of material to be used for the entity. Entity types can include a core type, a covering type, a joining type, a spot-weld type, and otherwise. The entity type can determine the dimensionality of the assigned material which can be used to calculate the amount (such as mass) of material in an assignment. For example, a core entity type can constitute material of a solid body. With core type entity objects, the dimensionality can be volume and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be volume * material density. A covering entity type can constitute material on surface such as paint, finishes, glue/adhesives, and otherwise. With covering type entity objects, the dimensionality can be surface area and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be surface area * mass per unit area (such as Kg/m<NUM>). A harness entity type can constitute material of a wire or cable. With harness type entity objects, the dimensionality can be length and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be length * mass per unit length (such as Kg/m). A joining entity type can constitute joining material such as a seam welding along an edge. With joining type entity objects, the dimensionality can be length and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be length * mass per unit length (such as Kg/m). A spot joining entity type can constitute joining material such as a spot weld at a point. With spot joining type entity objects, the dimensionality can be volume per spot and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be volume per spot * number of spots * material density. A sheet metal entity type can constitute material of a sheet metal part. With sheet metal type entity objects, the dimensionality can be a flat pattern area and the formula for calculating mass of material assignment can be flat panel area * mass per unit area (such as Kg/m<NUM>).

As illustrated in <FIG>, assignment object <NUM> can be of a core type entity based on the entity object <NUM> being of a solid body type. Thus, the mass of the material tracked by assignment object <NUM> can be the product of the volume of the entity object <NUM> and the density of the material identified by the material object <NUM>. Assignment object <NUM> can be of a covering type entity based on the entity object <NUM> being of a surface type. Thus, the mass of the material tracked by assignment object <NUM> can be the product of the surface area of the entity object <NUM> and the mass per unit area of the material identified by the material object <NUM>. Assignment object <NUM> can be of a joining type entity based on the entity object <NUM> being of a curve type. Thus, the mass of material tracked by assignment object <NUM> can be the product of the length of the entity object <NUM> and the mass per unit length of the material identified by the material object <NUM>. Assignment object <NUM> can be of a spot joint or spot weld type entity based on the entity object <NUM> being of a point type. Thus, the mass of material tracked by assignment object <NUM> can be the product of the volume of the spot of the entity object <NUM>, the number of spots of the entity object <NUM>, and the material density of the material identified by the material object <NUM>. As such, the sum of all entity masses becomes the calculated mass of design object <NUM> that can be stored as part of the design object <NUM> of the PDM system using the data processing system.

The data processing system can generate a design object <NUM> in the PDM system based on the assignment objects assigning each of the material objects with the entity objects. The design object <NUM> can serve as the container for information on each of the geometric entity or entity types, each of the materials used for each geometric entity of the part as well as the volume of material used for each geometric entity of the part. The data processing system can track the material types and material volumes for each material type based on one or more design objects stored in the PDM system. For example, a PDM system may have stored a plurality of designed objects. Of the plurality of designed objects, one or more designed objects may have one or more geometric entities made of the material, aluminum. The data processing system can identify the one or more designed objects that have one or more geometric entities made of aluminum, determine the volume of aluminum used for each geometric entity of each of the designed objects, and determine the total volume of aluminum used for every geometric entity of every identified design object.

<FIG> illustrates an example relationship <NUM> between a CAD file <NUM> of a designed part <NUM> in a CAD system <NUM> and a correlating design object <NUM> representing the designed part <NUM> in a PDM system <NUM> according to this disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, the CAD file <NUM> represents an electronic illustration of the designed part <NUM>. The designed part <NUM> can include three geometric entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> each made of a particular material. For example, a first entity <NUM> and third entity <NUM> can be made of rubber while a second entity <NUM> can be made of ABS. The design object <NUM> represents the designed part <NUM> in PDM. Assignment objects can assign material objects to the design object <NUM>. For example, a first assignment object <NUM> can assign a first material object <NUM>, representing rubber, with the design object <NUM> and a second assignment object <NUM> can assign a second material object <NUM>, representing ABS, with the design object <NUM>. It should be noted that while the designed part <NUM> may have three entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (but are not limited to only three entities; other entity amounts are contemplated), the design object <NUM> may only be assigned the first material object <NUM> and the second material object <NUM>. In an embodiment, material objects can represent materials. Thus, the first assignment object <NUM> may not only assign the first material object <NUM> with the design object <NUM> but can also provide the total amount of material represented by the first material object <NUM> (in this case rubber) by combining the volume of rubber used for the first entity <NUM> and the third entity <NUM>. In other words, the number of materials assignments can be same as the number of materials in a part. The second assignment object <NUM> assigns the second material object <NUM> with the design object <NUM> and also provides the total amount of material represented by the second material object <NUM> by providing the volume of ABS used for the second entity <NUM>. In an embodiment, assignment objects can also provide entity types for the design object <NUM> in CAD. Similar to previous embodiments, such as the embodiments illustrated in <FIG>, a total amount of material for each material type (or material object <NUM> and <NUM>) can be calculated in the assignment objects <NUM> and <NUM> based on the entity type of entity objects representing the entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the material properties (such as density) of each material represented by the material object <NUM> and <NUM>. As such, the mass of each entity (such as entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) of the design object <NUM> can be calculated and stored as part of the design object <NUM> of the PDM system using the data processing system. The sum of masses of all entities of the design object <NUM> can be stored as the calculated mass of the design object <NUM> in the PDM system.

Material assignment can capture the fundamental relation between geometry and material and can be the basis for precise tracking that is required for mass, CG and other math calculations. Material assignments can also be key input to material data driven design validation. Material assignments in PDM can be represented as objects that can have their own lifecycle and can be visualized, reviewed, and approved.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart of a process <NUM> in accordance with disclosed embodiments that can be performed, for example, by a data processing system in order to integrate material assignments between a CAD system and a PDM system. At step <NUM>, the data processing system (such as data processing system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>) can access a designed part of an electronic file (such as a CAD file). For example, the data processing system can open or access a CAD file with a designed part including one or more geometric entity objects representing geometric entities of the designed part. Each of the one or more geometric entity objects can be associated with a material. In an embodiment, each of the one or more geometric entity objects can be associated with only one material. Access or accessing, as used herein, can include loading from storage, receiving or accessing from another device or process, receiving or accessing via an interaction with a user, or otherwise.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can assign one or more assignment objects from a product data management (PDM) system to each of the one or more geometric entity objects. For example the data processing system can identify one or more assignment objects which correspond to the geometric entity objects of the designed part. The one or more assignment objects can be stored in the PDM system. In an embodiment, if the data processing system is unable to identify one or more assignment objects corresponding with geometric entity objects of the designed part, the data processing system can generate one or more assignment objects correlating with geometric entity objects of the designed part and store them in the PDM system. For example, the data processing system can identify three geometric entity objects representing geometric entities of the designed part. The data processing system can identify three assignment objects using a look-up table, automation, or otherwise in the PDM system associated with the geometry of the geometric entity objects. In an embodiment, if two or more geometric entity objects have the same or similar geometry, the data processing system can identify the same assignment object for each of the geometric entity objects with the same or similar geometry and note the total volume of the geometry for all of the two or more geometric entity objects. In an embodiment, if two or more geometric entity objects have the same or similar geometry, the data processing system can identify the same assignment object for each of the geometric entity objects with the same or similar geometry and replicate the assignment object so that each geometric entity object is associated with its own assignment object.

In an embodiment, the data processing system can identify a material of each of the geometric entity objects based on an indication from the electronic file or the designed part of the electronic file.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can associate one or more material objects from the PDM system with the one or more assignment objects, wherein the one or more material objects identify one or more materials identified from the designed part. For example, the data processing system can identify one or more material objects in the PDM system which can represent each material of the geometric entity objects and associate the material objects with assignment objects. Accordingly, each assignment object associated with a geometric entity object can also be associated with a material object so that assignment objects can indicate the mass of material required to fill the space occupied by the geometric entity represented by the geometric entity object in the electronic file system (and the assignment object in the PDM system). In an embodiment, the data processing system can access a storage device in the PDM system to obtain a material object representing an identified material of a geometric entity of the designed object. The data processing system can also generate a material object, for example, when a material object representing a material of a geometric entity is not located in the storage. In an embodiment, the data processing system can identify a material of each of the geometric entity objects based on an indication from the electronic file or the designed part of the electronic file. In an embodiment, each assignment object can be previously associated with a particular material such that even though two assignment objects are associated with the same geometry, the two assignment objects are distinct because they are previously associated with different materials.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can generate a design object in the PDM system representing the designed part based on the one or more assignment objects and the one or more material objects. For example, because each assignment object can be assigned with a material object representing a geometric entity of the designed part of the electronic file, the assignment object can represent in the PDM system a geometric entity and the material of the geometric entity from the electronic file system (such as a CAD system). Each assignment object can provide an indication of the type of geometric entity represented by the geometric entity object and the material of the geometric entity based on the assigned material object. In an embodiment, the assignment object can indicate the volume of space occupied by the represented geometric entity based on the geometric entity object and the mass of material (identified by the associated material object) needed to fill that volume.

In an embodiment, the data processing system can cross-associate the material objects in the PDM system representing materials with the one or more assignment objects representing geometric entity objects of the electronic file (such as a CAD file). The data processing system can cross-associate the material objects in the PDM system with the one or more assignment objects representing geometric entity objects of the electronic file in response to receiving an indication that the electronic file was saved in the PDM system, in response to receiving a user input, or otherwise.

In an embodiment, the data processing system can track (or search) one or more assignment objects in an electronic file based on the material objects in the PDM system and can track (or search) a material object in the PDM system based on one or more assignment objects. For example, a material object representing copper in the PDM system may have been associated with a first entity object and a third entity object of an electrical connection device in the electronic file (such as a CAD file). The data processing system can search material objects representing copper in the PDM system in order to identify an assignment object in the PDM system correlating with a first entity object in the electronic file and an assignment object in the PDM system correlating with the third entity object in the electronic file based on their association with copper (or the material object representing copper).

In another example, a tool in an electronic file can include a first entity object, a second entity object, and a third entity object. The first entity object and the third entity object may be associated with stainless steel while the second entity object may be associated with iron. Each of the entity objects can be represented by assignment objects (such a first, second, and third assignment objects) in the PDM system and each of the assignment objects can be associated with material objects representing stainless steel and iron. By tracking the first assignment object, the data processing system can identify that the first entity object is associated with stainless steel and identify that the third entity object is also associated with stainless steel. While the above examples disclose cross-association between material objects and assignment objects of a single design object in the PDM system, the data processing system can cross-associate between a plurality of material objects and assignment objects of different design objects in a PDM system. Tracking can be used to subsequently change a material object associated with a particular assignment object, change, or replace one or more material objects with one or more different material objects for one or more assignment objects.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart of a process <NUM> in accordance with disclosed embodiments that may be performed, for example, by a data processing system in order to cross-associate material objects in the PDM system with the one or more geometric entity objects of an electronic file. At step <NUM>, the data processing system can receive a trigger (such as automatically saving an electronic file in the PDM system or a user input) to initiate the cross-association process.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can access a database or storage with one or more different electronic files and locate and cluster every geometric entity object that has been assigned with a particular assignment object and associated material object. In an embodiment, the data processing system can combine or sum the total material usage (such as the volume or mass) of all the geometric entity objects of the cluster assigned with the particular assignment object and associated material object.

In an embodiment, the data processing system can identify entity clusters required for creating assignment objects, based on the type of the entity objects that are assigned with a particular assignment object.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can identify and associate an assigned PDM material object ID of the assigned assignment object from the PDM system to all of the clustered geometric entity objects in the CAD representation. In an embodiment, the data processing system can designate the assigned PDM material object ID to the clustered geometric entity objects as the cluster material tracking ID.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can create a material assignment object in the PDM system with references to a design object that manages the electronic file and the assigned material object. In an embodiment, the data processing system can also store cluster material usage on the material assignment object.

At step <NUM>, the data processing system can repeat this process for each unique material object that is assigned in the electronic file. As similarly disclosed herein, while the above examples disclose cross-association between materials from the PDM system and geometric entities in a single electronic file, the data processing system can cross-associate between a plurality of material objects in the PDM system and geometric entity objects in a plurality of different electronic files.

As disclosed herein, the number of material assignments created can be the same as the number of materials in a part. All assignments that have the same material object and the same application type can be clustered into one assignment with the combined material usage. In an embodiment, the data processing system can provide a bidirectional associativity between CAD and a PDM system which can provide many advantages. For example, even though many of the initial material object assignments of a part are made via CAD during the design phase, a different material object can be assigned to the part during procurement using a PDM system in place of the initial material object due to the discovery of a cheaper or more suitable material. The data processing system can allow for communication between the PDM system and the CAD system. For example, after a material object associated with an assignment object is changed to a different material object in the PDM, the material assigned to the geometric entity object of the designed part in the CAD system which correlates with the assignment object can also be changed to the different material. As such, the different material objects can be assigned to the designed part from the PDM system as well as the CAD system.

Of course, those of skill in the art will recognize that, unless specifically indicated or required by the sequence of operations, certain steps in the processes described above may be omitted, performed concurrently or sequentially, or performed in a different order.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that, for simplicity and clarity, the full structure and operation of all data processing systems suitable for use with the present disclosure is not being depicted or described herein. Instead, only so much of a data processing system as is unique to the present disclosure or necessary for an understanding of the present disclosure is depicted and described. The remainder of the construction and operation of data processing system <NUM> may conform to any of the various current implementations and practices known in the art.

Claim 1:
A method for integrating material assignments between a computer-aided design (CAD) system and a product data management (PDM) system, the method performed by a data processing system (<NUM>) and comprising:
a) accessing (<NUM>) a designed part (<NUM>) in the CAD system, wherein the designed part (<NUM>) includes one or more geometric entity objects wherein the geometric entity objects comprising solid bodies (<NUM>), surfaces (<NUM>), curves (<NUM>) and points (<NUM>);
b) assigning (<NUM>) one or more material assignment objects (<NUM>) from the PDM system to each of the one or more geometric entity objects (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the material assignment objects indicating a type of entity and a volume, length, area or count of material used for the entity, wherein the entity type can determine the dimensionality of the assigned material which can be used to calculate the amount of material in an assignment;
c) associating (<NUM>) one or more material objects (<NUM>) from the PDM system with the one or more material assignment objects (<NUM>), wherein the one or more material objects (<NUM>) identify one or more materials identified from the designed part (<NUM>);
d) tracking or searching one or more assignment objects (<NUM>) in an electronic file based on the material objects (<NUM>) in the PDM system;
e) cross-associating (<NUM>) a material object (<NUM>) of the one or more material objects (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) in the PDM system with the one or more geometric entity objects (<NUM>) of the designed part (<NUM>) based on the association of the one or more material objects (<NUM>) with a material assignment object (<NUM>) wherein the cross-associating identifies assignment objects correlating with different geometric entity objects based on their association with the same material object; and
f) generating (<NUM>) a design object (<NUM>) in the PDM system representing the designed part (<NUM>) based on the one or more assignment objects (<NUM>) and the one or more material objects (<NUM>); and
g) wherein cross-associating the material object (<NUM>) in the PDM system with the one or more geometric entity objects (<NUM>) of the designed part (<NUM>) comprises accessing a database with one or more different designed parts (<NUM>) and locating and clustering every geometric entity object (<NUM>) that has been assigned with the same material object (<NUM>).