SAT

Revision as of 12:47, 13 May 2009

Title(s): Standard ACIS Text (SAT)

Version ID: R19 (SP3)

Date released: 2009-03-19

Date: 1989-??-??

Creator(s): Charles Lang and Ian Braid; Three-Space Ltd.

Contributor(s): Spatial Corporation

Relationships:

• Previous Version(s): Romulus (1982)

• Contains: None

• Syntax Format(s): None

• Family Format(s): ACIS Format

Description: SAT is the ASCII version of a file used by the ACIS modeling system. It has a binary analog called SAB (Standard ACIS Binary).

The ACIS modeling system is currently maintained by the Spatial Corporation. The system allows 3D modeling, 3D model management, and 3D model visualization. The system also allows extensions that provide additional functionality. ACIS is used in a variety of industries, including CAD, CAM, CAE, AEC, animation, and shipbuilding. For more details on the ACIS modeling system, see this site.

History: The ACIS modeling system began life as Romulus, created by Ian Braid and Charles Lang in 1982. Romulus was the first commercial solid modeling kernel designed for integration into CAD systems and was licensed by several CAD software vendors, including HP and Siemens. In 1986, Three-Space Ltd. (founded by Braid and Lang) was retained by Spatial Technology (now known as Spatial Corporation) to create the ACIS modeling system.

In terms of the history of the file format, changes were (and continue to be) introduced with each new version of ACIS. The file specifies which version it was created for, so the format is backwards-compatible.

Example(s): SAT Example 1 , SAT Example 2

Identifier: [[Identifier::[1]]]

Documentation: SAT Documentation

File Extensions: [[File Extension::SAT]}

Applications:

• Native application(s): ACIS

• Interoperable applications: Engineering Format Application Template - Applications which can read or write files of this format, but are not native applications for the format.

Magic numbers: None

Format(s): The file is organized as follows:

• The header record consisting of various information, including:
  • The version number
  • The number of saved entities
  • The ID of the product that produced the file
  • The date that the file was produced on
  • Tolerance values of the application that produced the file
• Entity records. Each entity is an object in the ACIS system. For more info on entities, see [2].
• History records (if any)
• "End-of-ACIS-data" terminator

The header record should not be modified except by the program saving the file.

Rights: Proprietary License

Sustainability Factors:

• Standardization: File format specified by Spatial Corporation.

• Adoption: None

• • Licensing and patent claims: Patented by Spatial Corporation.

• Self-documentation: None.

• External dependencies: ACIS

• Technical protection considerations: None.

Typical use: CAD, CAM, CAE

File classification:

• Type {Binary, Text}: Text
• Raster data:
  • Raster data 2D:
    • Is Supported: false
    • Description: Only entities can be defined.
  • Raster data 3D:
    • Is Supported: false
    • Description: Only entities can be defined.
• Geometric representation:
  • Implicit representation:
    • Implicit surfaces:
      • Is Supported: false
      • Description: Surfaces can be defined by defining specific parameters for each surface (point, normal for plane; center, radius for sphere
    • Implicit curves:
      • Is Supported: false
      • Description: [[File Classification Implicit Curves - Description::Various types of curves can be defined by their parameters ([3]), but curves cannot be defined implicitly.]]
    • Point set: - Can the format support point sets? Example: A format that supports surfaces and lines that are generated by points that form triangles supports point sets.
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Mesh: - Section describes whether or not the engineering format supports mesh.
    • Manifold surface meshes: - Can the format support manifold surface meshes? Example: A format that supports surfaces that are mathematical spaces in which every point has a neighborhood which resembles Euclidean space
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
    • Manifold volume meshes: - Can the format support manifold volume meshes? Example: A format that supports volumes that are mathematical spaces in which every point has a neighborhood which resembles Euclidean space
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
    • Non-manifold meshes: - Can the format support non-manifold meshes? Example: A format that supports meshes that are not manifolds
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Parametric representation: - Section describes whether or not the engineering format supports parametric representations.
    • Parametric surfaces: - Can the format support parametric surfaces? Example: A format that can contain surfaces that are generated with parametric equations supports parametric surfaces.
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
    • Parametric curves: - Can the format support parametric curves? Example: A format that can contain curves that are generated with parametric equations supports parametric curves.
      • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
      • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Contour sets: - Can the format support contour sets?
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • NURBS: - Can the format support Non Uniform Rational Basis Splines? Examples: The engineering formats IGES, STEP, ACIS, and PHIGS
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
• Multi-resolution models: - Can the format support models with multiple resolutions? Examples: A format that supports a highly detailed and lowly detailed model simultaneously supports multi-resolution models.
  • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
  • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
• Dynamics: - Section describes whether or not the engineering format supports dynamics.
  • Kinematics: - Can the format support kinematics? Example: Does the format allow model parts to rotate?
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Assembly: - Can the format support assembly? Example: Does the format allow the assembly instructions to be explicitly specified with a model?
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Force(s): - Can the format support forces? Example: Does the format support acceleration forces?
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
• Boundary representation - Can the format support models with boundary representations?
  • Manifold surface boundary representations: - Can the format support manifold surface boundary representations? Example: The engineering format STEP
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Manifold volume boundary representations: - Can the format support manifold volume boundary representations? Example: The engineering format STEP
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
  • Non-manifold boundary representations: - Can the format support non-manifold boundary representations? Example: The engineering format STEP
    • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
    • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.
• Material transparency: - Can the format support transparency? Example: Does the format allow models to have a clear window in a car?
  • Is Supported: - Is the feature supported in the engineering format?
  • Description: - This field is used to describe the support or lack of support of the feature.

References: - A list of references regarding any aspects of this engineering format; any reading material supplemental to this page.