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Need advices about my GP - Sketch Interpretation and Simulation tool

Hi, I am a computer science student in my final year, and preparing myself for my graduation project (GP).

Please check this video:

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program is from MIT and it is called "A Shrewd Sketch Interpretation and Simulation Tool".

I am planning to develop a system that pretty much provide the same functionalities and features, the aim is to create a tool that allows the engineers to sketch a mechanical system as they would on paper, and then allow them to interact with the design as a mechanical system for example by seeing a simulation of the drawing.

Some Advantages:

- An interface gives you the look and feel of paper and pen (instead of menus in CAD systems), helps you to be more creative and much easier in designing (Free environment)

- Use computers in Early Design

- Able to identify the mechanical parts in the user=92s drawing

- The user is able to sketch directly into the system that interprets his/her design, and would be able to simulate the sketch at any point in the design process and go right back to sketching

I am still in the searching and investigation stage, and because I do not have almost any knowledge/background about mechanical stuff, here I am asking for feedback(s) and advices.

- Is this project will be useful for mechanical engineerings (it will be used to design kind of simple mechanical systems)?

- What additional features/parts I could add?

- Any comments/advices, will be most welcome

I deeply value the time you put to read this long post. Kind regards, Magdy

Reply to
Magdy Wageeh
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Could anyone around there give me any opinion or advice?!! =3D(

Reply to
Magdy Wageeh

Dear Magdy Wageeh:

...

Most of the people here think nothing of knocking a working model together out of metal, plastic or wood, if they are interested in mechanisms. Moving stuff on screen will not necessarily give clearance fit issues, or provide "feel" for how the mechanism behaves.

Sorry this was left hanging. I was sure someone else would have more constructive input.

David A. Smith

Reply to
N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)

Well, I appreciate your reply, Mr. David. This idea is pretty amazing and very challenging (From computer science point of view). However, I was (still) hoping to hear feedbacks from real mechanical engineers around=85 you know.

This tool could help mechanical engineers simulating their basic idea(s) before they do it for real, the interface is very easy and clean in comparison with other CAD systems and later I may provide a Front-End (Front-End -> new interface) to existing tool (ex. Autodesk inventor).

Moreover, it could be used in education, image how will it be useful if a teacher using it during a physics class, or in undergraduate (junior) classes for mechanical engineering.

Magdy W.

Reply to
Magdy Wageeh

.

I am a real mechanical engineer. I am professionally licensed in my state.

Let me offer a simile you might appreciate.

Suppose I had an idea where one could sketch black boxes, define inputs and outputs, and tack on a "couple" of PDFs (say) to describe the operator interface and expected output, and I had the computer select and generate all the code from stored templates. Would you appreciate having your hands taken completely away from the reason you got into the business in the first place?

This has been done (largely), and the programmers did not like it and it died.

I *think* this is the wrong audience for your product. And others might disagree. I know engineer's bosses (whose experience might be only accounting or sales) would love us not to "waste money" on physical models / tests / pilots...

We Like Hands On, because heaven knows it doesn't get to happen often.

Adders to your program: simulates clearance / interference, blends to more programs than Autodesk products... say SolidEdge, and so on too. (As much as I prefer AutoCAD, I am not sure that most still use it.)

David A. Smith

Reply to
dlzc

dlzc wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com:

True, but at the concept stage we do sketch things up. In fact I spend

80% of my time at work manipulating/designing/analysing 3d articulating models on the screen.

Assuming we're talking about a mechanisms design program - 4 bar links and the like. So, current products are Working Model, Freecad, and so on.

First thing to notice is that they spend a lot of time on arcane things like local coordinate systems, and constraints. The design is virtually meaningless until they are understood. So you need to develop a handwritten language that can do those things, while being more convenient than the current approach, which is to pick them off a palette of icons.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Reply to
Greg Locock

3g2000pro.googlegroups.com:

Well, there is something I want to mention.

The actual purpose of the idea is to create a natural sketch recognition system, from a computer science point of view, we will use many things like pattern recognition, image processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), some geometric and math stuff, simulation to physics and other more stuff=85 that=92s why the idea is amazing and very challenging. At the end, I will have a sketch recognition system that I hope to apply, utilize and use it in a useful way/utilization.

Here we come to the mechanical utilization.

Quote from the original MIT tool's documentation: =93The Problem: Interfaces to mechanical design systems seriously limit the user=92s creativity, while freehand drawing does not allow the user to interact with his sketch as a mechanical system. We would like to provide a natural environment for sketching and developing mechanical systems. We are doing this by building an environment that combines the creative freedom of freehand sketching with the technical feedback of viewing and running the sketch as a 2D kinematic simulation.=94

Though, I somewhat feel that its usefulness/benefit to mechanical engineers is kind of not a big thing, but this is the reason that I am here asking for feedback(s)/comment(s)/advice(s). :)

Thanks for Mr. David and Mr. Greg ... sure I will consider your comments and notices.

(Sorry for my bad English and my long reply)

Reply to
Magdy Wageeh

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