articles+ search results

rapid prototyping, FDM, prototype, Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General), and TA1-2040

The article deals with creating 3D models using RAPID PROTOTYPING technology. At present, we are witnessing the integration of new technologies into ordinary life. A good example is the use of FDM (fused deposition modeling) technology that primarily uses thermoplastics to create 3D models. A few years ago, the use of rapid prototyping technology was a prerogative of companies, research institutes and a narrow group of universities. Technologies such as FDM and STL (Stereolithography) have become affordable in the past few years for smaller businesses and individuals. The specific segment is the replicating rapid prototype RepRap (replicating rapid prototype), the extended version of which is the Prusa i3 printer.

augmented reality, augmented prototyping, Kinect, image-based rendering, prototype, Agriculture, Biology (General), and QH301-705.5

Physical model is a common tool for testing of the product features during the design process. This model is usually made of clay or plastic because of the modifiability of these materials. Therefore, the designer could easily adjust the model shape to enhance the look or ergonomics of the product. Nowadays, some companies use augmented reality to enhance their design process. This concept is called augmented prototyping. Common approach uses artificial markers to augment the product prototype by digital 3D models. These 3D models that are shown on the markers positions can represent e.g. car spare parts such as different lights, wheels, spoiler etc. This allows the designer interactively change the look of the physical model. Further, it is also necessary to transfer physical adjustments made on the model surface back to the computer digital model. Well-known tool for this purpose a professional 3D scanner. Nevertheless, the cost of such scanner is substantial. Therefore, we focused on different solution – a motion capture device Microsoft Kinect that is used for computer games. This article outlines a new augmented prototyping approach that directly updates the digital model during the design process using Kinect depth camera. This solution is a cost effective alternative to the professional 3D scanners. Our article describes especially how depth data can be obtained by the Kinect and also provides an evaluation of depth measurement precision.

Timing, System Design, Models of Computation, Scientific Research, Prototype, Program Development Techniques, Synchronization, Object-oriented languages, Concurrent programming, Object-oriented languages -- Design and construction, and Concurrent programming -- Methods

RAPIDE is a concurrent, object-oriented language specifically designed for prototyping large concurrent systems. One of the principle design goals has been to adopt a computation model in which the synchronization, concurrency, data flow, and timing aspects of a prototype are explicitly represented and easily accessible both to the prototype itself and to the prototyper. This article describes the partially ordered event set (poset) computation model and the features of RAPIDE for using posets in reactive prototypes and for automatically checking posets. An example prototyping scenario illustrates uses of the poset computation model, with and without timing. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Software Design, Prototype, Specifications, Methods, Software engineering, and Software engineering -- Methods

Use of software transformations for software evolution is examined. The effects of software transformations on program synthesis and program optimization have been studied extensively, but it remains difficult to specify the desired behavior of a software system before the implementation is developed. The use of software transformations for developing requirements based on software prototyping is explored. Emphasis is placed on transformations that change a system's behavior. A new, general classification of transformations is presented. The transformations are based on their effects on system interfaces, externally observable behavior and the abstraction level of a system description. A process model for software evolution is described that utilizes prototyping techniques and utilizes the new class of transformations to support the process.

Prototype, Software Design, Program Development Techniques, New Technique, Enhancements, Computer programming -- Methods, and Prototypes, Engineering -- Design and construction

Prototyping is the construction and analysis of an executable model that approximates a proposed system. Hardware prototypes are used to measure and evaluate aspects of proposed designs that are difficult to determine analytically, while software prototypes usually focus on evaluating the accuracy of problem formulation, studying the range of solutions available, and determining the interactions required between the system and its environment. The three primary benefits of prototyping are improved communication through demonstration, reduced risk through more certain communication between users and developers, and easier specification validation. Prototypes must be built quickly and designed for easy and fast modification; computer-aided prototyping environments should be integrated with tools for measuring, optimizing, and refining the prototype design into a production-quality product. Prototyping approaches are examined.

Prototype, Methods, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Program Development Techniques, and Software Engineering -- Methods

Operational prototyping avoids the dangers of combining rapid prototypes with evolutionary prototypes by layering a rapid prototype atop a solid evolutionary base. Rapid, or throwaway, prototypes are often used in an attempt to discover the customer's true needs; evolutionary prototypes are built in a quality manner and implement only confirmed requirements. Both have their limitations, and a combination of the two often results in trying to extensively evolve a rapid prototype. With an operational prototype, an evolutionary prototype is made into a baseline using typical development methods, and only the requirements that are well understood are specified and implemented. Multiple customer sites and a trained prototyper receive copies of the baseline, and the prototyper watches the user at the system at each site. Additional operational prototyping concepts are discussed.

Directories, Stereolithography, Prototype, Three-Dimensional Graphics, Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Aided Manufacturing, Light Sculpting Inc. -- Product information, Helisys Inc. -- Product information, Light Sculpting LSI-1115MA (CAD/CAM system) -- Design and construction, Helisys LOM-2030 (CAD/CAM system) -- Design and construction, Quadrax Laser Technologies Mark 1000 Laser Modeling System (CAD/CAM system) -- Design and construction, Computer-aided manufacturing, Stereolithography -- Usage, and CAD-CAM systems industry -- Product information

There are several technologies for rapid prototyping, a manufacturing technique in which the prototype of a part is created in hours rather than weeks. Rapid prototyping systems use three dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) files, slicing the image into cross sections and constructing layers of solid material, bonding each to the one before it. 3D Systems Inc $385,000 SLA 190 uses stereolithography and focuses an ultraviolet light onto a liquid polymer. It can produce a 20X20X20 inch part in 3 hours. Stratasys Inc's $178,000 3D Modeler uses fused deposition modeling to produce a 12X12X12 inch part in under five hours. Helisys' $110,000 LOM-2030 uses laminated object modeling to create a 20X30X20 inch part in 15 to 30 hours. Light Sculpting Inc offers the $129,700 LSI-1115MA which produces an 11X11X15 inch part at 40 seconds per layer. Quadrax Laser Technologies Makes the $195,000 Mark 1000 Laser Modeling System which uses laser modeling to produce a 12X12X12 inch part in six to twenty-four hours.

Digital Signal Processor, Prototype, Circuit Design, New Technique, Multiprocessing, System Design, Boards/Cards, Low Cost, and Connectivity

Prototyping is usually not done in the early stages of digital signal processor (DSP) design because of the time and money required to design dedicated prototyping hardware. A rapid-prototype setup is proposed with general-purpose hardware to minimize development cost and advanced programming tools to reduce programming time. The hardware includes commercial DSP processors connected to form powerful multiprocessors; the graphical programming environment allows easy programming, compiling, debugging and testing of real-time DSP algorithms on the hardware platform. The system has been used to design a prototype for a digital audio broadcasting system. Included in the system are DSP boards from Loughborough Sound Images, Philips Leuven, Motorola and Texas Instruments.

Prototype, Computer-Aided Design, Circuit Design, Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, New Technique, Custom IC, Simulation, Verifier, Quickturn Systems Inc. -- Product information, and Quickturn Systems RPM Emulation System (Circuit designer) -- Design and construction

Circuit designers need a way to verify a total system completely before committing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and custom chips to silicon to allow software and hardware to be developed concurrently. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) allow an implementation ideal for prototyping while not requiring the construction of silicon chips. Computer-aided prototyping (CAP) combines computer-aided engineering (CAE) translation and synthesis software with FPGA technology to produce hardware prototypes of chip designs automatically from netlists. Combining CAP with commercially available simulation tools allows systems designers to delay the decision to fabricate silicon chip prototypes until the latest possible time in the development cycle while still having a hardware prototype of the system running with software early in the cycle. Quickturn Systems' RPM Emulation System, the first commercial CAP system, is described.

Prototype, Modeling, Programming, Testing, New Technique, Program Development Techniques, Productivity, and User Studies

Research on the use of data modeling while prototyping an information system indicates that this technique enables designers to quickly develop quality systems. Data modeling and prototyping are more often used independently, but the research shows that using them together increased productivity results. One problem encountered is that programmers using the technique complain about increased complexity and report lower levels of satisfaction. The technique allowed them, however, to prototype a correct system with fewer iterations. Prototyping eases the establishment of requirements specification during development, and data modeling increases the efficiency and structuring of data.

Synchronous, Prototype, Work group computing, User Interface, User Group, Synchronous communications -- Analysis, and Work group computing -- Analysis

A platform for prototyping strongly shared applications is presented. Synchronous group applications can be treated as strongly shared applications because members of a cooperative team can work on and modify commonly-shared data and at the same time know how the other members are manipulating the data. A setback of strong sharing is that users are not prevented from accessing data even when its validity may be questionable. An environment for strong sharing should be developed wherein coordination support and conference management support are provided. These requirements were considered in developing Object World (OW), a platform for managing, creating and utilizing strongly shared objects. OW is implemented in Common Lisp and Common Lisp Object System. OW allows designers to prototype a strongly shared application by specifying data structure, model and dynamics.

Prototype, Circuit Design, Requirements Analysis, Trends, Product Development, Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, Products, and Boards/Cards

Prototyping remains a viable tool for some board and chip designs. Several vendors provide tools to perform fast, low-cost and accurate prototyping. Many board designers use simulation because they want to get as close to the final design as possible, boards have become more complex, chip and board performance have increased, desired turnaround times have declined, and it is difficult to construct and time wire-wrapped board prototypes. It has also become necessary to simulate chips such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), especially as they relate to the host board. Prototyping is useful when the designer does not control the specifications, when input/output supports varied peripherals, and designs are not easily simulated. Programmable logic devices and field-programmable gate arrays are useful for prototyping ASICs. Board prototyping products are also discussed.

Modeling, Simulation, Prototype, Applications Programming, Object-Oriented Programming, Case Study, Application Development Software, Research and Development, and ParcPlace-Digitalk Smalltalk/V (Application development software) -- Usage

Tiny Tim (toolboxes for interactive modeling) is a Smalltalk object-oriented Programming (OOP) language-based collection of toolboxes that facilitates the description, development and programming of complex graphic models and their animation. Tim is part of the Modeller's Workbench, which provides a OOP framework for system simulation and prototyping. Other components of the workbench include the Pose queueing network simulator; Esop, which provides 'expert device during model construction and execution;' and an expert system shell, Stress, which is used in the Tim environment. Smalltalk's OOP metaphor, desktop programming environment, and collections of predefined classes for rapid prototyping of interactive graphical applications is demonstrated through the use of a Tim toolbox for creating a Monte Carlo model for analyzing the 'effectiveness of a batch of lovepotion.'

Prototype, Algebraic Languages, Distributed Systems, Formal Languages, Semantics, Real-Time System, Design, Specifications, Programming Language, and Programming languages -- Design and construction

The PSDL prototyping language for hard real-time systems is described. The semi-graphical language provides a data flow notation as well as application-orientation timing and control constraints for describing a system as a hierarchy of networks of processing units that communicate through data streams. The basic PSDL constructs are defined in terms of algebraic high-level Petri nets, combining algebraic specifications of abstract data types with the concurrency and process concepts of Petri nets. The high-level Petri nets model the system's casual and timing behavior. The data abstraction facilities define the meaning of PSDL data types. The net semantics provide a basis for applying the analysis techniques and tools of high-level Petri nets.

Machine Vision, Algorithm, Dynamic Control, Prototype, Parallel Algorithms, MIMD, Scientific Research, Implementation, and Machine vision -- Research

New parallel implementations of visual processing algorithms, using multiple instruction, multiple data (MIMD) architectures, are developed for dynamic control of both communication and processing complexity during the execution of high-level computer vision systems. Segmentation and model-based interpretation of visual scenes from existing sequential implementations is achieved. The merits of transforming programs into imperative execution code for final implementation and of functional prototyping are also considered. The capability for dynamic control of algorithms is examined in light of the fact that such control is essential for the intelligent exploitation of MIMD architectures for higher level vision. Parallel algorithms can be developed by direct implementation, program transformation or automated parallelism. The feature detection capability of the Hough transform (HT) is used to illustrate direct implementation of transformation from image to parameter space.

Computer-aided design, Prototype, Command and Control Systems, Military, Logistics, Software Design, Automation, ADA, Code Generator, and Computer-aided design -- Usage

A Computer-Aided Prototyping System (CAPS) helps to automate the early stages of software design, supports system management and aids in controlling a system's evolution. The Prototype System Description Language (PDSL) integrates the tools in CAPS so that the designer can work from a real-time schedule and generate an executable Ada model automatically. This study works with a prototype having embedded software characteristics, hard real-time constraints, multiple and predefined hardware interfaces, and complex requirements. The Ada prototype processes tactical data from multiple interfaces in real time. CAPS, used with the Transportable Applications Environment Plus windowing package, generates the Ada code, which is then run on a Sun 3. This prototype currently serves as a test model for computer-aided software design research and in the investigation of deadlock detection and prevention at the design level.