User manual COREL COREL DESIGNER TECHNICAL SUITE X4 BROCHURE

[. . . ] Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value By: Michael Wendenburg Abstract What do customers require today?Products with higher quality technical documentation that speaks the language of the user, is comprehensible, and up-to-date. When used in technical documentation or visual communications, illustrations help to clarify complex technical information. They can also take the place of text, are easy to reuse, and do not need to be translated. [. . . ] As a result, being able to convert these models into clear and concise perspective views is one of the core requirements for a dedicated technical illustration application. The greater the systems integration, the easier it is to adjust illustrations whenever product changes occur. However, beyond a certain threshold, integration impairs compatibility with other CAD systems and formats. Because they operate in a varied CAD environment or receive CAD data in different formats, companies often need to process more than one CAD format during the illustration design process. This is especially so when service providers create illustrations by using different import formats. To help ease processing requirements, Corel has integrated Right Hemisphere® Deep ExplorationTM technology into Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite. As an add-on or standalone license, this open and compatible solution helps users process more than 80 data types, including commonly used 3D CAD formats, such as CATIA®, Pro/ENGINEER®, NXTM, Autodesk® Inventor®, and SolidWorks®. Better still, technical illustrators no longer need a CAD license to convert files. They can, as they do at Porsche AG, open and edit CAD files in their familiar working environment, eliminating intermediate processing steps that were previously outsourced and achieving significant time and cost savings. In fact, Porsche uses Corel's software solution to create assembly instructions that are based on CATIA engineering data. Using the 3D import module, technical illustrators can convert 3D data from commonly used 3D systems into a volume-based intermediate format that correctly replicates bézier curves. For further editing, views derived from 3D models can be imported into Corel DESIGNER as vector graphics or into Corel PHOTOPAINT®, an image-editing application, as bitmaps. To efficiently create illustrations in a multifaceted environment or supply chain, using more than one CAD format, a company needs an open and compatible solution. 3D CAD-based technical illustration allows illustrators to create easy to understand graphics and enhances the quality of technical documentation. Linking illustration process and change management To stay ahead of the curve in a short development cycle, technical documentation staff often start creating illustrations before the actual product design is complete. As the process unfolds, they will adjust the 3D models on which graphics are based to reflect relevant changes to the illustrations in the documentation. Among other benefits, this software is the only solution able to read and immediately process illustrations generated by the company's legacy systems. The ability to migrate legacy data is also a critical factor for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG who has also opted for Corel's software solution. Integration with other enterprise applications Companies that have a huge collection of technical illustrations and want to streamline their technical documentation processes need database-driven management systems to quickly retrieve existing data, or better still, an integrated illustration application and CMS. Through its compatibility strategy, Corel helps manage and publish technical illustrations more efficiently and allows for integration with any CMS through an API. The openness of the illustration application makes it possible to integrate with enterprise applications, such as the PLM or ERP systems preferred by some companies to store document-related content. For instance, while implementing a technical documentation reengineering project, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG developed an authoring system based on SAP® and replaced existing graphic tools with Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite. Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value / page 5 Optimizing Technical Illustration Processes Even in companies that follow a well-defined technical documentation design process, the creation of illustrations is not without inefficiencies because technical illustrators use several graphic applications not specifically tailored to their needs. Sometimes, they may even create illustrations directly on the CAD system, which requires effort and specialized knowledge. Dismantling this "makeshift system" by introducing a dedicated illustration application is key to streamlining the illustration processes. An all-in-one solution for all user groups For an illustration application to be widely used in the manufacturing sector, including the apparel and construction industries, it must appeal to different user groups through its range of functionality and easeof-use. [. . . ] These unique advantages led Texas Instruments, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, to standardize on Corel's solution to create the illustrations needed for its customized semiconductors. Translation of technical illustrations In the era of globalization, translation has become an important cost item in the creation of technical documentation. When used consistently, technical illustrations can greatly reduce total translation costs because they generate less text to be localized, including the much-needed text boxes whose content can be efficiently managed with a Translation Management System (TMS). Using its API, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. [. . . ]