User manual COREL CORELDRAW GRAPHICS SUITE BOOKS LEARNING RESOURCES

[. . . ] However, it is quite difficult to create technical illustrations with traditional tools. To streamline the illustration process, companies require an all-in-one solution. To that end, Corel DESIGNER® Technical Suite was designed to meet the workflow requirements of technical illustrators. Ideally, this solution will cover other functions, including the creation of creative and presentation graphics, while also fulfilling the following key requirements: openness and compatibility regarding the integration of visual technical communications into other processes involved in the product's life cycle flexible use of engineering data from any CAD application (including 3D) to create technical illustrations range of professional tools to edit technical illustrations and other images, and trace and full convert scanned data support for industry standards and output formats in a multi-purpose user environment wide intuitive features that curtail the learning curve even for self-taught technical graphic users. This white paper describes the challenges faced by many manufacturing companies when creating technical documentation and shows how the process can be streamlined through the efficient use of visual technical communications. Clear and easy to understand across languages, technical illustrations sometimes can replace text completely. Illustration: HJS Technische Grafik & Design Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value / page 1 Challenges faced by industrial and service companies Manufacturing entities seeking to maintain their market share and tap into new opportunities face a series of challenges that affect virtually all business processes over the product life cycle. [. . . ] By extension, illustrations help overcome language barriers as well as enable untrained readers to understand the documentation. As part of the visual communications spectrum, technical Illustrations are widely used in user guides, construction manuals, parts catalogues, assembly instructions, service guides, sales material, marketing brochures, and business reports. Unlike creative or presentation graphics, they must meet specific requirements, be informative, and be technically precise. For instance, perspective views are used not only for their visual appeal but because they aptly deliver certain types of information. Technical illustrations usually include text boxes whose content should be easy to update and, if necessary, translate. Therefore, integration with a translation memory system (TMS) is essential for the efficient use of technical illustrations in multiple languages. Consider this study by the Aberdeen Group, which underscores the role played by technical illustrations in streamlining the entire documentation process: 72 percent of the companies controlling their documentation creation process exceptionally well use CAD-based illustration tools, 46 percent use tools for structured text acquisition, and 45 percent use a CMS. To optimize the documentation process, the American consulting firm recommends, among other things, that technical illustrators have access to 3D visualization and CAD-based illustration tools. [Aberdeen Group: The Next Generation Product Documentation Benchmark Report. Boston, 2006] Isometric images allow for efficient reuse of design parts, for example, in the visualization of device alternatives. Illustration: HJS Technische Grafik & Design Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value / page 3 Creating technical illustrations with CAD-based tools Today, most manufacturing companies design their products by using 3D models. 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. Typical users are technical illustrators with technical training who work in the documentation department of major companies, small-to-medium service providers, or freelancers. However, especially in large-scale entities, there are many users who are self-taught and do require a versatile and easy-to-learn technical graphic tool. Technical illustrators, whether trained or self-taught, create graphics for a variety of documents, such as user guides, assembly instructions, maintenance manuals, spare parts catalogues, schematics, and wiring diagrams. These graphics are based on input provided by clients, service providers, and colleagues who may all be using different programs. Additionally, graphics may be created from scratch, without any input, and which are then output to various media such as print, the Web, or interactive electronic technical manuals (IETM). From a user standpoint, an all-in-one illustration application is much preferred because it shortens the learning curve. A versatile suite of applications offers similar benefits and more by helping companies to standardize their graphic applications, reduce IT administration efforts, and achieve savings on licensing costs. Technical illustrations can originate from many sources, be used in many document types, and are output to different media, including electronic formats. Dismantling the existing "makeshift system" by introducing a dedicated illustration application is key to streamlining the illustration processes. Ease-of-use and full range of functionality Even though CAD data is increasingly used in technical illustrations, not all graphics originate from 3D models because they do not always have all the details required to communicate technical information. Details, such as screws, must be added and technical illustrators need precise and handy tools to draw in an isometric view and complete the CAD-based graphics. page 6 / Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value Technical writers and illustrators are not CAD engineers!However comprehensive its functionality, the illustration application must be easier to use than a CAD system. Technical illustrators like to represent certain relations and processes with 2D schematic diagrams created by using their familiar stand-alone illustration program. However, this program should automatically recognize not only free-hand connection lines but also connections in existing diagrams that were created in other programs, such as Microsoft® Visio®. [. . . ] Anticipating this trend, the 3D import module in Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite allows users to embed model data into 3D PDF documents. Thanks to the versatile output options, visual content can also be used to create various items, including marketing materials. Visual technical communications ­ from cost factor to added value / page 7 Companies cannot afford to dispense with a powerful illustration application if they want to maintain proven processes in technical documentation. Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite provides a wizard that preprocesses graphic content with the highest display quality for embedding in Microsoft® Office documents. It also supports a variety of output formats and allows for illustrations to be included in an XML-based publication process. [. . . ]