A FRAMEWORK FOR FEATURE-BASED APPLICATIONS

This paper presents a framework for implementing feature-based applications on a computer-aided design (CAD) system. In this approach. a user-defined external database is provided to hold the feature information. This feature database is integrated with the CAD database to form a unified central database so that the required information for downstream applications can be captured during the early design stage. The external feature database contains feature specifications and their associated attributes arranged in a hierarchical tree structure. Model libraries are created for objects with common features so that changes can be made to the product easily. An example on kitchen cabinet design and production is also included to illustrate the procedures in implementing feature-based applications.