Premium
Integrating prolog and CADAM to produce an intelligent CAD system
Author(s) -
Bond Alan H.,
Soetarman Basuki
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380201006
Subject(s) - prolog , computer science , workspace , interface (matter) , cad , graphics , programming language , key (lock) , engineering drawing , fortran , computer aided design , expert system , robot , artificial intelligence , computer graphics (images) , operating system , engineering , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method
A discussion is presented of system issues in integrating an artificial intelligence system with a conventional computer‐aided design system. Two different schemes for integration, and experience in implementing a combined VM/PROLOG and CADAM, are described. Both Prolog and CADAM are separately interactively systems, and it was necessary to provide an interactive interface to each, and to be able to move between them. Since CADAM is not reentrant, a coroutining relationship was required. It was necessary to specify a Prolog form for drawings and to be able to transform drawings in the CADAM workspace in Fortran array form into Prolog clauses, representing the same information and residing in the Prolog workspace, and vice versa. The problems of linking to CADAM, and of storage management in a VM virtual machine had to be dealt with. Finally, error recovery had to be considered. Examples of the use of the system are presented, including examples of CAD graphics, and the setting of goals, with the corresponding system responses. The main practical application area was the design and manufacture of assemblies made of sheet metal and extrusions, such as components of aircraft. Several application programs, implemented using the intelligent CAD system, are described.