An Approach to Implement Feature-Based Applications Using Knowledge Aided Engineering Technology

Concurrent Engineering methodology and process analysis and modelling showed the importance of tools that allow the designers to evaluate, from the beginning, different aspects of product definition. 3D CAD systems, simulation tools and virtual prototyping technologies can support the designer during her/his decision−making activity but, in order to provide an effective support, they must be tailored to the needs of the design process of each specific product. During last years, different types of tools appeared on the market to support this tailoring activity and to promote the development of product−dependent applications. In this paper, we have focused the attention on software tools named KAE (Knowledge Aided Engineering) development shells. Applications implemented by using this type of tools can support experts during the decision making process to evaluate alternative solutions. They provide a kernel for the integration of different technologies, and represent a basic step for the development of the product design. In this paper we present a brief overview of the architecture of a typical KAE application and we provide a survey of the most significant systems that we have developed, within different application domain, taking advantage of the KAE technology.