One of the chief stumbling blocks in industries that make use of CAD programs is that data produced by those programs can only be read by those programs. Interoperability is becoming a costly concern as manufacturers increasingly decentralize by outsourcing projects.
This has driven discussion of an open PLM industry standard rather than requiring all parties throughout the design, analysis, and manufacturing process to have a seat of CAD software in order to use the design data.
Engineering analysis and consulting firm Cyon Research Corporation released a white paper discussing the use of JT data format as a standard for this process and as a solution to high-cost interoperability.
Developed by PLM software supplier UGS Corp., JT has been incorporated as the interoperability foundation for USG’s 3D CAx applications as well as the visualization platform throughout its PLM solution.
UGS calls the capabilities of its suite of applications that enable downstream users to leverage 3D without a CAD seat “substantial.” Along with the JT offering, UGS has established an organization called the JT Open Program to provide guidance for its future development.
Cyon Research has voiced support for JT, saying it enables previous non-consumers of design data to effectively use 3D with a minimum amount of difficulty. Cyon also believes that the JT Open Program will lead to a standard that meets the needs of both users and software developers.
The 17-page white paper, entitled “The Business Case for a Common Data Distribution Platform: A Look at UGS’ JT,” is available here.
