The TOP programme is composed by 5 modules:

  • Part Management: functions which implement in an AutoCAD environment the concept of part realized firstly by the CAD ME10 package. In this section have also been introduced the functions for the management of title-blocks, tables, line-balloons and slips;
  • Utilities: graphic functions of general use which implement both mechanical and general graphic operations of frequent use;
  • Standard Libraries: graphic functions which carry out the drawing of standardized mechanical fittings of frequent use;
  • Part Navigator: a powerful tool to “navigate” through the design’s parts, acting directly on them by selecting the different commands from a menu associated to a cursor;
  • Categories: add functions similar to the AutoCAD layers, supplying a graphic management tool of the drawing not related to the parts structure.

To realize the package, QS Informatica cooperated with experienced AutoCAD design engineers and mechanical designers to satisfy the user’s needs. Thus, we also tried to concentrate on the interface and on the programme’s simplicity.

  • The requests to the user are precise and essential;
  • Many dialogue-boxes help the user to easily use the commands;
  • We tried to obtain a maximum versatility allowing to customize most commands;
  • The type of lines and the colour of the graphic entities can be customized at will;

The TOP commands are in the TOP and PARTS drop-down menus (pop-menu 10 and 11) and in the respective on-screen Toolbars. All commands, once carried out, restart pressing Enter and can be interrupted at any moment by pressing ESC. The commands related to the construction lines always restart, thus press Enter to stop. TOP supports bi-dimensional drawings both in the Global Coordinate System and rotated on the Z axis.