MPDS
| MPDS4 | |
|---|---|
| Basic data
|
|
| developer | CAD Schroer |
| Publishing year | 2006 |
| Current version | 5.2.1 (February 2014) |
| operating system | Microsoft Windows , Solaris |
| category | CAD program |
| License | proprietary , commercial |
| www.cad-schroer.de | |
MPDS , (since 2006 MPDS4) is a software package for the 2- and 3-dimensional planning and construction of large plants and factories. The software is developed and sold by CAD Schroer. The current version 5.2.1 was released in February 2014 for the Windows and Solaris operating systems.
history
In 1977, the British computer researcher Dick Newell and Tom Sancha founded the Cambridge Interactive Systems (CIS) company, which initially focused on the development of a 2D CAD system. CABLOS was a CAD solution for planning electrical cable systems, which was first used in 1979 by Dowty Engineering. The first user in Germany was BMW , who used CABLOS to plan their car electronics . Soon CABLOS was further marketed under the name MEDUSA and known worldwide. During this period, MEDUSA began developing its own 3D modeling kernel .
In 1980, CIS partnered with Prime Computer , a US-based manufacturer of computer hardware. Prime got access to the MEDUSA source code if CIS did not succeed. In 1983, CIS was taken over by Computervision .
With the takeover of CIS, Computervision started the development of the MEDUSA Plant Design System (MPDS), the first plant construction software based on a relational database . The developers knew from their previous experience with the file-based and macro-controlled systems available until then that the next generation of plant construction systems would have to be based on a relational database in order to be able to manage the enormous volume of data and the complex relationships between the components. While in mechanical CAD you usually had to deal with machines with a few thousand individual parts, hundreds of thousands of components were typical in plant engineering. In order to be able to implement this new approach, the object-oriented programming language baCIS2 and the system-specific relational database MDB were specially developed. The existing MEDUSA technology was used to generate 2D and 3D geometry data for system planning. This new approach resulted in a completely data-centric concept that separates the representation of a system from the underlying database, which enables the planning of very large systems in one system.
MPDS was ready for the market in 1988 and was delivered to its first customer NEI Parsons (Northern Engineering Industries, later taken over by Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group). Another first customer was Courtaulds Engineering, who was already using MEDUSA. In the same year, Prime Computer took over the competitor Computervision and named its CAD division Prime Computervision, as the future direction of both companies was software development. The marketing of their own super mini computers continued for a few years in parallel. The development of MEDUSA and MPDS continued in Cambridge in the 1990s .
In 1993 the next version of MEDUSA and MPDS was released. Version 13 was released under MEDUSA NG (Next Generation) and MPDS NG. In this version, the switch from tablet operation to the graphic interface was made. In addition, it was ported again to Windows.
In 1994 the Computervision branch in Cambridge was closed and relocated to Natick, near Boston, where the company's headquarters were located. As a result, five of the Computer Vision employees and MEDUSA specialists founded Quintic Ltd in Cambridge. This company now worked as a service provider for computer vision and supported the development of MEDUSA and MPDS.
In 1998 the American CAD provider Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) took over the company Computervision in order to obtain the rights to the data management system Optegra (today Windchill). The development partnership of MEDUSA and MPDS between Quintic and Computervision was thus transferred to PTC.
One of the largest MEDUSA and MPDS user groups was in Germany. CAD Schroer GmbH, a German company founded in 1986 as an engineering service provider, became a MEDUSA and MDPS provider in 1992 and developed a close partnership with Computervision in the years that followed. In 2001 CAD Schroer took over all rights to MEDUSA and MPDS from PTC. CAD Schroer and Quintic worked together as development partners to advance the development of the fourth generation of MEDUSA and MPDS. This included a complete overhaul of the range of functions, the development of a new user interface (GUI) based on QT , the possibility of data exchange with other systems and porting to Linux .
In 2005 CAD Schroer took over the development partner Quintic and thus secured the development know-how for MPDS, which goes back to the early days of CIS and Prime Computer.
In 2006 CAD Schroer released MPDS4, the fourth generation of MPDS. Since then, the company has expanded the functionality of the software, for example to include 3D factory planning based on 2D drawings (FACTORY LAYOUT).
description
MPDS ( MEDUSA Plant Design System) was originally developed for the planning of plants and piping systems. Today the software also contains modules for 2D / 3D factory planning , creation of P&ID diagrams , planning of conveyor systems, steel structures, heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems, cable routes or fastening systems.
Database architecture
Planning and construction in MPDS is based on a database . This can be created centrally or project-specifically and contains a component catalog and all the attributes assigned to the components. This controls both the display and the user administration in MPDS and allows the software to be connected to other database-based systems ( ERP ).
presentation
The loaded catalog components are displayed in MPDS on the basis of the attributes assigned to the respective components. Thanks to this model-independent 3D display, even very large plants and factories can be completely displayed and edited. The system supports various levels of detail, which means that components can be shown true to detail, greatly simplified or, for example, shown as the space required for collision control.
User administration
With the user administration, different users can be created and managed in MPDS. These users can be assigned different rights that allow access to a specific area of a system or to a specific module. This is supported by an integrated version and change management .
Quality management
MPDS4 includes a hard and soft collision check. This can be carried out either for the entire project, between individual systems or between selected components. A consistency check enables compliance with the specified design guidelines to be checked. The tests can be output in the form of a customizable report. The installed components can be output in the form of parts lists.
Modules
MPDS forms the basis of the plant construction and factory planning system and can be expanded with various modules.
- PIPING DESIGN
- MPDS PIPING DESIGN is a solution for industrial pipeline construction. The range of functions allows the creation and processing of complete pipeline systems. PIPING DESIGN supports the P&ID driven construction. This means that P&ID diagrams can be used as a database-controlled basis for the subsequent design. Integration with ISOGEN (from ALIAS Piping Solutions) enables the automated generation of pipeline isometries.
- P&ID
- P&ID is used to generate pipeline and instrumentation flow diagrams. The construction can also be carried out with the help of a database on the basis of specified material lists. The integration with the 3D system planning enables a comparison between the P&ID flow diagram and the 3D planning status.
- FACTORY LAYOUT
- MPDS FACTORY LAYOUT allows the import of 2D layouts into the 3D planning data. Complete 3D buildings can be generated from 2D floor plans by assigning height attributes. Equipment can be displayed as symbols in the 2D layout. The associated models are then automatically loaded into the 3D environment.
- MECHANICAL HANDLING
- With MPDS MECHANICAL HANDLING, individual components can be quickly and easily connected to form extensive handling and conveying systems. The module contains various conveyor belts, cranes, robots and forklifts. The components can be automatically connected along a line to form a conveyor system.
- STEEL DESIGN
- MPDS STEEL DESIGN is a module for the creation of complete 3D steel structures for entire plants and factories. The application contains various steel profiles and allows the creation of steel girders, platforms, stairs and ladders.
- DUCTING DESIGN
- MPDS DUCTING DESIGN is a solution for planning heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. The range of functions allows the generation of complete 3D air conditioning systems. The application contains a wide variety of catalogs with channels, transitions, valves or fans.
- ELECTRICAL DESIGN
- MPDS ELECTRICAL DESIGN is an application for planning electrical engineering systems. The range of functions allows the creation of complete 3D cable route systems. The expandable catalogs contain electrical or control equipment as well as cable bridges, ducts and ducts. With ELECTRICAL DESIGN created cable ducts or ducts can be used to lay cables or to connect them to exposed components. The auto-routing function automatically searches for the shortest route. With the performance analysis, complete networks can be analyzed for the required performance.
- HANGERS & SUPPORTS DESIGN
- MPDS HANGERS & SUPPORTS DESIGN is a software solution for planning suspension and fastening systems. The range of functions allows the creation of fastenings between pipelines and the steel framework.
- ENGINEERING REVIEW
- MPDS ENGINEERING REVIEW is an application for the visual inspection and presentation of complete plants or factories in 3D. The module contains functions for setting transparencies and offers the possibility of completely free defining and saving complete tours.
- REVIEW
- MPDS4 REVIEW is a 3D viewer independent of MPDS. With this standalone application, MPDS or MEDUSA 3D data can be viewed interactively, virtual tours carried out or constructions checked in detail.
Supported Operating Systems
Version 5.2.1 of MPDS4 supports Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 3), 7 Professional, 8 and 8.1 Pro operating systems . The software also supports the Sun Solaris 10 operating system .