AutoSTEP – the DARPA-funded Standard for the Exchange of Product model data which aims to make it easier to swap computer-aided design files between progams – could save the North American auto industry some $300m per year and help slash product development cycles, according to the Automotive Industry Action Group. The project is now in phase two, adding drafting, surface geometry, configuration management and product definition data exchange to phase one’s solid geometry exchange. Phase three, the final phase, begins next year and will target mechanical design process protocols.
