CADWOLF - An Alternative to MathCAD

CADWOLF's Five Components

CADWOLF uses five components to provide a complete STEM solution and management platform

Five Components

Our components link the design and coordination of large structures directly to CAD models

CADWOLF has five main types of web pages - Documents, Workspaces, Datasets, Part Trees, and Workflows. These components work in concert to provide a platform that encompasses all facets of the engineering process.

Documents are where users create web pages that have text, equations, plots, and many other things. These web pages act as both Word Documents as well as programs that solve equations. Workspaces are web pages that act as folders where documents and other items are stored and retrieved. Datasets provide a method for users to import data into CADWOLF documents, and part trees link all of these things together to provide a new level of functionality for engineers. Workflows then provide a place to coordinate throughout the process of designing your structure.

Documents - the backbone of CADWOLF

Web pages that look like Word documents and behave like a program

Documents are web pages that are formatted to look like and function much a Word Document. Documents also have the ability to add and solve equations in real time. These equations solve top to bottom, just like a programming language, and the equations can be used in plots as well.

Geared for engineers, documents solve for units in the equations, require no programming, and formats the equations to be mathematically appropriate.

Text
Headers
Equations
Symbolic Equations
Tables

For Loops
While Loops
If/Else Statements
Sliders
Radio Buttons

Select Boxes
2D Charts
3D Charts
Images
Videos

Workspaces - our version of folders

Web pages that look and behave like standard folcers

With any platform, there is a need to organize files and data. Workspaces are web pages that are formatted to look like standard folders. This is where users add new documents, datasets, images, and other items, and where those items are accessed.

Every user has a base workspace that is the same as their user name located at /Workspace/userName. Each user can also assign permissions for other users to view and edit their documents and folders.

Datasets - bring in the data

Bring in text files, parse them, and use the data

A dataset is another type of web page on CADWOLF that provides users with the ability to paste in text or read in a file. It then parses the text into an nth dimensional matrix and stores that data. The user can then import that data into any document and use it as a variable.

Whenever the dataset is updates, the document will change as well. This lets users import test data, or any other type of data, and not have to worry about maintaining those files outside of CADWOLF.

Part Trees - a new standard in engineering

Part Trees use documents and folders to build complete systems

Whenever a large structure is designed, individual components are given part numbers that uniquly identify them and organize the structure. Part trees let users set up a part numbering scheme and build a structure piev by piece. Each component gets a document where the item is designed. These items can be linked directly to CAD and the user can then viewed items like weight, mass, etc in real time.

Direct link to CAD - Fusion 360 and Onshape

Feed math directly into CAD and read CAD data into files

In a typical engineering process, the CAD and the design math are separate. In CADWOLF, the user can direclty link the mathematics to variables in the Onshape CAD system and User Parameters in the Fusion 360 platform. Using those variables to define the CAD links the CAD and the math in CADWOLF.

The benefit of this is that whenever a requirement changes, those changes propogate through CADWOLF letting the system redesign itself. Those changes are then pushed to Onshape / Fusion 360 and the CAD will likewise update.

Document Features

CADWOLF documents have a wide array of features

Unit Tracking

Equations in documents track units like meters, seconds, etc, and solve accordingly

Full Charting Suite

Line, spline, bar, column, heat maps, and several other charts available

3D Charts

3D point clouds, surface maps, and line are also available

Built in Functions

Wide range of built in functions like trig, statistical tools, an FFT, and and ODE solver

Mathematically Proper Display

When an equation solves, it shows in the proper mathematical format with integration symbols, etc

Permission Structure

Documents can be set so that user can read, use, or edit them

Programming Structures

Add for loops, while loops, and if else statements along with equations

Files as Functions

Documents can be pulled into other documents and used as functions

Teams

Create teams, add users to them, and the give permissions to those teams

HTML Structures

Use sliders, select boxes, and radio boxes as variables in CADWOLF documents

Export data to CAD

Push data to Onshape documents to drive component design

Import data from CAD

Pull in data such as mass and volume from onShape documents to be used in CADWOLF documents

Module Features

How the CADWOLF modules integrate to form a complete system

Simultaneous Analysis and Documentation

Documents have text, equations, charts, etc
Functions as both a Word document and program
Analysis and documentation can never get out of sync
Line by line mathematics similar to Excel

Integrated Mathematics and CAD

Link to the Onshape and Fusion360 Platforms
CADWOLF equations drive CAD dimensions
Weight, mass, etc read from CAD into documents
Embed thumbnails of CAD parts into documents

Coordinate Engineering Tasks

Part trees coordinate the design of large structures
Permissions system lets users view / use items
Datasets provide for the storage and use of data
Ensures identical work environments - web browsers

CADWOLF's Relation to CAD

1
Design in CADWOLF
2
Math drives Fusion 360 / Onshape
3
CAD feeds into CADWOLF

CADWOLF documents are spaces for users to solve and document the mathematics of designing components. In the document pictured here, the height and thickness of the vertical risers in the fitting are designed based upon the design load and tensile strength of the material. The diameter of the bolt is also established.

When a requirement or design factor such as the load changes, the math automatically updates. These CADWOLF equations are then automatically sent from this document to an Onshape document or Fusion 360 file.

When the CADWOLF document is saved, those equations are sent here where they are stored as variables. When the fitting is designed in CAD, those variables are used to set the same factors here - height and thickness of the risers and the diameter of the bolt hole.

This means that when the math changes in CADWOLF, the CAD updates here in Fusion 360 / Onshape. These changes change in the part design and then into the assemblies. This means that a properly designed CAD model updates autonomously in response to the changing math.

The Fusion 360 or Onshape files can be read back into CADWOLF documents and items such as the weight, mass, volume, or density of the CAD model can be used in subsequent mathematics. Those items can also be displayed for parts and assemblies in part trees as show here.

This aspect of part trees lets engineers see the mass, weight, volume, and other items for entire assemblies in real time as they are designed in CADWOLF. In other words, you can change the design weight of your truss - as in this example - and once the math and CAD updates, those changes are seen here.