Revision History

Version 5.2 SI Mechanical-September, 1999

• AutoCAD 2000 support.
• Rewritten in Visual LISP for increased speed.
• On-line documentation in HTML format.
• Partial menu loading for compatibility with other menus.
• XYDIM supports associative and non-associative dimensions.

Version 5.14 SI Mechanical-July, 1997

• AutoCAD R14 support.
• Labeling and editing of blocks and xrefs.

Version 5.13 SI Mechanical-January, 1997

• Toolbar access to SI Mechanical commands in Windows.
• ASME Y14.5 1994 geometric tolerancing fully supported.
• Orthographic 2D view creation in model space from solids.
• Isometric 2D view creation in model space from solids.
• Auxiliary 2D view creation in model space from solids.
• All views of hardware, hole, and shaft items supported.
• Isometric views of hardware, hole, and shaft items.
• All shaft features show on 2D projected views.
• More shaft features and options.
• Labels and balloons work on shaft features.
• Section and detail view labeling for various standards.
• Annotation size tables for different standards.
• Expanded hardware and hole libraries.
  These items have been added to the libraries:
  • JIS (Japanese) Hardware
  • Additional DIN (German) hardware
  • Acorn and cap nuts
  • Bushings
  • Castle and slotted nuts
  • Flange nuts
  • Flange bolts
  • Grease nipples
  • Thin section steel
  • Aluminum structural members
  • Steel pipes, tubes and bars
  • Morse sprockets
  • Steel decking
  • O-rings, backup rings, and V-packings
  • Wing nuts
  • Spline bar
  • Threaded stock
• Grouped center lines and center marks update automatically.
• Hardware and holes items can be grouped by size.
• Hardware items can be grouped by type.
• Hardware standard and category filters for easier selection.
• Direct layer and color selection for hardware, hole, and shaft items.
• Enhanced database editing.
• Easier access to database tables from within dialogue boxes.
• Graphical mode configuration for balloon, leader, hardware, holes, and shaft settings.
• Multiple part list balloon types.
• Balloons follow dimension variables.
• Designer 2.0 and Mechanical Desktop hole data.
• Automatic dimensioning includes, baseline, datum, and point to point.
• Automatic dimensioning of entities inside blocks and nested blocks.
• Image button in dialogue boxes for easier selection.
• API enhancements.

Version 4.13 SI Mechanical-March, 1995

• Support for ACIS solids.
• Support for Designer solids.
• Support for Autodesk PartSpec.
• Support for Context CAD CSG Editor.
• Center lines and center marks for hardware, hole, and shaft items.
• Standards tables including ANSI, DIN, ISO, and JIS standards.
• Scale tables for drawing scales.
• Expert modes to suppress alert and message dialogue boxes.
• Automatic use of GEODIM, SURFDIM, and WELDIM dimension styles.
• Fix point and data field features for shaft items.
• API enhancements.

Version 4.12 SI Mechanical-September, 1994

• Name is now SI Mechanical. SI stands for System International.
• Localized versions available in different languages.
• Multiple drawing setups can be in a single drawing file.
  Applications include:
  • Face and continuation sheets in the same file.
  • Multiple paper space detail sheets for all parts in an assembly model.
  • Separate assembly drawings and associated parts list drawing in the same file.
• A shaft generator creates two and three-dimensional stepped shafts. Features include chamfers, fillets, flats, gears, grooves, holes, keyways, offsets, pulleys, recesses, spheres, splines, sprockets, and threads.
• Expanded hardware and hole libraries.
  These items have been added to the libraries:
  • Aircraft hardware
  • Ball bearings
  • Center drills
  • Clip rings
  • Helicoils
  • Keys
  • Pipe taps
  • Rivets
  • Roller bearings
  • Shaft seals
  • Structural steel
  • Thrust bearings
• Hardware trimming without exploding.
• Hole trimming without exploding.
• Detail enlargements.
• Hardware groups for easy selection.
• Intelligent hardware and hole size settings.
• Default hardware and hole alignment, sizes, and views always match.
• Global length change for hardware.
• Global size change for hardware and holes.
• Global type change for hardware and holes.
• Global view change for hardware and holes.
• Tag command allows multiple balloons.
• Automatic data transfer from hardware to balloons.
• Attribute translation table provides balloon, format, part list, and revision block compatibility for any block with attributes.
• String translation table allows easy foreign language translation and custom prompts.
• Hole table (XYTABLE) works with hole items and includes full descriptions.
• Compatibility modules for items created with other mechanical applications.
• Dialogue boxes respond to double clicks in lists for quicker execution.
• Length entries in dialogue boxes can be any valid format including architectural, decimal, and fractions.
• Pick buttons in dialogue boxes allow graphical value entries by picking points on screen.
• Welding and surface finish symbol preview in dialogue boxes.
• All commands allow appropriate preselection of entities.
• Reduced disk space.
• Automatic menu merging with other menu files.
• Enhanced database editor allows adding, deleting, and renaming of columns.
• Expanded API documentation.

Version 3.0 ANSI Mechanical-March, 1993

• The dialogue-box interface has been expanded and enhanced. ANSI Mechanical supports dialogue boxes that let you easily view and change information. The information in the dialogue boxes are grouped in logical fashion and displayed in an easy-to-read format.
  These are some of the features that use dialogue boxes:
  • Database editing (DBEDIT)
  • Dpvar variables (DDPVAR)
  • Geometric tolerancing (GEODIM)
  • Hardware (HARDWARE)
  • Hatching (PHATCH)
  • Help (DPHELP)
  • Holes (HOLE)
  • Layer manipulation (LYRCHG, LYRDEL, LYRLST, LYRSET)
  • Setup (DDSETUP)
  • Surface finish symbols (SURFDIM)
  • Symbol editing (SYMCHG)
  • Text editing (TXTEDIT, TXTIN)
  • Welding symbols (WELDIM)
• Dimension conversion tables are generated automatically.
• Layer manipulation is improved.
• Improved error checking in Geodim and Weldim.
• AME Solid holes are supported by the HOLE command.
• Holes can have combined countersink and counterbore.
• Multiple types of holes are supported.
• The English language version of ANSI Mechanical works with foreign language versions of AutoCAD.
• The PHATCH command allows you to hatch an enclosed area by picking one point.
• Hatching can be edited with the SYMCHG command.
• A pop-up text editor is presented when large amounts of text need to be entered or edited.
• The ANSI Mechanical database conforms to DBASE field parameters. Prior versions used fieldless control files.
• The DBEDIT command can be used to edit the ANSI Mechanical database files.

Version 2.1 ANSI Mechanical-September, 1992

• AutoCAD Release 12 menus are used along with cascading pull down menus for ANSI Mechanical.
• Dialogue boxes are used to create and edit hardware.
• AME Solid hardware is supported by the HARDWARE command.
• Threads can be set to display as simplified, schematic or detailed.
• SOLVIEW and SOLDRAW layering conventions are supported.
• The DDPVAR command uses a dialogue box to change DPVAR variables.
• Context sensitive help is available for all ANSI Mechanical commands.

Version 2.0 ANSI Mechanical-January, 1992

• Support for ISO (International Standards Organization) standards is included.
• The DPVAR system variable facility saves various user preferences that control ANSI Mechanical with the drawing.
• Any unit type (inch, mm, feet, etc.) can be used in a drawing while maintaining correct symbol scales.
• The AXYDIM command is improved for more efficient automatic datum dimensioning.
• Paper space support is improved.
• Layer conventions are changed and expanded.
• Multiple layer configurations are allowed.
• ANSI Mechanical commands can be associated with specified layers.
• 3D hardware and holes are included along with the capability to convert from 2D to 3D and back.
• Expanded hardware library.
• Metric hardware is included.
• Hardware and holes can be labeled automatically.
• Hardware and holes can be edited after insertion.
• The XYTABLE command automatically generates a hole chart.
• Error checking is improved for GEODIM, WELDIM, and SURFDIM symbols.
• GEODIM, WELDIM, and SURFDIM symbols can be edited after insertion.
• An IGES compatible character set is used for all symbols.
• The TAG command provides leader tagging for all symbols.
• Points can be tagged.

Version 1.21 ANSI Mechanical-January, 1991

• AutoCAD Release 11 paper space support added.
• Pull-down menus are movable.

Version 1.2 ANSI Mechanical-March, 1990

• Name is now ANSI Mechanical.
• The AXYDIM command provides automatic datum dimensioning.
• The APTLST command provides automatic parts list generation.

Version 1.1 DP-ANSI-October, 1989

• The HARDWARE command draws various types of 2D hardware.
• The HOLE command draws various types of of 2D holes.

Version 1.0 DP-ANSI-April, 1989

• Name is now DP-ANSI.
• The SETUP command provides a larger selection of formats.
• Part list and revision block locations are picked automatically.
• Layering is automated.
• Layer manipulation commands are provided.
• Text manipulation commands are provided.
• The GEODIM command conforms to ANSI standards.
• The WELDIM command draws welding symbols.
• The SURFDIM command draws surface finish symbols.
• The XYDIM command provides datum dimensioning.

Version 1.0 Mechanical Drafter-January, 1986

• First release.
• The SETUP facility provides standard drawing formats and scales.
• Part list and revision blocks are provided.
• The GEODIM facility provides geometric tolerancing.