+3

Backwards compatability with Xact

Kingsld1 2 years ago in Metrology Software / PC-DMIS updated by Milton Cortez 2 years ago 7

Want backwards compatibility with Xact measure for GD&T. I have hundreds of programs that would need to be reviewed. I'm in a regulated industry and can just imagine the chaos that would happen with changing to the new scheme. I appreciate the effort and improvements in the update to the new scheme. However, the costs and headaches involved in ensuring that older programs will provide the same results are going to hold us back. I have gotten around updating previous release updates by arguing that the changes are relatively minor and are mainly programming aids.   This is a major change.   

Other alternative would be a way to not allow Xact measurement routines to not run at all.

Late to the party and realize it's probably not possible but still....

Hello Kingsld1,

When you stated backwards compatibility with Xact measure for GD&T, do you mean that the "new" Geometric Tolerance Command, should be compatible?

At the moment, my company is thinking about updating to version 2021 or v2022.

I have v2021.2 on my test PC. I have opened a few programs. All the programs that have been programmed with Xact are showing one error or another. Programs that have been programed in "Legacy" seem to be OK.

We have literally hundreds of programs with Xact.


What would also be nice would be a Pull down menu, with the choice of ASME.

+1

I have been asking for the same, a dropdown menu that allows the programmer to choose the applicable ASME. Not all drawing requirements meet the same ASME version and we are a customer driven industry and they are not going to change drawing based on us asking to please update drawings each time the software does not match their requirements. This can escalate and puts us at risk of loosing contracts. unless this hits Hexagon in the pocket they don't see it as necessary.

Instead of telling us to use older version of PC-DMIS, why cant they release each new version with the option to apply the ASME we need? When is hexagon going to realize that instead of helping the inspection world they are creating more work for us. yet we keep paying them to create more work for us, unacceptable!

The Geometric Tolerance Command should have been layered on top of Xact in the same way that Xact was layered on top of Legacy.   In that way, new programs could be created in Geometric and Existing programs could continue to be run with Xact; all with the ability to take advantage of the other improvements and fixes in the software.  A 3 to 5 year plan, prominently advertised, could be developed to get rid of Xact that would allow users the time needed to update programs and test results.

Kingsld1,

I have resently spoken to our PC_Dmis Application Engineer in NL. According to him, this is it.

We have to change the programs!!

I do agree with you, Xact and Geometric Tolerance Command running together would have been better.

By the way, are you a "Games of Thrones" fan.

Your name looks like Kings Landing :-)

My family was minor nobility near Dublin, Ireland around 400 years ago.   Family name was Barnwall.  My branch of the family took on the estate name of Kingsland.  Emigrated to New Jersey in the US by way of Barbados and eventually made our way to Missouri.  So, there was some real life Game of Thrones back in the day.

I have no votes left, but agree and vote for this.  A means to allow for XACT commands to execute.  We have not elimiated Legacy dimensions, why should we have XACTGD&T even if we considered it needed revamping.

At the same time, everyone keep in mind that maintaining backwards compatibility implies a core product riddle with code that new users do not have need for and possible instability.

PC-DMIS is the only metrology software out there that still allows people to run PCDMIS routines from early 2000.
This is very often not valued at all by end users.

Nice story.

My grandma also comes from Ireland, a town called Wicklow. In the 1900's she moved to GB, where she met my grandfather. (He served in WW1 in India)

So no real Game of Thrones there.

I'll vote for your 

Backwards compatability with Xact