Why use UNIX® ?
A few years ago, Lectra started to become interested in data base systems requiring the use of a more powerful system which should be multi-task and multi-user. After some teething problems with the Unix-like, the choice wavered to implementing the UNIX® AT&T System V3.2 for 680x0 architecture. The small team of which I am a member have managed to port the Unisoft sources as well as the X Window System graphic environment.Lectra then decided to develop a new line of computers based on 68040 processors, much more powerful than the 68030. The operating system used was the UNIX® USL SVR4.0 version and another port was made.
Although this task proved to be very interesting we were
still persuaded that this computer (named OpenCad) would be
the last one designed from scratch by the R&D teams. A few
people continued to show interest but working for series
that were too small were no longer able to continue fighting
in a hardware market that was being lead by race against
power, low cost prices...
After some comparative tests between the different UNIX® versions on PC,
it was decided to use LINUX which proved to be
sturdy, have a high performance and at the right price. In
having the sources of the system available proved to be advantageous
for LINUX as we use many special peripherals to
which the adaptation would be much more difficult on a UNIX®
owner.
The main advantage when choosing LINUX in this domain is
that it has the possibility of creating an installation procedure
that is extremely precise (only what is required is
installed) and it is therefore very quick (the current Lectra
Desktop version takes less than 10 minutes to install on
a Pentium 120).
The different packages are managed as ISO-9660 files (with
Rock-Ridge extension) from a LINUX structure using the mkisofs
program, then the ISO images are engraved on the
master CD using a PC under ...Windows®.
The port of OpenPartner to the UNIX® environment accompanies
the addition of the administration functions of the station
by a privileged user, in particular :
Here is an example of the main window in the OpenPartner environment
with the package management utility (P-Manager).
One of the important tasks was to develop a printer management
system that could be extended and was easy to use.
Even when supporting UNIX®, we have to admit that the print
system on Windows® or even MaCOS is much clearer and easier
to use than on our favourite OS. Furthermore, all the
printers currently commercialised are supplied with their
own Windows® or MacOS® driver.
Our print system (operating client/server) uses the Ghostscript
program which manages different types of printers (PCL, PostScript, raster)
on varied connections (serial line, Centronics, network, SCSI).
A graphic tool integrated in OpenPartner (I-Manager)
is used to select only the printer characteristics that are
used (the list then appears in the print selector of Lectra
applications).
Some countries only deal with the design or only the production
and supply several major marks ....
The result of this situation for a company such as Lectra is
that it is absolutely essential to design open software as
very few customers will buy a complete series and it is
therefore necessary to know how to communicate with competing software.
Another important constraint is to support lots of languages such as japanese,
chinese or russian. This is done by using tools such
as asiatic front-end-processor under X11.
On first approach, we could remove the following stages when
designing a garment.
The ProStyle® software offers above all the previous functions
on a high performance LINUX PC (Pentium 120 with Diamond
Stealth S3-968 graphic board, 16 million colours). Sublimation
printouts (mostly SCSI) are also available. The software
also concerns the Silicon Graphics architecture.
Here is a view of the initial screen of the Modaris® application,
Lectra application designed for the pattern maker :
The Diamino® software working on LINUX PC has a
semiautomatic marker which makes work easier for the marker maker
as it facilitates positioning the piece. It also has a
new automatic marking module (which marks all the pieces on
the width without any manual intervention) of which the
performances today are nearing 2% of one of a professional
marker.
With the current PC architecture it is now possible to obtain
such a result at a very attractive price whereas only a
few years ago, the economic existence of an efficient module
for the automatic marker was impossible due to material
costs. Below is an evolution of the automatic marker making
performances depending on the architecture used (time in
seconds).
The first two columns concern the old Lectra X400 and X410
computers respectively based on the 68030 and 68040 processors
operating under System V R4.
The 3 PC's (DX2/66, Pentium75, Pentium120,) operating under
LINUX-1.2.13.
The previous range of products from Lectra required the purchase
of a computer per plotter or cutter as the MILOS operating
system of the computers was mono-task (the plotters
and cutters were run by serial channel).
The new VigiPrint® software developed under LINUX
controls
about ten plotters simultaneous meaning a save in cost that
should not be neglected when purchasing the configuration
together with much more facility in controlling the plot
(managing the plotters on the same screen). The number of
cutters managed by the software is limited to only one for
security reasons (the operator must be attentive to any
blade break or other anomaly). The cut is made either with
a blade (most common), a high pressure water jet (2000 bars)
or a laser beam.
Below a screen from the StyleBinder software under LINUX.
However, the problems encountered are limited in number :
Other subjects have caused us (and are sometimes still causing us)
a few worries.
The new orientations which were announced during the last
LINUX congress in Berlin has (improvement of the Virtual
File System, Optimisation of the EXT2 file system, WABI Windows® emulator,
multi-processor, adoption of LINUX by Digital) assured us
that LINUX has acquired much industrial maturity.
Furthermore, the choice of a PC platform enables offering
the customer the possibility to have the industrial and bureautic
applications on the same machine (with LINUX/Windows®
double boot). The performant emulation of Windows® will most
likely be an important asset for the generalisation of LINUX
in the industrial desktop solutions.
1995, Lectra's cultural revolution
Despite OpenCad's commercial success at our customers, Lectra's
management quite rightly decided to launch the development
of a completely new range of products that were mainly targeted at an
Intel 486 and Pentium architecture still
with a UNIX® environment and X Window system. The data base
applications using many resources would on the other hand be
targeted to SUN SPARC architecture.
Developments under LINUX
The system having been chosen, now meant adapting LINUX to
an industrial solution. It is quite clear that UNIX® (and
therefore LINUX) is slightly more difficult for a final operator to use.
This adaptation must be done in two stages :
Installation procedure
The Lectra distribution uses the same principles as the distributions
to develop (2 boot floppies and a CD-ROM). The
installation screens use dialog-0.3, which has proved to be
extremely simple and powerful when it comes to creating a
series of installation screens. Here is the main Lectra
LINUX installation window :
In comparison, the same desktop version on
a Solaris® target takes nearly an hour as it necessary to install
the Solaris® CD first followed by Solaris® patches then last
of all the Lectra Desktop...
OpenPartner® Desktop
The first graphic applications under MILOS had a very spartan
look, this was due to the weak performances of the
graphic controllers at that time (beginning of the 1980's).
The screens, even although they were graphic could only manage
16 colours and moreover they did not use multi-windows.
Hastened by competition, in 1990 Lectra decided to develop
the graphic interfaces to a multi-window system facilitating
the operator's work for basic operations such as launching
applications or working with files. This tool called
OpenPartner® was initially developed for the MILOS target
using a low level owner library (similar to Xlib
calls). The structure of the interface seemed very similar
to that of the Xt/Intrinsics Widgets hierarchy, this in view of a next
port and some towards the UNIX®/X11 environment.
Lectra applications
The applications are intended for the industrial professionals in Apparel.
The garment is designed in various stages
and corresponds to different trades. One of the industrial
characteristics in Apparel is the resort that is made to
sub-contractors and delocalisation. Various stages of the
apparel could be realised by the apparel maker yet production
could be sub-contracted to another country.
Design
The designer has to create a garment model like an artistic
drawing. His/her work is mainly based on the choice of
shapes, colours, types of fabrics that can be used.
The advantages in having a data processing tool is clear. Other
than the possibility of working on an "electronic sheet",
the software enables the pattern maker to import fabric motifs
(in an electronic form or even using a scanner), to
file the suggestions of different collections, to make fabric
simulations in 2D or 3D.
Pattern making
The pattern makers must create the pattern of the garment
(the plan with quotation) from the information given by the
designer. He/she must also manage the different sizes
available (grading). The information of this phase is one
of the most interesting (with the marker) as is has a high
turn-over (the number of patterns produced).
The marker
The marker maker must optimise the material use (the piece
of fabric called width) depending on the list of pieces given
by the pattern maker. The quality of the work of a marker
maker is expressed in the efficiency of a marker (which
corresponds to the material quantity used in relation to the
material loss). A good marker had an average efficiency of
85% meaning that 15% of the material is lost. A gain of a
few tenths of % in production can have important economic
consequences when it concerns costly materials such as
leather or high quality fabrics.
The cut and plot
The cut of the pieces can be done by hand or with a cutting
machine which has a better turnover advantage. In some cases,
you do not cut the pieces but just
plot
the shapes on a paper support to give to the sub-contractor.
The production management
It enables managing all the data manipulated by the previous
trades. In this way, it is possible to define for a given
product the production follow-up folders which are filed in
the relational data bases. These bases make it possible to
file various elements of a previous collection and re-use
them in a current collection (MasterLink and StyleBinder
software).
Problems encountered
The main problem is the integration of new peripherals, the
PC world being literally in the hands of Microsoft. Some
peripheral constructors (mainly small constructors) are attentive
to the LINUX evolution and collaborate easily when
elaborating drivers. The large structures are much more
difficult to convince and they are often hidden behind the
imperatives of "marketing strategy" refusing to supply the
information required. Generally they refuse to accept any
solution other than Microsoft® especially when it concerns
technical supports, the development teams rarely being directly
accessible in such structures.
Conclusion
The experience of the new Lectra range shows that is possible
to build an industrial solution under LINUX. The system
is stable, powerful, study and it is possible to gather a
wide range of information thanks to Internet, which has
proved to have the highest performance in technical support.
Just by having system sources makes it possible to develop
more functions more easily (material drivers or individual
protocols, specific file-systems).
