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@begin(transparent, font avantgarde, size 18)@i(M.I.T. Ocean Engineering) @end(transparent)@begin(transparent, font helvetica, size 18)@y(B)@end(transparent)@begin(transparent, font souvenir, size 18) @p(Project Athena)@end(transparent)
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TO:@\Rita, Rich, Norbert, and Sharon

FROM:@\Ian Busch

SUBJ:@\Computer Aided Design Facilities

@\Integrated Computer Aided Engineering

@\Aachu II Program

DATE:@\5 July, 1989

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Rich, Norbert and I discussed the current status of @i(C)omputer @i(A)ided @i(E)ngineering (CAE) facilities available for use in the department as a whole, but with specific reference to the 13A program.  These discussions revealed the following facts:

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The current Ocean Engineering design programs involve the use of a great deal of computer aided engineering.  This involvement includes the use of such applications as Asset, AutoCAD, SHCP, SMP, Fortran Programming, C Programming, Spreadsheets, and Word Processing.

The design courses that use these applications frequently require the use of many of them on a single project.  Such courses include 13.412 and 13.461, courses that very nearly every 13A must take.  

Roughly half of the tools are Athena based and the other half are PC based.  Experience in the use of the design process is hampered by the delays coused by lack of integration of these design tools into a more modern CAE system.
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We further created a short list of what capabilities were resident on which systems:

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@b(Project Athena@\IBM PC's)
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Asset Design Tool@\AutoCAD Design Tool

TSS 88 Evaluation Tool@\SUBLAB Design Tool

SHCP Evaluation Tool@\Lotus Spreadsheets

SMP Evaluation Tool@\Word Processing

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With this situation in mind we decided to look into three different areas:

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We first looked at moving Athena design tools to the PC's.  The prospect of being able to do this is slim due to the lack of compatablity of Asset, SHCP, and SMP with PC's, MS-DOS, and OS/2.

Next we looked at moving the PC capabilities onto Athena.  Some limited spreadsheet and word processing capability is available on Athena, so the larges restiction was in the area of Computer Aided Design (AutoCAD).  AutoCAD may not be available in a version to run within Project Athena's environment (DEC/IBM workstations using the UNIX operating system and X Windows).  This possibility is being actively investigated.

Integrating Project Athena with the IBM PC equipment used primarily by the 13A students.  This might involve the addition of more network connections to both the Athena Cluster and the 13A computer room so as to be able to communicate the requisite data.  While the problem of finding capable applications software would be eliminated, the problems of communications software and installation expense would be increased.  This possibility is being actively investigated.
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We are collecting data on the most viable alternatives, and hope to present a feasibility report on the available options.

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