This process does not seem all the different from software releases once you add the concept of release builds. The PDF sets seem to represent the compiled versions of the CAD sources intended for general consumption.
How do service and production users naturally navigate to the drawings they need? I would guess it is by Product->Version->PDF Drawing. If that's true, I wonder if they really need revision access by drawing that the CVS interface would give. Assuming the navigation above is reasonably accurate, you could implement a build system of sorts that pulls the CAD drawings from CVS and creates the set of PDF drawings for a release, probably also tagging the CAD sources in CVS. Then the problem becomes one of delivering the PDF sets (like software) instead of giving access to the CVS repository to non-qualified users. I would think a read-only directory structure ordered by product, release and then the PDFs would solve the access issue and support the navigation guessed at above. Adding an FTP or HTTP server over that directory structure would make access even easier depending on the environment. And if the served directory structure is logically laid out the build system could easily populate that as well. Of course the full blown build system assumes the PDF creation can be automated but a lot could also be gained by "building" off the PDF CVS module. I bet a lot of Engineers would be happy if they did not need to make PDFs by hand though... What CAD system are you using? I used to work in that industry (SDRC/CAMAX) a few years back. --Aric -----Original Message----- From: Bo Berglund [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Subject: [Cvsnt] Managing production drawings through CVS Has anyone used CVS to manage production drawings like this: 1) Engineering makes drawings using a CAD system. The drawing files are versioned in CVS. Engineers use WinCvs to accomplish CVS control. 2) When there is a release engineering makes a PDF file of the drawing and adds it to a different CVS module, which is accessible by production and service (they don't see the actual drawing 'source' directory). 3) Production and service accesses the versioned PDF files through some easy-to-use interface only for reading. There is never any commits from their side. I would like to know if such a system already exists or if I have to develop it myself. There is a need for a down-to-earth dead simple application where users can select from existing drawing files (PDF) and get the revision they need to their own workstations. The selection program should show them which revisions are available when they select a particular file. WinCvs is too complex and capable for this purpose and CVSWeb is also no good. Is there an alternative? Bo Berglund _______________________________________________ Cvsnt mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cvsnt.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/cvsnt
