Abstract: To provide a method of assisting in the design of a vehicular suspension by allowing definition points inherent in suspensions to be easily recognized regardless of the different types and mechanisms thereof, and allowing specification values to be simply entered at the definition points. A method of assisting in the design of a vehicular suspension to generate a simulation model for a suspension using a CAD system includes the steps of indicating a suspension to be designed, opening a specification value entering window for entering specification values inherent in the indicated suspension, entering specification values at definition points inherent in the indicated suspension in the specification value entering window, and generating a simulation model based on the specification values at the definition points.

Abstract: A graphic form correction apparatus and method for a CAD system wherein a display position of a dimension-relating symbol such as a dimension line, an extension line or a dimension value entered on a two-dimensional graphic form is automatically corrected in response to a correction of the two-dimensional graphic form. The graphic form correction apparatus includes an additional symbol arrangement section for arranging an additional symbol such as a finish symbol or a surface roughness in the proximity of the dimension-relating symbol, and an additional symbol position storage section for storing a display position of the additional symbol and a display position of the dimension-relating symbol in a coordinated relationship.

Abstract: To provide a method of assisting in the design of a vehicular suspension by allowing definition points inherent in suspensions to be easily recognized regardless of the different types and mechanisms thereof, and allowing specification values to be simply entered at the definition points. A method of assisting in the design of a vehicular suspension to generate a simulation model for a suspension using a CAD system includes the steps of indicating a suspension to be designed, opening a specification value entering window for entering specification values inherent in the indicated suspension, entering specification values at definition points inherent in the indicated suspension in the specification value entering window, and generating a simulation model based on the specification values at the definition points.

Abstract: A graphic form correction apparatus and method for a CAD system wherein a display position of a dimension-relating symbol such as a dimension line, an extension line or a dimension value entered on a two-dimensional graphic form is automatically corrected in response to a correction of the two-dimensional graphic form. The graphic form correction apparatus includes an additional symbol arrangement section for arranging an additional symbol such as a finish symbol or a surface roughness in the proximity of the dimension-relating symbol, and an additional symbol position storage section for storing a display position of the additional symbol and a display position of the dimension-relating symbol in a coordinated relationship.

Abstract: To dramatically shorten the time for making three-dimensional CAD drawings from two-dimensional CAD drawings and simplify inputting work to be carried out by operators, a data reading unit reads two-dimensional CAD data made by a two-dimensional CAD system, a figure allotting unit allots a plurality of figures formed of read-in two-dimensional CAD data to at least two reference planes, an outermost contour line extracting unit extracts outermost contour lines for each figure occurring at the reference planes allotted to the figures, a solid element making unit constructs solid elements for shapes extending in a direction of normal to reference planes corresponding to the extracted outermost contour lines and a solid element synthesizing unit synthesizes the constructed plurality of solid elements so as to make three-dimensional CAD data based on the two-dimensional CAD data.

Abstract: The CAD system of the present invention allows an operator to easily recognize actual clearance values between displayed parts and provides clearance value optimization through simple operator intervention. The CAD system includes a main memory, a CRT display unit, a keyboard and a CPU. The main memory contains CAD data of a plurality of parts. The CRT display unit displays image data corresponding to the CAD data. The keyboard allows the operator to plot or draw figures and to input values. In response to the operations on the keyboard, the CPU reads CAD data of desired parts from the main memory and combines the image data corresponding to the retrieved CAD data for display on the CRT display unit. The CPU calculates the clearance of the image data of the displayed parts and displays the clearance using contour lines set apart as calculated. The CPU also corrects the clearance between the displayed parts in accordance with operator instruction.