Introduction

What Is Icebreaker?

Icebreaker (IB) is an intranet-based Engineering Communications Application.

Icebreaker can be put to the following uses:
1. Engineering Communications using your intranet.
2. Pushing tailored packages of product information throughout the product development process.
3. Creating "light-weight" customized applications from existing data.
4. As a single "super-client" to retrieve, filter and interrogate data from multiple sources.
5. As a complimentary to major CAD, PDM and database systems.

The application is particularly designed to provide engineering and business information of the kind that is "loosely coupled" to product data, to individuals with access to a corporate intranet. Icebreaker is marketed by Icebreaker Communications Inc.
For example, the application is being targeted for use by individuals needing to communicate engineering information outside structured engineering information environments (PDM and ERP) - to field maintenance and service personnel, marketing and sales personnel, accounting and business management personnel, suppliers and customers, or anyone with a need to access data over a corporate intranet. Cimdata estimates that for every engineer there are between 10-22 others in the extended enterprise wanting to leverage engineering information to promote business efficienciency. Icebreaker is targeted to help these individuals.
Icebreaker is based on the Microsoft COM and Active Desktop specifications, and using the STEP EXPRESS language as the underlying data mapping and description medium.
The application is designed to allow a user to map to or collect diverse graphic (CAD) and non-graphic (business) information from existing data servers and sources, and to create personal project folders to communicate product information to any desired recipient with access to the intranet. The application uses an innovative "Virtual Database" to normalize different sources of data for visualization and interrogation, and to store data in a vendor independent format. For example, Icebreaker can allow a user create a single project folder referencing data from different CAD systems, PDM and ERP systems, normalized into a single, standard, vendor-independent format.
The user can add relevant notes, attach their own files, pointers and hotlinks, and selectively filter information to communicate only the information relative to their requirements.
Users can also create role-specific applications, to send or receive only the information that they require. For example, a project manager can set up Icebreaker to package and send necessary manufacturing, availability and cost data to their suppliers or field organizations, without having to access and coordinate a series of different engineering and IT systems. Icebreaker can output the project folder in HTML/VRML format for intranet or extranet communications and for viewing on any standard browser.
Summarizing, Icebreaker allows a user to:
1. Map to and add information from various sources into a personal project folder (a Virtual Database),
2. Filter that information for role-specific requirements, and
3. Publish that information on an intranet or on the Internet.
Initial PDM and ERP communications are through the native file system. Initial import/export translators include VRML/HTML, STL and STEP Part 21 formats with the associated EXPRESS Schema. The workstation platform is Windows NT or Windows 95. Hardware platforms should have between 32-48 MB of RAM, an internet connection and standard Netscape or Internet Explorer browser.
Icebreaker is not a PDM system; a CAD system or indeed an application oriented system. The best description of it is an Integration Platform that provides infrastructure functions and glue for integrating any type of application. It is the type of technology that enables enterprises to mix and match systems in distributed heterogeneous environment.

Adding Information From Various Sources

Starting Icebreaker

There are several ways to start Icebreaker:
1. Select Icebreaker from Windows95/NT the Start menu or double-click on an Icebreaker icon on the Window desktop.
2. Double-click on an *.imd file in MS Explorer, which will start Icebreaker and open the selected IB model. If IB is already started and you double-click on an *.imd in MS
Explorer, the IB model will be opened as an additional model in the IB session.

A Normal Session

Icebreaker has 4 key steps:
To Create A Folder Of Information
To Manage The Complexity Of The Folder
To Communicate The Folder
To Retrieve The Folder
A normal session can look like this:
Click the Windows Start button to find and select the Icebreaker program. It is normally located in the Programs menu.
Open the File menu, point to New and click Icebreaker model to create a new IB folder. Click the FS (File System) tab in the opened dialog box. The IB folder must have the fime name extension ".imd". The Folder View window will open automatically when you have created the folder.
Open the File menu and click Import to select and import a geometry file (VRML1, STL, p21). Select the File menu and click Map to map to a VRML2 file.
To open a new presentation unit window (a View), open the View menu and point to VR View, Folder View, Single Object View or Schema Browser View.
Add data to the objects shown in the different Views. A shortcut menu will appear when you click on an object with the right mouse button. Choose Edit to open the Edit dialog box and try setting Attribute values, User attributes, Comments and Links.
Navigate through the different Views of the IB folder you have created. For example in the VR View, click on the background with right mouse button to open a shortcut menu and click Properties. Click the Information tab in the Properties dialog box and set the metadata that you want to see when moving mouse over an object.
Try to edit the attached metadata. Try to activate attached links (point to a link, open the shortcut menu with the right mouse button and click Activate).
Try another presentation mode within the Folder View. Change from the default Tree mode to other modes. Click on the background with right mouse button to open the shortcut menu
Communicate the created Folder. Open the File menu and click Communicate. Select for example STEP p21 as your communication format and enter a file name to create a p21 file of your Folder.
Communicate the created Folder once again, but use the HTML format. Open the HTML-file with your browser.
Save your Icebreaker Model. On the File menu, point to Save.
Exit Icebreaker. On the File menu, point to Exit.

Desktop

Main Window Layout

The Icebreaker window which opens when you start IB is the framework for all other windows in IB.
 The first row in the Main Window is the title bar with the application name and buttons for minimizing, maximizing and closing the IB Main window. The first row also displays the path and file name of the currently selected Icebreaker model.
The second row is the IB Menu Bar. The third row is the IB Toolbar. The bottom row in the Main Window is the Status Bar which used to display information on for example the use of a field or a button.

Menu Bar
The IB Menu bar is located in the upper part of the IB Main window. You can choose any menu with the keyboard. Press Alt + the letter underlined in the menu name, and then press the letter underlined in the menu item name.

The File menu includes a number of general commands and utilities:
The Edit menu includes commands for editing of objects.
The View menu includes commands for for display of different Presentation Units.
The Model menu provides a means to the select a particular IB model, in case you have opened more than one model. Currently opened models are listed in the Model menu.
The Tools menu provides access to the Condition and Filter Editor.
The Window menu provides tools for management and selection of windows.
The Help menu gives you access to the IB Help Topics and the About IB dialog box.

 The IB Menu bar will include buttons for minimizing, maximizing and closing a Presentation Unit window in the upper-right corner, when you have maximized such a window.

Toolbar
The IB Toolbar is located in the upper part of the IB Main window. The toolbar controls have the following functions:

Status Bar
The Status Bar is located in the bottom row of the IB Main Window. It is used by IB to display information on for example the use of a field or a button, when you let the mouse pointer pass a control.

Integrated Windows
IB uses a Multiple Document Interface (MDI), where all other windows are integrated with and enclosed by the IB Main window. These secondary windows can be arranged with the Window menu. The secondary windows are also called Presentation units, as they are syncronized to display different units of information or views of the same objects

Dialog Boxes
A dialog box is a window which cannot be minimized or maximized, only closed. IB uses various dialog boxes containing command buttons and various kinds of options through which users can carry out a particular command or task. For example, in the Import dialog box, the user can select a folder and a file to be imported or the Properties dialog box where the user can set certain display properties.

Keyboard
Alt +
The IB Menu bar is located in the upper part of the IB Main window. You can choose any menu on the IB menu bar with the keyboard. Press Alt + the letter underlined in the menu name, and then press the letter underlined in the menu item name.

Ctrl + C
Copy the selected text onto the Clipboard. You can for example use it when you edit commands in the Condition & Filter Edit dialog box. This key combination can be different for other operating system languages than English. Please refer to Windows Help.

Ctrl + O
To be completed.

Ctrl + V
Paste the text contents of the Clipboard at the insertion point. You can for example use it when you edit commands in the Condition & Filter Edit dialog box. This key combination can be different for other operating system languages than English. Please refer to Windows Help.

Ctrl + X
Cut the text selection and copy it onto the Clipboard. You can for example use it when you edit commands in the Condition & Filter Edit dialog box. This key combination can be different for other operating system languages than English. Please refer to Windows Help.

Ctrl + Z
Undo typing of text. You can for example use it when you edit commands in the Condition & Filter Edit dialog box. This key combination can be different for other operating system languages than English. Please refer to Windows Help.

Esc
Pressing Esc has the same effect as clicking the Cancel button in a dialog box.

F1
Open field- or window-related help. Select a window or a field and press F1.

Mouse
General Mouse Functionality

Left Mouse + Normal Cursor
Select objects and controls by pressing the left mouse.

Left Mouse + Cross Cursor
Change size of the right part of Folder View. Change width of the columns presented in the right part of Folder View. The normal cursor changes to a cross cursor when you point to the delimiting border or a column label. Hold left mouse and move the mouse pointer to change size or position of label or border.

Right Mouse
Select an object or an empty background (in VR View) and click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu with commands related to the selected object.
Extra mouse functionality is available in VR View only.

Support

Web Support
Connect to Icebreaker Communications website at http://193.208.80.127 for information on new releases, upgrades and release information. Please send error reports to mailto:ulfli@cascade.se.

Working

Creating A Folder Of Information
The IB model persistent storage includes the File menu commands New, Open, Close and Save. The New IB model command creates a file in single user mode. The Save IB model command is an incremental save (only changed objects are saved for best performance). IB can manage multiple IB models in the same IB session. If IB is started and you drag an *.imd file from MS Explorer and drop the IB Model into the empty desktop of IB, then IB will open the IB Model.
To be able to import a created Folder (IB model) into another IB model; save the Folder you have created or communicate the Folder to STEP p21 file(s) and then Import p21 file(s) into a new Folder.
The different IB Presentation Units are opened with the View menu. The Presentation units allow you to view different aspects of the data in the Virtual Data Base. They are
1. The Folder View
2. The Virtual Reality View
3. the Single Object View (shows all data on a part of a selected object, compare with the EXPRESS schema cco.exp)
4. The Schema Browser View (empty, for storyboarding purposes)
Icebreaker cans, at the moment import the following geometry objects:
5. STL ASCII and binary, default material is associated when presented in the VR View
6. VRML 1.0
7. STEP p21 with associated data schema
Icebreaker can, at the moment, map to the following data sources
8. VRML 2.0 (priority 1 entities, see also the data schema vrml2.exp, found in the product). Note that this a prototype. Try to map the table2.wrl. The "translation" behavior interface has not been fully implemented yet (allowing you to move objects in the VR View).

Managing The Complexity Of The Folder

Icebreaker will try to have a minimal amount of tools and menus in order to have a clean user interface, using the context sensitive right mouse button instead.
Selecting an object in the Virtual DataBase can be done from Folder View or VR View. If another object wants to be added to the selection set, use the right mouse menu, alternative "add to selection".
General Property settings are defined by
1. Desktop setting (Background color of empty desktop, startup text)
2. User Info (Personal data per User Id, Company data) which will be used in created Communication Baskets
Property settings in the VR View are defined by clicking in the VR background with the right mouse button:
1. Background color and use of bitmap background
2. Movement of mouse
3. Camera - startup view, fit model to window at startup, etc
4. Information (VR Visual Info)

Icebreaker can be used using different Roles, in the Beta releases having a number of pre defined roles. You can also define a role by simply use existing role definition files as templates and create new roles. The preliminary syntax for the role configuration can be found in the file ?...Icebreaker\config\roles_readme.txt?.

Communicating The Folder

The communication basket of type HTML can be easily fine tuned by the IB user or the IT manager. A number of "tags" can be used in the template HTML files, for user specific requirements. Note that the Communication Baskets are not filtered in any way at this release, to be implemented in later releases. Note also that there will come other types of Communication baskets (HTML+VRML2, Icebreaker models etc) in later releases.

This release can Communicate the IB Folder into the following types of Communication Baskets :
1. STEP p21
2. HTML , prototype
3. VRML2, prototype

Responding To Received Communication Baskets

In this version the feedback loop is of type "trace back to sender, give overall feedback", to be more enhanced in later versions. Create a Communication Basket of type HTML and test to give feedback through normal email.
Note that we will introduce much more sophisticated feedback loops in later releases.

Administration
The Icebreaker client initialize file "icebr.ini" is containing data of the levels (directories) where product data (.pd) files are located. Definitions of own conditions can be done using the tool "Condition Editor". The tool can be accessed using the role "administrator" or the role "product modeller". The tool is placed at the menu bar "Tools". Regarding the condition syntax - a first draft can be found at our Web Site. If you write your own conditions - note that we might change the syntax before Icebreaker FCS.
All files with file extension ".imd" will have the Icebreaker application associated to them which will be verified by the Icebreaker icon on the file type.
IB Global Server is prepared for Beta sites, click on the "Global Server" tool within Icebreaker to have direct access. Your default Internet Browser will start by clicking on this tool. You have to give Your UserId and password to access the Web Site.
Icebreaker is installed as a normal MS Windows application with minimal configuration of IB at Client level.
Installation and How to Use info to be found on IB the Global Server > Support > Gold Beta Program.
1. Icebreaker ReadMe file
2. Test Prerequisite and Installation
3. Demo files (native files like STL, VRML1, VRML2, STEP p21), videos, etc

User Function

Preferences

General Preferences
You can define a few personal preferences and properties for your IB installation. They are valid for the User ID you enter when you log on to Windows.
1. Place the mouse pointer in a free space in the IB Main window, away from any open Presentation Units and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
2. Click Properties to open the General Preferences dialog box.
3. Click the Desktop tab to set your desktop background color and the IB startup message.
4. Click the User Info tab and enter your personal and company data.
The User Info data will accompany the output when you communicate a folder.

VR View Background
You can define your own background color and background image in VR View.
1. Open a VR View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in VR View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
4. Click the Background tab and select a VR View background color properties or select a background bitmap.

Moving Objects
You can set the object speed and acceleration when moving objects in VR View.
1. Open a VR View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in VR View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
4. Click the Movement tab and set your sensitivity preferences.
Your preferences will affect any object movement in VR View with the left set of buttons

Camera Projection
You can set current camera projection of objects and parts of objects (spheres and cylinders) in VR View.
1. Open a VR View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Point to Camera wiev and select an option.
You can also set startup properties for the camera projection of all objects in VR View. The startup properties are saved with each Icebreaker model.
1. Open a VR View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in VR View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
4. Click the Camera tab and set startup properties.

Information Display
You can display information automatically on-screen in VR View about attributes, user attributes, comments and links attached to an object, when the mouse pointer passes an object. You can also select what information to display in the hint label.
1. Open a VR View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in VR View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
4. Click the Information tab and select what information you want to display.

You can turn off or on the object information display function.
1. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in VR View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
2. Click VR Visual Info to turn on or off display of object information.

Filter, Condition and Role

Filters
There is a filter object facility available within the Folder View and the VR View. You define what you want to see (for example comments and links) by selecting type of attributes in a dialog box. If no selection of attributes is made all attributes will be shown.
1. Open a VR or Folder View.
2. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in the View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
3. Click Filter (in the VR View) or point to List view and click Filter (in the Folder View) to open the Filter dialog box and select the type of attributes you want to display.

Conditions
Both the Folder View and the VR View includes a function for applying conditions for listing of nodes. This gives you the ability to only show the nodes that match a defined condition.
In Folder View:
1. Select a condition using the List mode conditions combo box located to the left on the last row of the Folder View.
2. Apply the conditions by clicking the List mode check box.

In VR View:
1. Place the mouse pointer away from any object in the View and press the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
2. Point to Show and select a condition.
The predefined conditions are:
1. Show all nodes (default)
2. Show only nodes with attached comments
3. Show only nodes with attached attributes
4. Show only nodes with attached links
5. Show only nodes with any attached data (nodes with an attribute or a comment or a link attached)
6. Show nodes defined for your role

Example:
1. Open a Folder View with default presentation mode (tree representation of all objects)
2. Open another Folder View with the condition ? show only nodes with attached comments? which will show only those nodes which have comments attached to them.
3. Open a VR View and show nodes which have comments attached to them.
For example if you apply the condition show only nodes with attached links? you will get a list of all nodes with links attached, without any sub nodes. A message will be displayed in the right part of the last row in the Folder View showing the number of nodes matching the used condition. Note that more than one Folder View can be opened to present data within an IB model. One Folder View can show all nodes (default) and another Folder View can show? show only nodes with any attached data?

Roles

The IB Roles definition functionality applies a set of parameters defined for a role.
The selected role defines
1. what Presentation Units to open when opening an IB model and
2. what Presentation Units and User Interface tools are available.

The following roles are predefined:
1. A viewer, which is a user with access to a limited functionality. This role can only view data, not even activate a link. The default rendering style in VR View is set to flat. The default presentation unit is Folder View.
2. A navigator, which is a user that can activate links and more. No editing tools are available for the navigator. The default rendering style is smooth. The default presentation unit is VR View.
3. A designer, with access to the normal set of User Interface tools, including editing. This is the default role when you start Icebreaker. The default role will be definable and based on the Windows User ID in a later release of Icebreaker.
4. A product modeller, with access to more or less all the User Interface tools available, including the Condition Editor tool available from the Tools menu. The default rendering style is wireframe.
5. An administrator with access to all available User Interface tools, including the Condition Editor tool available from the Tools menu.

In the coming release of Icebreaker, the selected role will also define

1. what base condition to use,
2. what base filter to use,
3. what metaschema view to use and
4. the settings of Runtime Flags (in order to change behavior of the Presentation Units).
The coming release will also include the possibility to define a default role for a Windows User ID.

Presentation Unit

Folder

Folder View Usage
The Folder View Presentation Unit is used to display a tree view (left part of the window) and a list view (right part of the window) of the IB model objects and to edit the associated data schema.
General functionality:
1. collapse/expand all branches, collapse/expand the current node
2. show current node and all nodes that can be selected
3. contains both a tree representation (left) and a list view (right)
4. Right mouse menu functionality:
over a node - activate link (if available), edit, collapse, expand, etc
over an empty background - detail behavior of tree- and list- part of the Folder View
In order to print the tree structure, click the right mouse button over an empty space in the Folder View. On the shortcut menu, point to Tree, and then click Save to file to save the tree structure to a file (call it for example folderview.txtin the Icebreaker product directory.

Virtual Reality

VR View Usage
The VR View Presentation Unit is used to view and model geometry objects and to edit the associated data schema. Open the View menu, click VR View to open a new Virtual Reality View. VR View contains tool buttons for walking, sliding, zooming, spinning and flying with a geometry object. You can fit an object to the VR View window size, select part of an object, move or rotate the selected object part and clear your selection. You can also look at an enlarged image of a particular part of an object.

¡¡VR View Tool Buttons¡¡

Single Object

Single Object View
The Single Object View shows in a compressed text view the data of the selected node.
It can show information of a selected object or a pre selected object (holding mouse pointer over an object in the VR View.

ODBC

ODBC Connectivity

Overview
The OLE DB Mapping in Icebrekaer is based on ADO - Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects (see http://www.microsoft.com/ado for more info). This release is a prototype of an OLE DB Mapping. It will be enhanced with better UI in future. Icebreaker will support a number of RDB mapping systems through OLE DB, where this will be one of them. This implementation is based on queries to RDB's where the result is presented in Icebreaker. Other mapping will be more direct mappings from tables to enitites.
This mapping is a Read and Write mapping. Data changed in Icebreaker will be directly passed to the RDB and changes in RDB will be periodically checked and updated in Icebreaker.

Software requirements
1. Windows 95, NT 4.0 or higher.
2. MS Office 97 (MS Access is used in our examples) with ODBC option (opt. samples)
3. ODBC 3.x Driver Manager (if not using MS Office 97) sees http://www.microsoft.com/ado and downloads the ODBC driver.
4. ADO 1.1 QFE, downloadable from: http://www.microsoft.com/ado.
In the examples we have used an MS Access database called "Northwind", this database is delivered as a sample with MS Office 97. We recomend you use for initial testing.

Example
This example maps to an MS Access data base called Northwind, which is provided from Microsoft as an example database for MS Access. The mapping gets all employees into Icebreker. The db connection and queries shall be defined in a file with the file extension *.odm On the Icebreaker File menu, click Map and select OLEDB Mapping as the filetype. Select an .odm file. The .odm file must exist when reopening the Icebreaker model.
The .odm file has the following layout (by row numbers):
1 <DB Collection string>
2 <User>
3 <Password>
4 <Update/Refersh frequency>
5 <Query Mapped EXPRESS Entity>
6 <Name of query>
7 <SQL query (If the provider is a SQL system)>
8 <Columns to be presented in Icebreaker>

Row 5 to 8 can be repeated for multiple queries per OLE DB connection.

An example:

OLE_DB_NWind_Jet;
# The DSN is configured in ODBC See D)
Admin
# Username
# No password
7 3
# Requery every 7th time, Refresh 3rd
MultiRowQuery
# Create a MultiRowQuery Entity in IB
Employees at Northwind
# Name of query
select LastName, FirstName from Employees;
# SQL query
LastName FirstName
# Columns to be presented in IB

How to create an ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) for an MS Access database
This example creates a User DSN for an MS Access DB on NT 4.0 or Windows95:
1) Click the Windows Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2) Double-click the ODBC icon to start the ODBC Data Source Administrator.
3) Click the User DSN tab.
4) If you want to configure an existing DSN; select the MS-Access 97 Database Microsoft Access driver (*.mdb) and click the Configure button. If you want to add a new DSN, click the Add button. Create a new data source and select Microsoft Access driver (*.mdb). Click Finish to close the Create New Data Source dialog box.
5) Enter a Data Source Name. Enter a description (optional). Click the Select button to select an *.mdb file. Click the OK button for each dialog box.

The Access database can now be mapped into Icebreaker using the DSN name.