Download - Challenges of Industrial Design
Hardware Documentation Challenges of Industrial Design Rebecca Firestone Senior Technical Writer – Applications Engineering Group Zep Solar, Inc.
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Solution Example: ZS Comp™ For Composition Shingle Roofs
Additional solutions for Tile, Corrugated Metal, Standing Seam Metal, Trapezoidal Metal, Commercial Flat Roof – more always in development
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Hardware vs. Software
Software documentation focuses on text Graphics, if present, are screenshots or flowcharts
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Image: clker.com
What if one part in this picture changes?
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Mechanical Hardware
No computer components or EE diagrams Must convey specific, gestural qualities of installation technique A picture is worth 1000 words… But only if it’s the right one
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“Make it like Ikea…”
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For Example…
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How many words would it take to explain these three pictures?
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The Zep Compatible™ Platform
Hardware mates without fasteners Value prop: speed, efficiency, standardization
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PV Module with custom extruded grooved frame
Leveling Foot Interlock
Rockit
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Plug and Play
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PV Modules “drop in”
Self-installing, auto grounding
Rockit inserts Next module drops in behind
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PV Modules Form Structural Matrix
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This is very different from conventional rail-based PV installations
Front Back
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Well, So What?
How’s this so different from software docs?
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Let me count the ways.
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1: Change Management
Software: Text, paragraphs and words may change Hardware: Within a single composite graphic, any part may change
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850-1184 Leveling Foot, v2
850-1397 Leveling Foot, v3
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2: Measuring Software Docs Quality
Accurate, no missing bits, helpful hints, user-tested First-time user can successfully use the product Explicit, about the right things
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Quality Hardware Documentation
Hardware: As short and simple as possible. No words. Graphics must match current part designs… EXACTLY.
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“… But, I’m a WRITER! Who ever heard of a document without any words?”
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As It Turns Out…
We couldn’t get rid of ALL the words Some things just didn’t make any sense
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I have an idea! Let’s just cut out every third page!
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Trial and Error
Legacy efforts Adobe Illustrator: longer lifespan, time-consuming Contract Writer: no budget for fine-tuning
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Low resolution JPEG No source files
Adobe Illustrator Inspirational quality
Image by A. Hernandez Image by J. Brown
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Historical Aside… Female installer started out life as a man Not an exact trace
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Finding Good Examples I needed a vocabulary and a bag of tricks… a “style” Google searches for “technical illustration”, “perspective”, and other similar items turned up a wealth of images and sites Rare to find someone who’s equally good at both writing and drawing
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Left Brain Right Brain
8 Steps to Victory
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Technical Illustration Styles and Standards
Basic CAD or line drawings
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Direct render, no enhancements Typical manual illustration
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Technical Illustration Styles and Standards
Shading, line weight, simplification
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© Jim Hatch Illustration
Lots of great examples to learn from
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Technical Illustration Styles and Standards
Spot color Limited palette
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© James Provost
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Technical Illustration Styles and Standards
Slick Illustrator stuff takes upwards of 600 hours per image
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© Jay Montgomery
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168 SolidWorks exports up to 55MB each 224 imported graphic images 4-8 weeks, mainly sequencing SolidWorks takes 3 days Localization Repeat for 6 product families
One Manual Contains…
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Yellow = universal Orange = varies by family Fuschia = product version(s) Cyan = localization Purple = doc and revision Red = datestamp
Change Points
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Process
SolidWorks Export to 3D PDF Open PDF and zoom/pan to desired shot Screen Capture as .PNG Edit .PNG in Photoshop Occasional detours into Adobe Illustrator Save final as JPEG, GIF Import into FrameMaker at specified DPI
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Step 1 – Set Up the Shot
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3D SolidWorks assemblies
Save out of SolidWorks as a 3D PDF file
Open in Acrobat X
Roll, pan, zoom
Screen capture
.PNG file
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Step 2 – Screen Capture
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.PNG file
… but it’s kinda … gray… We want the hardware to stand out more.
Cam Foot
Spanner Bar
Tile Hook
Roof Tiles
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Use Lasso tool to define and save selections Save in native Photoshop format including alpha channels (selections)
Step 3 – Open in Photoshop
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Selectively lighten each piece of hardware to enhance visual contrast Roof is lightest Use Levels dialog
Step 4 – Lightening
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Step 5 – Add Outlines
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Load selection Select inverse Expand by 1 pixel
Paintbrush 12 pixel Soft round
Outer edges Inner edges
Process is very subjective!
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Save Photoshop file for import JPEG, GIF or PNG seem to work on my system Import into Frame by reference Set DPI manually for easier swap-ins later
Step 6 – Import into FrameMaker
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For complex outlining Better undo/redo Lighten in Photoshop as usual Import PNG, GIF or JPEG into AI Add outlines in AI and save in native Illustrator format Import the AI file into Photoshop and save out again in raster format with “outline” in file name
Sidebar: Outlines in Illustrator
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Process Summary, Part 2
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.PNG file Edit in Photoshop
Contrast or highlight elements
Add outlines
Complex outlining done in Illustrator
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Process Summary, Part 3
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Save in .GIF or .JPG format
Other formats don’t always print.
.PNG also works
Set DPI 300-1500 depending