AGREE™

2018-03-11: Version 1.0.8

AGREE is a tool that can be used to draw instance diagrams of STEP files. STEP is an ISO standard for representing product model data and is based upon the EXPRESS modeling language.

Existing STEP files can be loaded and modified in AGREE, but it is also possible to create new files using a large number of available schema's. All standard schema's from the STEP Module Repository (http://stepmod.sourceforge.net/) are available along with a couple of additional schema's. There is also support for common complex entities and the use of short names.

A STEP product model is represented by a set of instances, that each have attributes as defined in the underlying schema of the model. These attributes can be simple strings or integers, but can also form relations to other instances. The relationships between the instances creates a graph that is most intuitively viewed as an instance diagram.

AGREE was developed to make it easier and more user-friendly to create these types of graphical representations, but also to speed up the process of actually creating the data model.

As AGREE is based on the STEP schema's, the user does not need as much knowledge about the actual schema's as when using other types of diagram editors. Each instance has an attribute window which allows the user to set the attributes to what is valid according to that schema. Most operations can also be done directly on the drawing canvas. String attributes can be typed in the instance boxes and relationships between valid entities can be drawn directly on the canvas.

The instance diagrams created can be exported to PDF or SVG format. The AGREE internal format has the ending *.giz, which is in accordance with files created by the Eurostep Graphical Instance. Files created in Graphical Instance can therefore also be loaded and displayed in AGREE.

AGREE™ is created by Annica Ivert, KTH.