1. IDM-CIC and IDM View: concurrent engineering tools at the service of CubeSat design
- SECESA 2016 -
5-7 October 2016
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)
Spain
Rocha Lopes, P (1)
, Le Gal, JL(1)
(1)
CNES - Centre National d’Études Spatiales
18, Avenue Edouard Belin
31401 Toulouse Cedex 9 –France
Email: Pedro.RochaLopes@cnes.fr
Email: Jean-Luc.Legal@cnes.fr
INTRODUCTION
IDM-CIC and IDM-View are two tools developed by the CNES for concurrent engineering sessions, typically deployed
during pre-phase A studies for satellite design. However, the vast array of features available and their simplicity to use
make them the ideal tools not only for large space projects, but also for CubeSat design.
While IDM-CIC focus on the ability to easily build an engineering model with geometry (facultative), mass and power
information for each equipment, in order to obtain Mass and Power Budgets for every subsystem. IDM-View focus on
delivering an intuitive interface that allows easy real-time 3D viewing and interaction with the model. This allows the
user to quickly navigate the 3D model and retrieve relevant data that was detailed on the engineering model.
One of the useful applications of IDM-CIC is the ability to create component catalogues to quickly access pre-made
equipment when starting a new project. An example is the CubeSat Components Catalogue built with IDM-CIC. This
catalogue includes the information and models provided by several manufacturers and retailers on their websites
(CubeSatShop, GomSpace, etc...). This includes mass and power consumption information, CAD (Computer Aided
Design) layer if available and relevant local coordinate systems. Having catalogues such as this, allows the user to
easily import the components required into the project, quickly obtaining mass and power budgets and effectively
cutting the project time required to create the geometry and define the equipment’s properties.
IDM-CIC
IDM-CIC provides a familiar interface using Microsoft Excel that allows the creation of engineering models. It allows
multiple users to edit the same model concurrently while working on different subsystems. IDM-CIC makes available
Mass, Power, Dissipation and Propellant Budgets, and also allows real time 3D visualisation through SketchUp using a
set of configurable shapes. Allowing the user to perform preliminary model accommodation. There are also several
advanced features that build upon the basic geometry capabilities of the software, allowing the creation of models with
articulations, topologies, STEP files compatibility and more.
Features
3D Geometry and Mass
IDM-CIC makes available a multitude of elemental shapes such as spheres, cylinders, cones among others. One or
several of these shapes can be used to define the equipment inside a satellite with different levels of detail. The mass
can then be defined for each shape using one of the 3 mass definitions available: Mass Total (Kg), Surface Density
(Kg/m2
) and Volume Density (Kg/m3
). With this data, IDM-CIC can then calculate the equipment’s Inertia Matrix.

2. Topologies
A Topology is an advanced type of shape, recently added to IDM-CIC, that has the capability of applying topological
operators to the elemental shapes in order to create more detailed objects. Fig.1 shows one of such objects:
Fig. 1. Battery support created with a topology in IDM-CIC.
STEP Import & Export
IDM-CIC allows the direct import and export of STEP files. Once imported, they are treated as shapes that can further
be edited using, for example, topologies. They can be given mass values and used to calculate Mass Centre Inertia
(MCI) budgets, just as any other shape in IDM-CIC.
This function allows the export of existing geometry in STEP format, either of the complete model or individual
components, thus allowing data exchange with CAD (Computer Aided Design) and simulation tools.
Coordinate Systems & Articulations
The user can create one or more coordinate systems and place them anywhere on any given equipment to act as
attachment points. These allow equipment to be attached to a “parent” equipment locking their relative position, making
them affected by positional changes to the parent.
These coordinate systems can be further configured to act as articulations or translations points which, for example, can
be used to deploy articulated solar panels or extendable booms respectively.
Import Function
The Import Function feature allows the user to import pre-made equipment and assemblies from other IDM-CIC
projects. The user gets immediate access to 3D geometry, mass, power modes and coordinate systems, that are still
editable for further customization. This feature allows the use of catalogues such as the CubeSat Components
Catalogue (Fig.2) to have access to useful collections of pre-made components for easy importation.
Fig. 2. CubeSat Components Catalogue.

3. Mass and Power Budgets
Once the model is defined, IDM-CIC will create a detailed Mass Budget for each subsystem as seen in Fig. 3. Similarly,
it will also provide a Power Budget based on the power modes (Standby, Survival, etc.) defined by the user. All budgets
include equipment and system margins that are also defined by the user.
Fig. 3. Mass Budget created by IDM-CIC.
Layers
Layers are defined at system level and are used to create different levels of representation in a model for the same
equipment. For example, it is possible to have one layer with the simplified geometry and other with the detailed view,
typically retrieved from advanced CAD tools. This separation of representations allows the user to easily change
between visualisation modes and to export different levels of representation to STEP format.
Assemblies
These allow the creation of complex objects such as truss structures with the capability for a parametric approach or
even the creation of mechanisms, such as solar arrays with articulated panels.
IDM-VIEW
IDM-View is a dedicated 3D viewer that allows the visualisation of models created by IDM-CIC. Through a “mouse
and keyboard” interface, it allows the user to navigate around the 3D geometry, obtaining an overview of the model
while displaying equipment properties, mass distribution and power modes. This tool also provides the ability to
simulate and animate integration sequences that can later be outputted in several video formats as well as the export of
high definition images.
Features
View Modes and Equipment Summary
Changing between View Modes allows the user to switch between different representations of the model, such as mass
distribution, seen in Fig. 4 or power consumption for a given power mode. By double clicking on any equipment, IDM-
View will open a tab with all the technical data available on IDM-CIC such as mass, power, dimensions and hyperlinks
to pertinent information about the equipment (see Fig.4).

4. Fig. 4. IDM-View equipment summary and “Mass Distribution” view mode.
Real Time Animation, Sun and Shadows
The articulations and rotations defined in IDM-CIC can be used to create deployment mechanisms which can be viewed
as animations through the manipulation of sliders with IDM-View, allowing the user to verify how a given mechanism
would work. Together with the real-time shadows, it allows the user to see if a mechanism would cast a shadow over a
sensor after deployment, for instance.
In Orbit View and Attitude Control
By using and chaining a series of well-defined coordinate systems in IDM-CIC, it is possible to visualize an orbit
configurator for the satellite. An example can be seen in Fig. 5, where the user, operating sliders in the IDM-View
interface, can control the satellite’s local hour, pitch, yawn, roll, etc.
Fig. 5. Attitude control configurator on IDM-View