ISO 10303-24:2001

Overview

ISO 10303-24:2001 defines the C language late binding for the Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) of the ISO 10303 (STEP) family. In plain terms, this part of the ISO 10303 suite specifies how C programs can access, query and manipulate product data through SDAI using a late-binding approach - none of the constants, data types or functions depend on the application schema being accessed. The standard targets interoperable product data representation and exchange for industrial automation and PLM systems.

Key Topics

• Late binding of SDAI (C binding): runtime access to EXPRESS-schema-based data without schema-specific compile-time types.
• SDAI operations exposed in C: environment, session, repository, SDAI-model, schema instance, scope, type, entity instance and application instance operations (create, copy, delete, query, validate, save/undo).
• Data types and constants: EXPRESS and SDAI primitive/entity/aggregate types mapped to C-binding types, iterators, non-persistent lists, error codes and convenience data blocks.
• Convenience functions & error handling: language-specific helpers and late-binding error handling conventions.
• Conformance and naming conventions: requirements for conformant implementations and header/macro usage.
• Out of scope: memory layout of implementation data structures and early binding requirements (those are explicitly excluded).

Applications

ISO 10303-24 (C language binding of SDAI) is practical for:

• Building interoperability layers between CAD, CAM, CAE and PLM systems that consume STEP (ISO 10303) data in C-based applications.
• Implementing data exchange, validation and transformation tools that must work across different EXPRESS schemas at runtime.
• Creating custom repositories or SDAI-compliant servers/clients in C that perform queries, instantiation, scoped copy/delete and schema validation.
• Embedding STEP access into embedded systems or HPC tools where C is required for performance or platform constraints.

Who would use this standard

• Software developers and engineers implementing STEP/SDAI tools in C/C++.
• PLM integrators, CAD/CAM software vendors, system integrators, and middleware developers needing schema-independent product data access.
• Architects of data repositories and standards-compliant exchange services.

Related Standards

• ISO 10303-22 - Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) (required basis for this binding)
• Other parts of ISO 10303 (STEP) family, including EXPRESS language definitions and application protocols.

Keywords: ISO 10303-24, SDAI C binding, STEP C binding, product data representation, late binding, EXPRESS, ISO 10303-22, product data exchange, PLM interoperability.