From MAD to CAD: automatic production of accelerator layouts

It is pointed out that, when building large installations such as particle accelerators which incorporate many interconnected systems in a confined environment, it is vital to keep track of the space occupation of individual components. The solution adopted for the LEP (Large Electron Positron collider) project links location data produced by the methodical accelerator design (MAD) program to the computer-aided design (CAD) system library of components to produce automatically a variety of machine layouts and assemblies in 2-D or 3-D representation. The machine assemblies can be either displayed and manipulated interactively on a CAD workstation or plotted on paper. It is concluded that validating the machine layout with the help of a 3-D CAD system has resulted in smooth installation, with few time-consuming and costly corrections having to be carried out on site