Cooperative Modeling and Design History Tracking Using Design Tracking Matrix

Abstract

This thesis suggests a new framework for cooperative modeling which supports concurrency design protocol with a design history tracking function. The proposed framework allows designers to work together while eliminating design conflicts and redundancies, and preventing infeasible designs. This framework provides methods to track optimal design path and redundant design history in the overall design process. This cooperative modeling architecture consists of a modeling server and voxel-based multi-client design tool. Design change among server and multiple clients are executed using the proposed concurrency design protocol. The design steps are tracked and analyzed using Design Tracking Graph and Design Tracking Matrix (DTM), which provide a design data exchange algorithm allowing seamless integration of design modifications between participating designers. This framework can be used for effective cooperative modeling, and helps identify and eliminate conflicts and minimize delay. The proposed algorithm supports effective cooperative design functions. First, it provides a method to obtain the optimal design path which can be stored in a design library and utilized in the future design. Second, it helps capture modeling pattern which can be used for analyzing designer's performance. Finally, obtained redundancies can be used to evaluate designer?s design efficiency.