Method and system for operating a configuration platform

Abstract

A system for operating a configuration platform. The system comprises a conversion pipeline allowing a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system to be converted into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the polygonal mesh being suitable for rendering a portion of a building. The system further comprises: a content management system storing the polygonal mesh and the configuration data; and a 3D real-time engine allowing at least one of a positioning of a building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, a lighting associated with the building, an annotation associated with the building, an alternative state associated with the building, and a kinematic fragment associated with the building to be determined based on the configuration data; and allowing the portion of the building to be rendered by the 3D real-time engine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 611,643, filed on December 29, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present technology relates to systems and methods for operating a configuration platform. In particular, the systems and methods are intended to allow real-time configuration and real-time visualization of 3D models, such as but not limited to 3D models representing the interior of an aircraft cabin. Background Art

[0003] High-end commercial aircraft, such as the Challenger from Bombardier Inc. TM and Global TM Commercial aircraft require a high degree of customization to meet customer needs, which often makes each cabin interior unique from one aircraft to another. In addition to handling this high degree of customization, aircraft OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) also need to ensure compliance with standards and regulations (such as, but not limited to, regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada, and the European Aviation Safety Agency). This results in a highly complex process before the final aircraft cabin interior configuration can be set and ready for engineering and manufacturing. This process often includes customer needs analysis, cabin interior configuration and optimization, cabin interior configuration rendering, and multiple iterations between the aircraft OEM team and the customer.

[0004] Currently available cabin interior construction modeling systems require a manually intensive process that has very limited ability to produce real-time renderings. As a result, aircraft OEM personnel must manually capture customer requirements, such as through one or more in-person meetings with the customer (or personnel acting on behalf of the customer), so that an aircraft cabin interior prototype can then be generated, such as by using 3D CAD / CAM (computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing) tools.

[0005] Current approaches provide limited real-time interaction between customers and aircraft cabin interior prototypes, as 3D modeling may require days of work, dedicated teams, and dedicated systems to properly operate 3D CAD / CAM tools to produce a representation of an aircraft cabin interior prototype. In the case of configuring commercial aircraft cabin interiors, this limitation may be even more prevalent, as face-to-face meetings between aircraft OEM personnel and customers may occur off-site at the aircraft OEM's premises.

[0006] Furthermore, aircraft cabin interiors typically include a large number of articles, monuments and accessories, for which the corresponding engineering data is typically stored and managed by the aircraft OEM and / or the aircraft OEM's suppliers. The engineering data may include all the information required for generating a 3D model, but typically includes too much information and detail to be effectively used for the purpose of aircraft interior configuration. In many cases, the engineering data requires manual trimming so that only information relevant to the rendering of the aircraft cabin interior is used in the case of configuring the aircraft cabin interior. The process may be cumbersome, difficult to manage, and / or prone to errors and / or inconsistencies.

[0007] Due to the high degree of customization of each of the items, constructions, and accessories, and the complexity of the associated engineering data, determining an appropriate configuration that satisfies certain constraints (e.g., customer requirements, regulatory requirements, etc.) requires that the personnel responsible for generating a given aircraft interior configuration thoroughly understand both the available customizations and the constraints. This approach may result in considerable turnaround time between making a configuration request for a given customization and the deliverable created from the resulting given customization (which may include a rendering of the given customization).

[0008] Even when a given customization is rendered appropriately, it may be necessary to manually make modifications, including, for example, propagating a given customization associated with a given monument to other monuments sharing the same monument class. As an example and not limitation, this may occur when a given customization of a surface material associated with an armrest of a passenger seat needs to be propagated to surface materials associated with armrests of other passenger seats.

[0009] Therefore, improvements may be needed.

[0010] The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art simply because it is mentioned in the background section. Similarly, problems mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter in the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches. Summary of the invention

[0011] Embodiments of the present technology were developed based on the developer's understanding of at least one disadvantage associated with the prior art.

[0012] In particular, these shortcomings may include (1) limited ability to generate real-time renderings of aircraft cabin interiors; (2) limited ability to provide a configuration platform that can be remotely accessed, controlled, and easily used by aircraft OEM personnel; (3) limited ability to easily leverage engineering data for the purposes of real-time rendering and real-time configuration; (4) limited ability to easily apply configuration rules; and / or (5) limited ability to easily propagate a given customization associated with a given building to other buildings sharing the same building class.

[0013] In one aspect, various embodiments of the present technology provide a system for operating a configuration platform, the system comprising:

[0014] a conversion pipeline that allows a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system to be converted into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the polygonal mesh being suitable for rendering a portion of a construction, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the construction, a material surface associated with the construction, a material texture direction associated with the construction, lighting associated with the construction, annotations associated with the construction, an alternate state associated with the construction, and a kinematic segment associated with the construction;

[0015] a content management system storing the polygonal mesh and the configuration data; and

[0016] A 3D real-time engine that allows at least one of a positioning of a monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument to be determined based on the configuration data; and allows the portion of the monument to be rendered by the 3D real-time engine.

[0017] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a method of converting a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the method comprising:

[0018] accessing the first data set, the first data set defining a data collector associated with an architectural feature of an aircraft cabin interior, the data collector comprising an ontology and metadata, the ontology defining a 3D object representing at least a portion of the architectural feature, the metadata defining information associated with the 3D object;

[0019] Converting the entity into a polygonal mesh suitable for rendering by a 3D real-time engine of the configuration platform;

[0020] generating configuration data based on the analysis of the metadata, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument; and

[0021] The polygon mesh and configuration data are compiled in a data format suitable for representation and behavior by a 3D real-time engine.

[0022] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a method of operating a configuration platform, the method comprising:

[0023] accessing, from a content management system, monument data representing at least a portion of a monument of an aircraft cabin interior, the monument data comprising a polygon mesh suitable for rendering the portion of the monument by a 3D real-time engine, and configuration data, the polygon mesh comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematics segment associated with the monument;

[0024] determining, based on the configuration data, at least one of a positioning of a monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument; and

[0025] The portion of the building is rendered by a 3D real-time engine.

[0026] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a method for updating a content management system associated with a configuration platform, the method comprising:

[0027] accessing a content management system, the content management system including building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data including a polygonal mesh suitable for rendering at least a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine and configuration data, the configuration data including at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building;

[0028] accessing a parameter defining a property of the material, the parameter reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a location associated with the material;

[0029] defining the applicability of said parameters to the structure; and

[0030] Component identifiers are assigned to the monument data and to the further monument data based on the applicability of the defined parameters to the monument and based on the relationship between the monument data and the further monument data.

[0031] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a method for applying a configuration rule, the configuration rule being related to an operation of a configuration platform, the method comprising:

[0032] accessing, from a content management system, building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data comprising a polygon mesh suitable for rendering a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, and configuration data, the polygon mesh suitable for rendering a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building;

[0033] accessing configuration rule data modeling internal building configuration rules relating to an internal configuration of the building affecting the building itself and external building configuration rules relating to an external configuration of the building affecting an environment in which the building is to be represented;

[0034] applying at least a subset of said configuration rule data to said construction data; and

[0035] The building is rendered by the 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal configuration rule and the external configuration rule to represent the portion of the building.

[0036] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a method for propagating configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models, the 3D model and the other 3D models being components of the same 3D model category, the method comprising:

[0037] dividing the 3D model into a first plurality of surfaces, the first plurality of surfaces being surfaces of the 3D model that are visible when rendered by a 3D engine;

[0038] associating each of the first plurality of surfaces with a unique surface identifier;

[0039] For each of the other 3D models:

[0040] segmenting one of the other 3D models into a second plurality of surfaces;

[0041] establishing a correspondence between at least some of the second plurality of surfaces and at least some of the first plurality of surfaces based on a correspondence between the 3D model and the one of the other 3D models;

[0042] For each of the second plurality of surfaces that corresponds to one of the first plurality of surfaces, an association is made with the corresponding one of the first plurality of surfaces.

[0043] said unique surface identifier associated with the surface;

[0044] selecting configuration settings for the 3D model;

[0045] determining a unique identifier for the 3D model to which the configuration setting is to be applied; and

[0046] Based on the unique identifier of the 3D model, the configuration setting is propagated to the other 3D models where the configuration setting is to be applied.

[0047] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a computer-based system, such as, but not limited to, an electronic device including at least one processor and a memory storing program instructions for operating a configuration platform, wherein the program instructions can be executed by one or more processors of the computer-based system to perform one or more of the above-described methods.

[0048] In other aspects, various embodiments of the present technology provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for operating a configuration platform, the program instructions being executable by a processor of a computer-based system to perform one or more of the above methods.

[0049] In the context of this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, "electronic device", "electronic devices", "server", "remote server" and "computer-based system" are any hardware and / or software suitable for the task at hand. Thus, some non-limiting examples of hardware and / or software include computers (servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks, etc.), smart phones, tablet computers, network devices (routers, switches, gateways, etc.) and / or combinations thereof.

[0050] In the context of this specification, unless expressly stated otherwise, the expressions "computer-readable medium" and "memory" are intended to include media of any nature and kind, non-limiting examples of which include RAM, ROM, disks (CD-ROM, DVD, floppy disks, hard drives, etc.), USB keys, flash memory cards, solid-state drives, and tape drives.

[0051] In the context of this specification, a "database" is any structured collection of data, regardless of its specific structure, database management software, or the computer hardware on which the data is stored, implemented, or otherwise presented for use. A database may reside on the same hardware as the processes that store or utilize the information stored in the database, or it may reside on separate hardware, such as a dedicated server or multiple servers.

[0052] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise expressly stated, an "indication" of an information element may be the information element itself or a pointer, reference, link or other indirect mechanism that enables the recipient of the indication to locate a network, memory, database or other computer-readable medium location from which the information element can be extracted. For example, an indication of a file may include the file itself (i.e., its contents), or it may be a unique file descriptor that identifies the file with respect to a particular file system, or some other means that directs the recipient of the indication to a network location, memory address, database table or other location where the file is accessible. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the degree of precision required in such indications depends on the degree of any prior understanding of the interpretation to be given to the information exchanged between the sender and the recipient of the indication. For example, if it is known prior to communication between the sender and the recipient that an indication of an information element will take the form of a database key value for an entry in a particular table of a predetermined database containing the information element, then the sending of the database key value is all that is required to effectively transmit the information element to the recipient, even if the information element itself is not sent between the sender and the recipient of the indication.

[0053] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise expressly stated, the words "first", "second", "third", etc. are used as adjectives only for the purpose of allowing the distinction between the nouns they modify each other, rather than for the purpose of describing any specific relationship between these nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood that the use of the terms "first server" and "third server" is not intended to (for example) imply any specific order, type, year, level or ranking between / of servers, nor is their use (or itself) intended to imply that any second server must exist in any given case. As another example, it should be understood that the use of the terms "first direction" and "third direction" is not intended to (for example) imply any specific order, type, year, level or ranking between / of directions, nor is their use (or itself) intended to imply that any second direction must exist in any given case, unless otherwise stated. In addition, as discussed herein in other contexts, references to "first" elements and "second" elements do not exclude that the two elements are the same actual real-world elements. Thus, for example, in some embodiments, the "first" server and the "second" server can be the same software and / or hardware, and in other cases, they can be different software and / or hardware.

[0054] Each embodiment of the present technology has at least one of the above-mentioned purposes and / or aspects, but does not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology obtained by attempting to obtain the above-mentioned purposes may not meet the purposes, and / or may meet other purposes not specifically cited herein.

[0055] Additional and / or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, drawings, and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] For a better understanding of the present technology and its other aspects and further features, reference is made to the following description, which will be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0057] Figure 1 is a diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing the present technology and / or for use in conjunction with embodiments of the present technology;

[0058] Figure 2 is a diagram of a networked computing environment according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0059] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the interior of an aircraft cabin according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0060] Figures 4 to 7 are screen shots illustrating embodiments of graphical user interfaces according to embodiments of the present technology;

[0061] Figure 8 shows a 3D rendering of an aircraft cabin interior according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0062] Fig. 9 and 10 A diagram illustrating various additional software modules according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0063] Fig.11 and 12 shows a screenshot showing material properties associated with a building in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology;

[0064] Fig.13 shows variations in lighting modeling according to embodiments of the present technology;

[0065] Fig.14 and 15 shows examples of multiple levels of configuration and collectors according to embodiments of the present technology;

[0066] Fig.16 shows a rule format and rule examples according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0067] Fig.17 and 18 An embodiment of a method for propagating configuration settings of a 3D model according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown;

[0068] Fig.19 is a flow chart illustrating a first computer-implemented method of implementing an embodiment of the present technology;

[0069] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a second computer-implemented method of implementing an embodiment of the present technology;

[0070] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating a third computer-implemented method of implementing an embodiment of the present technology;

[0071] Fig. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth computer-implemented method of implementing embodiments of the present technology; and

[0072] Fig.23 is a flow chart illustrating a fifth computer-implemented method of implementing embodiments of the present technology.

[0073] It should also be noted that unless explicitly stated otherwise herein, the accompanying drawings are not to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The examples and conditional language described herein are primarily intended to help the reader understand the principles of the present technology, without limiting its scope to such specifically enumerated examples and conditions. It is understood that a person skilled in the art may design various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present technology and are included within the spirit and scope of the present technology.

[0075] In addition, to aid understanding, the following description may describe relatively simplified embodiments of the present technology. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various embodiments of the present technology may have greater complexity.

[0076] In some cases, examples that are considered helpful for modifying the technology may also be described. This is only to help understanding, and does not limit the scope of the technology or describe the scope of the technology. These modifications are not exhaustive, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications while still remaining within the scope of the technology. In addition, in the absence of examples of modifications, it should not be interpreted that modifications are impossible and / or that the described content is the only way to implement the elements of the technology.

[0077] In addition, all statements of principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present technology set forth herein and specific examples thereof are intended to include both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents a conceptual diagram of an illustrative circuit that embodies the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be understood that any flow chart, operational procedure diagram, state transition diagram, pseudocode, etc., represents various processes that can be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium and thus performed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0078] The functions of the various elements shown in the drawings may be provided by using dedicated hardware and hardware that can execute software in association with appropriate software, including any functional blocks marked as "processors" or "graphics processing units". When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of separate processors (some of which may be shared). In some embodiments of the present technology, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a processor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU). In addition, the express use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be interpreted as exclusively referring to hardware that can execute software, and may implicitly include, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), and non-volatile memories for storing software. In addition, conventional and / or customized other hardware may be included.

[0079] Software modules or simple modules implying software may be represented herein as any combination of flow chart elements or other elements indicating process steps and / or performance described in the text. Such modules may be executed by hardware shown explicitly or implicitly.

[0080] With these basic principles in place, we will now consider some non-limiting examples to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present technology.

[0081] refer to Figure 1 , shows a computer system 100 suitable for use with some embodiments of the present technology, the computer system 100 includes various hardware components, the hardware components including one or more single-core or multi-core processors represented overall by processor 110, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 111, a solid-state drive 120, a random access memory 130, a display interface 140 and an input / output interface 150.

[0082] Communications between the various components of computer system 100 may be accomplished by one or more internal and / or external buses 160 (e.g., a PCI bus, a universal serial bus, an IEEE 1394 "Firewire" bus, a SCSI bus, a serial ATA bus, etc.) that electronically couple the various hardware components. Display interface 140 may be coupled to a monitor 142 that may be viewed by a user (e.g., via an HDMI cable 144), and input / output interface 150 may be coupled to a touch screen (not shown), a keyboard 151 (e.g., via a USB cable 153), and a mouse 152 (e.g., via a USB cable 154), each of which may be operated by a user 170.

[0083] According to an embodiment of the present technology, the solid state drive 120 stores program instructions suitable for being loaded into the random access memory 130 and executed by the processor 110 and / or the GPU 111 to operate the configuration platform. For example, the program instructions may be part of a library or an application.

[0084] exist Figure 2 , a networked computing environment 200 suitable for use with some embodiments of the present technology is shown. The networked computing environment 200 includes a first electronic device 202 and a second electronic device 209. Each of the first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 may also be referred to as a "client device," an "electronic device," or an "electronic device associated with a user." Each of the first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 may be associated with a user. For purposes of illustrating the present technology, the first electronic device 202 is associated with an administrator of a configuration platform 260 (i.e., a platform administrator), and the second electronic device 209 is associated with a person using the configuration platform 260 (i.e., a user who interfaces with a customer) in order to configure and render the construction of a given product. As an example, the user who interfaces with a customer may be a person representing a participating product OEM with whom the customer has a relationship, a person representing the customer, and / or the customer himself / herself. As an example, the platform administrator and / or the user who interfaces with the customer may be user 170.

[0085] Although reference is made to a platform administrator, the term “administrator” should be broadly interpreted as a person who has broader access to the configuration platform 260 than a user who interfaces with a customer, so as to be able to “manage” on the configuration platform 260. Furthermore, although reference is made to a user who interfaces with a customer, the term “user” should be broadly interpreted as a person who uses the configuration platform 260 in order to configure and render a build of a given product.

[0086] It should also be noted that the first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 are associated with the platform administrator and the user of the docking customer respectively, and there is no need to suggest or imply any operation mode, such as the need to log in, the need to register, etc.

[0087] The implementation of the first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 is not particularly limited, but as an example, the first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 can be implemented as a personal computer (desktop, laptop, netbook, etc.), a wireless communication device (cellular phone, smart phone, tablet computer, etc.), a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device. The first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 can each include hardware and / or software and / or firmware (or a combination thereof), as known in the art, to execute the application 204. In general, the purpose of the application 204 is to enable the platform administrator and / or the user of the docking customer to perform various functions related to managing the settings of the configuration platform and / or controlling the configuration platform to render and configure a given product. To this end, the application 204 includes various graphical user interface (GUI) elements discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

[0088] How the application 204 is implemented is not particularly limited. One example of the application 204 can be implemented in the platform administrator and the user of the docking customer, accessing a website associated with the configuration platform. For example, the application 204 can be accessed by typing in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). It should be clearly understood that the application 204 can be accessed by using any other commercially available or proprietary Internet browser (such as, but not limited to, Chrome from Alphabet Inc.). TM , Internet Explorer from Microsoft TM , from Apple's Safari TM ) to visit.

[0089] In an alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology, the application 204 may be implemented as a dedicated application running on the first electronic device 202 and / or the second electronic device 209. In such an embodiment, the application 204 may be referred to as a "client application" and the configuration platform 260 may be referred to as a "server application."

[0090] In an alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology, where the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209 is implemented as a portable device, the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209 may be an App Store such as Apple Inc. TM It should be clearly understood that any other commercially available or proprietary browser application or any available or proprietary application can be used to implement the non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0091] The first electronic device 202 and the second electronic device 209 can be coupled to a communication network 214 via a communication link (not shown). In some embodiments, the first electronic device 202 is directly connected to the configuration platform (e.g., via an intranet or via a direct physical connection to the configuration platform). In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the communication network 214 can be implemented as the Internet. In other embodiments of the present technology, the communication network 214 can be implemented differently, such as any wide area communication network, local area communication network, dedicated communication network, etc.

[0092] How the communication link (not shown) is implemented is not particularly limited and will depend on how the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209 is implemented. By way of example only and not limitation, in those embodiments of the present technology in which the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209 is implemented as a wireless communication device (such as a tablet), the communication link (not shown) can be implemented as a wireless communication link (for example, but not limited to, a 3G communication network link, a 4G communication network link, Wireless Fidelity or its abbreviations). In those examples where the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209 is implemented as a notebook computer, the communication link may be wireless (such as Wireless Fidelity or its abbreviation etc.) or wired (such as an Ethernet-based connection).

[0093] It should be clearly understood that the implementation of the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209, the communication link (not shown), and the communication network 214 is for illustration purposes only. As such, other specific implementation details of the first electronic device 202 or the second electronic device 209, the communication link (not shown), and the communication network 214 will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the examples provided herein are by no means intended to limit the scope of the present technology.

[0094] Configuration platform 260 is also coupled to communication network 214. In some embodiments, configuration platform 260 may be implemented by one or more servers 240, 242, and 244. Servers 240, 242, 244 may be implemented as conventional computer servers. In an example of an embodiment of the present technology, servers 240, 242, 244 may be implemented as servers running Microsoft TM Windows Server TM Dell operating system TM PowerEdge TMServers. It will also be clear that the servers 240, 242, 244 may be implemented in any other suitable hardware and / or software and / or firmware or combination thereof. In the depicted non-limiting embodiment of the present technology, the servers 240, 242, 244 define a distributed architecture that relies on multiple servers. In an alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology, the functionality of the servers 240, 242, 244 may be located on a single server.

[0095] Overall platform

[0096] One or more servers 240, 242, 244 operate a configuration platform 260. Figure 2 In the illustrated example of , the configuration platform 260 includes a client application 270 and a content management system (CMS) 220. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the client application 270 includes a plurality of software modules, namely, a 3D engine 272, a synchronization manager 273, a seat configuration engine 274, a rule engine 275, a metadata translator 276, and a project manager 277. The CMS 220 includes a plurality of software modules, namely, a transformation pipeline 221, a master data architecture module 222, a material bridge 223, a material library 224, a rule formulation module 225, a material library database 224, a project database 226, a super bill of materials (BOM) database 227, and a super bill of materials (BOM) metadata database 228. The transformation pipeline 221 can access a knowledge-based engineering (KBE) database 231. The master data architecture module 232 can access a master data database 232. The material bridge 223 can access a material database 233. More details about the client application 270 and the various software modules of the CMS 220 will be provided in the following paragraphs.

[0097] Among other functionalities, the general purpose of the configuration platform 260 is to allow platform administrators and / or users of interfacing clients to: (1) generate real-time rendered visual results of the configuration of a product (such as an aircraft cabin interior and / or an aircraft exterior); (2) provide remote control of the configuration of the product, which may include operating the configuration platform remotely without server connectivity; (3) utilize engineering data for the purposes of real-time rendering and real-time configuration of the product; (4) apply configuration rules; and / or (5) propagate a given customization associated with a given element of a product (such as a building or seat in the case of configuration of an aircraft cabin interior) to other buildings sharing the same building category.

[0098] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, Figure 2The software modules shown are provided as examples, and thus many changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present technology. This aspect should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present technology.

[0099] In an exemplary embodiment, the 3D engine 272 (which may equivalently be referred to as a 3D rendering engine or a 3D real-time engine) allows real-time 3D rendering of polygonal meshes, meaning that a user can virtually move and / or manipulate 3D objects in real time via the configuration platform 260. As an example, a user can virtually move inside an aircraft cabin, and / or change the line of sight while moving inside an aircraft cabin. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering is rendered from a first-person perspective, which allows an intuitive representation of the cabin interior as if the user were virtually in the rendered aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering is based on real-time calculations of lighting, reflections, and shadows to provide a fully immersive environment. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering can be presented on a conventional 2D display, a 3D display, and / or a virtual / augmented reality headset to provide the user with a visual experience of how she / he will perceive a given configuration of a real-life aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, the 3D engine 272 is an Unreal Engine from Epic Games, Inc. TM Game Engines. Other game engines may likewise be used without departing from the scope of the present technology.

[0100] In some embodiments, configuration platform 260 may be described as a system for operating a configuration platform. The system may include a conversion pipeline (such as conversion pipeline 221), a content management system (such as CMS 220), and a 3D real-time engine (such as 3D engine 272). In some embodiments, the conversion pipeline allows a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system to be converted into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, wherein the polygonal mesh is suitable for rendering a portion of a building, and the configuration data includes at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternative state associated with the building, and a kinematic fragment associated with the building.

[0101] In some embodiments, the content management system stores the polygon mesh and the configuration data. In some embodiments, the 3D real-time engine allows determining at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building based on the configuration data; and allows rendering of the portion of the building by the 3D real-time engine.

[0102] In some embodiments, the system includes a material bridge (such as material bridge 223) configured to access parameters for defining properties of a material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a position associated with the material; define applicability of the parameters to a building; and assign component identifiers to the building data and other building data based on the defined applicability of the parameters to the building and based on a relationship between the building data and other building data.

[0103] In some embodiments, the system further comprises a rules engine (such as rules engine 275) configured to: access configuration rule data, the configuration rule data modeling internal building configuration rules and external building configuration rules, the internal building configuration rules relating to an internal configuration of a building having an impact on the building, and the external building configuration rules relating to an external configuration of the building, the external configuration affecting an environment in which the building is to be represented; apply at least a subset of the configuration rule data to the building data; and render the building by a 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal configuration rules and the external configuration rules to represent the portion of the building.

[0104] In some embodiments, the system includes a configuration engine, such as the seat configuration engine 274, configured to propagate configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models that are parts of the same 3D model category.

[0105] Although the configuration platform 260 can be used in conjunction with the configuration of various types of products (e.g., vehicle interiors, such as cars, boats, trains, building interiors, etc.), the embodiments set forth in the following paragraphs illustrate the configuration of aircraft cabin interiors. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided as examples and should not be construed as limiting.

[0106] Example of an airplane cabin interior

[0107] Now go to Figure 3 , an example of an aircraft cabin interior 300 is provided. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the aircraft cabin interior 300 illustrates the cabin interior of a commercial aircraft, such as but not limited to the Global 7000 from Bombardier. TM. The aircraft cabin interior 300 extends longitudinally from an entrance area 301 of the aircraft to a rear section 337 of the aircraft. The aircraft cabin interior 300 is divided into a plurality of regions, namely a first region 310, a second region 320, and a third region 330. According to embodiments of the present technology, a "region" may be defined as a section extending from a first position to a second position within the aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, the first position is defined as the position of a first bulkhead, and the second position is defined as the position of a second bulkhead. In some embodiments, the first bulkhead and the second bulkhead may be referred to as "region dividers" because they physically divide the volume of the aircraft cabin interior 300 so as to create a visual impression of multiple "regions" or "cabins" through the aircraft cabin. As may be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the bulkheads may have a variety of shapes and sizes.

[0108] Back to Figure 3 , the first area 310 extends from the entrance area 301 to the first bulkhead 312. Among other elements, the first area 310 includes a seat 311. The second area 320 extends from the first bulkhead 312 to the second bulkhead 331. The second area 320 includes a group of seats 321, 322, 323 and 324 and a table 325. The second area 320 also includes a second group of double seats 326 and 327, a cabinet 328 and a table 329. "Double seats" are used here to convey the concept of two single seats merged into a single structural unit. In some embodiments, when the second area 320 is extended across the volume of two "single areas" (such as the third area 330), the second area 320 can be called a "double area". In the illustrated embodiment, the second area 320 can accommodate eight passengers during takeoff and landing of the aircraft. The third area 330 extends from the second bulkhead 331 to the third bulkhead 336. The third area 330 includes a group of seats 332 and 335, a table 334 and a sofa bed 333. In the illustrated embodiment, the third area 330 may accommodate four passengers during aircraft takeoff and landing.

[0109] Now go to Figure 4 , showing a top plan view of an aircraft cabin interior 400. In the illustrated embodiment, the display of the aircraft cabin interior 400 is obtained from a screenshot showing an embodiment of a graphical user interface (GUI) component provided by the configuration platform 260 to a user of the configuration platform 260 (such as a platform administrator or a user of an interfaced customer). In some embodiments, the GUI component allows the user of the configuration platform 260 to select a configuration for each area of ​​the aircraft cabin interior and / or configure one or more elements of each area of ​​the aircraft cabin interior. The one or more elements may include seats, tables, structures (e.g., cabinets), sofa beds, beds, etc.

[0110] The aircraft cabin interior 400 includes four areas, namely a first area 410, a second area 420, a third area 430 and a fourth area 440. The first area 410 includes a first group of seats 411, 412, 413 and 414, a first table 415 and a second table 416. The second area 420 includes a group of single seats 421, 424, a group of double seats 422, 423 and a table including two sections 425, 426, which can be configured to form a single conference table accommodating six passengers. The third area 430 includes a first sofa bed 431 and a second sofa bed 432. Each of the first sofa bed 431 and the second sofa bed 432 can accommodate up to six passengers during takeoff and landing. The fourth area 440 includes a first cabinet 441, a second cabinet 443 and a double bed 442.

[0111] Now go to Figure 5 , screenshot 500 illustrates an embodiment of a GUI provided by configuration platform 260 to a user of the configuration platform 260. Screenshot 500 includes three GUI components, namely a first GUI component 510, a second GUI component 520, and a third GUI component 530. In the illustrated embodiment, the first GUI component 510 is a horizontally scrolling menu that allows a user to select a particular layout for a given area of ​​an aircraft cabin interior. Various examples of layouts 511-518 are illustrated, showing multiple combinations of seats, tables, cabinets, beds, and sofa beds. The second GUI component 520 illustrates the current configuration of the aircraft cabin interior, which the user can modify by dragging and dropping one or more layouts 511-518 into the second GUI component 520. The aircraft cabin interior shown in the second GUI component 520 is similar to Figure 4 , wherein the first area 522 corresponds to the first area 410, the second area 524 corresponds to the second area 420, the third area 526 corresponds to the third area 430, and the fourth area 528 corresponds to the fourth area 440. The third GUI component 530 provides the user with the ability to switch from one configuration screen to another. In the illustrated embodiment, the user can switch from "Floor Plan" (representing the current selection of the first GUI component 510 and the second GUI component 520) to "Equipment and Decoration", "Design" and / or "Exterior".

[0112] Example of GUI

[0113] Now go to Figure 6 , screen shot 600 illustrates an embodiment of a GUI provided by configuration platform 260 to a user of configuration platform 260. Screen shot 600 includes Figure 5 The first GUI component 510, Figure 5 The second GUI component 520 and Figure 5 The third GUI component 530. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, only the first region 522, the third region 526, and the fourth region 528 are selected, while the second region 524 is left blank. In some embodiments, the user can select a layout from the first GUI component 510 and drag and drop it, for example, into the second GUI component 520 to fill the second region 524 with the selected layout. Figure 6 Also shown is an aircraft cabin interior layout selector 700. Figure 7 700 . A plurality of cabin layouts 701-707 are shown, with the currently selected cabin layout being 702. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various configurations are associated with one or more numbers, wherein each number represents the number of passengers during takeoff or landing in a given zone. As an example, cabin layout 701 is associated with layout "4-4-4", meaning that the selected layout consists of three zones, each zone spanning four window lengths. Other examples of cabin layouts are also represented by cabin layouts 702-707.

[0114] Now go to Figure 8 , showing a 3D rendering 800 of the interior of an aircraft cabin. The 3D rendering 800 represents a given configuration 820 generated by the 3D engine 272 of the configuration platform 260, which includes a first side ledge 821 and a second side ledge 825, a first seat 822, a second seat 823, a pair of rear seats 827, a cabinet 826, a bulkhead 830, and a floor 8244. The 3D rendering 800 also includes a similar Figure 5 In some embodiments, the 3D rendering is rendered in real time, which means that the user can virtually move inside the aircraft cabin and / or change the line of sight. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering is rendered from a first person perspective, which allows for an intuitive representation of the cabin interior as if the user were virtually inside the rendered aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering is generated by a 3D engine, such as in conjunction with a 3D graphics engine. Figure 2 3D engine 272 described. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering provides a fully immersive environment based on real-time calculation of lighting, reflections, and shadows. In some embodiments, the 3D rendering can be rendered on a conventional 2D display, a 3D display, and / or a virtual / augmented reality headset to provide the user with a visual experience of how she / he would perceive a given configuration of the aircraft cabin interior in real life.

[0115] Additional software modules

[0116] Now go to Fig. 9, showing various additional software modules that may be implemented by the configuration platform 270. In the illustrated embodiment, the various software modules include an administrator module 900, a master data directory 910, and a miscellaneous settings module 920. In some embodiments, the administrator module 900 may be accessed only by a platform administrator, and may allow execution of one or more of a user manager module 902, a project manager module 904, and a document and report module 906, wherein the user manager module 902 may be part of the project manager module 277, and the project manager module 904 may be part of the project manager module 277. In some embodiments, the user manager module 902 may allow management of access rights to the configuration platform 270. In some embodiments, the project manager module 904 may allow management, storage, recovery, and / or rendering of aircraft cabin interior configurations that are partially or completely defined by one or more users, which may be stored in the project database 226. In some embodiments, the document and report module 906 may allow generation of documents and reports associated with one or more aircraft cabin configurations. In some embodiments, the generated documents and reports may be used to present information to a client, support engineering and manufacturing of a given aircraft cabin interior configuration, and / or present information to a certification authority.

[0117] In the illustrated embodiment, the master data catalog module 910 can be implemented via the master data architecture module 222, the material bridge 223, the master data 232, the material database 233, and / or the material library database 224. The master data catalog module 910 can include a 3D pipeline 911 (which can be implemented by the conversion pipeline 221), a floor plan catalog 912, an interior options and device catalog 914, a paint scheme catalog 916, a material / finish catalog 917, and a verification module 918. Each of the floor plan catalog 912, the interior options and device catalog 914, the paint scheme catalog 916, the material / finish catalog 917, and the verification module 918 can store data related to the available configurations of various elements of the aircraft and / or the associated cabin interior. In some embodiments, the verification module 918 can allow control and / or verification of one or more combinations of configurations selected from the floor plan catalog 912, the interior options and device catalog 914, the paint scheme catalog 916, and the material / finish catalog 917.

[0118] In the illustrated embodiment, the miscellaneous settings module 920 includes a marketing materials module 922 and a GUI update module 924. In some embodiments, the marketing materials module 922 and the GUI update module 924 may be accessible only to certain categories of users (e.g., platform administrators). The marketing materials module 922 may allow for the generation of marketing materials based on one or more aircraft cabin interior configurations. The GUI update module 924 may allow for the updating of one or more aspects of the GUI components presented to users of the configuration platform 270.

[0119] Now go to Fig.10 , flowchart 100 illustrates a sequence of steps that may be presented to a user of a configuration platform 270 in order to generate one or more configurations of a product, such as an aircraft and its associated cabin interior. In the illustrated embodiment, a first step 1002 is directed to creating and / or initiating a session with the configuration platform 270. Then, a second step 1004 is directed to collecting information related to the country of certification and / or other preliminary information. In some embodiments, the collected information related to the country of certification may affect how certain rules are applied during the various steps of the configuration in order to ensure that the generated configuration complies with the regulations of the selected country of certification. The user may then choose to proceed to a third step 1006 and / or a fourth step 1008. In some embodiments, the third step 1006 may prompt the user to complete a selection of a 2D floor plan (in order to complete a 2D floor plan configuration, such as Figure 4 2D floor plan configuration shown). In some embodiments, the fourth step 1008 can provide the user with a pre-stored 2D floor plan selection. The fourth step 1008 can then proceed to the fifth step 1010 that allows style selection.

[0120] In some embodiments, after completing step 1006 or 1010, steps 1012-1018 may be further performed. In some embodiments, the sixth step 1012 may allow the user to advance to the selection of 3D materials, the seventh step 1014 may allow the user to advance to the selection of 3D interior options, the eighth step 1016 may allow the user to select 2D furniture and fixtures, and the ninth step 1018 may allow the user to perform a static walkthrough of a representation of an aircraft and / or aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, steps 1020 and 1022 may be performed. Step 1020 may allow for a 3D representation of an aircraft exterior livery. Step 1022 may allow for the generation of a session summary and / or other output.

[0121] Now go to Figure 11 to Figure 15 , various aspects of the present technology will be described.

[0122] Building Level

[0123] As detailed in the background section of this article, the cabin interior of a commercial aircraft can be widely customizable. Each cabin interior can be specially made to suit the requirements and preferences of the customer. In some embodiments of the present technology, the variability of customization can be defined based on the building. In some embodiments, the building can be defined as various independent elements that can together constitute the interior of the aircraft cabin. In some embodiments, the building may include structural elements, such as but not limited to sidewalls, side wall frames, and bulkheads. In some embodiments, the building may include furniture, such as but not limited to seats (single seats, double seats), sofa beds, cabinets, storage cabinets, beds. In some embodiments, the building may include functional elements, such as but not limited to kitchens and / or toilets.

[0124] The customizability of a monument (equivalently referred to as configurability) may include the placement of the monument within the aircraft cabin as well as the internal configuration of the monument. In some embodiments, the configuration of a monument may be defined at multiple levels. As an example, the first level may be the monument envelope, the second level may be the configuration areas, and the third level may be the design features.

[0125] On a first level, each building envelope is associated with a given variant of a building. For example, the front of a cabinet may be flat, curved inwards or curved outwards. In some embodiments, the selection of a building envelope for a building may affect some or all components of the building.

[0126] On the second level, the building can be divided into configuration areas, each of which can be customized. As an example, the Global 7000 from Bombardier TM The cabinet inside the cabin consists of three envelopes and three configuration areas, one of which determines the presence or absence of shelves.

[0127] Regarding an additional third level of customization, design features and their corresponding configurations may include customizable decorative / aesthetic elements such as inlays, differently shaped latches, and the like.

[0128] Conversion pipeline

[0129] According to some aspects of the present technique, the conversion pipeline can support input files in Catia format (e.g., with support for Catia V5 from Dassault Systems). TMCATPart and / or CATProduct file extensions associated with the component). In some embodiments, the conversion pipeline is implemented by the conversion pipeline 221. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, Catia documents can be nested, for example, a document contained in one fde can include, by reference, sub-documents contained in a different fde. An input fde for a conversion pipeline according to the present technology can include one or more KBE collectors. In some embodiments, a KBE collector can be a base collector (also referred to as a "COL") or a standard part collector (also referred to as a "SP"). In some embodiments, each of the KBE collectors can contain 3D geometry and / or metadata about different characteristics of a part. In some embodiments, each of the KBE collectors can be identified by a specific naming convention.

[0130] In some embodiments, a base collector may generally contain a representation of a large-scale structure of a building, such as, by way of example and not limitation, panels, doors, mats, etc. that make up a drawer. An example of a naming convention may be as follows: C350-79-000COLL01, which may be obtained from Challenger 350 TM Building 79 of the dataset was converted to collector #01.

[0131] In some embodiments, the standard parts collector may generally contain representations of structural hardware (also referred to as accessories) associated with a building, such as, by way of example and not limitation, hinges, latches, handles, etc. An example of a naming convention may be as follows: GXRS0000-00-14-000SP05, which may be obtained from Global 6000 TM The building 14 of the data set is converted into SP collector #05.

[0132] Each collector is required to have a "definition" metadata attribute to define it as an element of the configurability of the building, and its relationship to the other collectors that make up the building. In some embodiments, the definition attribute may be an alphanumeric string, prefixed with "COL" or "SP" depending on the collector type, and may be unique to a given aircraft data set. In some embodiments, a format may be associated with each of the envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector. In the following examples, alphanumeric characters or decimal numbers are replaced by the @ symbol or the # symbol.

[0133] As a first example, "M@@S##" may define an envelope collector. The two characters @@ after the "M" may identify the building number to which the collector belongs. The two digits after the "S" may identify the envelope number within the specified building. In some embodiments, an envelope collector may contain 3D geometry applicable to the configuration of a building when the corresponding envelope is selected as an option, independent of any selection of configuration zones or design features. For example, in the Global 6000 TM In the data set, "COL_M01 S02" may be the base collector for the inwardly curved envelope (S02) of the cabinet building (M01).

[0134] As a second example, "M@@S##Z##C##" may define a zone configuration collector, which may contain information about a specific configuration option that may be used for one of the zones of a building. Like the envelope collector described in the above paragraph, the two characters after the "M" and "S" may identify the corresponding building and envelope. The "Z" designation may identify the zone, while the "C" designation may identify a configuration option that may be defined by the collector, one of several configuration options that may be used for a particular zone. TM For example, for a cabinet, "COL_M01 S02 Z02 C01" may be a basic collector of shelf options (C01) for an intermediate compartment area (Z02) within the inwardly curved envelope (S02) of the cabinet building (M01). Other configurations available in a given area (Z02) may be drawers "COL_M01 S02 Z02C03" or a mini bar "COL_M01 S02Z02 C04" as examples.

[0135] As a third example, "M@@S##D##C##" may define a design feature collector, which may be semantically similar to a region configuration collector, but may define options for a design feature instead of a region. The "D" designator may identify a design feature, and the "C" designator may identify the option of the design feature to which the collector belongs. TM For the cabinet example, "COL_M01 S02 D28 C01" may be a basic collector of vertical ellipse options (C01) for latches (D28) within the inwardly curved envelope (S02) of the cabinet building (M01). Other available latch shapes may be horizontal ellipse (COL_M01 S02 D28C02), square (COL_M01 S02 D28 C03), or circular (COL_M01 S02 D28C04).

[0136] Collector Cross Dependencies

[0137] In some embodiments, the content of a region configuration collector or a design feature collector may depend not only on the configuration selection of a particular component of the building, but also on the selection of other regions and / or design features of the building. In this case, the definition of two interdependent collectors may be modified according to one of two conventions, namely, a single cross-dependency convention and a multiple cross-dependency convention.

[0138] Single cross dependency

[0139] As a first example, "M@@S##Z##C##" or "M@@S##D##C##" may define a regional configuration collector or design feature collector, which may have an impact on collectors of one or more options elsewhere in the configuration of the building. As a second example, "M@@S##Z##C##" or "M@@S##D##C##" may define a regional configuration collector or design feature collector, which may be subject to configuration options for other components of the building.

[0140] When a building is configured so that it contains a collector with an X suffix, any collector with a Y suffix that also appears in the building configuration is a slave and must be selected so that the Y suffix matches the X suffix. As an example, a Challenger 350 TM The cabinet can be configured with a drip tray or a sink (collectors COL_M03S01Z07 C01 X08 and COL_M03 S01 Z07 C02 X09, respectively, for the baseline envelope). This has an impact on the construction of the building facade design feature (D32), which must therefore be obtained in two separate collectors: COL_M03 S01 D32 C01 Y08 and COL_M03 S01D32 C01 Y09.

[0141] Collectors named following this "single" crossing configuration may only be used to identify single crossing dependencies. In some embodiments modeling aircraft cabin interiors, there are no multiple crossing dependencies.

[0142] Multiple cross dependencies

[0143] In some other embodiments, a dataset may contain buildings in which the geometry of a particular collector depends on configuration choices for multiple other areas or design features in addition to its own specific configuration. In this case, a more flexible naming convention may be used. Dependent collectors may be identified with definitions matching "M@@S##Z##C##[Z##C##]", "M@@S##Z##C##[Z##C##][Z##C##]", etc. The bracketed portion of the definition may identify a specific configuration for each of any number of different configuration areas, each of which affects the selection of a subordinate collector. Note that although configuration areas ("Z" prefix) are used here for simplicity, a subordinate collector or any of its dependencies may also be a design feature ("D" prefix) or an "A" / "B" configuration (see the "Replacement States" section below)

[0144] Physical geometry

[0145] Physical objects within a Catia document may be represented by entities called "bodies." Any body within an input document processed by conversion pipeline 221 may be converted into a polygonal mesh (also called a tessellated model) for use in a 3D rendering engine, such as 3D engine 272. The level of fidelity when converting parametric surfaces such as, for example, non-uniform rational basis splines (NURBS) to polygonal meshes may be configurable. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to find a suitable tradeoff between (1) visual quality and (2) frame rate, which is improved as the number of polygons is reduced.

[0146] In some embodiments, each ontology entity may be associated with a name, which may be used to identify metadata associated with the ontology. In some embodiments, how the name may be determined may depend on the collector type.

[0147] In some embodiments, for a basic (i.e., non-SP) collector, the name can be the name of the ontology node itself, but can have a KBE prefix that can be stripped off to match the associated metadata. For example, if the ontology is contained within a node identified as BI_KBE_M03_Panel_BI001, the name of the ontology can be "M03_Panel_BI001". It can then be matched with the metadata key value of "ATB_M03_Panel_BI001". The prefix of the node name can conform to the pattern "{A...}_KBE", where {A...} can be a string of letters of any length. In addition, the name of the ontology node can refer to one of the parameter nodes of the component: there can be a parameter node, which can have a string value of the form "{BodyName}COL##" (BodyName: ontology name), where the suffix number can correspond to the label of the collector (as reflected in its file name). Following the earlier example, if there is a parameter node with a string value of "BI_KBE_M03_Panel_BI001 COL05," only the ontologies contained in the node identified as "BI_KBE_M03_Panel_BI001" in collector C350-03-000COL05 may be processed.

[0148] In some other embodiments, for the SP collector, the node name may not contain the KBE prefix which will be stripped off, but may be given a "VISUALIZE_" prefix. Furthermore, nodes with the "VISUALIZE_" prefix may be the parent nodes of actual physical geometry nodes (which may typically have unrelated names such as ThickSurface.1, Assemble.7, etc.). Ontology nodes in the SP collector that do not match this convention may be ignored. When matching metadata keys, the "VISUALIZE_" prefix may not be stripped off, for example, the ontology name "VISUALIZE_Outlet" matches the metadata named "ATB_VISUALIZE_Outlet".

[0149] Materials and projections

[0150] Together with the polygonal mesh of the ontology nodes for conversion, the conversion pipeline 221 can convert a projection map for the material associated with the ontology in the input document. The projection map can be in Catia TM Use as Fig.11The material properties dialog box 1102 shown in the screenshot 1100 of FIG. 1100 also shows a "Material Size" parameter 1104, a "Mapping" function 1106, a "Scale U / V" parameter 1108, a "Position U / V" parameter 1110, and an "Orientation" parameter 1112. One or more of the parameters / functions 1104-1112 are used to calculate the UV mapping on the polygon mesh to ensure that the application of textures in the configuration platform 260 is consistent with their application in Catia TM In some embodiments, restrictions may be imposed. As a first example, Catia TM Six options may be provided for projective texture mapping, namely (1) planar, (2) spherical, (3) cylindrical, (4) cubic, (5) automatic adaptive, and (6) manual adaptive. In some embodiments, the conversion pipeline 221 may not support options (5) and (6). As a second example, the values ​​for "scale U / V", "position U / V", and "orientation" may not be read directly from the material properties of the entity. Instead, they may be expressed in a "parameter" metadata node. There are two supported schemes for organizing such nodes, namely "single value" and "multiple values". In some embodiments, if the values ​​are not present in the metadata node, the values ​​default to 1.0 for scale, 0.0 for position and orientation. As a third example, in Catia TM The actual texture images used in the configuration platform 260 are ignored, and the texture images used for rendering in the CMS 220 are managed separately. In some embodiments, the transformation associated with the material (which can be indicated by the compass when the material node is selected) can also affect the projection, which can be taken into account when generating the UV map. In some embodiments, the finishing of the material can be defined in an appropriately named metadata node.

[0151] Single-value metadata convention for material parameters

[0152] In some embodiments, under this scheme, each parameter that describes a property of a material application for a particular entity can be represented separately as the value of a matching parameter node. The parameter node can be named with an "ATB_" prefix followed by the entity name (e.g., names that follow the conventions described above in conjunction with the descriptions of non-SP collectors and SP collectors). In some embodiments, the following key values ​​can be recognized: (1) MType: which can define the finishing type of the material; and (2) MscaleU, Mscale V, MPositionU, MPositionV, and MOrientation: which can be used to replace the corresponding values ​​in the material properties of Catia (see Fig.11 ).

[0153] As an example, for a non-SP collector entity whose node can be named "AA_KBE_M0l_Panel_W07_AA_F", the entity name (after stripping the KBE prefix) is considered to be "M0l_Panel_W07_AA_F", and the associated parameter node names can be "ATB_M01_Panel_W07_AA_F_MType", "ATB_M01_Panel_W07_AA_F_MScalU", and so on.

[0154] Multi-value metadata conventions for material parameters

[0155] In some embodiments, under this scheme, all material parameters can be concatenated together into a single parameter node using the "MType" key (with an "ATB_" prefix and entity name as described above). The value string can be a string that can be parsed into a pipeline-separated list of record tables, records, and fields, which can be organized as described in the following paragraphs.

[0156] The overall string value can be a list of record tables separated by the string "|||". Each table can be identified by its position in the list and can be associated with material properties thereafter, namely (0) Position 0: TypeFinish family name, (1) Position 1: Default material to be applied, (2) Position 2: Applicable materials, and (3) Position 3: Component type. Each record table can be a list of records separated by the string "||". Each record can be a list of key-value pairs separated by the string "||" between the key-value pairs, and the key and value can be separated by the string "=". The value can be optional, and when no "=" appears, the key can be considered to have no associated value. For example, a record (default material) can be found in Table 1: "Finish Type 007|Description=Plated|Color007=#CBCECA|Oritation=Odeg" (TypeFinish007|Description=Plated|Color007=#CBCECA|Oritation=Odeg).

[0157] In some embodiments, the material finishing type and all mapping parameters (ScaleU, ScaleV, PositionU, PositionV, and Orientation) can be found in the table in position 1 (default material) and position 2 (full list of applicable materials). In some embodiments, the "M" prefix present in the single-value parameters above (MScaleU, MOrientation) may not be used.

[0158] Position Identifier (PID)

[0159] In some embodiments, in order to place a building at its intended location within the 3D scene generated by the 3D engine 272, the configuration platform 260 may reference a set of position coordinates and / or orientation coordinates. These coordinates may be associated with a naming convention, which may be referred to as a "position identifier" or PID. However, some buildings may only be at a single location in the aircraft cabin, regardless of any configuration selection, while other buildings (such as seats) may exist at multiple locations. Two conventions may be used to define the available position(s) that a building may occupy. In all cases, a PID may be defined for each of the building envelopes, so that the region collector and the design feature collector may be located by using the PID selected for the corresponding envelope collector. The first convention may be referred to as the "aircraft origin". The second convention may be referred to as the "PID axis system".

[0160] Referring to the first convention, for a single-position building, the set of allowable coordinates can be identified by a nested Catia document with a special name "AIRCRAFTORIGINPART-KBE". The coordinates of the "virtual part" can be considered as reference points from which offsets to the building origin can be calculated. In the input document structure, such as Fig.12 In the input document structure 1200 shown, it can be a sibling of the collector. In other words, references to the original parts and building collectors can be placed in the same Fig.12 The example in the same container document.

[0161] Referring to the second convention, for multi-position artifacts, each allowable coordinate set may be identified by an "Axial system" node in the Catia document. Each node representing a PID may be named with the prefix "DATUM_AXIS_PID_" followed by the PID code itself. The PID code may be globally unique across all artifacts of all aircraft models.

[0162] Lighting

[0163] Light fixtures in a building may be defined by ontology nodes located in the Catia document for the corresponding collector, which may conform to a specific naming convention. Matching nodes may not be converted to polygon meshes, but rather handled as a special case. These marker nodes for light fixtures may exist in either the base collector or the SP collector, and the naming convention may be different in the two cases. First, for non-SP collectors, the marker nodes may be named as follows: "ENV_M##_<light name> _Light<light type> Surface_MarkerForKBE”(ENV_M##_<Light fixture name>_Light fixture <Light fixture type>Surface_MarkerForKBE). Second, for the SP collector, the marker node can be named as follows: “ENV_Light<light type> Surface_MarkerForKBE" (ENV_Lamp <Lamp Type>Surface_MarkerForKBE). "M##" can be a placeholder for the building number;<light name> (<Fixture Name>) can be a placeholder for an identifying name for the fixture, and<light type> (<luminaire type>) can be a placeholder for one of three different types of luminaires supported: "Spot" for spotlights, "Point" for pointlights, and "Shape" for shaped lights.

[0164] The spatial parameters of a luminaire may be defined by several associated body nodes, which may appear together with a "Surface" tag node. The number and properties of these complementary nodes may depend on the type of luminaire being defined.

[0165] Spot light

[0166] Point lights emit light in all directions from a single point in space. Fig.13 An example is provided in 1302. The marker surface must be a geometric body containing a sphere, the center of which can be the point from which the light is emitted. Point lights do not require complementary nodes. The only information item that may be required is the location of the center of the sphere.

[0167] Forming lamp

[0168] Like point lamps, shaped lamps emit light in all directions. However, the light source is not a single point but a capsule shape. Therefore these lamps behave in much the same way as straight fluorescent tubes. Fig.13 An example 1304 is provided in FIG. The marking surface may be a geometric body containing a cylinder whose shape and position may match a "light pipe" from which light may be emitted. A spot light may not require a complementary node. The position, length, and radius of the cylinder may be used to determine the parameters of the light fixture.

[0169] spotlight

[0170] A spotlight emits a cone of light from a single point in space. The marking surface can be a geometry body node containing a cone that can match the shape of the light beam. Fig.13 An example 1306 is provided in . The tip of the cone may mark the conceptual origin of the light field, and may not be typically located at the location of the physical luminaire itself. There may be complementary nodes, whose names may be prefixed with the following string (e.g., as given for non-SP collectors): "ENV_M##_<light name> _LightSpotCircle" (ENV_M##_<luminaire name>_lightspotcircle). The geometry body node may include a circle positioned to match the surface of the luminaire to distinguish the actual physical light source of the luminaire from the tip of the cone.

[0171] Hot Spots

[0172] Hotspots (also called annotations) including annotation points can be defined by ontology nodes located in the Catia document for the corresponding collector, which can comply with a specific naming convention. Matching nodes do not have to be converted into polygonal meshes, but can be treated as special cases. Single-point ontology nodes can be considered hotspots, and their names can start with the prefix "ANN_". There must also be a parameter node with a matching name for indicating the hotspot type. The hotspot type can be as follows. First, "C00_T01" and "C00_T02". Points for locating UI elements specific to the building so as to provide a means for performing various actions or extracting multimedia information (text, images, videos) related to the building. The two variants can be used for non-seat buildings (T01) and seats (T02). These hotspots can exist in the envelope collector. Second, "C01_T01" and "C01_T02". Points for locating annotation callouts within the building in the utility view of the configuration platform 260. These two variants can be used for external building annotation (T01) and internal building annotation (T02).

[0173] Replace Status

[0174] Certain buildings can be represented in more than one state or position. For example, a sofa bed can be berthed or deployed, and a cabinet drawer can be opened or closed. In some embodiments, kinematic fragments are further associated to allow real-time representation of the building transition from a first state (cabinet drawer open) to a second state (cabinet drawer closed). These are identified by extensions to the collector naming convention, similar to the way configuration regions and design features can be identified. When parts of a building exist in multiple states, the affected geometry can be collected into a collector with an identifier that matches the pattern "M##S##B##C##" or "M##S##A##C##" (the initial "B" can represent a "performance" of the building). As with configuration regions and design features, at any given time, there can be only one of the available collectors for a given performance in the 3D scene.

[0175] Special circumstances

[0176] Collectors identified with the C01 configuration may be considered default. They may be used in the main cabin view. The component level "nomenclature" metadata text for a collector may contain the word "Door" followed by the word "Hidden", which corresponds to the "hidden doors" configuration. They may be used in the utility view of the configuration platform 260 to enable a user to see the interior of a storage compartment of a building.

[0177] Example

[0178] The Challenger cabinet has many instances of alternate states, so it can be used in all of the following examples. For simplicity, the identifiers will be shortened to omit the prefix "M03 S05". One of the simplest cases is a roll-up door that can be closed or opened. Therefore, there is one collector for the "closed" state, identified as B26 C01 (without the M03 S05 prefix), and a corresponding alternate collector for the "open" state, identified as B26 C02.

[0179] When the resulting collectors are also affected by a configuration area with multiple options, the result is that the geometry of the component varies depending on several independent configuration choices, so that an X / Y identifier suffix may be required. For example, the configuration of certain drawers may be affected by whether the cabinet is configured with a sink or a drip tray (configuration area Z07). A drawer can also be open or closed; thus there are four different possible states for a drawer. This is represented by assigning an X suffix to the sink / drip tray configuration area, so that its two collectors become Z07 C01 X01 (sink) and Z07C02 X02 (drip tray). This allows the geometry of the drawer to depend on both the Z07 configuration and the open / closed state by identifying the following collectors: B24 C01 Y01, drawer closed when the sink option is selected; B24 C01 Y02, drawer closed when the drip tray option is selected; B24 C02Y01, drawer open when the sink option is selected; B24 C02 Y02, drawer open when the drip tray option is selected.

[0180] The final example shows the case where the component involved in the alternate state itself is a configuration area. This is different from the previous case because there is no separate configuration area that can be used as the basis for the X / Y suffix, so it may be necessary to create a placeholder collector with no geometry. Consider that a drawer can be configured with or without a pull-out work surface, and can also be represented as open or closed. The first two collectors below are alternate state placeholders; the rest are geometry collectors representing the four possible representations of a drawer: B03 C01 X03, closed state placeholder; B03 C02 X04, open state placeholder; Z03 C01 Y03, closed drawer, no pull-out surface; Z03 C02 Y03, closed drawer, with pull-out surface; Z03 C01Y04, open drawer, no pull-out surface; Z03 C02 Y04, open drawer, no pull-out surface.

[0181] Now go to Fig.14 and 15 , shows examples of multiple levels of configurations and collectors generated based on such a configuration. Fig.14 Shown is a “building 01 ” 1402 that may be accessed from the CMS 220. The “building 01 ” 1402 may be associated with a first 3D object 1404 and a second 3D object 1406.

[0182] Fig.14Three levels of configuration are shown, namely building envelopes, configuration areas, and design features. In the example shown, "building 01" 1402 is associated with three building envelopes 1412, 1414, and 1416. Each building envelope may be associated with a given variation of the building. Each of the building envelopes 1412, 1414, and 1416 may be associated with one or more configuration areas (e.g., configuration areas 1422, 1423, and 1424). Each configuration area may be associated with one or more configurations. As an example, configuration area 1422 is associated with "Configuration 01" 1432, "Configuration 02" 1433, and "Configuration 03" 1434. As another example, configuration area 1423 is associated with "Configuration 01" 1435 and "Configuration 02" 1436. As another example, configuration area 1424 is associated with "Configuration 01" 1437 and "Configuration 02" 1438. In some embodiments, "Configuration 01" 1432, "Configuration 01" 1435, and "Configuration 01" 1437 are similar. In some embodiments, "Configuration 02" 1433, "Configuration 02" 1436, and "Configuration 02" 1438 are similar.

[0183] In addition, for the building envelope and configuration area, "building 01" 1402 can be associated with a general design feature "design feature 20" 1410 and a local design feature "design feature 01" 1425. The general design feature "design feature 20" 1410 can reflect a configuration that can be applied independently of the building envelope and / or configuration area, while the local design feature "design feature 01" 1425 can be dependent on the building envelope and / or configuration area. In the example shown, the general design feature "design feature 20" 1410 is associated with "configuration 01" 1430 and "configuration 02" 1431, and the local design feature "design feature 01" 1425 is associated with "configuration 01" 1440 and "configuration 02" 1441.

[0184] Fig.15 Shown with Fig.141404 and the second 3D object 1406. The first set of data collectors 1504 is associated with the first 3D object 1404, and the second set of data collectors 1514 is associated with the second 3D object 1404. In the illustrated embodiment, both the first set of data collectors 1504 and the second set of data collectors 1514 are stored in the Super BOM Library 227. In other embodiments, the first set of data collectors 1504 and the second set of data collectors 1514 can be accessed from different databases and / or directly from the conversion pipeline 221. As can be seen, the first set of data collectors 1504 is associated with the first building envelope (Shape 01) of "Building 01" 1402, and includes both basic collectors (e.g., "S01 COLLECTOR COL01", "S01 COLLECTOR COL Z01-C01") and standard component collectors (e.g., "S01 COLLECTOR SP01", "S01 COLLECTOR SPZ01-C01"). Fig.15 In the example shown, the second set of data collectors 1514 is associated with the second building envelope (Shape 02) of "Building 01" 1402, and includes both basic collectors (e.g., "S02 COLLECTOR COL01", "S02 COLLECTORCOL Z01-C01") and standard component collectors (e.g., "S02 COLLECTOR SP01", "S02 COLLECTOR SPZ01-C01").

[0185] Rule Application

[0186] Now go to Fig.16, an embodiment of rule formats 1602 and 1606 and rule examples 1604 are provided. In some embodiments, the method of applying configuration rules when performing the operation of the configuration platform 260 can rely on the rule formats 1602 and 1606. In some embodiments, the execution of the method of applying configuration rules can be performed by the rule engine 275. In some embodiments, the rules and / or rule formats can be edited via the rule formulation module 225. In some embodiments, rules stored as configuration rule data according to rule formats (such as but not limited to rule formats 1602 and 1606) can be accessed. The configuration rule data models internal building configuration rules and external building configuration rules. In some embodiments, the internal building configuration rules can be related to the internal configuration of the building that affects the building itself. In some embodiments, the external building configuration rules can be related to the external configuration of the building, which affects the environment in which the building will be represented. Once accessed, the configuration rule data can be applied to the building, for example, by the rule engine 275, and then rendered by the 3D engine 272 to present a visual representation of the building that takes into account various configuration rules. As an example, a sofa bed positioned near an exit door may trigger a configuration rule in which a specific configuration of the sofa bed needs to be selected and / or indicated. The specific configuration of the sofa bed may include specific features (e.g., a removable backrest) that are compatible with the position of the sofa bed in front of the exit door.

[0187] As a first example, the rule format 1602 is constructed into a three-layer logical structure, namely "IF:—THEN:—IS:—" (If:—Then:—Is:—). Rule example 1604 shows an example of a rule constructed according to the rule format 1602. Rule example 1604 allows definition of whether certain options, buildings and / or design features are inherent, mandatory, unavailable or optional. As an example but not limiting, rule example 1604 can model a rule according to which IF: "ZONE CONFIGURATION=02" (If: "Zone Configuration=02"), THEN: "DIVAN" (Then: "Sofa Bed"), IS: "MANDATORY" (Is: "Mandatory"). The example can be translated as: If zone configuration=02, the sofa bed is mandatory and will be represented / located in zone configuration 02.

[0188] As a second example, the rule format 1606 is constructed into a three-layer logical structure, namely "IF:—THEN:—WITH:—". As an example but not limiting, the rule format can define a structure for a rule example, which models a rule according to which IF: "ZONE CONFIGURATION=02", THEN: "DIVAN", WITH: "LARGE RIGHT ARMREST". The example can be translated as: If zone configuration=02, the sofa bed has a large right armrest and will be represented / located in zone configuration 02.

[0189] Seat Configuration

[0190] Now go to Fig.17 and 18 , an embodiment of a method for propagating configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models is shown. The method may be implemented by the seat configuration engine 274 of the configuration platform 260. According to an embodiment of the present technology, the method may allow a specific 3D model to be configured according to a given configuration, and then propagate the given configuration to other 3D models without manually (re)configuring each of the other 3D models. As an example, the 3D model may be a first seat, and the given configuration may include a selection of shape, layout, material type (e.g., certain patterns on the backrest, other patterns on the leg rest, a specific layout and / or color of the pow line, a specific wood selection for the armrest, a specific selection of leather, etc.). The first seat may be an aircraft cabin seat. In the example, the other 3D models may be a second seat, a third seat, etc. As a result of performing the method for propagating configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models, a user may configure the first seat by selecting the desired configuration, and the desired configuration may be propagated to the second seat, the third seat, etc., without manually configuring each of the second seat and the third seat.

[0191] In the example, the 3D model category is an aircraft cabin seat category, but it should be envisioned that other types of 3D objects may be used in conjunction with the method of propagating configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models without departing from the scope of the present technology (for example, the 3D objects may be associated cabinets, side ledges, sofa beds, etc.).

[0192] exist Fig.17 In the example of FIG. 1 , the 3D model is a first aircraft cabin seat 1702, and the other 3D model is a second aircraft cabin 1704. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, Fig.171702 and a front view of a second aircraft cabin seat 1704. The first aircraft cabin seat 1702 has a first layout, while the aircraft cabin seat 1704 has a second layout that is different from the first layout. In some embodiments, the first layout may be defined by a first pow line pattern (e.g., defining four surfaces of a backrest), while the second layout may be defined by a second pow line pattern (e.g., defining three surfaces of a backrest).

[0193] According to some embodiments of the present technology, the first aircraft cabin seat 1702 is divided into a plurality of surfaces. The first aircraft cabin seat 1702 may define a 3D model. The plurality of surfaces are 3D model surfaces that are visible to a user when rendered by the 3D engine 272. Fig.17 In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of surfaces includes four surfaces defining a backrest, one surface defining a seat cushion, two surfaces defining a leg rest, and two surfaces defining a left armrest and a right armrest. According to the method, each of the plurality of surfaces is associated with a unique surface identifier. Fig.17 In the example of , the first unique surface identifier "1" is associated with one of the surfaces of the backrest, the second unique surface identifier "2" is associated with one of the surfaces of the backrest, the third unique surface identifier "3" is associated with one of the surfaces of the backrest, the fourth unique surface identifier "4" is associated with one of the surfaces of the backrest, the fifth unique surface identifier "5" is associated with the surface of the seat cushion, the sixth unique surface identifier "6" is associated with the right armrest, the seventh unique surface identifier "7" is associated with the left armrest, the eighth unique surface identifier "8" is associated with one of the surfaces of the leg rest, and the ninth unique surface identifier "9" is associated with one of the surfaces of the leg rest.

[0194] The second aircraft cabin seat 1704 may define further 3D models which are components of the same 3D model category (i.e., aircraft cabin seat category) as the first aircraft cabin seat 1702. Similar to the first aircraft cabin seat 1702, the second aircraft cabin seat 1704 may be divided into a plurality of surfaces. Figure 2 In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of surfaces are 3D model surfaces that are visible to a user when rendered by the 3D engine 272. Fig.17In an embodiment of the invention, the plurality of surfaces include three surfaces defining a backrest, one surface defining a seat cushion, two surfaces defining a leg rest, and two surfaces defining a left armrest and a right armrest. According to the method, a correspondence is established between the plurality of surfaces of the first aircraft cabin seat 1704 and the other plurality of surfaces of the second aircraft cabin seat 1706. The correspondence may be established based on a correspondence between a 3D model associated with the first aircraft cabin seat 1704 and the other 3D models associated with the second aircraft cabin seat 1706. In some embodiments, the correspondence may be based on data generated and / or stored by the CMS 220 (e.g., the super BOM library 227, the super BOM metadata 228, the material library 224). Once the correspondence is established, for each of the plurality of surfaces of the second aircraft cabin seat 1706, the method associates a unique surface identifier associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of surfaces of the first aircraft cabin seat 1704. In the example shown, the method associates a first unique surface identifier "1" with one of the surfaces of the backrest, a second unique surface identifier "2" with one of the surfaces of the backrest, a third unique surface identifier "3" with one of the surfaces of the backrest, a fifth unique surface identifier "5" with a surface of the seat cushion, a sixth unique surface identifier "6" with the right armrest, a seventh unique surface identifier "7" with the left armrest, and an eighth unique surface identifier "8" with the leg rest. In the example shown, it is determined that the second aircraft cabin seat 1704 does not have surfaces corresponding to the unique surface identifiers "4" and "9" of the first aircraft cabin seat 1702.

[0195] Once a correspondence between the plurality of surfaces of the first aircraft cabin seat 1704 and other plurality of surfaces of the second aircraft cabin seat 1706 is established, the method may determine configuration settings to be applied to one or more of the plurality of surfaces of the first aircraft cabin seat 1704 and then propagate the configuration settings to the second aircraft cabin seat 1704.

[0196] According to the above method, the user can select a wood material to be applied to the surface of the left and right armrests of the first aircraft cabin seat 1702, and the method can automatically apply the wood material to the surface of the left and right armrests of the second aircraft cabin seat 1704. As another example, the user can select a leather material to be applied to the surface of a portion of the backrest portion of the first aircraft cabin seat 1702, and the method can automatically apply the leather material to the corresponding surface of the backrest of the second aircraft cabin seat 1704.

[0197] exist Fig.18Another example of how to divide a 3D model into multiple surfaces and how to establish correspondence with multiple surfaces of other 3D models is provided in . Fig.18 A first aircraft cabin seat back 1802 and a second aircraft cabin seat back 1804 for which a correspondence has been established are shown.

[0198] Already referenced Figures 1 to 18 Having described some non-limiting example embodiments of systems and computer-implemented methods for use in conjunction with an operational configuration platform, we will now refer to Figures 19 to 23 Describe the general protocol.

[0199] More specifically, Fig.19 A flow chart illustrating a first computer-implemented method 1900 of implementing embodiments of the present technology is shown. Fig.19 The computer-implemented method may include a computer-implemented method for converting a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the method being executable by a processor of one or more servers 240, 242, and 244, the method including a series of steps performed by the one or more servers 240, 242, and 244.

[0200] Fig.19 The computer-implemented method can be implemented, for example, in the environment of one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 by a processor 110, which executes program instructions that have been loaded from the solid-state drive 120 of the one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 into the random access memory 130 to implement the conversion pipeline 221.

[0201] Method 1900 begins at step 1902 by accessing a first data set defining a data collector associated with a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the data collector comprising an ontology defining a 3D object representing at least a portion of the building, and metadata defining information associated with the 3D object. Then, at step 1904, the method proceeds to converting the ontology into a polygonal mesh suitable for rendering by a 3D real-time engine of a configuration platform.

[0202] Then, at step 1906, the method proceeds to generate configuration data based on the analysis of the metadata, the configuration data including at least one of the positioning of the monument, material surfaces associated with the monument, material texture directions associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, alternative states associated with the monument, and kinematic segments associated with the monument.

[0203] At step 1908, the method proceeds to compile the polygon mesh and configuration data in a data format suitable for representation and rendering by a 3D real-time engine.

[0204] In some embodiments, the data collector comprises one of a base collector associated with a representation of a structure of the portion of the monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of accessories associated with the portion of the monument.

[0205] In some embodiments, the metadata defines at least one of a configurability of a data collector and a relationship of the data collector to other data collectors defining other portions of the building. In some embodiments, the data collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector. In some embodiments, the envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector define available configuration permutations of the building.

[0206] In some embodiments, the region configuration collector is dependent on another region configuration collector. In some embodiments, the design feature collector is dependent on another design feature collector. In some embodiments, the region configuration collector that is dependent on another region configuration collector and the design feature collector that is dependent on another design feature collector include one of a single cross dependency and a multiple cross dependency. In some embodiments, converting the body into a polygonal mesh also includes converting a projection mapping of a material associated with the body. In some embodiments, method 1900 also includes calculating a UV mapping on the polygonal mesh. In some embodiments, the body is further associated with parameters defining properties of the material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a finishing type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a position associated with the material.

[0207] In some embodiments, the monument is associated with a location identifier, which allows location of the monument in the aircraft cabin interior. In some embodiments, method 1900 further comprises, after accessing the first data set, further proceeding to parsing the first data set.

[0208] More specifically, Fig. 20 A flow chart illustrating a second computer-implemented method 2000 for implementing embodiments of the present technology is shown. Fig. 20 The computer-implemented method may include a computer-implemented method of operating a configuration platform, which may be executed by a processor of one or more servers 240, 242 and 244, and the method includes a series of steps performed by one or more servers 240, 242 and 244.

[0209] Fig. 20 The computer-implemented method may be performed, for example, in the context of one or more servers 240, 242, and 244 by a processor 110 executing program instructions that have been loaded from the solid-state drives 120 of the one or more servers 240, 242, and 244 into the random access memory 130 to implement a client application 270.

[0210] The method 2000 begins at step 2002, accessing, from a content management system, building data representing at least a portion of a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data comprising a polygon mesh and configuration data, the polygon mesh being suitable for rendering the portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building.

[0211] Then, at step 2004, the method proceeds to determining at least one of a positioning of a monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument based on the configuration data.

[0212] Then, at step 2006, the method proceeds to rendering the portion of the construction by a 3D real-time engine.

[0213] In some embodiments, the configuration data is associated with one of a base collector associated with a representation of a structure of the portion of the monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of an accessory associated with the portion of the monument.

[0214] In some embodiments, the one of the base collector and the standard components collector defines configurability of a monument and a relationship of the one of the base collector and the standard components collector to other collectors defining the monument.

[0215] In some embodiments, the one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

[0216] In some embodiments, the envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector define available configuration arrangements for the monument.

[0217] In some embodiments, the body is further associated with parameters defining properties of the material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a position associated with the material.

[0218] In some embodiments, the monument is associated with a location identifier which allows positioning of the monument within the aircraft cabin interior.

[0219] In some embodiments, the rendering is based on at least one of a base collector and a standard component collector, and the parameters define properties and location identifiers of materials.

[0220] More specifically, Fig.21 A flow chart illustrating a third computer-implemented method 2100 for implementing embodiments of the present technology is shown. Fig.21 The computer-implemented method may include a computer-implemented method for updating a content management system associated with a configuration platform, the method being executable by a processor of one or more servers 240, 242, and 244, the method including a series of steps performed by the one or more servers 240, 242, and 244.

[0221] Fig.21 The computer-implemented method may be implemented, for example, in the environment of one or more servers 240, 242, and 244 by a processor 110 executing program instructions that have been loaded from the solid-state drives 120 of the one or more servers 240, 242, and 244 into the random access memory 130 to implement material bridging 223.

[0222] The method 2100 begins at step 2102 by accessing a content management system, the content management system including building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data including a polygon mesh and configuration data, the polygon mesh being suitable for rendering at least a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data including at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternative state associated with the building, and a kinematic segment associated with the building.

[0223] Then, at step 2104, the method proceeds to access parameters used to define properties of the material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a location associated with the material, and a position associated with the material.

[0224] Then, at step 2106, the method proceeds to defining the applicability of the parameters to the construction. Then, at step 2108, the method proceeds to assigning component identifiers to the construction data and the other construction data based on the defined applicability of the parameters to the construction and based on the relationship between the construction data and the other construction data.

[0225] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further comprises modifying the applicability of the parameter to the monument and propagating the applicability to the monument data and to the other monument data.

[0226] More specifically, Fig. 22 A flow chart illustrating a fourth computer-implemented method 2200 for implementing embodiments of the present technology is shown. Fig. 22 The computer-implemented method may include a computer-implemented method of applying configuration rules, wherein the configuration rules are related to the operation of the configuration platform, and the method can be executed by a processor of one or more servers 240, 242 and 244, and the method includes a series of steps performed by the one or more servers 240, 242 and 244.

[0227] Fig. 22 The computer-implemented method can be implemented, for example, in the environment of one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 by a processor 110, which executes program instructions that have been loaded from the solid-state drive 120 of the one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 into the random access memory 130 to implement the rule engine 275.

[0228] The method 2200 begins at step 2202, accessing building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior from a content management system, the building data comprising a polygon mesh suitable for rendering a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine and configuration data, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternative state associated with the building, and a kinematic segment associated with the building.

[0229] Then, at step 2204, the method proceeds to access configuration rule data, which models internal building configuration rules and external building configuration rules, wherein the internal building configuration rules relate to the internal configuration of the building that affects the building itself, and the external building configuration rules relate to the external configuration of the building that affects the environment in which the building is to be represented.

[0230] Then, at step 2206, the method proceeds to applying at least a subset of the configuration rule data to the construction data.

[0231] Then, at step 2208, the method proceeds to rendering the construction by the 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal configuration rules and the external configuration rules to represent the portion of the construction.

[0232] In some embodiments, method 2200 further includes editing the configuration rule data by at least one of adding an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule, removing an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule, and modifying an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule.

[0233] In some embodiments, the configuration rules model at least one of a certification constraint, a position of a bulkhead in the aircraft cabin interior, an available configuration of a monument at a given position in the aircraft cabin interior.

[0234] In some embodiments, the rendering further comprises positioning the monument within the aircraft cabin interior based on the configuration rules.

[0235] In some embodiments, the rendering further comprises selecting a representation of a monument based on the configuration rules.

[0236] In some embodiments, the configuration rule comprises a state to be associated with the monument when a configuration condition is met, the state consisting of one of intrinsic, mandatory, unavailable, available, and alternate.

[0237] In some embodiments, the configuration condition is based on at least one of an option associated with the monument, the monument, an envelope of the monument, a region configuration associated with the monument, and a design feature configuration associated with the monument.

[0238] In some embodiments, the configuration data is associated with one of a base collector associated with a representation of a structure of a monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of an accessory associated with the part of the monument.

[0239] In some embodiments, the one of the base collector and the standard components collector defines configurability of a building and a relationship of the one of the base collector and the standard components collector to other collectors defining a building.

[0240] In some embodiments, the one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

[0241] In some embodiments, the configuration condition is based on at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

[0242] More specifically, Fig.23 A flow chart illustrating a fifth computer-implemented method 2300 for implementing embodiments of the present technology is shown. Fig.23 The computer-implemented method may include a computer-implemented method for propagating configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models, wherein the 3D model and the other 3D models are components of the same 3D model category, the method may be executed by a processor of one or more servers 240, 242 and 244, and the method includes a series of steps performed by one or more servers 240, 242 and 244.

[0243] Fig.23 The computer-implemented method can be performed, for example, in the environment of the one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 by the processor 110, which executes program instructions that have been loaded from the solid-state drive 120 of the one or more servers 240, 242 and 244 into the random access memory 130 to implement the seat configuration engine 274.

[0244] Method 2300 begins at step 2302 by dividing a 3D model into a first plurality of surfaces, where the first plurality of surfaces are surfaces of the 3D model that are visible when rendered by a 3D engine.

[0245] Then, at step 2304, the method proceeds to associating each of the first plurality of surfaces with a unique surface identifier.

[0246] Then, for each of the other 3D models, the method proceeds to steps 2306-2310. Step 2306 includes dividing the one of the other 3D models into a second plurality of surfaces. Step 2308 includes: establishing a correspondence between at least some of the second plurality of surfaces and at least some of the first plurality of surfaces based on the correspondence between the 3D model and the one of the other 3D models. Step 2310 includes associating, for each of the second plurality of surfaces corresponding to one of the first plurality of surfaces, a unique surface identifier associated with the corresponding one of the first plurality of surfaces.

[0247] At step 2312, the method proceeds to selecting a configuration setting for a 3D model. Then, at step 2314, the method proceeds to determining a unique identifier of the 3D model to which the configuration setting is to be applied. Then, at step 2316, the method proceeds to propagate the configuration setting to other 3D models to which the configuration setting is to be applied based on the unique identifier of the 3D model.

[0248] In some embodiments, the 3D model is an aircraft cabin seat. In some embodiments, the first plurality of surfaces includes a plurality of surfaces of the aircraft cabin seat. In some embodiments, selecting the configuration setting includes selecting a material type of the aircraft cabin seat. In some embodiments, propagating the configuration setting includes propagating the selection of the material type of the aircraft cabin seat to other aircraft cabin seats.

[0249] Although the above embodiments have been described and illustrated with reference to specific steps performed in a specific order, it is understood that these steps can be combined, subdivided or reordered without departing from the teachings of the present technology. Therefore, the order and grouping of the steps are not limitations of the present technology.

[0250] It should be clearly understood that not all technical effects mentioned herein need to be embodied in each and every embodiment of the present technology. For example, embodiments of the present technology may be implemented without the user enjoying some of these technical effects, while other embodiments may be implemented with the user enjoying other technical effects or without enjoying the technical effects at all.

[0251] Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present technology will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present technology is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for converting a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the method comprising: accessing the first data set, the first data set defining a data collector associated with an architectural feature of an aircraft cabin interior, the data collector comprising an ontology and metadata, the ontology defining a 3D object representing at least a portion of the architectural feature, the metadata defining information associated with the 3D object; converting the entity into a polygonal mesh suitable for rendering by a 3D real-time engine of the configuration platform; generating configuration data based on the analysis of the metadata, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematics segment associated with the monument; as well as The polygon mesh and the configuration data are compiled in a data format suitable for representation and rendering by the 3D real-time engine.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The data collector comprises one of a basic collector associated with a structural representation of the portion of the monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of an accessory associated with the portion of the monument.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The metadata defines at least one of the configurability of the monument and the relationship of the data collector to other data collectors that define other portions of the monument.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The data collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector define available configuration arrangements for the building.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The zone configuration collector is dependent on another zone configuration collector. The method of claim 6 , wherein the design feature collector is dependent on another design feature collector.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The region configuration collector being dependent on another region configuration collector and the design feature collector being dependent on another design feature collector include one of a single cross dependency and a multiple cross dependency.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Converting the body to the polygonal mesh further includes converting a projection map of a material associated with the body.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising computing a UV mapping on the polygonal mesh.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The body is also associated with parameters defining properties of the material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a type of finish associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, and a location associated with the material.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The monument is associated with a location identifier allowing positioning of the monument in the aircraft cabin interior.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: After accessing the first data set, the method further proceeds to parsing the first data set.

14. A method for operating a configuration platform, the method comprising: accessing, from a content management system, monument data representing at least a portion of a monument of an aircraft cabin interior, the monument data comprising a polygon mesh suitable for rendering the portion of the monument by a 3D real-time engine, and configuration data, the polygon mesh comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematics segment associated with the monument; determining, based on the configuration data, at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument; as well as The portion of the construction is rendered by the 3D real-time engine.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The configuration data is associated with one of a basic collector associated with a structural representation of the portion of the monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of an accessory associated with the portion of the monument.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines the configurability of the monument and the relationship of the one of the base collector and the standard component collector to other collectors defining the monument.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector define available configuration arrangements for the building.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The building data is also associated with parameters defining properties of the material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a type of finish associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, and a location associated with the material.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The monument is associated with a location identifier allowing positioning of the monument in the aircraft cabin interior.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The rendering is based on at least one of the one of the base collector and the standard component collector, the parameters defining properties of the material, and the location identifier.

22. A method for updating a content management system associated with a configuration platform, the method comprising: accessing a content management system, the content management system including building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data including a polygon mesh suitable for rendering at least a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, and configuration data including at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building; accessing a parameter defining a property of a material, the parameter reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a location associated with the material; defining applicability of said parameters to said construction; as well as Component identifiers are assigned to the monument data and the further monument data based on the applicability of the defined parameters to the monument and based on the relationship between the monument data and the further monument data.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising modifying the applicability of the parameter to the monument and propagating the applicability to the monument data and other monument data.

24. A method for applying a configuration rule, the configuration rule relating to an operation of a configuration platform, the method comprising: Accessing, from a content management system, building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data comprising a polygon mesh and configuration data, the polygon mesh being suitable for rendering a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building; accessing configuration rule data modeling internal building configuration rules relating to an internal configuration of the building affecting the building itself and external building configuration rules relating to an external configuration of the building affecting an environment in which the building is to be represented; applying at least a subset of the configuration rule data to the construction data; as well as The building is rendered by the 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal building configuration rule and the external building configuration rule to represent the portion of the building.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: The configuration rule data is edited by at least one of adding an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule, removing an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule, and modifying an internal building configuration rule or an external building configuration rule.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The configuration rules model at least one of a certification constraint, a position of a bulkhead in the aircraft cabin interior, available configurations of the monument for a given position of the monument in the aircraft cabin interior.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein: The rendering further includes positioning the monument in the aircraft cabin interior based on the configuration rules.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein: The rendering further includes selecting a representation of the monument based on the configuration rules.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein: The configuration rule comprises a state to be associated with the monument when a configuration condition is met, the state being one of: inherent, mandatory, unavailable, available, and alternate.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The configuration condition is based on at least one of an option associated with the monument, the monument, an envelope of the monument, a region configuration associated with the monument, and a design feature configuration associated with the monument.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein: The configuration data is associated with one of a base collector associated with a structural representation of the monument and a standard component collector associated with a representation of an accessory associated with the part of the monument.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein: The one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines the configurability of the monument and the relationship of the one of the base collector and the standard component collector to other collectors defining the monument.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein: The one of the base collector and the standard component collector defines at least one of an envelope collector, a region configuration collector, and a design feature collector.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein: The configuration condition is based on at least one of the envelope collector, the region configuration collector, and the design feature collector.

35. A computer-implemented system for converting a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the system comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium being coupled to the processor and configured to store instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: accessing the first data set, the first data set defining a data collector associated with an architectural feature of an aircraft cabin interior, the data collector comprising an ontology and metadata, the ontology defining a 3D object representing at least a portion of the architectural feature, the metadata defining information associated with the 3D object; converting the entity into a polygonal mesh suitable for rendering by a 3D real-time engine of the configuration platform; generating configuration data based on the analysis of the metadata, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematics segment associated with the monument; as well as The polygon mesh and the configuration data are compiled in a data format suitable for representation and rendering by the 3D real-time engine.

36. A computer-implemented system, the system comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium being coupled to the processor and storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: accessing, from a content management system, monument data representing at least a portion of a monument of an aircraft cabin interior, the monument data comprising a polygon mesh and configuration data, the polygon mesh being suitable for rendering the portion of the monument by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematics segment associated with the monument; determining, based on the configuration data, at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument; as well as The portion of the construction is rendered by the 3D real-time engine.

37. A computer-implemented system, the system comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium being coupled to the processor and storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: accessing a content management system, the content management system including building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data including a polygon mesh suitable for rendering at least a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, and configuration data including at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building; accessing a parameter defining a property of a material, the parameter reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, and a location associated with the material; defining applicability of said parameters to said construction; as well as Component identifiers are assigned to the monument data and the further monument data based on the applicability of the defined parameters to the monument and based on the relationship between the monument data and the further monument data.

38. A computer-implemented system for applying configuration rules, the configuration rules relating to the operation of a configuration platform, the system comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium being coupled to the processor and storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: Accessing, from a content management system, building data representing a building of an aircraft cabin interior, the building data comprising a polygon mesh and configuration data, the polygon mesh being suitable for rendering a portion of the building by a 3D real-time engine, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the building, a material surface associated with the building, a material texture direction associated with the building, lighting associated with the building, annotations associated with the building, an alternate state associated with the building, and a kinematics segment associated with the building; accessing configuration rule data modeling internal building configuration rules relating to an internal configuration of the building affecting the building itself and external building configuration rules relating to an external configuration of the building affecting an environment in which the building is to be represented; applying at least a subset of the configuration rule data to the construction data; and The building is rendered by the 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal building configuration rule and the external building configuration rule to represent the portion of the building.

39. A computer implemented system configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

40. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that cause a system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

41. A computer implemented system configured to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 21.

42. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that cause a system to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 21.

43. A computer implemented system configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 and 23.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that cause a system to perform the method of any one of claims 22 and 23.

45. A computer implemented system configured to perform the method of any one of claims 24 to 34.

46. ​​A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that cause a system to perform the method of any one of claims 24 to 34.

47. A system for operating a configuration platform, the system comprising: a conversion pipeline allowing a first data set associated with a computer-aided design (CAD) system to be converted into a polygonal mesh and configuration data, the polygonal mesh being suitable for rendering a portion of a construction, the configuration data comprising at least one of a positioning of the construction, a material surface associated with the construction, a material texture direction associated with the construction, lighting associated with the construction, annotations associated with the construction, an alternative state associated with the construction, and a kinematic fragment associated with the construction; a content management system storing the polygonal mesh and the configuration data; and a 3D real-time engine that allows determining at least one of a positioning of the monument, a material surface associated with the monument, a material texture direction associated with the monument, lighting associated with the monument, annotations associated with the monument, an alternate state associated with the monument, and a kinematic segment associated with the monument based on the configuration data; and allowing said portion of said construction to be rendered by said 3D real-time engine.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein: The system also includes a material bridge configured to: accessing parameters defining properties of a material, the parameters reflecting at least one of a finish type associated with the material, a scale associated with the material, a position associated with the material, a location associated with the material, and a position associated with the material; defining applicability of said parameters to said construction; as well as Component identifiers are assigned to the monument data and the further monument data based on the applicability of the defined parameters to the monument and based on the relationship between the monument data and the further monument data.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein: The system also includes a rules engine configured to: accessing configuration rule data modeling internal building configuration rules relating to an internal configuration of the building affecting the building and external building configuration rules relating to an external configuration of the building affecting an environment in which the building is to be represented; applying at least a subset of the configuration rule data to the construction data; and The building is rendered by the 3D real-time engine, the rendering being based on the internal building configuration rule and the external building configuration rule to represent the portion of the building.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein: The system also includes a configuration engine configured to propagate configuration settings of a 3D model to other 3D models, the 3D model and the other 3D models being parts of a same 3D model class.

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