Collaborative CAx Editing via Design Space Partitioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current CAx applications require a single user to assume ownership and control of a design or engineering model to prevent uncoordinated changes, limiting collaborative editing among multiple users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing methods for collaborative CAx editing that allow users to define partitioning constraints, partition the design space into editing regions, and assign specific users to edit selected features or geometries, while blocking access from others, using techniques such as geometry lists, feature selection filters, and partitioning surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single user assumes ownership and control of a design model to prevent uncoordinated changes, then model integrity and reliability are improved, but collaborative editing capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the design model into multiple editing regions, each assigned to a different user. This segmentation allows multiple users to work simultaneously on different parts of the model without interfering with each other, thus enabling collaborative editing while maintaining model integrity through structured partitioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements user-specific access rights for different editing regions, where each user has full control over their assigned region while having limited or no access to other regions. This local quality approach allows collaborative editing capability while ensuring that each user's changes maintain overall model integrity through controlled access.
2Productivity
If multiple users can edit the same design model simultaneously, then collaborative productivity is improved, but the risk of feature corruption and model conflicts increases
Solution Approach 1:
By partitioning the design model into distinct editing regions assigned to different users, the system enables simultaneous editing by multiple users (improving productivity) while preventing feature corruption through spatial separation of edit operations (maintaining reliability).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that coordinates access to the design model. The server manages user assignments to editing regions, tracks changes, and ensures that simultaneous edits by multiple users do not cause feature corruption or conflicts.
3Reliability
If rigid administrative control is implemented to manage multi-user access, then model integrity is improved, but system complexity and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to define their own partitioning constraints and assign themselves to appropriate editing regions based on their expertise and project requirements. This self-service approach maintains model integrity through user-defined rules while reducing the complexity of centralized administrative control systems.
4Adaptability or versatility
If partitioning constraints and region assignments are implemented, then collaborative editing capability is improved, but the complexity of managing user permissions and constraints increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal server-based platform that handles multiple functions including user authentication, partitioning constraint management, region assignment, and change coordination. This multi-functional approach enables collaborative editing capability while consolidating permission management complexity into a single centralized system rather than requiring complex distributed control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for collaborative CAx editing may include enabling a user to define a partitioning constraint for a design space and partitioning the design space into editing regions according to the partitioning constraint and assigning users to specific editing regions. The method may also include displaying a feature tree, enabling a user to select and lock a selected feature for editing by a specified user, enabling the specified user to edit the selected feature and blocking access from other users to the selected feature. An apparatus corresponding to the above method is also disclosed herein.