Collaborative Work Snapshot Sharing for 3D Design Context
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current collaborative work systems for users working on graphical user interfaces face challenges such as mental merging of objects in different contextual viewing situations and the complexity of undoing merges, especially when users are geographically distant, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in product design and development.
Innovation Solution
A method and software for collaborative work that allows users to initiate a collaborative session by sending a snapshot or 3D geometrical data of an object with viewing context, enabling a unified view within the authoring environment, and allowing real-time modifications with rights management, thereby simplifying the merging and modification process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If users work on objects in separate local environments and share them via network, then geographical distance is overcome, but mental merging of objects in different contextual viewing situations occurs and undoing merges becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the object data into different levels of detail (full data vs. visual representation) and separates the viewing context from the object data itself. This allows users to share only visual representations with associated viewing contexts rather than full object data, simplifying the merging process and making it easier to undo changes since only lightweight visual data is being merged.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual representations (copies) of the original objects that include embedded viewing context information. These copies are shared between users instead of the full object data, allowing users to see objects in the same contextual view without actually merging the heavy full-data models, thus simplifying collaboration and making undo operations trivial.
2Loss of information
If full object data is shared between users, then complete information is available, but system performance degrades and complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments information into two layers: visual representations with viewing contexts (shared for collaboration) and full object data (remained local for completeness). This segmentation allows users to have access to complete information through their local full data while sharing only the necessary visual portions, reducing system complexity and improving performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by sharing only the portion of object data that is visually represented (snapshots with viewing contexts) rather than the complete full data. This partial sharing is sufficient for collaborative viewing and discussion, while full data remains local, reducing network traffic and processing complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If viewing context is embedded in visual representations, then realistic merged view is achieved, but data transmission volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by embedding viewing context information specifically within the visual representations that need to be shared, rather than transmitting full data. The viewing context (camera position, zoom level, selected features) is added only to the visual snapshots, not to the entire object model, thus achieving accurate localized representation without proportionally increasing overall data volume.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The method of collaborative work takes place between a first user working on a first object (1) on the basis of a visual representation of the first object displayed in an authoring environment of a first local computer; and a second user working in an authoring environment of a second local computer connected with the first computer via a computer network. The method comprising the steps of: a) selecting at the first computer one type among a plurality of types of data about the first object, each type of data comprising visual representation data about the first object; b) providing to the second computer data about the first object according to the selected type; c) displaying a visual representation of the first object in the authoring environment of the second computer.