Automated Drawing Comparison Tool Identifying Shape Changes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer-based drawing systems, such as Windows Visio, lack a generalized graphical or drawing comparison capability, leading to manual intensive and error-prone methods for reviewing changes in drawings, which are time-consuming and prone to incorrect identification of changes.
Innovation Solution
An automated drawing comparison tool that identifies and indicates deleted, new, and common shapes between two drawings generated by a shape-based computer system, using queries and treatments to highlight changes in the drawings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual color coding is used to identify drawing changes, then users can review changes, but the process is error-prone and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-comparison by automatically identifying and highlighting changes between drawings without requiring manual intervention. The computer automatically colors-coded changes, eliminating the need for manual color coding and reducing both errors and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of color-coding changes is replaced with an automated computer-based system that uses software algorithms to detect and highlight differences between drawings, substituting human manual work with automated computational processes.
2Extent of automation
If drawings are exported to XML format and compared using text editors, then comparison is automated, but the method is not suitable for complicated diagrams
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides a universal comparison capability that works with all types of drawings including complicated diagrams, not limited to specific formats or diagram types. The visual comparison interface can handle complex drawings with multiple shapes, connections, and elements effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies of the original and revised drawings side-by-side, allowing users to compare them visually while maintaining the graphical integrity of complicated diagrams, rather than converting to text-based XML representations that lose visual context.
3Ease of operation
If printing and manual marking up of differences is performed, then drawing changes can be reviewed, but users spend excessive time on coloring instead of focusing on actual differences
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs the marking and highlighting of differences without requiring user intervention. The computer automatically applies color-coding to indicate changes, allowing users to simply review the highlighted differences without spending time on manual marking.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical act of marking up printed drawings is replaced with automated software-based highlighting that occurs electronically, substituting the time-consuming physical marking process with instant digital annotation.
4Reliability
If manual review methods are used, then users can identify changes, but incorrect identification or omission of changes may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-verification by automatically detecting and highlighting all changes between drawings, eliminating human error in identification. The automated system ensures consistent and accurate detection of all modifications without omission or incorrect identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for comparing a first drawing and a second drawing generated by a shape-based computer system includes: (a) In no particular order: (1) identifying shapes present in the first drawing; and (2) identifying shapes present in the second drawing. (b) In no particular order: (1) identifying deleted shapes; the deleted shapes being present in the first drawing and not present in the second drawing; and (2) identifying new shapes; the new shapes being present in the second drawing and not present in the first drawing. (c) In no particular order: (1) indicating the deleted shapes in the first drawing; and (2) indicating the new shapes in the second drawing.