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Synchronous communication in PLM environments using annotated CAD models

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Abstract

The connection of resources, data, and knowledge through communication technology plays a vital role in current collaborative design methodologies and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, as these elements act as channels for information and meaning. Despite significant advances in the area of PLM, most communication tools are used as separate services that are disconnected from existing development environments. Consequently, during a communication session, the specific elements being discussed are usually not linked to the context of the discussion, which may result in important information getting lost or becoming difficult to access. In this paper, we present a method to add synchronous communication functionality to a PLM system based on annotated information embedded in the CAD model. This approach provides users a communication channel that is built directly into the CAD interface and is valuable when individuals need to be contacted regarding the annotated aspects of a CAD model. We present the architecture of a new system and its integration with existing PLM systems, and describe the implementation details of an annotation-based video conferencing module for a commercial CAD application.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Architecture, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Jorge D. Camba

  2. I3BH, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

    Manuel Contero

  3. Depto. de Expresión Gráfica, Proyectos y Urbanismo, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Valencia, Spain

    Gustavo Salvador-Herranz

  4. Depto. de Ingeniería Mecánica y Construcción, Universitat Jaume I, Castellon, Spain

    Raquel Plumed

Authors
  1. Jorge D. Camba
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  2. Manuel Contero
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  3. Gustavo Salvador-Herranz
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  4. Raquel Plumed
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jorge D. Camba.

Additional information

Jorge D. Camba is an assistant professor of Industrial Design at the University of Houston. He received his PhD in design and manufacturing from Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.

Manuel Contero is a professor of engineering graphics at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. His research interests include modeling methodologies for CAD applications, concurrent engineering, and product data quality models. He received an MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.

Gustavo Salvador-Herranz is a lecturer in the Technical School of Design, Architecture and Engineering at the University CEU Cardenal Herrera in Valencia, Spain. His research focuses on human computer interaction, e-learning, and computer-supported collaborative learning. He is currently finishing his PhD in design and manufacturing at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.

Raquel Plumed teaches engineering graphics at Universitat Jaume I in Castellón, Spain, where she received her PhD in the area of sketch-based modeling. She was recently an invited doctoral researcher at the School of Computer Science at Cardiff University in the UK.

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Camba, J.D., Contero, M., Salvador-Herranz, G. et al. Synchronous communication in PLM environments using annotated CAD models. J. Syst. Sci. Syst. Eng. 25, 142–158 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-016-5305-5

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