Dassault Systemes

Valentin Chartier

Duy Minh Vu

Guénolé Gicquel

Jean Buffet

Nicolas Esposito

Francois Delaplace

Khanh Linh Tong

François Delaplace

Transitional image for a portion of a display screen

A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management. An efficient, non-centralized communications framework makes 'synchronous' collaborative design possible. Users are resident at workstations that are connected in a peer-to-peer arrangement. In a collaborative design session, the model is resident in memory at each workstation. Modifications are made at any workstation, and commands, which are interpreted at each workstation to effect the modifications, are transmitted over the network. In addition, cell descriptors may be used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model. The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells. The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.

Collaborative design

A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management. Cell descriptors are used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model. The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells. The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.

Cell descriptor

An improved method of displaying the features of a three-dimensional graphical object model for subsequent selection by a user employs icons in a feature tree which are three-dimensional miniatures derived from the actual features present in the object model that the icon represents. Each 3D miniature corresponds to a specific feature in the object and has a similar, and preferably the same, geometry. Displayed 3D miniatures are shown from a viewpoint and rotation which matches the viewpoint and object rotation used in the graphical window. As the object is rotated, the rotation of the miniatures changes accordingly and as various features in the object are edited, the corresponding miniature is updated accordingly. Actions can also be performed on the miniatures and these actions applied to the corresponding feature in the model.

CAD/CAM feature tree with manipulatable 3D miniatures

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Issy les Moulineaux, France

Valentin Chartier