Product models for distributed engineering

Advanced computer graphics and simulation techniques are important tools within product development today. Product concepts can be realised in the virtual workspace - visualisations and simulations for verifying the behaviour of the product can be performed without physical parts actually being manufactured. Co-ordination and exchange of information between participants in a distributed team is technically difficult and time consuming. New methodologies and systems for distributed collaboration are of great importance. This paper describes the special demands for distributed engineering regarding standards and how the data exchange and storage can be solved in a distributed engineering environment. It also describes an environment for distributed engineering over broadband networks that has been developed as part of the research work. The system includes applications such as a videoconferencing system, a document server for multimedia objects and a distributed VR system.Godkänd; 1998; 20070328 (petert