Title: Investigation to Peer-to-Peer-based collaborative working platform for product development

Authors: Lirong Wang, Jiacai Wang, Ichiro Hagiwara

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan. ' Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan. ' Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan

Abstract: The current globalising industry is highly desired for synchronous collaborative working environment to perform multisited and multiuser cooperation during complex product design among partners, to provide customisation-oriented service to fulfil market demands and to satisfy customer|s requirement around the world. This paper introduces a preliminary research work about Peer-to-Peer (P2P)-based collaborative communication environment that attempts to support codesign 3D CAD model in synchronous Collaborative Product Design (CPD) in the way of What You See Is What I see (WYSIWIS). A prototype with communication means of document cosharing and editing, draft codrawing, instant message and VRML-based visualisation space is developed on the basis of JXTA development platform. Collaborative model modification can be performed by the cooperation between document coediting space and VRML visualisation space.

Keywords: collaborative design; peer-to-peer networks; P2P; virtual reality modelling language; VRML; computer-supported cooperative work; CSCW; 3D CAD; product development; collaboration; product design; visualisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMS.2008.019633

International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services, 2008 Vol.1 No.2, pp.194 - 212

Published online: 17 Jul 2008 *

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