Collaboration and Virtual Early Prototyping Using the Distributed Building Site Metaphor

Abstract

The case study is derived into a set of general requirements for a VEP tool. Thus, the major functional services are identified. Afterwards, the chapter presents a new solution to satisfy the VEP requirements. It proposes new collaboration services that can be used to distribute a virtual scene between the designers. Our solution, called the Distributed Building Site Metaphor, enables project management, meeting management, parallel working, disconnected work and meeting work, real-time validation, real-time modification, real-time conciliation, real-time awareness, easy motion between these styles of work, consistency, security and persistency. In contrast with the other solutions, our services enable parallel work while preserving consistency. These services do not require or implement a reliable multicasting. They are fully distributed and do not require any specific quality of service from the under laying network. DBSM can add collaboration to any stand-alone application.