Computer-Aided Design 42 (2010) 364–372
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Distributed design review using tangible augmented technical drawings A.E. Uva ∗ , S. Cristiano, M. Fiorentino, G. Monno DIMEG, Politecnico di Bari, Viale Japigia 182, 70126, Bari, Italy
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Article history: Received 31 March 2008 Accepted 18 October 2008 Keywords: Augmented reality Collaborative design review FEM data visualization 3D model annotation
abstract In this work we integrate augmented reality technology in a product development process using real technical drawings as a tangible interface for design review. We present an original collaborative framework for Augmented Design Review Over Network (ADRON). It provides the following features: augmented technical drawings, interactive FEM simulation, multimodal annotation and chat tools, web content integration and collaborative client/server architecture. Our framework is intended to use common hardware instead of expensive and complex virtual or augmented facilities. We designed the interface specifically for users with little or no augmented reality expertise proposing tangible interfaces for data review and visual editing for all the functions and configurations. Two case studies are presented and discussed: a real-time ‘‘touch and see’’ stress/strain simulation and a collaborative distributed design review session of an industrial component. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction Design Review (DR) is a crucial step in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). The goal of DR is to spot, as soon as possible in the production chain, product and process weaknesses, errors and manufacturing problems. A typical scenario involves a team of experts from different disciplines, often distributed geographically, who work in parallel to improve product quality, reduce the design cycle time and improve the efficiency [1]. At present, tools for computer assisted technologies (CAX) do not support well DR practice and methods, mainly for the following issues: (i) integration with downstream applications (i.e. Finite Element Method or FEM), (ii) communication, (iii) usability, (iv) complex design insight, (v) system configuration management and (vi) web contents support. One critical aspect of the design evaluation of an industrial component is the integration of engineering software and data. DR, using numerical simulations (i.e. structural, heat, fluid dynamics, etc.), requires an efficient workspace which combines a geometrical model with the analysis results. In fact, typically the simulation data are disconnected from the original CAD model. This means that if the software is allowed to apply annotations or comments to analysis results, these notes are usually restricted to a specific environment and they are not linked with the original CAD data. Another issue is the support for communication and ideas exchanging among team members. Annotating, as the expression
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[email protected] (A.E. Uva).
0010-4485/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cad.2008.10.015
and transformation of ideas, is an integral part of engineering analysis and it is critical in design review [2]. Exchanging ideas efficiently, using digital annotations, is a clear benefit for distributed design review. The problem arises when, as it usually happens in global enterprises, design teams are geographically distributed [3]. Commonly used tools for sharing annotations about design changes (e-mail, ftp, etc.) limit the potential of the collaborative approach due to communication latency, versioning, software policies, interoperability, etc. A significant aspect of current DR tools is related to usability. History has shown that a natural human computer interface (see the Ipod case) can decide the success or the failure of a technology. CAX software and downstream applications hardly support DR in the human computer interface which is oriented to expert users and not suited for collaboration. Recently new interfaces based on Mixed Reality (MR) have been reported in collaborative DR. Daily and Howard [4] presented an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment for distributed DR. Immersive workspaces such as CAVEs, multiple screen setups, HMDs, present cost and management issues and they are difficult to integrate in SMEs. Differently, Augmented Reality (AR) technology allows one to gain a better insight augmenting real industrial objects with digital data and multimedia annotations. Another advantage of AR is the possibility of using common hardware (pc/laptop, webcam, projectors, etc.) instead of expensive and complex VR devices. Several AR industrial applications have been reported in the ARVIKA project [5]. Shin et al. [6] demonstrated that the perception of 3D design in an augmented scene is improved compared with monitor display. Furthermore, Dunston et al. [7] proved that AR improves user geometry comprehension and makes it easier to detect design defects and failure in early stages. Another important
