Web-based 3D mediated communication in manufacturing industry

Abstract

Manufacturing industry has adopted sophisticated software for designing products in 3D and managing the product information using product lifecycle management systems. Simultaneously, the informal communication that is happening during the different stages of product design is increasingly happening using electronic devices such as email, instant messaging and teleconferencing. Even though product information, for example technical data or CAD models, is efficiently managed in the product lifecycle managements systems, management of informal communication is often poorly implemented: information contained in informal communication is often lost or difficult to access. This paper describes a method and a prototype for managing informal communication, based on 3D mediated communication. © Springer-Verlag London 2013.