Abstract
We developed a Part Information Brokering System, namely PIBS, that can inter-link part suppliers and buyers using WWW(World Wide Web). The major contribution of this paper is that the system provides a 3D collaboration environment that enables multiple users to share the same workspace where they cooperatively manipulate part features in real time. PIBS carries out two major functions: one to maintain part data in a part library, and the other to provide the means for the clients to cooperate. An object-oriented database is used for the part library which stores apart information registered by part suppliers. VRML(Virtual Reality Modeling Language) the ISO standard for 3D visualization on WWW, is used to represent 3D part models. Several Java programs have been implemented to support synchronous and a synchronous communication of the 3D models. Once the users are interconnected through the system, a user's manipulation of part objects is transparently and instantaneously transmitted to the others. This means that all the participants can are the same view and movement of the 3D part models. Since the system is developed using a Java applet-server architecture, it requires no additional software other than standard web browser. The prototype system has been successfully implemented, and demonstrated its applicability to virtual 3D part information sharing.