Maintaining multiple views in feature modeling

A new feature modeling concept and its implementation are presented. In the multiple-view modeling concept, a set of open feature views of a product is maintained. The implementation does not rely on the existence of certain views, but instead is generic since generic view specifications are used. Views are maintained using feature conversion techniques, including constraint techniques. For adding a view to the set of open views, an open view function has been developed. This function uses the specified view properties, including its feature definitions. It derives a meaningful feature interpretation for the opened view. Geometric constraint solving is used to propagate feature parameter changes between views, and a priority mechanism is used in case of conflicting constraints. In case of a conflict, a new incremental version of the open view function is invoked, which updates the feature model of the reopened view efficiently.