Entity-Based Models for Computer-Aided Design Systems

Integrated computer-aided design systems manage, communicate, and process the information created by and used in a variety of planning and design activities. Formal models of both the design product and the design process are important conceptual steps in the development of an integrated system. This paper outlines an entity-based approach for representing both design information and activities in a consistent way. The entity-based approach is based on the concepts of semantic data models (i.e., entity-based concepts) and related abstraction mechanisms. In this paper the concept of an entity that was originally applied to design information has been extended to include design activities. That is, entity-based product and process models in this paper organize design information and activities into corresponding entities. The formal modeling concepts developed in this paper can be used as consistent formal tools for describing and organizing design information and activities in the development of new integrated computer-aided design systems.