Development of a Multidisciplinary Collaborative Design System

A new product modeling method for product multidisciplinary collaborative design (MCD) is put forward. The method uses a flexible product model which can be extended transversely and lengthwise by multiple levels’ inheritance and new attribute classes’ addition and a class inheritance mechanism under network environment which allows each discipline to build own view model of a product. An open and flexible system architecture supporting the product MCD effectively is put forward, and prototype system implementation is introduced.