Translation methodology for design databases

This work proposes developing the concepts and a methodology for the translation process among components of CAD systems that have different representations. The analysis and formalization of the translation process help understand its requirements and enhance the understanding of the flow of information among CAD applications. The objective of translation in this work is to facilitate data exchange among different components of the system and to provide flexibility in the use of representations by any one component. The approach to translation in this work considers a network of object types and sets of conversions among them. A proof of concept implementation is also proposed to show the working aspects of the model. The implementation takes place within the context of design databases.