2. Collaborative design

2.1 Collaborative design functions and tools

We can see that design exchanges call on a number of functions that characterize what we call collaborative design:

• centralize project data in a collaborative space (messages, documents, etc.) for a community of designers, accessible to everyone according to predefined rules;

• exchange CAD files, or CAD images, to communicate geometric and other product data;

• meet via a remote conference, for dialogue between the customer's design office and that of the supplier, and also with other participants: manufacturing, maintenance, etc. ;

• launch an online consultation to gather proposals from component...