The development & implementation of a product model for constructional steelwork.
Abstract (summary)
The thesis argues that, while it is theoretically possible to integrate software applications using STEP Product Model based technology, it is unlikely that vendors of applications within the structural steelwork domain will use STEP as the integration mechanism.
The thesis begins with an examination of the origins of Product Modelling and the evolution of STEP. It then describes the author's theory of Product Modelling in the context of information theory and database management systems. The experience of researchers, both within and beyond the construction domain, is also reviewed, and the key technical areas from this work are identified.
The thesis is based on the author's own extensive experience of the theory and practice of Product Modelling. For this reason, a significant portion of the thesis is devoted to the development and implementation of a particular Product Model - the CIMsteel Logical Product Model.
The thesis shows that it is theoretically possible to integrate software applications using Product Modelling and the STEP methodologies for data representation and exchange. The thesis also discusses the impact and relevance of STEP, as well as the practical, commercial and political barriers to the uptake of Product Model based working within the construction sector.