A Hybrid Manufacturing System Modeling Environment Using VRML

Manufacturing systems are complex entities, comprised of people, processes, products, information systems and data, material processing, handling, and storage systems. Because of this complexity, systems must be modeled using a variety of views and modeling formalisms. In order to design and properly integrate system functions, the multiple views and models must often be considered simultaneously. However, no single tool or computing environment currently exists that allows this to be done in an efficient and intelligible manner. Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) provides a variety of features which make it attractive for use in developing such environments. In addition, VRML is attractive because it is an ISO standard, ISO 14772. This paper describes how a team at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is using VRML as a hybrid manufacturing-modeling environment. Different manufacturing scenarios that are being investigated with the environment and future research directions are also discussed.