Patent ID: 7663625

Claim:
A computer system operation method, said method providing a means for allowing multiple users simultaneously to modify a geometric model of an object at separate workstations, such that any modification made at any workstation is duplicated at each other workstation in the system, the method comprising: receiving at a first workstation of a plurality of workstations arranged in a peer-to-peer architecture within a system, input from a user specifying a modification of first data comprising a representation of a geometric model of an object; upon receipt of the input specifying the modification and under control of the first workstation, translating said input into a geometric model modification command specifying the portion of the first data to be modified, and the modification to be made; modifying said first data by said first workstation in accordance with said command to effect a change in the model as represented by said first data; substantially concurrent with said modifying of said first data, automatically transmitting said command via a network to other workstations in the system; automatically processing said command at a second workstation of said plurality of workstations upon receipt of said command; and modifying second data comprising a representation of the model of the object, the second data being automatically modified by the second workstation in accordance with said command to effect the change in the model represented by said second data, said change in the model represented by said second data being made substantially simultaneous with the change in the model represented by said first data; and wherein the first data and second data are separate copies of geometric model data and the modifications to the first data and to the second data are performed without reliance on a central server configuration for the processing of model changes affecting the first data and second data representations of the model.