DUAL MODELING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120054261A1
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, Garrick D., Koga, Yoshihito Y., Beale, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium enable a dual modeling environment. A client application is created that has proxy modules. Each of the proxy modules is a light weight version of a corresponding precise module in a server application. Commands are executed in the client application to produce client output data. The same commands are transmitted to the server application that is executed concurrently with and independent from the client application and produces server output data. The client output data is synchronized with the server output data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enabling a dual modeling environment, comprising:

(a) creating a client application comprising one or more proxy modules, wherein;

(i) each of the one or more proxy modules corresponds to a precise module;

(ii) each of the one or more proxy modules comprises a light weight version of the corresponding precise model; and

(iii) a server application is comprised of one or more precise modules;

(b) executing one or more commands in the client application to produce client output data;

(c) transmitting the one or more commands to the server application that is configured to utilize the one or more commands during execution, wherein the server application is configured to execute the server application concurrently with and independent from the client application to produce server output data; and

(d) synchronizing the client output data with the server output data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client application is executed as a web browser plug-in.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client application comprises lower fidelity computations compared to that of the server application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the client output data provides interactivity to a user of the client application and comprises transient data; and

the one or more precise modules produce numerically precise server output data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises selecting a level of synchronization between:

reconciling the server output data, produced from the execution of each and every one of the one or more commands from the server application, with the client output data produced from the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

utilizing the client output data without reconciling the client output data and the server output data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

(a) maintaining a client command stack comprised of a subset of the one or more commands, wherein;

(i) the subset comprises those commands that would result in a modeling error if allowed to complete execution in the server application; and

(ii) the client command stack continues to grow until each command in the stack is acknowledged by the server application; and

(b) utilizing stack data that is based on the one or more commands in the client command stack that have not been acknowledged by the server application.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

determining, in the client application, when an accuracy threshold has been reached, wherein the accuracy threshold comprises a threshold based on an accuracy of the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

when the accuracy threshold has been reached, retrieving the server output data from the server and reconciling the client output data based on the server output data.

8. An apparatus for enabling a dual modeling environment in a computer system comprising:

(a) a client computer having a memory;

(b) a client application executing on the computer, wherein;

(i) the client application comprises one or more proxy modules;

(ii) each of the one or more proxy modules corresponds to a precise module executing on a server computer;

(iii) each of the one or more proxy modules comprises a light weight version of the corresponding precise model; and

(iv) a server application is comprised of one or more precise modules;

(v) the client application is configured to;

(1) execute one or more commands to produce client output data;

(2) transmit the one or more commands to the server application that is configured to utilize the one or more commands during execution, wherein the server application is configured to execute the server application concurrently with and independent from the client application to produce server output data; and

(3) synchronize the client output data with the server output data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client application is executed as a web browser plug-in.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client application comprises lower fidelity computations compared to that of the server application.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the client output data provides interactivity to a user of the client application and comprises transient data; and

the one or more precise modules produce numerically precise server output data.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client application is configured to synchronize by selecting a level of synchronization between:

reconciling the server output data, produced from the execution of each and every one of the one or more commands from the server application, with the client output data produced from the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

utilizing the client output data without reconciling the client output data and the server output data.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client application is configured to synchronize by:

(a) maintaining a client command stack comprised of a subset of the one or more commands, wherein;

(i) the subset comprises those commands that would result in a modeling error if allowed to complete execution in the server application; and

(ii) the client command stack continues to grow until each command in the stack is acknowledged by the server application; and

(b) utilizing stack data that is based on the one or more commands in the client command stack that have not been acknowledged by the server application.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client application is configured to synchronize by:

determining, in the client application, when an accuracy threshold has been reached, wherein the accuracy threshold comprises a threshold based on an accuracy of the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

when the accuracy threshold has been reached, retrieving the server output data from the server and reconciling the client output data based on the server output data.

15. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a client computer cause the client computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the client computer to operate as a specially programmed client computer, executing a method of enabling a dual modeling environment, comprising:

(a) creating, in the specially programmed client computer, a client application comprising one or more proxy modules, wherein;

(i) each of the one or more proxy modules corresponds to a precise module;

(ii) each of the one or more proxy modules comprises a light weight version of the corresponding precise model; and

(iii) a server application is comprised of one or more precise modules;

(b) executing, in the specially programmed client computer, one or more commands in the client application to produce client output data;

(c) transmitting, in the specially programmed client computer, the one or more commands to the server application that is configured to utilize the one or more commands during execution, wherein the server application is configured to execute the server application concurrently with and independent from the client application to produce server output data; and

(d) synchronizing, in the specially programmed client computer, the client output data with the server output data.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the client application is executed as a web browser plug-in.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the client application comprises lower fidelity computations compared to that of the server application.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the client output data provides interactivity to a user of the client application and comprises transient data; and

the one or more precise modules produce numerically precise server output data.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the synchronizing comprises selecting a level of synchronization between:

reconciling the server output data, produced from the execution of each and every one of the one or more commands from the server application, with the client output data produced from the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

utilizing the client output data without reconciling the client output data and the server output data.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

(a) maintaining a client command stack comprised of a subset of the one or more commands, wherein;

(i) the subset comprises those commands that would result in a modeling error if allowed to complete execution in the server application; and

(ii) the client command stack continues to grow until each command in the stack is acknowledged by the server application; and

(b) utilizing stack data that is based on the one or more commands in the client command stack that have not been acknowledged by the server application.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

determining, in the client application, when an accuracy threshold has been reached, wherein the accuracy threshold comprises a threshold based on an accuracy of the execution of the one or more commands in the client application; and

when the accuracy threshold has been reached, retrieving the server output data from the server and reconciling the client output data based on the server output data.