Development of a Similarity Evaluation System for Offshore Plants' 3D Piping CAD Models Created Using Aveva Marine and SmartMarine 3D

Diverse stakeholders engaged in design, construction, and operation and maintenance of offshore plants typically operate heterogeneous plant 3D CAD systems. Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies are required to submit plant design result to the owner in the form of a plant 3D CAD model, as specified in the contract. However, because of the limitations of data interface of plant 3D CAD systems, EPC companies frequently perform manual remodeling to fulfill the terms and conditions of the contract. Therefore, comparison should be performed between the source plant 3D CAD model and the remodeled plant 3D CAD model to prove the validity of the remodeled plant 3D CAD model. To automate the comparison process, we have developed a system for quantitatively assessing the similarity of the plant 3D CAD models. This paper presents the architecture and detailed functions of the system. In addition, experimental results using this system are explained.