Applications Of Graph Transformation Research Articles

Version control for asynchronous BIM collaboration: Model merging through graph analysis and transformation

The design process in construction projects is iterative and multi-disciplinary in nature. In today’s industry practice, several discipline experts concurrently author multiple versions and design variants of BIM models and share them at frequent intervals. Applying a sound version control methodology can significantly enhance automation, enabling the coordination and combination of these model versions into consistent overall models with less extensive manual effort. This paper introduces a diff-and-patch mechanism for transferring changes between model versions, facilitating object-level change tracking using graph representations of BIM model data, and specifically focuses on merging diverging versions through the application of graph transformations. The mechanisms for executing branching and merging of model versions are thoroughly explained and showcased through various illustrative scenarios. The presented method adheres to the established principles of federated BIM collaboration but equips the participating parties with additional means to automate the combination of various model versions, allowing them to focus on the relevant conflicts. The proposed methodology of graph-based version control unlocks the potential of analyzing interdisciplinary dependencies across partial models and enables the more efficient resolution of conflicting model versions.

Graph transformation in engineering design: an overview of the last decade

Abstract In engineering and architecture, different approaches have been developed that share the use of graph transformation to automate design processes or to search for design solutions by means of computational design synthesis. In order to give an overview of these approaches, we provide a review of articles published in the last decade. Forty-eight articles were reviewed to determine similarities and differences of these approaches. Research fields in method development for the representation of design problems and the processing of graph transformations, as well as the application of graph transformations in engineering, architecture, and shape grammars were identified. Different approaches for the documentation of the vocabulary and the rules were examined. Finally, different approaches for rule applications were analyzed. Based on found limitations, future research directions are suggested.

A Foundation for Functional Graph Programs: The Graph Transformation Control Algebra (GTA)

Applications of graph transformation (GT) systems often require control structures that can be used to direct GT processes. Most existing GT tools follow a stateful computational model, where a single graph is repeatedly modified "in-place" when GT rules are applied. The implementation of control structures in such tools is not trivial. Common challenges include dealing with the non-determinism inherent to rule application and transactional constraints when executing compositions of GTs, in particular atomicity and isolation. The complexity of associated transaction mechanisms and rule application search algorithms (e.g., backtracking) complicates the definition of a formal foundation for these control structures. Compared to these stateful approaches, functional graph rewriting presents a simpler (stateless) computational model, which simplifies the definition of a formal basis for (functional) GT control structures. In this paper, we propose the "Graph Transformation control Algebra" (GTA) as such a foundation. The GTA has been used as the formal basis for implementing the control structures in the (functional) GT tool "GrapeVine".

Graph Transformation Semantics for a QVT Language

It has been claimed by many in the graph transformation community that model transformation, as understood in the context of Model Driven Architecture, can be seen as an application of graph transformation. In this paper we substantiate this claim by giving a graph transformation-based semantics to one of the original QVT language proposals; that is, we define a mechanism that will translate any model transformation definition in the QVT language to a graph production system whose effect is to apply that model transformation. The translation has been fully implemented.

New Object-Oriented PROGRES for Specifying the Conceptual Design Tool GraCAD

This paper deals with the application of graph transformations for the specification of conceptual design tools. We show how the graph rewriting system PROGRES is used for specifying the graph part of the conceptual method for architects in which functional requirements of the building to be designed are elicited by means of graph structures. The consistency of the specified requirements and whether a design matches those requirements is verified with graph constraint checkers. We consider how the new object-oriented extensions of the PROGRES language, i.e. packages and node objects with redefinable methods can be used to achieve the required constraint monitoring and preserving functions in the form of graph checker objects. The prototype for our method, called GraCAD, is created with UPGRADE - the recently developed Java framework for developing visual applications based on a PROGRES specification, and the commercial system for architects ArchiCAD.

Towards Common Exchange Formats for Graphs and Graph Transformation Systems

The development of common exchange formats for graphs and graph transformation systems is an ongoing initiative within the EU Working Group APPLIGRAPH (Applications of Graph Transformation). The author is reporting on the current state of this format discussion. The formats are based on the extensible markup language XML developed to interchange documents of arbitrary types. Graphs are basic structures in various areas of computer science. A common format for graphs supports the interaction of software developers building tools wrt. graph layout, graph algorithms, graph transformation, reengineering, etc. Moreover, within the graph transformation community tool builders can even gain from a common exchange format for graph transformation systems.