Method and system for interactive virtual inspection of modeled objects

A system for interactive virtual inspection of modeled objects comprising:

• a processor;
• a display device coupled to said processor;
• a memory device;
• and
• program code resident in said memory device, said program code executable by said processor to run a graphic user interface (GUI) for analyzing modeled objects comprising:
• an acquisition module configured to acquire a three-dimensional model of a modeled object;
• a searchable database to store a plurality of views of said modeled object;
• a display module configured to display views of said modeled object on said display, wherein a user interacting with said graphic user interface selects a first view of said modeled object for viewing on said display;
• a processing module configured to identify a location of interest at a location on a surface of said modeled object that is visible within said first view and to designate global coordinate points of said three-dimensional model that characterize said location of interest at said location on said modeled object;
• and
• an inspection module configured to create a markup tag, wherein said user interacts with said markup tag to provide inspection information that annotates said location of interest, wherein said processing module associates said markup tag with said designated global coordinate points at said location on said three-dimensional model;
• wherein
• upon said user selecting a second view of said modeled object that has at least one image point visible in said second view that correlates to a corresponding designated global coordinate point of said three-dimensional model that characterize said location of interest for display by said display module, said processing module conveys said markup tag so that said user may also view said information included in said markup tag, said selecting a second view comprising:
• conveying search criteria as a query to said database;
• displaying in a thumbnail window of a display thumbnail views from said database corresponding to said search criteria and including information from one or more markup tags;
• and
• designating one or more of said thumbnail views for display in a main window of said display as a full size high resolution view including information from said markup tag;
• and
• wherein said user interacts with said markup tag in said second view to edit said markup tag such that inspection information is added to and/or deleted from said markup tag and said processing module associates the markup tag with edited inspection information with said global coordinate points at said location on said three-dimensional model that may be displayed on said display module in at least one other view of said modeled object.