Can AI aid in Storage Optimization? // Popular STEM
Greetings, travelers!
For the second time, I have been invited and contributed to a colaborative article in LinkedIn, and for the second time I came here to share my answer. My disclaimer is that I've had read some of other people responses before, and the "article generation" in progress. That is, bevause I assume there is an AI model that analyzes all the responses from contributors into a single collaborative document.
The question that serves as the inspiration for the article is:
Your 3D models are too large for your workstation's limited storage. What's your best solution?
Here's my contribution:
In my opinion, flexibility and optimization based on the scale of the project are crucial for effective file management. Files should be stored both on a cloud-based service like Google Drive or Dropbox and offline using an external HD or SSD. Organizing files into modules and submodules optimizes storage and can scale with project size. Tools like 7-Zip and WinRAR help reduce file sizes, and CAD software offers built-in options. For example, Rhinoceros has a “Save Small” feature to remove render meshes and a “Compress” function to reduce file size while maintaining integrity. Splitting models by floors or by functions such as walls, furniture, and systems is another effective practice. These tips fit seamlessly into any 3D modeling workflow while ensuring efficient storage management, which is fundamental for maintaining system performance.
I think that's definitely a more general topic than only for the 3D Modeling workflow scope, so I invite you to contribute to the discution here in the comments. If people have even used Minecraft to store information, any idea is valid to be thought about.
I asked my pal GPTo1 to give its take on the discussion on how AI technology and agents could aid in optimizing the problem, and asked for it to generate an image based on the discussion (which now features as this post's header).
AI assistants and AI technology can revolutionize workflows for managing large 3D model files by addressing key challenges like file size, storage, and collaboration. For example, AI can automate file optimization by simplifying meshes, removing unused data, and applying smart compression techniques tailored to the file's use case. Tools powered by AI can also predict storage needs and suggest optimal storage solutions, dynamically balancing cloud and offline storage based on access patterns.
AI-powered collaboration tools can automate version control, ensuring all team members work on the latest model without overwriting changes. Additionally, AI can split models into modular sections (e.g., by floors, functions, or systems) to streamline workflows further. These systems can also monitor storage usage, providing timely recommendations to archive or compress files to maintain performance.
Integrating AI into the 3D modeling process enhances efficiency, reduces manual effort, and ensures smooth collaboration, making it an invaluable asset for modern workflows.
I'm kind of against finishing my posts with AI generated text, so here's my response to it:
Rhinoceros Compress and Save Small functions already optimizes meshes and ignored unused or extra data, and probably have Machine Learning algorithms optimizing the process, but it could benefit from a superior analysis of which method to apply, which is a more complex problem;
The function to predict storage needs and optimally suggest solutions both on and offline is a good idea, that may also already be implemented in some way, but that could be improved in the User Experience aspect through an AI agent interface, for example;
Collaborative tools don't need to be run via AI, nor model separations within a file, unless it is deeply intertwined with the workflow of the software itself, in my humble opinion, but it doesn't seem trivial at all, but it could suggest the project architecture;
Monitoring storage usage seems to be the same type of idea as the second point, but also adding the (good) idea to also suggest comprassing files and which;
I disagree that imtegrating AI into the 3D modeling process makes it an "invaluable asset in modern workflows", unless it's a really big scale or complex project. Of course the agent has some bias for the utility and use of AI agents, but there's so much of these superlatives we can take, right?
To not finish with a discussion with a computer-generated text, I want to also congratulate GM Gukesh, from India, on winning the World Chess Championship and becoming the youngest World Chess Champion ever in the age of 18! Cheers chess nerds all around the world <3