This paper focuses on flexible context architectures for a multi-user GUI (MUG) that serves several users engaged in collaborative computer-aided applications (CAx). Our work extends previous research into multi-user GUI's by proposing a flexible context interface between users working on the same part at distributed locations. The investigation will consider how distributed users, through user interfaces, interact to simultaneously build models and how interaction context might be presented to

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... regulate the way they wish to interact. A prototype implementation integrates a MUG with NX Connect, a multi-user CAD prototype for Siemens NX. NX MUG uses agent software to render the user prototype outside of NX and NX Connect. This generalizes the interface so that it could be used with other engineering applications where several users wish to collaborate. NX MUG enables users to view a collaborating user's workspace, send/receive messages between multi-users, and is capable of translating text interactions in different languages, while Skyping with other users. This research will enhance the existing NX Connect multi-user prototype by providing collaborative interaction support among the multiusers.