Structure-altering feature-based triangle mesh model editing for primitive-based engineering parts

Abstract

This paper presents a structure-altering feature-based editing scheme for triangle mesh models of primitives for engineering application. With the increasing usage of 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies in product design, triangle mesh has become a vital model format in engineering designs. Coupled with its flexible nature in shape manipulation, many design models are now constructed in a mesh form. However, methods to perform direct feature-based mesh model modifications are lacking. Editing features and their defining parameters is greatly underdeveloped for mesh models compared with their parametric model counterparts. Thus, the proposed scheme aims to enable structure-altering feature-based mesh editing through the imposition (mapping) of a feature information layer on top of the triangle mesh model. Feature-based editing is done on the feature information layer. Through information mapping, the mesh model adapts to changes in the feature information layer, resulting in a geometric representation that accurately reflects the feature information layer content. Large-scale model modifications with structure-altering edits are thus achievable for mesh models, allowing straightforward feature-based model editing without the loss of the flexible mesh representation. Numerous case studies have been done to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented feature-based editing scheme.