- With rapid development of CAD/CAM and scanning technologies in recent
years, the notion of using available
electronic models of objects for rapid prototyping or
engineering analysis such as, for example, computational
fluid dynamics or electromagnetic computations, has become
very attractive.
However, CAD files developed for a particular purpose (such as manufacturing) may be completely useless for purposes other than those of the original designer.
Typical irregularities observed in faceted CAD files, for instance, can include overlapping parts, branching facets, disconnected surfaces, missing facets, adjacent facets with sides that do not match, degenerate facets, inconsistent facet orientation, and bad aspect ratio in polygons. These deficiencies in the original models preclude their use for many applications.
In the aircraft industry, building a high quality realistic aircraft model suitable for high accuracy electromagnetic (EM) calculations is an expensive and time-consuming task. Consequently, it is highly desirable to develop capabilities to transform existing models into models suitable for EM computations.
In Rapid Prototyping, there is often a need to repair files generated by a CAD package so as to enable their use for a stereolithographic process.
In Medical Imaging, ability to edit surfaces, to fill an opening or to introduce an opening, to reshape, to decimate, etc., enhances design of biomedical implants, plastic surgery planning, and design of prosthetic devices.
