RU2715013C1 - Data processing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: data processing.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method, a data processing system, a computer-readable medium for modifying a part of an article by setting a point on the representation of the mesh of a part of the article and transmitting the point to the model of representing boundaries. Method comprises steps of obtaining a grid data representation relating to part of article, wherein presentation of grid data comprises a plurality of triangles, each of which represents a facet, extracting natural parametrization of each triangle from the grid data presentation, wherein the natural parametrization comprises an integer identifier of each facet and corresponding facet parameters, wherein the facets parameters contain a pair of coordinates u, v, output the modified parametrization for each triangle from the part grid data representation containing a combination of the integer identifier and the facet parameters, modifying parametrization is transmitted to the model of representation of boundaries and modified parametrization of scanning data is saved.

EFFECT: technical result consists in improvement of the product simulation efficiency.

14 cl, 21 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of computer technology (ʺCAxʺ), including computer aided design, drawing (ʺCADʺ), design (ʺCAEʺ), production (ʺCAMʺ) and visualization (individually and collectively referred to as ʺ CADʺ systems), control systems product life cycle (ʺPLMʺ) and similar systems that manage data for products and other items (collectively, “product data management” systems or PDM systems).

BACKGROUND

PDM systems manage PLM and other data. Improved methods and systems are needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various disclosed embodiments include methods for presenting an article using data in various data processing formats. The method comprises outputting data related to one or more first parts of an article in a first format and outputting data related to one or more second parts of an article in a second format. The first format contains grid data, and the second format contains the classic geometric representation. In the data processing system, at least one first part of the product containing the grid data is selected, and at least one second part of the product containing the data of the classical geometric representation is selected. The presentation of the product, including the selected first and second parts.

The method includes setting a point on the grid view of the part of the product and transferring the point to the border representation model. The method comprises obtaining a representation of grid data relating to a part of an article, the grid data representation comprising a plurality of triangles, each of which represents a facet. The natural parameterization of each triangle is retrieved from the grid data representation, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v. Modified parametrization is derived for each triangle from the representation of the grid data of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters. Modified parameterization is passed to the boundary representation model; and the modified parameterization of the scan data is stored.

According to a first aspect, a method for presenting an article using data in different data processing formats comprises outputting data related to one or more first parts of the article in a first format; output data related to one or more second parts of the product in a second format; moreover, the first format contains mesh data, and the second format contains a classic geometric representation; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one first part of an article containing mesh data; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one second part of an article containing data in a classic geometric representation; and providing a presentation of the product including the selected first and second parts.

Different parts of the product are modeled in different data processing formats, and the presentation of the product is ensured without any change in the format in which each of the parts is initially presented, i.e. faceted data and classical geometric representation data are attached to the boundary representation model, and simulation operations are applied in a format in which the data is supported. This helps maintain the original design goal, as well as reduce the costs and errors associated with format conversion.

A simulation operation may be applied to one or more of the parts.

The method may further comprise applying bias to one or more of the parts of the product. In one embodiment, where the grid data represents the outer wall of the product, the result of applying the offset contains grid data forming the inner wall.

The method may further comprise applying features to one or more of the parts of the product through logical operations. Features may contain a classic geometric representation.

The output grid data can be supplied to the data processing system from a separate source. Mesh data can be derived from the physical sample of the part. Mesh data can be output by scanning a physical sample of the part.

The method may further comprise storing the grid data in storage as a collection of facets. The classic geometric representation can be derived by simulating in a data processing system.

The method may further comprise receiving instructions for selecting at least one part of the product for modification; if the selected part contains a classical geometric representation, then applying the classical geometric modification to the geometric representation of the part; if the selected part contains mesh data applying a faceted modification to the mesh data of the part; and providing a representation of the modified part.

Modifications can be applied to any part of the product, but modifications are made to representations in the same format in which the view was originally generated, increasing efficiency and maintaining the quality of the presentation, compared with the need to convert the presentation of a part from one format to another.

The modification may include a simulation operation. The simulation operation can be applied to an object containing both mesh data and the classic geometric representation. The method may further comprise preserving the presentation of the product.

The method may further comprise extracting data from the product view and generating production instructions for the manufacturing process. Having received representations in different formats and continuing the design process by applying any necessary modifications to each part, you can generate suitable production instructions. Production instructions may contain instructions for additive manufacturing.

The method may further comprise extracting data from the representation of the product and determining at least one of the fit or clearance between the parts of the product and the mass properties of the product. The method may further comprise extracting data from the product view and generating an image for display, or exporting data for further processing.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a data processing system having at least a processor and memory with accessibility, the data processing system configured to represent the product, the presentation comprising outputting data related to one or more first parts of the product in the first format; output data related to one or more second parts of the product in a second format; moreover, the first format contains mesh data, and the second format contains a classic geometric representation; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one first part of an article containing mesh data; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one second part of an article containing a classic geometric representation; and providing a presentation of the product including the selected first and second parts.

The system may further comprise a display configured to output a representation of the product. The system may further comprise storage for storing product views.

In accordance with the third aspect, there is provided a short-term (non-transient) computer-readable medium encoded by executable instructions that, when executed, require one or more data processing systems to implement a product modeling method comprising outputting data related to one or more first parts of the product in first format; output data related to one or more second parts of the product in a second format; moreover, the first format contains mesh data, and the second format contains a classic geometric representation; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one first part of an article containing mesh data; in a data processing system, receiving instructions for selecting at least one second part of an article containing data in a classic geometric representation; and providing a presentation of the product including the selected first and second parts.

In accordance with a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of defining a point on a grid representation of a part of an article and transferring the point to a border representation model, the method comprising obtaining a representation of grid data relating to a part of the article, the grid data representation comprising a plurality of triangles each representing a facet; extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transfer of modified parameterization to the boundary representation model; and saving the modified parameterization of the scan data.

The step of deriving the modified parameterization may include identifying the first, second, and third vertices of each facet, identifying the first and second axes of each facet, and setting a unique point in the facet as the sum of the origin, constant factor of the first axis and constant factor of the second axis, where the constants are greater than or equal to zero , and the sum of the constants is less than or equal to one.

The method may further comprise providing an updated representation of the simulated portion.

The method may further comprise, in response to a position request due to user input receiving instructions for selecting a point on the grid view of the simulated part, transmitting an integer facet identifier together with a unique point to the border representation model to identify the point on the grid. Integer facet identifiers can be mapped onto a spiral of unit squares around the origin. Two facets can be displayed in each square.

Each triangle in a unit square can be discrete and separated from the boundary of a unit square. Modified parameterization may include an affine transformation of the internal facet parameters of each facet.

Grid data can be obtained from the physical sample of the part. Mesh data can be displayed by scanning a physical sample.

In accordance with a fifth aspect, there is provided a data processing system having at least a processor and memory with accessibility, the data processing system configured to define a point on a grid representation of a part of the product and transmit the point to a boundary representation model, the method comprising obtaining presenting the grid data related to the part of the product from a physical sample of the part, the grid data representation comprising a plurality of triangles; extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and providing an updated representation of the simulated part.

The system may further comprise a display configured to output a representation of the simulated portion. The system may further comprise storage for storing views of the simulated portion.

In accordance with a sixth aspect, there is provided a short-term computer-readable medium encoded by executable instructions that, when executed, instruct one or more data processing systems to implement a method of defining a point on a grid representation of a part of a product and transferring the point to a border representation model, the method comprising the steps of on which obtaining a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product from the physical sample of the part, wherein the representation of the grid data contains a plurality of triangles Ikov extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and providing an updated representation of the simulated part.

The above summarizes the features and technical advantages of the present invention, which allows those skilled in the art to better understand the following detailed description. Additional features and advantages of the invention that form the subject of the claims will be described below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that they can easily use the principle and specific disclosed embodiment as the basis for modifying or designing other structures to achieve the same objectives of the present invention. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not go beyond the scope of the invention in its broadest form.

Before proceeding to the following detailed description, it would be useful to define some words or phrases used in this patent document: the terms “include” and “contain”, as well as their derivatives, mean inclusion without limitation; the term "or" is inclusive, in the sense of and / or; and the term “controller” means any device, system, or part thereof, that controls at least one operation, whether such a device is implemented in hardware, software, hardware, or some combination of at least two of them . It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller can be centralized or distributed, either locally or remotely. This patent document provides definitions of certain words and phrases, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that such definitions are applied in many, if not most, examples of the previous as well as future uses of such specific words and phrases. Although some terms may include a wide variety of embodiments, the following claims may expressly limit these terms to specific embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An example of a method and data processing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data processing system in which an embodiment may be implemented;

FIG. 2 shows the terminology used in relation to this invention;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a design product;

FIG. 4 shows a portion of FIG. 3 after scanning;

FIG. 5 shows the scanned portion of FIG. 3 after conversion to geometric representation;

FIG. 6a to 6e show the steps of a conventional part modeling process;

FIG. 7 shows a scanned portion in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 8 shows in more detail a portion of FIG. 7 in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 9 shows a finished part in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 10a to 10d show process steps according to an illustrative method of creating a part in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 12 shows the formation of a modified parameterization of grid scan data for use according to an illustrative method in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 13 shows in more detail a portion of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments shown in FIG. 1-14, used to describe the principles of the present invention in this document, are shown only by way of illustration and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention can be implemented in any appropriately configured device, equipment, system, or method.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a data processing system in which an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented, for example, a CAD system configured to carry out the processes described herein. The data processing system 21 includes a processor 22 connected to the local system bus 23. A local system bus connects the processor to the main memory 24 and the graphic display adapter 25, which can be connected to the display 26. The data processing system can communicate with other systems via a wireless adapter a user interface connected to the local system bus 23, or via a wired network, for example, with a local network. Additional memory 28 can also be connected via the local system bus. A suitable adapter, for example, a wireless user interface adapter 27, for other peripheral devices, such as a keyboard 29 and a mouse 20, or other pointing device, allows the user to provide input to the data processing system. Other peripheral devices may include one or more I / O controllers, for example, USB controllers, Bluetooth controllers, and / or specialized audio controllers (connected to speakers and / or microphones). It is also obvious that various peripheral devices can be connected to the USB controller (via various USB ports), including input devices (e.g. keyboard, mouse, touch screen, trackball, camera, microphone, scanners), output devices (e.g. printers, loudspeakers), or any other type of device capable of providing inputs or receiving outputs from a data processing system. In addition, it is obvious that many devices, referred to as input devices or output devices, can both provide inputs and receive conclusions by communicating with a data processing system. In addition, it is obvious that other peripheral equipment connected to the I / O controllers may include any type of device, machine, or component configured to communicate with a data processing system.

The operating system included in the data processing system allows the user to display the output from the system on the display 26 and allows the user to interact with the system. Examples of operating systems that can be used in a data processing system may include Microsoft Windows ™, Linux ™, UNIX ™, iOS ™, and Android ™ operating systems.

In addition, it is obvious that the data processing system 21 can be implemented in a networked environment, a distributed system environment, virtual machines in a virtual machine architecture, and / or a cloud environment. For example, processor 22 and related components may correspond to a virtual machine running in a virtual machine environment of one or more servers. Examples of virtual machine architectures include VMware ESCi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Xen, and KVM.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the equipment depicted for the data processing system 21 may vary for specific implementations. For example, the data processing system 21 in this example may correspond to a computer, workstation, and / or server. However, it is obvious that alternative embodiments of the data processing system may be configured with appropriate or alternative components, for example, in the form of a mobile phone, tablet, controller board, or any other system capable of processing data and implementing the functionality and features described here associated with the operation of the data processing system, computer, processor and / or controller discussed here. The illustrated example is provided for purposes of explanation only and is not intended to impose architectural restrictions on the present invention.

The data processing system 21 may be connected to a network (not part of the data processing system 21), which may be any public or private network or a combination of data processing system networks known to those skilled in the art, including the Internet. The data processing system 21 may communicate over the network with one or more other data processing systems, for example, a server (also not part of the data processing system 21). However, an alternative data processing system may correspond to a plurality of data processing systems implemented as part of a distributed system in which processors associated with multiple data processing systems can communicate through one or more network connections and can jointly perform tasks described as being performed by a single system data processing. Thus, it should be understood that in relation to a data processing system, such a system can be implemented in the amount of several data processing systems organized in a distributed system that communicate with each other through a network.

In this description, the following terms are used with reference to the example of FIG. 2. Subsurface 1 is a limited subset of a surface whose boundary is a collection of zero or more loops 2. A subsurface with zero loops forms a closed entity, for example, a complete spherical subsurface. Loop 2 is a connected component of the subsurface boundary. A loop can have edges 3. An edge represents the oriented use of edge 4 of loop 2. Edge 4 is a bounded fragment of a single curve. Its boundary is a combination of zero, one or two vertices 5. A vertex represents a point in space. Arrow 6 indicates the normal to the subsurface. A facet is a triangular region of a plane. A grid is a coherent collection of facets.

Boundary Representation Technology (B-rep) prevails over computer-aided design (CAD). B-rep technology provides an efficient and adaptable representation of parts by combining classical geometry: analytical surfaces and curves, uneven rational bi-spline (NURBS) and procedural surfaces and curves; with a topology that captures the connectivity and interaction between geometric elements. However, B-rep technology is not well suited for duplicating organic forms, for reverse-engineering the sequence of operations that begin with scanning an existing part, or for the early stages of conceptual design, especially for artistic design. The problem with digital simulations is that “soft” design features, such as the tactile sensations experienced by the user when touching the product, or the comfort of the product, such as the feel of the hand of the instrument or the body of a mobile phone or computer mouse, are not perceived by the user from the simulation, and therefore these parts of the product are typically designed in physical environments, such as wood, clay or wax. Reverse engineering may be required to create replacement components for servicing equipment that has survived the company that originally manufactured the component, or if the original design drawings are lost. Scanning data will also be needed to generate replacement parts for surgery, such as knee or tooth prostheses, or to design individually adjusted using data from body scanners.

In addition, additive manufacturing made it possible to provide an additional class of forms, the complexity of which does not meet the limitations of traditional geometric representations. Although such forms can be effectively represented by a grid, the use of facets to represent a form suffers from the opposite problem - facets are an ineffective mechanism for representing analytical geometry, and, of course, are not suitable for parametric editing or modeling features.

Traditionally, the problem of different requirements during product design was resolved by converting to a single format. This can be done, for example, by converting grids to NURBS, which is time consuming and often requires significant user intervention; by converting each facet into a triangular flat subsurface, which significantly increases the size of the model and leads to significant production costs for further operations; or, in another direction, by converting the exact geometry into a grid that is inaccurate and loses an important part (for example, the radius of the hole) or adds features that were not originally present, such as faces of cubes. Additional deterioration may also occur if a modification is further applied, since the facets no longer maintain the symmetry of the shape when the modification is applied to the exact geometry that has been transformed to represent as a mesh.

As can be understood from the above discussion, the user of the CAD system can work on the design of the product when there is a requirement for modeling the design of the product using data obtained in more than one modeling format, but so far all the ways to achieve this have drawbacks.

As described in more detail below, this invention solves the problem using a model that defines a new type of surface for representing the grid. A new type of surface can be connected to a subsurface in the same way that a classic surface is connected to a subsurface so that the mesh can be used as a subsurface surface. A new type of curve is also defined that contains a connected collection of line segments called a polyline. A new type of curve can be connected with the edge in the same way as any curve, or with an edge, in the same way as an SP curve (curve of a surface parameter - space, i.e. a 3d curve obtained by incorporating a 2d curve into a parametric the surface space that represents the curves “drawn” on the surface). A polyline can be used as an edge curve in a subsurface whose surface is a mesh; or a polyline can be used as a curve of the edge, all adjacent subsurfaces of which have grid surfaces. The mesh is then processed as a surface in the B-rep model, and polylines are used as a curve in the B-rep model. Thus, a single model is able to contain both faceted and classical geometry, which allows you to save the design goal, together with the forces of both formats. A faceted sheet or solid, or other types of body, such as a carcass, bodies of a general (heterogeneous) or mixed size (having a mixture of carcass, sheet, and / or hard sections) can also be processed in the model.

For convenience, the edges between the subsurfaces with faceted geometry can be processed as always exact and “tight”, i.e. all vertices of the polyline are vertices of the facet in both grids, and the positions of the vertices of the facets of each grid along the edge are the same.

However, this approach is not always necessary. Mechanisms for processing edges and vertices between surfaces that are not exactly the same can expand to handle edges between meshes and classic surfaces. These edges usually have a tolerance, with an SP curve on one edge and a polyline on the other.

An example of a product presentation method according to the present invention can be illustrated by an example of a design for a mobile phone or computer mouse case. The designer usually begins by modeling the exterior shape and tactile perception of the housing 10 in wood or clay, as shown in FIG. 3. In a wooden model for a mobile phone’s case, you can cut out signs such as holes 11 for the camera lens or an on / off switch, which allows the designer to empirically determine whether the selected position and shape is convenient, or prevents the user from holding the phone normally. For a computer mouse, representations of mouse keys can be cut out of wood or sculpted from clay on the surface. If a satisfactory result is obtained, the housing 10 is scanned as shown in FIG. 4, and naturally appears to be facets. Traditionally, this scanned housing is subject to conversion to a surface, or classical geometry, in a CAD model, as shown in FIG. 5 before it can be further processed. On the contrary, if the outer casing were designed in the CAD system, it would be necessary to create a physical model, for example, by numerically controlled milling (NC) or 3D printing, to check the sensations caused by it, which significantly lengthens the design life cycle, since the same would have to be done for any external design changes made to the CAD system.

The conventional process is fully illustrated graphically in FIG. 6a to 6e. A carved or molded outer mold 10 is provided as a physical embodiment made from a medium such as wood or clay, as shown in FIG. 6a. The physical product 10 is scanned as shown in FIG. 6b, and the scan data is imported into the CAD system, where it is converted, i.e. surfaces consistent with the scan data are constructed, as shown in the image in FIG. 6c. The offset is used to generate the inner walls 12, as shown in FIG. 6d, and structural details such as ribs 13 and boss 14 are added as shown in FIG. 6e. Thus, the outer surface 15 of the housing 10 is naturally represented as facets, but for all later stages of processing, these facets are converted to surfaces, or classical geometry, for further processing. When using the traditional CAD model, the above sequence of operations requires the conversion of the external shape into a curved surface model before the transition, since modern modeling operations, such as applying offset and logical operations, do not work on a mixture of faceted and classic surfaces. Converting faceted models to curved, i.e. surface transformation, slowing down product development and machining, which can disappoint users and introduce business at an additional cost.

The difference of the present method, more clearly shown in FIG. 7, is that applying bias or body shaping, or a thickening operation and detailing is applied directly to the faceted model obtained by scanning. The offset is applied to the thin-walled body 10 generated from the scanned physical object to create inner walls for the scanned outer wall. This offset is applied to the faceted scanned shape 15, without any conversion of the scanned shape to a surface representation. Facetization on the inner surface 16 shown in FIG. 7 and 8 can be quite rough, because its shape is not particularly critical, provided that the inner surface is at a approximately constant distance from the outer surface. Additional design steps may include modeling parts, for example, creating some ribs 13 and bosses 17 inside the housing, to strengthen the structure and provide mounting points for various components, as shown in Fig.9. To do this, instead of the grid, representations of the classical surface are used. Internal geometry is created using features of ribs and bosses that require the geometry core to support stretching, compression, and logical operations. The end result of the above process is a B-rep with a mixture of faceted and classic geometry. The subsurfaces 15, 16 are grids, sets of facets, but the subsurfaces 14, 17 are, respectively, analytical cones and cylinders.

A summary of the steps of the method of the present invention is presented in FIG. 10a - 10d. The physical model 10 is created as shown in FIG. 10a, usually made of clay or wood, but other materials may be used. Scanning 15 of the external form of the physical model is carried out as shown in FIG. 10b. As a result of scanning the form, facet data is obtained, presented in the form of a grid, or a set of points forming polygons, in this example, triangles. An inner surface 16 is formed, also represented in the form of the mesh shown in FIG. 10c. After that, the parts required internally are modeled using a classic geometric representation rather than a facet-based representation, as shown in FIG. 10d. Analytical cones 14 or cylinders 17 are shown here as examples. The user interface allows modeling operations to be performed on surfaces of different types, whether it be a mesh, cylinder or cone. CAD functions can be applied directly to any of the objects, analytical or faceted. The data can be processed by a border representation model in a grid format or in a format of classical geometry, and the method involves copying when the product is presented in more than one data processing format, without the need for conversion.

In FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a typical product modeling method using more than one data format. In the first stage, the designer generates a 50 physical model, for example, of wood or clay. When the designer is satisfied with the shape of the physical model, the model is scanned 51, after which the scan data, which is facet-based data, can be further processed. Data can be stored 52 elsewhere, for example, if the scan is an autonomous process carried out by another part of the design team and then fed into the data processing system, or transferred directly to the data processing system from the scanner in a continuous process and stored in the memory of the data processing system. Mesh scan data represents the outer surface of the item with a high degree of detail, but additional layers are required. An inner surface 53 is also generated, also represented by mesh data, which may have a lower resolution than the scanned outer surface, provided that the inner surface is formed with approximately the same thickness throughout. After performing work with the outer and inner grids, the designer determines 54 which additional features or details are required and whether they are required. These additional parts can be fasteners or similar features, for example screw holes or bosses, and they must fit or be consistent with other separately created fasteners, so designing them using models such as classical geometry instead of modeling on a facet basis gives more accurate and reproducible results. After generating all the necessary parts of the product, from scanning data or from geometric models, 55 the complete product is provided, for example, as an image on the display, and, or instead, stored data in a form that allows them to be manipulated. During the process, the user can display individual parts, or groups of parts, until all the necessary parts are completed.

Having received the presentation of the product, and combining the data obtained from the physical model and the data obtained from the geometric model, the designer may wish to make changes. If modifications are required 56, the designer determines which part of the data is available and in which format (mesh or classical geometry), and the designer works 57 on each part that needs to be modified in the format in which this data is supported. To make changes, the designer does not need to convert the appearance or inner surface from facet data to classical geometry, or convert classical geometry, which defines, for example, screw holes or bosses, into facet-based data. Upon completion of the modification, a 58 representation of the modified product may be provided, while the mesh and classical geometry data remain in their separate formats. If necessary, the designer can also create separate representations of all parts that need to be worked on during the product modification process. At the end of the product design process, which may include the design process of any equipment with which it should interact, 59 production instructions suitable for the machine used to manufacture the products or parts thereof may be generated. Although the modification has been described with respect to inputs from the designer, in practice, some of the steps described above may be carried out by the CAD system, as individual changes may be determined by the system in accordance with new or additional criteria.

The present invention provides a method for creating a structure without the need for transforming facets and meshes into the geometry of a classic surface. This is attractive to users. Modifications of grids can be carried out using lower-level functions in the model, which are able to act on faceted models. Modifications of features of classical geometry are carried out using lower-level functions compatible with models of classical geometry, since different data formats are modeled separately.

Although the examples described herein relate to a method that uses scan data for a part of a product in a grid format, previously stored conventional grid data can be processed using the methods of this invention. Some product attributes can even be generated in the CAD model as grid data, and they can also be processed without the need for conversion.

In another example, a model can be used for additive manufacturing. In this case, the production instructions 59 are sent to the printer, and these instructions have a faceted basis, and the data extracted from the physical model also has a faceted basis, which leaves no room for inefficiency or loss of data related to the outer surface of the product, to which to bring the traditional need to transform from a facet-based model into a classical model of representing boundaries and vice versa. A model optimized for additive manufacturing may contain a lattice-filled volume for which facets are a lighter and more efficient representation, as well as other volumes limited by classical geometry. For example, instead of starting with a grid from a scanned physical object, optimization of a model for additive manufacturing can begin with classical geometry and modeling methods to specify the shape that bounds the lattice, and then generate this lattice in the form of facets based on physical and production properties. Some classical geometry may remain or be added later to represent traditionally (subtractive) processed fragments of a part, for example, holes drilled in a printed volume. Saving these different formats allows for easier presentation, efficient editing, and the use of constraints during assembly. For example, when designing a part in connection with other parts, assembly constraints are used to ensure accurate matching of the parts, for example, bolted parts have aligned holes of the same diameter. For the best representation of such parts, it is recommended to use classical geometry. Then the holes can be formed using a 3d printer, spending them as facets, or the holes can be drilled later, but leaving them in the form of classical geometry during the design process, you can save and document the design goal.

The method of this invention also allows you to expand the mechanisms for orphan geometry or structural geometry for processing new types of geometry. Orphan geometry is a geometry that no part is associated with, and structural geometry is geometry that is associated with a part, but without a specific local topology. As the view lengthens, the corresponding low-level utilities expand. They provide the infrastructure necessary for both simulation operators and application functionality.

Examples of low-level utilities that can be extended include connectivity queries, relationship queries between facet geometry and topology, and basic geometric queries, such as the length and closure of polylines, or match tests, or other queries of this type, or bulk properties of parts with faceted geometry. "Verification of reality" provides the functionality of checking the geometric reality of grids and polylines and the functionality of checking the stability of the topological and geometric connectivity of a part. “Rendering” can mean drawing parts independent of the facet geometry, or depending on the view and in hidden lines, rendering parts with the faceted geometry, for example, generating silhouettes on the faceted geometry, or perspective views, or drawing facets from parts with the faceted geometry, which may require refinement of facets to meet visualization parameters. The "selection" may include the choice of topology with facet geometry and direct selection of facet geometry.

Other low-level utilities that can be expanded are “storing and retrieving data,” both parts and partitions and deltas containing faceted geometry, providing support for loading grids on demand to minimize memory overhead, and the ability to import facets from other formats, the functionality of generating a limiting topology for sets of facets, or the functionality of refining this topology based on geometric criteria . Rollback provides support for undo actions and story-based modeling. "Block formation" provides the functionality of calculating aligned and not axis aligned blocks and spatial indices for meshes and polylines, and subsurfaces and edges to which they are attached. "Hold" provides the functionality to determine whether a point lies in an area, on a subsurface, or on an edge. “Conflict detection” provides the functionality to effectively determine whether two sets of topologies conflict, and “intersections” provides the functionality of intersecting grids with grids, polylines, and classic surfaces or curves, or the functionality of intersecting polylines with grids, polylines, and classic surfaces or curves.

Additional low-level utilities that can be extended include “projection” to provide code for projecting the curve onto the grid, in the direction of the vector, or to the nearest image; or “grid and polyline extension” to provide functionality to expand the “outside” grid boundaries. "Filling holes in grids" provides the functionality for correcting holes in grids to a selected level of continuity, and "correcting grids" provides functionality for correcting degenerate or folded facets and resolving self-intersections in grids and polylines. "Extrusion" provides the functionality of extruding a body with faceted geometry into a sheet or solid, and the degree of extrusion can be determined by distances, surfaces or parts.

“Sweeping” allows you to sweep a polyline or mesh or facet frame or sheet body along a path formed from one or more curves. Observation can be carried out with variable torsion or scale, according to the law or orientation of the guiding curves, or with a variable orientation, according to the supplied vectors, geometric or topological entities. Conversion functionality is provided for transforming facet geometry. Medium surface generation provides the functionality to compute a grid, which is the (weighted) average of two input grids. "Matching grid boundaries" provides the functionality of adjusting the grid boundaries so that they coincide along common polylines and, optionally, adjusting the matched grids to increase the smoothness of the connection. Narrowing provides the functionality to generate isoclinic curves for grids and to generate generatrix narrowing lines from such curves. Conversion between facet and classical geometry is possible. Functionality can be provided for applying variable deformations to grids and polylines.

A facet that allows kernel modeling operators also has changes in the following areas: imprinting an edge on a subsurface with faceted geometry requires some additional steps besides those necessary for classical geometry. The grid must be divided along the polyline corresponding to the curve and then re-divided into triangles. Edge polylines must be divided at points corresponding to new vertices. Degenerate triangles must be removed from the grid. As described above with reference to FIG. 10, offset, cavity, and thickening can be worked on by providing specific mesh bias functionality, resolving local self-intersections, and adding mixture-like areas on any sharp edges. Functionality can be added to initiate mesh extension or fill holes as needed when offsets deviate at a sharp edge. The mesh matching functionality can be provided by offsetting adjacent mesh subsurfaces that occur along nearly smooth edges, and the functionality of calculating the linear geometry of the mesh for stepped subsurfaces and thickened side walls. The functionality of a local transform can be provided to initiate grid elongation at sharp edges, or to fill holes as needed when transforming subsets of parts, or to apply different transforms to different subsurfaces. The functionality of changing the subsurface and the patch may be provided, which may be the functionality of computing the actual regions of self-intersecting subsurfaces. A contour and a twisted contour can exist with the necessary additional functionalities for processing meshes with superimposed edges and functionalities for mixing to allow the interaction of mixtures. External facet formats can be supported to reduce data redundancy and simplify integration. Grid data in these external formats can be represented with single or double precision. Functionality is provided for converting single precision data to double precision data and vice versa, while maintaining model stability.

As can be understood from the embodiments of this invention, performance improvements can be achieved by avoiding conversion between formats while supporting the design goal. Different sections of the model can be represented in their natural formats and edited using appropriate tools. For example, if a subsurface is represented as a truncated cylinder, then its elongation can trivially maintain its shape, which would not have happened if the truncated cylinder was presented as a mesh, since the facets no longer preserve the symmetry of the form.

Different components of the CAD system must transmit positions that are limited to being on the surface. Since components can be developed by different suppliers, transferring positions as vectors is inefficient; since each component must confirm that the vector lies on the surface.

For example, when a user selects a point on a model, the CAD application user interface component calls the modeling component to determine which subsurface the beam is incident on. Modeling returns a subsurface and a position on its surface. The user interface component then calls the modeling component again to query the surface normal at this position to determine the direction of the arrow on the display. The position may alternatively be transferred to the feature modeling component, which will then use the position to select the portion of the divided subsurface to be stored.

In general, positions are transmitted using the u, v coordinates of the surface parameterization. If the CAD system also wants to treat facet meshes as surfaces, this creates a problem in that facet meshes cannot be parameterized in the same way as the border representation model, because they can have a high topological genus, contain holes, or be disconnected.

A natural way to represent positions on a grid is to provide an integer facet identifier and a pair of u, v coordinates that provide parameterization of the triangle. However, this means that components cannot uniformly process faceted meshes and other types of surfaces. Any attempt to do this will require a significant reconstruction of any traditional system that wants to expand its modeling capabilities to include facet meshes.

Previous solutions to this problem involved dividing the grid into locally parameterizable regions, which makes it possible to communicate parameters of the type of boundary representation to these local regions. This is an expensive and complicated procedure, which involves the prescription of a model of arbitrary design. Since this design does not reflect any design goal, it may add unnecessary complexity to further operations.

This invention provides a mapping between the natural parameterization of the grid and the parameterization of u, v, the type used in border representation models by combining the integer facet identifier with the facet parameters. Using modified parametrization allows you to map user input made in the border representation model into data stored only in a grid format, using the same mechanisms as classic surfaces. The method of combining the integer facet identifier with the coordinates of the triangle to ensure the parameterization of u, v, reduces the likelihood that the amount of information goes beyond the architecture of the floating point.

There are some limitations of the disclosed methods, for example, leading to the fact that the parameterization is not continuous, and the parameter calculations do not correspond to equivalent positional calculations. However, the method does not allow the components of a CAD application to transfer points on grids using the same mechanism that CAD applications use for classic surfaces, which allows a hybrid boundary representation model that includes mesh data without costly and computationally intensive data format conversion.

To set the parameterization for each facet, a barycentric coordinate system is used. Three vertices x1, x2, x3 provide a reference point in x1 and two axes u = (x2 - x1) and v = (x3 - x1). Each point P in the facet is uniquely determined by the sum P = x1 + λu + μv, where the triangle / barycentric coordinates λ, μ satisfy the condition λ, μ≥0 and λ + μ ≤ 1).

This is then combined with the facet identifier to provide the parameterization of u, v. For an effective translation between two parameterizations, the external parameterization should be an affine transformation of the internal facet parameters of each facet, i.e. points, straight lines and planes are saved in the transformation, so that all points that are initially on the line continue to lie on the line after the transformation, the midpoint of the line segment remains the midpoint after the transformation, and parallel lines remain parallel after the transformation.

As many of these affine images as possible should remain close to the parametric reference point, since the obtained accuracy decreases with distance from the reference point, and grids can contain millions of facets. The double precision floating point format for representing real numbers has from 15 to 17 significant digits of accuracy, and the more significant digits are used to specify the facet, the less they are available for setting barycentric coordinates.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, integer facet identifiers, from 1 to 32 in this figure, are mapped onto a spiral of unit squares around the origin. The number of integers shown is purely illustrative and can be very large in practice. Two facets 70 are displayed in each square. Each unit square 70, as shown in FIG. 13 contains two discrete triangles 71, i.e. one facet per triangle, and these triangles touch neither one another nor the boundary 72 of a unit square 70.

Stability and compatibility with the existing mechanism for transferring positions on traditional surfaces significantly reduces the cost of adapting traditional CAD applications to faceted geometry. A specific feature of the described method is that it allows consumers to implement functionality without rewriting their own software. Traditional models designed to operate on a structure constructed from data representing boundaries are capable of processing surface mesh data without modification. The spiral and structural configuration of the integer facet identifiers shown in FIG. 12, allow for efficient implementation of the method.

In FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the data processing steps that enable the product simulation method described in FIG. 11. After receiving the facet-based scan data, which is usually stored 52 in the storage in the data processing system, at step 51, the natural parameterization of each triangle representing the facet is extracted 60. This natural parameterization means the integer identifier of the facet and the coordinate pair u, v, which provides the parameterization of the triangle. Since this means three pieces of data, and not two that are used in the boundary representation model, 61 modified parameterizations need to be generated. The modification defines a unique point from a pair of coordinates u, v and uses 62 integer identifiers with its unique point as two parameters for communicating with the boundary representation model. The process of generating modified parameters continues 63 as necessary until a complete set of modified parameters is obtained to represent the facets of the scan data. In this example, the output step 53 of the mesh data of the inner surface can then be applied. However, in a more general case, if a modified parametrization exists, then when the user indicates the grid data at a specific point on the display, the modified parametrization is used to inform the boundary representation model of a point on the grid surface of interest so that it can provide a suitable answer and update accordingly display image for user.

The present invention has several advantages over traditional methods for fulfilling various requirements in product design.

Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain steps of the processes described above, unless specifically indicated or prescribed by a sequence of operations, can be omitted, carried out in parallel or sequentially, or carried out in a different order.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, for simplicity and clarity, the complete design and operation of all data processing systems suitable for use in accordance with the present invention are not shown or described here. Instead, only those data processing systems that are unique to the present invention or necessary for understanding the present invention are depicted and described. Otherwise, the design and operation of the data processing system 21 may be consistent with any of the various modern implementations and practical applications known in the art.

It is important to note that although the invention includes a description with respect to a fully functional system, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least portions of the mechanism of the present invention may be distributed in the form of instructions contained in a machine-used, computer-used, or a computer-readable medium in any of various forms, and that the present invention is equally applicable regardless of the particular type of instruction or signal transfer medium or storage medium used mine for the actual implementation of the distribution. Examples of machine-useable / readable or computer-useable / readable media include: non-volatile, hardware-programmable media, for example read-only memory (ROM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and user-writable media, for example, floppy -Disks, hard drives and read-only compact discs (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs).

Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various changes, substitutions, variations and improvements disclosed herein are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

As a possible illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method may be provided for defining a point on a grid representation of a part of an article and transferring a point to a border representation model, the method comprising the steps of:

get a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product, and the presentation of the grid data contains many triangles each of which represents a facet;

extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing an integer identifier for each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v;

deriving a modified parameterization for each triangle from a representation of the data of the part grid containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters;

transmit the modified parameterization to the boundary representation model; and

save the modified parameterization of the scan data.

In one embodiment, the stage of derivation of the modified parametrization contains sub-stages where the first, second, and third vertices of each facet are identified, the first and second axes of each facet are identified, and a unique point in the facet is defined as the sum of the origin, constant factor of the first axis and constant factor of the second axis, where the constants are greater than or equal to zero, and the sum of the constants is less than or equal to one.

According to one embodiment, a step is further provided in which an updated representation of the simulated part is provided.

In one embodiment, steps are further provided in which, in response to a position request due to user input receiving instructions to select a point on the grid view of the simulated part, transmit an integer facet identifier together with a unique point to the border representation model to identify the point on the grid.

According to one embodiment, the integer facet identifiers are mapped onto a spiral of unit squares around the origin.

In one embodiment, two facets are displayed in each square.

In one embodiment, each triangle in a unit square is discrete and separated from the boundary of the unit square.

According to one embodiment, the modified parameterization comprises an affine transformation of the internal facet parameters of each facet.

According to one embodiment, the mesh data may be obtained from a physical sample of the part.

In one embodiment, meshes can be output by scanning a physical sample.

In addition, there is provided a data processing system having at least a processor and memory with accessibility, the data processing system configured to specify a point on the grid view of a part of the product and transfer the point to a border representation model, where the method comprises:

obtaining a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product from the physical sample of the part, wherein the representation of the grid data contains many triangles;

extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v;

the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters;

transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and,

providing an updated representation of the simulated part.

According to one embodiment, the system further comprises a display configured to output a representation of the simulated portion.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises storage for storing a representation of the simulated portion.

Also claimed is a short-term computer-readable medium encoded by executable instructions that, when executed, instruct one or more data processing systems to implement a method of defining a point on a grid representation of a part of a product and transferring a point to a border representation model, the method comprising:

obtaining a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product from the physical sample of the part, wherein the representation of the grid data contains many triangles;

extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v;

the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters;

transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and,

providing an updated representation of the simulated part.

None of what is described in this application indicates that any particular element, step or function is an essential element to be included in the scope of the claims: the scope of protection of the invention is determined only by the allowed claims. In addition, none of these claims refers to 35 USC 112 (f) in the absence of the specific words “remedy for,” followed by the sacrament.

Claims (29)

1. A method of modifying a part of an article by defining a point on a grid representation of a part of an article and transferring a point to a border representation model, the method being implemented by a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of: get a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product, and the presentation of the grid data contains many triangles, each of which represents a facet; extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing an integer identifier for each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; deriving a modified parameterization for each triangle from a representation of the data of the part grid containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transmit the modified parameterization to the boundary representation model; and save the modified parameterization of the scan data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of deriving the modified parameterization comprises sub-steps in which the first, second, and third vertices of each facet are identified, the first and second axes of each facet are identified, and a unique point in the facet is defined as the sum of the origin, a constant multiplier of the first axis and a constant factor of the second axis, where the constants are greater than or equal to zero, and the sum of the constants is less than or equal to one. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the method further comprises the step of providing an updated representation of the simulated part. 4. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, in which the method further comprises the steps of, in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the mesh representation of the simulated part, transmitting an integer facet identifier together with a unique point to the boundary representation model for identifying a point on the mesh. 5. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, in which integer facet identifiers are mapped onto a spiral of unit squares around the origin. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein two facets are displayed in each square. 7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, in which each triangle in a unit square is discrete and separated from the boundary of a unit square. 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, in which the modified parameterization contains an affine transformation of the internal facet parameters of each facet. 9. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-8, in which the grid data is obtained from a physical sample of the part. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the grid data is output by scanning a physical sample. 11. A data processing system having at least a processor and memory with accessibility, wherein the data processing system is configured to modify part of the product to specify a point on the grid view of the part of the product and transfer the point to a border representation model, where the method comprises: obtaining a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product from the physical sample of the part, wherein the representation of the grid data contains many triangles; extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and providing an updated representation of the simulated part. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises a display configured to output a representation of the simulated portion. 13. The system of claim 11 or 12, wherein the system further comprises storage for storing a representation of the simulated portion. 14. A short-term computer-readable medium encoded by executable instructions that, when executed, instruct one or more data processing systems to implement a method of modifying a part of a product to define a point on a grid representation of a part of a product and transferring a point to a border representation model, the method comprising: obtaining a representation of the grid data related to the part of the product from the physical sample of the part, wherein the representation of the grid data contains many triangles; extracting the natural parameterization of each triangle from the representation of the grid data, the natural parameterization containing the integer identifier of each facet and the corresponding facet parameters, and the facet parameters containing a pair of coordinates u, v; the derivation of the modified parametrization for each triangle from the data representation of the grid of the part containing a combination of an integer identifier and facet parameters; transmitting the modified parameterization in response to a position request due to user input receiving point selection instructions on the boundary representation model; and providing an updated representation of the simulated part.

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