Automatic Procedures to Create CAD Models from Measured Data

Digital shape reconstruction is the process of creating digital models from physical parts represented by 3D point clouds. The ideal process is expected to provide a boundary representation that is likely to be identical or similar to the original design intent of the object, and requires minimal user assistance. This paper discusses alternative state-of-the-art approaches, where emphasis is put on automatic methods (i) to create complete and consistent topological structures over polygonal meshes; and (ii) extract accurate and properly aligned surface features that yield complete, trimmed CAD models with fillets and corner patches. Problems and recommended solutions will be presented through case studies using industrial parts.