Construction of feature volumes using intersection of adjacent surfaces

An algorithm is presented for the construction of feature volumes using the topology and geometry found in the 3D boundary representation of a solid object, The concavity effaces, edges and vertices is used to detect features and any interactions between them. Faces adjacent to the feature faces are intersected to create new edges which can be used to create totally new construction faces. These construction faces are then used to complete the feature volume. Simple rules have been developed which allow the intersection of quadric surfaces. This algorithm is modular in nature and can be used in conjunction with any feature detection module. The basic principle is established using the simplest of examples. The technique is then tested on several benchmark parts taken from the NIST design repository. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.