CAD Face Alignment via Automatic Snap Plane Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in aligning a first face with a second face in CAD model editing due to numerous neighboring faces, interior faces not being displayed, or faces being outside the current GUI view frustum, making it hard to achieve relative alignment via graphical user interfaces.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a computer-implemented method that automatically selects a snap face without user input, using a snap plane to facilitate relative parallel face alignment, allowing alignment with unhoverable or outside faces without altering the GUI view frustum, and providing visual cues for correct repositioning along the normal direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic snap face selection is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically selects the snap face by querying the spatial tree and computing distances without requiring user interaction to hover over or select the target face. The algorithm independently determines the closest parallel face based on the current translation position, enabling self-service face alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The spatial tree is pre-computed and maintained to store hierarchical spatial relationships of all faces in the CAD model. This preliminary organization of spatial data enables efficient querying and distance computation during the snapping operation, avoiding the need for complex real-time calculations.
2Loss of information
If the snap plane is displayed to show the snap face, then information visibility is improved, but visual clutter increases
Solution Approach 1:
A snap plane is introduced as an intermediary visual element that represents the snap face. Instead of directly displaying the potentially hidden or distant snap face, the snap plane serves as a mediator that visually indicates the target alignment position and orientation, making the invisible snap face visible through its geometric representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The snap face may be an interior face not displayed in the current view or located outside the view frustum. By displaying a snap plane in the current view that represents the snap face's position and orientation, the system translates information from one spatial dimension (the actual face position) to another dimension (the visual representation in the current view).
Data Source
AI summary
A CAD model comprises an entity comprising an input face comprising a normal direction. Via user input, a translation for the input face in the normal direction is obtained. From the CAD model, a list of faces parallel to the input face is automatically determined. From the list of faces, a snap face comprising a distance along the normal direction to the current position of the input face which is minimal over the list of faces is automatically selected, without acquiring the snap face via user input. Via a visualization means, a snap plane comprising the snap face, and either a coplanar alignment of the input face in the snap plane; or a distance indicator from the input face to the snap plane, are automatically displayed. Via user input, validation of the coplanar alignment or a numerical value for the distance indicator is obtained. The entity is automatically adjusted accordingly.