Lightweight CAD Visualization via Topological Extraction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current visualization systems face challenges in balancing file size and functionality, particularly in distributed network environments, where light-weight 3D representations are needed for efficient data transfer while maintaining accurate geometric information for engineering visualization, but existing mesh and BREP formats either result in visual artifacts or excessive file sizes.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to produce a visualization format from CAD data by creating a BREP model with a topology and geometry component, removing redundant control points, normalizing knot vectors, recognizing analytic geometry, and converting it to a light model representation, incorporating the topology component for efficient compression and visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If mesh representation with LOD is used for fast graphics display, then graphics performance is improved, but file size increases and geometric accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential topological information from the full BREP model, separating topology (connectivity, adjacency, incidence relationships) from geometry (control points, knot vectors, weights). This extraction allows the file to store minimal topological data structures that enable fast mesh generation without storing redundant geometric information, resolving the contradiction between fast display and small file size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation parameters from storing complete BREP geometry (control points, knot vectors, weights) to storing only topological relationships (vertex connectivity, face adjacency, edge incidence). This parameter transformation enables the system to achieve both fast graphics display through efficient mesh generation and reduced file size through compact topological storage.
2Measurement precision
If BREP representation is used for accurate geometric description, then geometric accuracy is improved, but file size increases and graphics display speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary topological analysis and extraction during the file creation phase, pre-computing and storing only the essential connectivity and adjacency relationships. This preliminary action enables the graphics engine to quickly generate meshes without performing time-consuming BREP tessellation during runtime, thus improving display speed while preserving geometric accuracy through the stored topological structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the BREP model into distinct topological components (vertices, edges, faces, shells) and stores their relationships separately. This segmentation allows the system to maintain accurate geometric descriptions through the topological structure while enabling fast graphics display by directly utilizing the pre-segmented topological data for mesh generation, avoiding the need to process complete BREP geometry during rendering.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complete BREP model is stored for comprehensive geometric operations, then geometric functionality is improved, but file size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the topological component of the BREP model, taking out the essential connectivity, adjacency, and incidence relationships while discarding redundant geometric data (control points, knot vectors, weights). This extraction enables comprehensive geometric operations to be performed through topological relationships alone, maintaining full geometric functionality while significantly reducing file size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified topological copy of the BREP model that preserves all essential geometric operation capabilities. This topological copy contains vertex-face incidence, edge-face adjacency, and shell-face connectivity information, which are sufficient for performing geometric operations such as boolean operations, intersections, and derivations, while occupying minimal storage space compared to the complete BREP representation.
4Quantity of substance
If LOD representations are used for bandwidth-efficient transmission, then network transmission efficiency is improved, but visual quality deteriorates due to fixed resolution and visual artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic representation system where the topological data structure can adapt to different visualization requirements. The stored topological relationships enable the system to generate meshes with varying levels of detail dynamically based on zoom level and viewing distance, eliminating the fixed resolution limitation of traditional LOD while maintaining bandwidth-efficient transmission through compact topological storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a topological data structure as an intermediary between the source BREP model and the final mesh representation. This topological intermediary preserves the essential geometric information needed for accurate visualization while enabling flexible mesh generation at any resolution, thus eliminating visual artifacts associated with fixed LOD resolutions and improving visual quality without increasing transmission data volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program for producing a visualization format from CAD data comprising producing a BREP model for visualization, wherein said BREP model has a topology component and a geometry component; removing a plurality of redundant control points from said geometry component; normalizing a plurality of knot vectors and a plurality of weight components from said geometry component; recognizing an analytic geometry from said geometry component; recognizing a plurality of equivalents from said geometry component; and converting said analytic geometry to said light model representation, and appropriate means and computer-readable instructions.