Triangular Mesh Drainage Constraint Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing grading optimization tools struggle to efficiently design complex and precise drainage patterns for terrain surfaces due to conflicting drain directions, leading to unfeasible grading designs and excessive user interaction.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a 'closest drain element' method, advanced Voronoi diagrams, surface break lines, exclusive drainage zones, and zone hierarchies allows users to specify complex drainage constraints, automatically resolving conflicting drain directions and optimizing terrain surface designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users place multiple drain lines, low points, and ridge lines to communicate complex drain intent, then drainage design flexibility and precision are improved, but conflicting drain directions on neighboring triangles increase, making grading designs unfeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter representation from simple drain directions to a hierarchical zone system with multiple attributes (zone ID, drain direction, slope constraints, priority levels). This allows complex drainage patterns to be represented without direct triangle-to-triangle conflicts, as zones can override or coordinate with each other systematically.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces Voronoi diagrams as an intermediary computational tool that automatically resolves conflicts between neighboring triangles with different drain intents. The Voronoi cells partition the terrain based on proximity to drain elements, providing an objective mechanism to assign drain directions that satisfies multiple constraints simultaneously.
2Reliability
If users manually detect and resolve conflicting drain directions by changing drain lines or triangle mesh, then grading design feasibility is maintained, but user interaction time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic conflict detection and resolution through algorithms that process zone definitions and generate consistent drain directions without human intervention. The computer automatically identifies conflicts, applies resolution rules based on zone priorities, and updates the triangular mesh accordingly, eliminating the need for manual user adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes zone definitions and drain intent specifications before the actual grading design generation. By pre-defining zones with their constraints and priorities, the system prepares the conflict resolution framework in advance, allowing automatic algorithms to efficiently resolve any conflicts that arise during mesh processing without requiring iterative user adjustments.
3Device complexity
If existing tools assign a single drain direction to entire polygonal areas, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and drainage pattern accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the terrain into multiple triangular elements within polygonal areas, allowing different drain directions to be assigned to different triangles based on their specific geometric relationships to drain elements. This segmentation enables precise control of drainage patterns while maintaining the simplicity of zone-based user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different drain directions and slope constraints to different local regions (triangles) within a zone based on their proximity to specific drain elements like drain lines, low points, or ridge lines. This local differentiation maintains overall system simplicity while achieving high precision in drainage pattern generation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained and consists of triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. A drain intention is specified for the terrain surface through a geometry that is a point or line. The drain intention defines a drainage flow that influences a shape of the terrain surface. The mesh is modified to prevent a drain conflict between mesh triangles. A drain direction is autonomously determined for each of the mesh triangles based on the drain intention. The determination generates a drain pattern that is used to shape the terrain surface.