Abstract:

Surface reconstruction is the key algorithm of reverse engineering. An effective reverse engineering algorithm should not only be able to model complex object shapes and convert the models to other CAD systems, but also be able to control the accuracy of the models generated. This paper addresses a surface reconstruction algorithm, which reconstructs the digital surface model of sample objects based on the cloud points. In the algorithm, part of the inspection points is first used to construct a tensor product B spline mesh surface, which roughly fits the sample object. An accurate control algorithm is then introduced to improve the generated B spline surface till it is within the given tolerance. The calculation of the distance between a 3D point and a B spline surface, which is related with the algorithm, is also discussed. A practical application instance, which demonstrates the high stability and efficiency of the proposed algorithm, is given at the end of the paper.

Key words: reverse engineering, surface reconst ruct ion, surface modeling