Object reconstruction by incorporating geometric constraints in reverse engineering

This paper deals with the constrained reconstruction of 3D geometric models of objects from range data. It describes a new technique of global shape improvement based upon feature positions and geometric constraints. It suggests a general incremental framework whereby constraints can be added and integrated in the model reconstruction process, resulting in an optimal trade-off between minimization of the shape fitting error and the constraint tolerances. After defining sets of constraints for planar and special case quadric surface classes based on feature coincidence, position and shape, the paper shows through application on synthetic model that our scheme is well behaved. The approach is then validated through experiments on different real parts. This work is the first to give such a large framework for the integration of geometric relationships in object modelling. The technique is expected to have a great impact in reverse engineering applications and manufactured object modelling where the majority of parts are designed with intended feature relationships. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.