Computing surfaces invariant under subdivision

In this paper, we propose a general subdivision algorithm for generating surfaces. The algorithm has as motivation our earlier work on the design of free form curves where similar ideas were investigated. Here we describe some properties of uniform refinement algorithms for surface generation. A detail analysis of their properties will be given later by one of us.     

Education-driven research in CAD

We argue for a new research category, named education-driven research (EDR), which fills the gap between traditional field-specific research that is not concerned with educational objectives and research in education that focuses on fundamental teaching and learning principles and possibly on their customization to broad areas (such as mathematics or physics), but not to specific disciplines (such as CAD). The objective of EDR is to simplify the formulation of the underlying theoretical foundations and of specific tools and solutions in a specialized domain, so as to make them easy to understand and internalize. As such, EDR is a difficult and genuine research activity, which requires a deep understanding of the specific field and can rarely be carried out by generalists with primary expertise in broad education principles. We illustrate the concept of EDR with three examples in CAD: (1) the Split and Tweak subdivisions of a polygon and its use for generating curves, surfaces, and animations; (2) the construction of a topological partition of a plane induced by an arbitrary arrangement of edges; and (3) a romantic definition of the minimal and Hausdorff distances. These examples demonstrate the value of using analogies, of introducing evocative terminology, and of synthesizing the simplest fundamental building blocks. The intuitive understanding provided by EDR enables the students (and even the instructor) to better appreciate the limitations of a particular solution and to explore alternatives. In particular, in these examples, EDR has allowed the author to: (1) reduce the cost of evaluating a cubic B-spline curve; (2) develop a new subdivision curve that is better approximated by its control polygon than either a cubic B-spline or an interpolating 4-point subdivision curve; (3) discover how a circuit inclusion tree may be used for identifying the faces in an arrangement; and (4) rectify a common misconception about the computation of the Hausdorff error between triangle meshes. We invite the scientific community to encourage the development of EDR by publishing its results as genuine research contributions in peer-reviewed professional journals.     

An efficient hierarchicaltraversal algorithm for ray tracing

Ray tracing has been shown to be an excellent technique for rendering realistic images. However, it is important to reduce the lengthy computation time resulting from the brute-force nature of the original ray-tracing algorithms. In this paper, two ideas are proposed to speep up the well-known hierarchical subdivision method. First, a new hierarchy traversal scheme is described to reduce the number of raybounding volume intersection tests for secondary rays. Then, a plane-sweep method is proposed to make fewer intersection checks for eye rays. Experiments and discussions are presented to prove the feasibility of our methods.     

General triangular midpoint subdivision

In this paper, we introduce triangular subdivision operators which are composed of a refinement operator and several averaging operators, where the refinement operator splits each triangle uniformly into four congruent triangles and in each averaging operation, every vertex will be replaced by a convex combination of itself and its neighboring vertices. These operators form an infinite class of triangular subdivision schemes including Loop's algorithm with a restricted parameter range and the midpoint schemes for triangular meshes. We analyze the smoothness of the resulting subdivision surfaces at their regular and extraordinary points by generalizing an established technique for analyzing midpoint subdivision on quadrilateral meshes. General triangular midpoint subdivision surfaces are smooth at all regular points and they are also smooth at extraordinary points under certain conditions. We show some general triangular subdivision surfaces and compare them with Loop subdivision surfaces.     

基于Loop细分算法的人体模型网格平滑

网格平滑是实现三维模型离散造型的主要方法。为了实现数字人体几何模型的光顺效果,本文提出一种基于Loop细分算法的三维人体模型的网格平滑方法。细分曲面是用低分辨率的控制网格和定义在控制网格上的一种细分规则来表示曲面的,它能有效改善三维人体几何模型的表面不光滑以及分辨率低的缺点。实验证明,该方法对基于参数化建模方法的、多曲率网格人体模型取得了很好的效果,实现简单高效,特征保持效果也很好。     

基于双CPU的太阳能跟踪系统的研究

从提高太阳能电池板的输出功率出发,提出了基于双CPU控制方式的太阳能跟踪系统。系统采用俯仰-水平双轴控制,以单片机STC12C2052AD为光电控制单元的核心处理器,以混合式步进电机为执行机构,以TMS320F2812为核心控制器件的三相正弦波细分驱动器实现了混合式步进电机的精确定位。实验表明系统运行稳定,具有很高的实用价值。     

Algorithms to support point-based cadcam

This paper presents a system that supports a point-based approach to CADCAM that was first suggested by McLaughlin. The core to the approach is the ability to interpolate a grid of points in a geometrically meaningful way that does not suffer from the disadvantages of the standard interpolation schemes based on NURBS. The essential features of the approach are based on recursive subdivision between existing points to generate intermediate points that are consistent with a smooth curvature profile. There are many advantages to this approach. Time-consuming surface fitting is not necessary; there are no problems with ensuring continuity between surfaces; data exchange can be carried out exactly. By chosing to work entirely with points, all of the standard interrogations available in CAE systems, including visualisations, FE analysis and NC machining, which are dependent on NURBS curves and surfaces have to be replicated. The feasibility of the point-based approach is illustrated by showing how geometric interrogations and machine tool paths can be accurately generated using just points.     

Semi‐Regular Triangle Remeshing: A Comprehensive Study

Semi‐regular triangle remeshing algorithms convert irregular surface meshes into semi‐regular ones. Especially in the field of computer graphics, semi‐regularity is an interesting property because it makes meshes highly suitable for multi‐resolution analysis. In this paper, we survey the numerous remeshing algorithms that have been developed over the past two decades. We propose different classifications to give new and comprehensible insights into both existing methods and issues. We describe how considerable obstacles have already been overcome, and discuss promising perspectives.     

Point-augmented biquadratic C1 subdivision surfaces

Shape artifacts, especially for convex input polyhedra, make Doo and Sabin’s generalization of bi-quadratic (bi-2) subdivision surfaces unattractive for general design. Rather than tuning the eigenstructure of the subdivision matrix, we improve shape by adding a point and enriching the refinement rules. Adding a guiding point can also yield a polar bi-2 subdivision algorithm. Both the augmented and the polar bi-2 subdivision are complemented by a new Primal Bi-2 Subdivision scheme. All surfaces are $C^1$ and can be combined.