STL file generation from digitised data points based on triangulation of 3D parametric surfaces

For the current generation of rapid-prototyping models, laser scanners are currently being used more frequently due to rapid first measuring speed and high precision. Direct generation of an STL file from the digitised points has a great of advantage in that it can reduce time and error during the modelling process. A reduction in the number of point data is important while generating the STL file directly from the measured point data and maintaining precision. A new approach is developed in this paper to generate an STL file directly from point clouds by indicating a tolerance ε to maintain precision. The STL file can be generated directly from scattered points using a new algorithm that reduces and triangulates digitised point data based on triangulation of 3D parametric surfaces. Two experimental examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.