Visual assessment of free-form surfaces in CAD/CAM

Abstract

This paper reviews the current graphical tools available for checking the quality of CAD/CAM (computer aided design/manufacture) surface models and highlights the difficulties of their use. A new range of geometrically based tools is proposed, especially designed for the task of enabling design engineers to visually assess the quality of free-form surfaces at a workstation screen to within an accuracy comparable with working to full-scale drawings. The tools should be easy to use without recourse to understanding the underlying mathematical theory of surface differential geometry on which the techniques are ultimately based.