Simultaneous and incremental feature-based multiresolution modeling with feature operations in part design

This paper proposes a new feature-based multiresolution modeling approach that can provide multiresolution representation of dynamically changing CAD models of intermediate design stage. Feature-based multiresolution modeling provides simplified shapes of parts of various levels of detail (LOD) by suppressing the detailed features according to a certain LOD criterion. Unlike previous research having mainly focused on the multiresolution representation of the final design model, our approach can carry out simultaneous and incremental multiresolution representation on the intermediate design models. To implement the system supporting this capability, we developed history-based selective Boolean operations, in which if the order of the Boolean operations for a part is altered, the regions affected by the operations are redefined according to the history of the Boolean operations so that the resultant shape may be the same as the original shape of the part. The system implemented using these operations guarantees a unique and valid shape for each intermediate LOD in the simultaneous multiresolution modeling environment. Since the system provides the designer immediately with various detail levels of the CAD model in any design stage, the design process is expected to be accelerated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.