A NEW DESIGN ORIENTATED DIGITALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Integration of the Conceptual Design into the Design Process

摘要

The paper describes a new measurement strategy enabling an integrated process chain to be realized for the direct 3-D recording of object feature lines and for its adaptation to various analysis strategies up to 1:1 reconstruction. The strategy is based on a self-calibrating 3-D measurement system where design models can be recorded in the form of light edges using features relevant to their shape. To transfer the essential information from design models to virtual (pre-) CAD models, a digitalization technique is generally used. The state-of-the-art technology results in the digital acquisition of the complete surface. The procedure involves: acquisition of the point cloud - reconstruction of the topological structure as polygonal surfaces - segmentation - extraction of character lines. The description of surfaces may require further steps. Problems are encountered using this method when digitalizing conceptual design models, as the segmentation and description of surfaces has not been explicitly defined at this point. Instead of this, the model quality is due to form-giving feature lines. The direct 3-D recording of feature lines forms a new digitalization strategy: the recording of characteristic elements - the construction of the wireframe model (representing the surface topology) - surface description. The aim of this reconstruction strategy is not to obtain a clear reconstruction of the physically-real model but rather to obtain an image of form-giving features in the sense of a psychologically-plausible reconstruction. Future applications will then lie in the fields of new surface modeling techniques which could be used to include product functionality or to record complex surfaces (styling, concept modeling, product development, design, virtual simulation, mould making, rapid prototyping and reverse engineering technologies).