The geometry of parts and components is traditionally represented in the computer using some form of coordinate data in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Such a representation is at too low a level of detail to enable deep reasoning based on an understanding of the geometric relationships that exist in the part. It is suggested that an application-specific hierarchic representation of part geometry, where geometric details at lower levels of the hierarchy are embedded within the higher level topological description of the object, provides a powerful framework for enabling such geometric reasoning capabilities. Such a representation can facilitate high-level topological queries, linguistic means for human-machine interaction, development of an intelligent interactive design aid, and an extension to more complex geometries. It can provide a language for expressing the appropriate domain heuristics, thereby leading to a smooth interface between the heuristics and the geometry representation. The authors analyze these issues and illustrate the concepts in the context of blocker design, which is encountered in the process of forging die design.
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