Mesh simplification with smooth surface reconstruction

In this work, a new method for mesh simplification and surface reconstruction specifically designed for the needs of CAD/CAM engineering design and analysis is introduced. The method simplifies the original free-form face model by first constructing restricted curvature deviation regions, generating a boundary conforming finite element quadrilateral mesh of the regions, and then fitting a smooth surface over the quadrilateral mesh using the plate energy method. It is more general in scope than existing methods because it handles models with free-form faces and non-manifold geometry, not just triangular or polygonal faces. It produces a high-quality quadrilateral mesh which is suited for both finite element analysis and CAD/CAM. The smooth surface obtained by energy functional stabilization over limited curvature regions preserves the number of quadrilateral elements, and is best suited for surface modeling. The method is illustrated by building of several free-form surfaces from an arbitrary topology mesh. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.