US 12,282,709 B2
CAD model compression via automated block generation
Tjerk Gauderis, Ghent (BE); Geert Machtelinck, Merelbeke (BE); and Wouter Nys, Kortrijk (BE)
Assigned to BRICSYS NV, Ghent (BE)
Appl. No. 17/263,495
Filed by BRICSYS NV, Ghent (BE)
PCT Filed Aug. 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/072412
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 26, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/057885, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 18194899 (EP), filed on Sep. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0240882 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 30/10 (2020.01); G06F 111/20 (2020.01)
CPC G06F 30/10 (2020.01) [G06F 2111/20 (2020.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for automated generation of a block definition for a CAD model that includes multiple entities, each of the multiple entities having one or more subentities, each of the subentities being a vertex, an edge or a face, the method comprising:
obtaining from the CAD model a group of the multiple entities that are associated with an identical geometry, wherein the identical geometry is when the subentities of the entities of the group, geometric properties of the subentities of the entities of the group and relative geometric properties between the subentities of the entities of the group are either equal or proportional based on a global scaling factor;
creating a block definition comprising a block geometry based on said identical geometry;
and replacing in the CAD model the entities of the group with block references comprising a pointer to the block definition, position data, a scaling factor with respect to the block geometry, and optionally translation data or rotation data, wherein:
obtaining from the CAD model the group of multiple entities includes verifying whether a pair of entities of the group are associated with the identical geometry via sequentially verifying identity conditions of a sequence of multiple identity conditions until either an identity condition of the sequence fails or all of the multiple identity conditions of the sequence are verified, and
each of the multiple identity conditions is based on the subentities of the pair of entities, and wherein each of the multiple identity conditions corresponds to one of the following:
a first equality of number of vertices;
a second equality of number of edges;
a third equality of number of faces;
a fourth equality or proportionality of vertex distance lists, a vertex distance list of an entity comprising an ordered set of values, wherein each value is based on a distance of a vertex of the entity to a vertex centroid of the entity;
a fifth equality of a total right-handedness (TRH), wherein the TRH is expressed as follows:

OG Complex Work Unit Math
wherein the v1,j, v2,k, and v3,l are respectively a first vertex vector, a second vertex vector, and a third vertex vector, n1, n2, and n3 respectively represent a number of first vertex vectors, a number of second vertex vectors, and a number of third vertex vectors, and i, j, k are integers;
a sixth equality or proportionality of edge parameters; or
a seventh equality or proportionality of face parameters;
and wherein the multiple identity conditions at least comprise said fifth equality of a total right-handedness (TRH).