UNIT II

SOLID MODELING
 Why solid modeling?
Recall weakness of wire-frame and surface
modeling
 Ambiguous geometric description
 incomplete geometric description
 lack topological information
 Tedious modeling process
 Awkward user interface
 Solid Modeling Representation

1. Wire frame Model – quick verification of design ideas

( mass property calculations)
2. Surface Model - shaded for better visibility
3. Solid Model - To analyze the moment of inertia,
mass ,volume etc.

Solid Model Entities :

4. Block
5. Cylinder
6. Cone
7. Wedge
8. Torus
 Solid model
 Solid modeling is based on complete, valid
and unambiguous geometric
representation of physical object.
 Complete  points in space can be classified.
(inside/ outside)
 Valid vertices, edges, faces are connected
properly.
 Unambiguous  there can only be one
interpretation of object
 Solid model representation
schemes
1. Constructive solid geometry (CSG)
2. Boundary representation (B-rep)
3. Spatial enumeration ( calculations)
4. Instantiation. ( quick process )
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)
 Objects are represented as a combination of
simpler solid objects(primitives).
 The primitives are such as cube, cylinder, cone,
torus, sphere etc.
 Copies or “instances” of these primitive shapes are
created and positioned.
 A complete solid model is constructed by
combining these “instances” using set specific,
logic operations (Boolean)
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)
 Boolean operation
– each primitive solid is assumed to be a set
of points, a Boolean operation is performed on
point sets and the result is a solid model.
– Boolean operation  union, intersection and
difference
– The relative location and orientation of the two
primitives have to be defined before the
Boolean operation can be performed.
– Boolean operation can be applied to two solids
other than the primitives.
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-boolean operation
Union
 The sum of all points in each of two defined
sets. (logical “OR”)
 Also referred to as Add, Combine, Join, Merge
A B
AB
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-Boolean operation
Difference
 The points in a source set minus the points common
to a second set. (logical “NOT”)
 Set must share common volume
 Also referred to as subtraction, remove, cut

A B
A-B
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-Boolean operation
intersection
 Those points common to each of two defined sets
(logical “AND”) - intersection
 Set must share common volume
 Also referred to as join command

A B
AB
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-Boolean
 When using Boolean operation, be careful to
avoid situation that do not result in a valid solid

A B
AB
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-Boolean
 Boolean operation
 Are intuitive to user
 Are easy to use and understand
 Provide for the rapid manipulation of large
amounts of data.

 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)-data structure
Data structure does not define model shape
explicitly(clear with detail) but rather intimate the
geometric shape through a procedural description
– E.g: object is not defined as a set of edges &
faces but by the instruction : union primitive1 with
primitive 2
This procedural data is stored in a data structure
referred to as a CSG tree
The data structure is simple and stores compact
data easy to manage
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)- CSG tree
 CSG tree stores the history of applying
Boolean operations on the primitives.
 Stores in a binary tree format
 The outer leaf nodes of tree represent the
primitives
 The interior nodes represent the Boolean
operations performed.
Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)- CSG tree
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG)- not unique
 More than one procedure (and hence database) can
be used to arrive at the same geometry.

-
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG) representation
 CSG representation is unevaluated
 Faces, edges, vertices not defined in
explicit(open)
 CSG model are always valid
 Since built from solid elements.
 CSG models are complete and
unambiguous (clarity)
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG) - advantage
 CSG is powerful with high level command.
 Easy to construct a solid model – minimum
step.
 CSG modeling techniques lead to a concise
(short) database less storage.
– Complete history of model is retained and can
be altered at any point.
 Can be converted to the corresponding
boundary representation.
 Constructive solid geometry
(CSG) -
 disadvantage
Only Boolean operations are allowed in the
modeling process with Boolean operation
alone, the range of shapes to be modeled is
severely restricted not possible to construct
unusual shape.
 Requires a great deal of computation to
derive(CALCULATION) the information on
the boundary, faces and edges which is important
for the interactive display/ manipulation of solid.
Boundary representation (B-Rep)
 Solid model is defined by their enclosing
surfaces or boundaries.
 This technique consists of the geometric
information about
 - the faces, edges and vertices of an object
with the topological data on how these are
connected.
Boundary representation (B-Rep)
 Why B-Rep includes such topological
information?
- A solid is represented as a closed space in
3D space (surface connect without gaps)
- The boundary of a solid separates points -
inside from - outside solid.
 B-Rep vs surface modeling
 Surface model
 A collection of surface entities which simply
enclose a volume lacks the connective data to
define a solid (i.e topology).
 B- Rep model
 Technique guarantees that surfaces definitively
divide model space into solid and void, even
after model modification commands.
 B-Rep data structure
 B-Rep graph store face, edge and vertices
as nodes, with pointers, or branches
between the nodes to indicate connectivity.
 v5
B-Rep data structure
f3 E4 E3
E7
E1f2
v4 v3
f4 solid
E8 f5E2 E6 f1
v1 E5 v2
face1 face2 face3 face4 face5
Combinatorial
edge1
edge2
edge3
vertex1 vertex2 vertex3 vertex4 edge4
vertex5 edge5
Metric information/
edge6
geometry
edge7
(x, y, z)
edge8
structure /
Boundary representation- validity
 System must validate topology of created
solid.
 B-Rep has to fulfill certain conditions to
disallow self-intersecting and open objects
 This condition include
 Each edge should adjoin exactly two faces and
have a vertex at each end.
 Vertices are geometrically described by point
coordinates
 Boundary representation- validity
 This condition include (cont)
 At least three edges must meet at each vertex.
 Faces are described by surface equations
 The set of faces forms a complete skin of the solid
with no missing parts.
 Each face is bordered by an ordered set of edges
forming a closed loop.
 Faces must only intersect at common edges or
vertices.
 The boundaries of faces do not intersect themselves
 Boundary representation- validity
 Validity also checked through mathematical
evaluation
– Evaluation is based upon Euler’s Law (valid for
simple polyhedra – no hole)
V-vertices E- edges F- face
–V–E+F=2
loops
v5
E3 V = 5, E = 8, F = 5
f3 E4
E7
E1f2
v4 v3
f4 5–8+5=2
E8 f5E2 E6 f1
v1 E5
v2
 Boundary representation- validity
 Expanded Euler’s law for complex polyhedrons
(with holes)
 Euler-Poincare Law:
– V-E+F-H=2(B-P)

– H – number of holes in face, P- number of passages or through

holes, B- number of separate bodies.
V = 24, E=36, F=15, H=3,
P=1,B=1
 Boundary representation-
ambiguity and uniqueness
 Valid B-Reps are unambiguos
 Not fully unique, but much more so than
CSG
 Potential difference exists in division of
 Surfaces into faces.
 Curves into edges
 Boundary representation-
advantages
 Capability to construct unusual shapes that
would not be possible with the available
C S G  aircraft fuselages, swing shapes
 Less computational time to reconstruct the
image
 Boundary representation-
disadvantages
 Requires more storage
 More prone to validity failure than CSG
 Model display limited to planar faces and
linear edges
- complex curve and surfaces only approximated
Solid object construction method
 Sweeping
 Boolean
 Automated filleting and chambering

 Tweaking
– Face of an object is moved in some way