浅谈实体建模:历史、现状与未来

A note on solid modeling: history, state of the art, future

实体建模技术是CAD软件的“功能心脏”,相关基础理论与算法是CAD发展历史上最关键的成果之一,成功回答了为使计算机能够辅助产品设计与制造,需在计算机中存什么几何信息以及怎么存的问题。本文对实体建模的主要历史发展脉络做了简要介绍,同时对各发展阶段的关键问题以及研究现状进行了讨论,最后选取了3个方向对实体建模的未来做出展望,重点关注从Computer-Aided Design到Computer-Automated Design的发展趋势。

Solid modeling is a technique underlying CAD software as we see it today, and its theories and algorithms are among the most fundamental milestones in the historical development of CAD. Basically, it has answered the question of what geometric information a computer should store and how to store/manipulate them in order for the computer to aid the processes of design and manufacturing. This paper provides a brief review on the historical development of solid modeling, its fundamental research problems, as well as their challenges and state of the art. It then concludes with three prospective trends of solid modeling, especially the promising paradigm shift from “Computer-Aided Design” to “Computer-Automated Design”.