Method of modeling shapes using a combination of different shapes to represent the resultant shape

Claim 2

A solid modeling method for producing information representing a shape of an object, comprising the steps of: dividing a two-dimensional cross-section of an object into existing shapes, and removal shapes to be removed from said existing shapes to define a final shape; dividing said two-dimensional cross-section of said existing shapes and removal shapes which define said final shape of said object into elements including straight lines and arcs of circles; forming a two-dimensional wire frame in a first plane, said wire frame representing said two-dimensional cross-section of said object by connecting neighboring ones of said elements; expressing said wire frame by a loop information data set which includes an aggregation of data describing said elements; expressing said existing shapes in said loop information data set of said final shape of said object by an existence mode, and expressing said removal shapes in said final shape of said object by a removal mode; determining additional surfaces of said object, which are outside said first plane including said wire frame, and expressing geometrical surfaces which define said surfaces outside said first plane; providing output data representing said final shape based on said loop information data set expressed as existing shapes and removal shapes and said additional surfaces; and defining attribute information other than said shape information in said loop information data set and linking said attribute information to said loop information to provide further information about contents of said loop information data set.

Claim 3

A solid modeling method in accordance with claim 1 comprising a further step of deforming said shape of said object, by adding, deleting or replacing a removal element to said loop information data set.

Claim 4

A solid modeling method in accordance with claim 1 comprising the further step of deforming said shape of said object using a sum of sets, a difference of sets or a product set between at least two loop information data sets.

Claim 9

A solid modeling method for producing information representing a shape of an object, comprising the steps of: selecting, based on information representative of a final shape representing a two-dimensional cross-section of an object, existing shapes and removal shapes to be removed from said existing shapes to define said final shape, said existing and removal shapes being selected based on said final shape; dividing said two-dimensional cross-section of said existing shapes and removal shapes which define said final shape of said object into elements including both straight lines and arcs of circles; forming a two-dimensional wire frame in a first plane, said wire frame representing said two-dimensional cross-section of said object, by connecting neighboring ones of said elements; expressing said wire frame by a loop information data set which includes an aggregation of data describing said elements; expressing said existing shapes in said loop information data set of said final shape of said object by an existence mode, and expressing said removal shapes in said final shape of said object by a removal mode; determining additional surfaces of said object, which are outside said first plane including said wire frame, and expressing geometrical surfaces which define said surfaces outside said first plane; and providing output data representing said final shape based on said loop information data set expressed as existing shapes and removal shapes and said additional surfaces.

Claim 10

A solid modeling method for producing information representing a shape of an object, comprising the steps of: selecting, based on information representative of a final shape representing a two-dimensional cross-section of an object, existing shapes and removal shapes to be removed from said existing shapes to define said final shape, said existing and removal shapes being selected based on said final shape; dividing said two-dimensional cross-section of said existing shapes and removal shapes which define said final shape of said object into elements including both straight lines and arcs of circles; forming a two-dimensional wire frame in a first plane, said wire frame representing said two-dimensional cross-section of said object, by connecting neighboring ones of said elements; expressing said wire frame by a loop information data set which includes an aggregation of data describing said elements; expressing said existing shapes in said loop information data set of said final shape of said object by an existence mode, and expressing said removal shapes in said final shape of said object by a removal mode; determining additional surfaces of said object, which are outside said first plane including said wire frame, and expressing geometrical surfaces which define said surfaces outside said first plane; and providing output data representing said final shape based on said loop information data set expressed as existing shapes and removal shapes and said additional surfaces.

Claim 11

A solid modeling method in accordance with claim 6 comprising a further step of deforming said shape of said object, by adding, deleting or replacing a removal element to said loop information data set.

Claim 12

A solid modeling method in accordance with claim 6 comprising the further step of deforming said shape of said object using a sum of sets, a difference of sets or a product set between at least two loop information data sets.

Claim 15

A method as in claim 9, wherein at least one of said shapes is totally within another.

Claim 16

A solid modeling method for producing information representing a shape of an object, comprising the steps of: dividing a two-dimensional cross-section of an object into existing shapes, and removal shapes to be removed from said existing shapes to define a final shape; dividing said two-dimensional cross-section of said existing shapes and removal shapes which define said final shape of said object into elements including both of straight lines and arcs of circles; forming a two-dimensional wire frame in a first plane, said wire frame representing said two-dimensional cross-section of said object, by connecting neighboring ones of said elements; expressing said wire frame by a loop information data set which includes an aggregation of data describing said elements and a mode attribute where said mode attribute is data having one of a plurality of possible values including an existence value and a removal value, said existence value being representative of existing shapes in said loop information data set of said final shape of said object and said removal value being representative of removal shapes in said final shape of said object; determining additional surfaces of said object, which are outside said first plane including said wire frame, and expressing geometrical surfaces which define said surfaces outside said first plane; providing output data representing said final shape based on said loop information data set expressed as existing shapes and removal shapes and said additional surfaces; and defining attribute information other than said shape information of said object which is composed of loop information data sets and representing said content of said object by linking said attribute information to said object.

Claim 17

A solid modeling method for producing information representing a shape of an object, comprising the steps of: dividing a two-dimensional cross-section of an object into existing shapes, and removal shapes to be removed from said existing shapes to define a final shape; dividing said two-dimensional cross-section of said existing shapes and removal shapes which define said final shape of said object into elements including both of straight lines and arcs of circles; forming a two-dimensional wire frame in a first plane, said wire frame representing said two-dimensional cross-section of said object, by connecting neighboring ones of said elements; expressing said wire frame by a loop information data set which includes an aggregation of data describing said elements and a mode attribute where said mode attribute is data having one of a plurality of possible values including an existence value and a removal value, said existence value being representative of existing shapes in said loop information data set of said final shape of said object and said removal value being representative of removal shapes in said final shape of said object; determining additional surfaces of said object, which are outside said first plane including said wire frame, and expressing geometrical surfaces which define said surfaces outside said first plane; providing output data representing said final shape based on said loop information data set expressed as existing shapes and removal shapes and said additional surfaces; and defining attribute information other than said shape information of said object which is composed of loop information data sets and representing said content of said object by linking said attribute information to said object.

Claim 18

A solid modeling method for producing information representing the shape of an object, said method comprising the steps of: defining a boundary geometry of an object by a two-dimensional wire frame comprising a plurality of elements including straight lines and arcs of circles, said wire frame being formed by a loop connecting said elements in a predetermined order; forming a three-dimensional solid geometry by a region formed by moving said loop to a position of a coordinate value predetermined on a coordinate axis perpendicular to a mother plane of said loop, said three-dimensional solid geometry being defined as a primitive which is represented by a loop information data set and an arbitrary object being represented by aggregation of plural primitives; representing an existing part and a void part of said two dimensional wire frames comprising plural loops by an existing shape and removal shape, respectively, said plural loops being represented by a group of said loop information data sets, and said existing shape and said removal shape being represented by attribute information of said group of said loop information data set; determining additional surfaces of each primitive by means of at least one mathematical expression; and providing output data representing said shape of said object on said basis of said group of said loop information data sets representing said existing shapes, said removal shape and said additional surfaces.

Claim 19

A solid modeling method for producing information representing the shape of an object, said method comprising the steps of: defining a boundary geometry of an object by a two-dimensional wire frame comprising a plurality of elements including straight lines and arcs of circles, said wire frame being formed by a loop connecting said elements in a predetermined order; forming a three-dimensional solid geometry by a region formed by moving said loop to a position of a coordinate value predetermined on a coordinate axis perpendicular to a mother plane of said loop, said three-dimensional solid geometry being defined as a primitive which is represented by a loop information data set and an arbitrary object being represented by aggregation of plural primitives; representing an existing part and a void part of said two dimensional wire frames comprising plural loops by an existing shape and removal shape, respectively, said plural loops being represented by a group of said loop information data sets, and said existing shape and said removal shape being represented by attribute information of said group of said loop information data set; determining additional surfaces of each primitive by means of at least one mathematical expression; and providing output data representing said shape of said object on said basis of said group of said loop information data sets representing said existing shapes, said removal shape and said additional surfaces.