Department of Mechanical Engineering, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
ME30059 Geometric modelling |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: EX70CW30 |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must take ME20021 |
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Aims:
* To introduce the ideas used in fully three dimensional CADCAM systems. * To give hands-on experience in writing software for such systems. * To introduce the ideas of constraint and rule based systems. * To illustrate geometric modelling and its applications. Learning Outcomes: After taking this unit the student should be able to: * Understand the fundamental concepts of geometric modelling and the algorithms and data structures used in it. * Understand the implications for efficiency and the domain of these algorithms. * Write programs for such things as ray tracing to produce three dimensional graphics. * Understand the ideas of constraint modelling and resolution. * Use a configuration space model to simulate, analysis and optimise a mechanism system. Skills: Problem solving; numeracy; IT; working independently; written communication. Content: Wire frame and other precursors to geometric models. Boundary representation models. Set theoretic (or CSG) models. Parametric curves and bi-parametric patches, the Bernstein basis. Bzier curves, B-splines and NURBS, implicit solids and surfaces. Non-manifold geometric models. feature recognition. Machining geometric models. Rapid prototyping and geometric modelling. The medial axis transform and FE mesh generatic.. Blends and fillets. Minkowski sums. Kernal modellers, APIs and GUIs. Rendering geometric models, volume visualisation. Numerical accuracy problems in geometric models. Integral properties of geometric models. Procedural shape definition. Types of engineering constraints. Constraint based systems. Techniques for constraint resolution, optimisation methods. Form of a constraint modelling system, its underlying language and structure. Constraint based description of mechanism and their performance. Multidimensional modelling and C-space. Case study examples. Topics for self study that could be examined. |