Re-designing heterogeneous objects by attribute discretization

Abstract

For rapid prototyping of a heterogeneous attributed computer-aided design object, the continuous attributed object model has to be discretized by replacement with homogeneous attributes over spatial domain during the build path generation with the existing layered manufacturing technology. With this motivation, research is undertaken on re-designing heterogeneous continuous-attributed objects. The varying attributes of these objects are mapped into homogeneous attributes on finite spatial enumeration grids for attribute discretization. The methodology and mathematical study on heuristic searching of optimal grid configuration are presented in this paper. Essentially, this research addresses a core heterogeneous object modeling issue in CAD regarding the relationship between geometric spatial enumeration models and attribute field.