Handbook of Computer Aided Geometric Design

Chapter 26

Reverse Engineering

Tamas Varady and Ralph Martin

Reverse engineering, as described in this Chapter, is the process of converting dense 3D point data captured from the surface of an object into a boundary representation CAD model.

26.1 INTRODUCTION

There are many applications of reverse engineering. It is often necessary to reproduce a part for which no original drawings or machining data are available. We may wish to re-engineer an existing part, by modifying it to construct an improved product. In aesthetic design and industrial styling, real-scale wood or clay models are still essential tools for evaluating 3D objects; nevertheless a CAD model is eventually needed. Generating custom smooth surfaces for prosthesis fitting is ...