Patent ID: 6625938
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
A method to convert a hexahedral-dominant (hex-dominant) mesh structure into an all-hexahedral (all-hex) mesh structure, wherein said hex-dominant mesh structure includes at least one of the following constituent elements: one or more hexahedral elements, one or more prism elements, one or more pyramid elements, and one or more tetrahedral elements, said method comprising:identifying a template shape corresponding to each constituent element in said hex-dominant mesh structure, wherein each said template shape has the same number of external surfaces as in the corresponding constituent element; modularly constructing a plurality of sub-templates corresponding to each said template shape identified, wherein all sub-templates in said plurality of sub-templates, when assembled, produce a corresponding template shape identified, wherein each of said plurality of sub-templates is constituted of a plurality of hexahedral elements and supplies at least one of the external surfaces for the corresponding template shape, and wherein said at least one of the external surfaces supplied by each of said plurality of sub-templates has a subdivision pattern selected from the group consisting of a rectangular subdivision pattern and a triangular subdivision pattern; assembling all sub-templates in said plurality of sub-templates to compose said corresponding template shape; and combining all template shapes composed by assembling corresponding sub-templates in the shape of said hex-dominant mesh structure, thereby generating said all-hex mesh structure for said hex-dominant mesh structure.