Patent ID: 6819966
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: G06F,G06T,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for producing an output surface composed of developable surface elements corresponding to a three-dimensional source model surface, comprising the steps of:identifying boundaries on the source model surface which divide the source model surface into at least one surface section such that each surface section is bounded by a single closed curve which defines a surface section perimeter; representing each surface section perimeter by a plurality of vertices positioned along the surface section perimeter to define a perimeter polygon; for each of the at least one surface section, examining a plurality of possible divisions of the surface section into triangles which connect the vertices of the perimeter polygon, and assigning costs to each of the plurality of possible divisions based on a function which relates individual triangles to each other, or to some characteristic of the source surface, or both, and comparing the costs of each of said plurality of possible divisions to determine the optimal triangulation of each perimeter polygon, each triangulation corresponding to a developable surface which has the perimeter polygon as a perimeter; using each optimal triangulation to define a perimeter of a flattened output surface element; and outputting instructions for fabricating from a sheet material each output surface element to have the defined perimeter of the output surface element.