Patent ID: 8422763

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for comparing successively a first computer-aided 3D model with a second computer-aided 3D model, the first model being described by a first topology comprising vertices, edges and faces of the first model and the second model being described by a second topology comprising vertices, edges and faces of the second model, the method being executed by a scanning component, a vertex mapping component, an edge mapping component and a face mapping component, the method comprising: scanning the first topology and the second topology; deriving from the first topology a first topological map relating vertices, edges and faces of the first model and from the second topology a second topological map relating vertices, edges and faces of the second model; determining by means of the topological maps all possible mappings between vertices of the first model and vertices of the second model to generate mapped vertices; using the mapped vertices to identify all possible mappings between edges of the first model and edges of the second model to generate mapped edges; using the mapped edges to identify all possible mappings between faces of the first model and faces of the second model to generate mapped faces; and using the mapped vertices, edges and faces to linearly compare the first model and the second model for geometrical sameness.