B-rep SE: simplicially enhanced boundary representation

Abstract

Boundary representation (B-rep) is a popular representation scheme for mechanical objects due to its ability to accurately represent piecewise smooth surfaces bounding solids. However, non-trivial topology and geometry of the surface patches hinder point generation, classification, searching, and other algorithms. We propose a new hybrid representation that addresses these shortcomings by imposing on the boundary representation an additional simplicial structure. The simplicial structure applies a triangle-mesh metaphor to the usual boundary representation, allowing access to points on the exact solid boundary or its many approximations. The resulting simplicially enhanced boundary representation (B-rep SE) simplifies and accelerates the usual boundary representation queries. We discuss full implementation of B-rep SE with the Parasolid kernel and demonstrate the advantages of B-rep SE in applications that integrate and visualize arbitrary fields on a solid's boundary.