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NURBS curve and surface fitting for reverse engineering

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Abstract

Reverse engineering is an approach for constructing a computer-aided design (CAD) model from a physical part through dimensional measurement and surface modelling. This paper presents alternatives for reverse engineering of free-form parts using Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) surfaces. A two-step linear approach is employed for fitting NURBS curves and surfaces using the measured points. During the first step, the weights of the control points are identified from a homogeneous system using symmetric eigenvalue decomposition. The control points are further processed in a way similar to B-spline curve and surface fitting. Some examples are presented to illustrate both the steps of reverse engineering and the process of NURBS curve and surface fitting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Production Engineering, Machine Design and Automation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium

    J. -P. Kruth

  2. Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    W. Ma

Authors
  1. W. Ma
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  2. J. -P. Kruth
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Correspondence to W. Ma.

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Ma, W., Kruth, J.P. NURBS curve and surface fitting for reverse engineering. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 14, 918–927 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01179082

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