Geomagic receives Phase II NSF grant to create higher-quality surfaces from scan data
Functional decomposition method preserves form and function for computer-aided design
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., February 15, 2005- The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Geomagic an SBIR Phase II grant to extend the company’s research into advanced techniques for creating surface models from point clouds.
The latest grant builds on Geomagic’s successful work last year under a Phase I grant to research functional decomposition – a method for creating high-quality CAD surfaces from polygonal meshes.
Surface reconstruction - partial model of analytic, free-form and fillet surfaces.
Under Phase II research, surfaces created from scan data will be structured as a standard CAD model, which will reduce design time for automotive, aerospace and consumer product industries. The research is expected to result in trimmed analytic and NURBS surfaces that retain design intent. Trimming lines will be generated automatically along connecting features, such as fillets or swept surfaces. Optimized patch layout will ensure a higher degree of smoothness, and surface fitting will be controlled automatically by tolerances.
The latest NSF grant is the second Phase II SBIR award that Geomagic has received. Both grants center on innovative research in capturing a physical object and transforming it into an accurate digital model ready for redesign, manufacturing and inspection.
“This is further validation that Geomagic is leading the industry in combining automation with high-quality surfaces for digital design and reconstruction of physical objects,” says Dr. Tamas Varady, Geomagic’s chief technology officer. “Our extended research under this grant will enable our customers to preserve the original details of form and function that are needed in computer-aided design. We are grateful to NSF for supporting our technical team and recognizing the vast commercial potential of this research.”
About GeomagicGeomagic is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and has wholly owned subsidiaries in Europe and Asia. The company’s technology is used in applications such as digital dentistry, historic preservation of the Statue of Liberty, redesign of a retro Harley-Davidson gas tank, and quality inspection to ensure that circuit breakers will last 400 years. More than 3,000 users worldwide turn to Geomagic to provide the technology for customizing products, automating processes, and increasing throughput.
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