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Future computer aided design systems will themselves be designed using tools and methods that are still under development. This book presents the latest progress in research on the tools and methods needed to develop those CAD systems. The topics covered include algorithmic aspects, the product data and development process, future CAD architectures, feature based modeling and automatic feature recognition, complex surface design, and system implementation issues.
The book contains contributions by the world´s leading experts in the field of CAD technology from both universities and industry. The contributions are based on lectures given at the International Conference and Research Center for Computer Science, Schloss Dagstuhl, Germany.

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1 Future CAD Architectures.- The "CAD-Reference-Model": An Architectural Approach to Future CAD-Systems.- CAx Systems Architecture of the Future.- EREP Project Overview.- New ECAD System Technology.- Cooperative Product Development with heterogeneous CAD systems via EDM and Broadband Communication Technique.- 2 Product Data and Development Process.- Product Modelling for Design for Manufacture and Design for Assembly.- Extracting Reusable Product Data.- Virtual Prototyping - An Open System Environment to Support the Integrated Product Development Process.- 3 Feature Technology.- Feature validation and conversion.- Classification of generic shape features for the recognition of specific feature instances.- Stability Features for Free Form Surfaces.- Representation Scheme for Feature-based Parametric Design.- 4 Complex Surface Design.- Transfinite B-spline Interpolation with Derivates.- Surface Reconstruction and Variable Offset.- Variable-Order Surface Reconstruction Through Region Growing.- On the Conversion of Dupin Cyclide into Principal Patches.- 5 Parametric Modelling.- Extension of STEP for the Representation of Parametric and Variational Models.- A Generalised Segment Concept.- A Hybrid Constraint Solver Using Exact and Iterative Geometric Constructions.- 6 Algorithmic Aspects.- An Adaptive Algorithm to Compute the Medial Axis Transform of 2-D Polygonal Domains.- Tools for Mechanical Analysis and Simulation.- Construction Of The Constrained Delaunay Triangulation Of A Polygonal Domain.- Multiresolution Approximation of Polyhedral Solids.- Handling Very Complex Environments Using a Discrete Visibility Graph.

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