Computer aided generative design with tool size control to facilitate 2.5-axis subtractive manufacturing processes

A system comprising:

• a non-transitory storage medium having instructions of a three dimensional modeling program stored thereon;
• and
• one or more data processing apparatus configured to run the instructions of the three dimensional modeling program to cause the one or more data processing apparatus to
• obtain a density-based representation of a modeled object for which a corresponding physical structure is to be manufactured using one or more computer-controlled manufacturing systems, wherein the density-based representation specifies a three dimensional shape of the modeled object, and the density-based representation comprises multiple different subsets of elements, each of the multiple different subsets of elements having a starting element at a milling depth, which is one of three or more milling depths for three or more corresponding discrete layers that are each perpendicular to a milling direction for the modeled object,
• reassign milling depths of at least a portion of the multiple different subsets of elements, wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to reassign the milling depths by causing the one or more data processing apparatus to, for a current starting element in a current layer for an element subset, move the milling depth for the element subset of the current starting element when an angular difference between other starting elements, which are associated with the current starting element and are located in a different layer, meets or exceeds a threshold value, and
• provide the three dimensional shape of the modeled object for use in manufacturing the physical structure using the one or more computer-controlled manufacturing systems.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoding a program operable to cause one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining a density-based representation of a modeled object for which a corresponding physical structure is to be manufactured using one or more computer-controlled manufacturing systems, wherein the density-based representation specifies a three dimensional shape of the modeled object, and the density-based representation comprises multiple different subsets of elements, each of the multiple different subsets of elements having a starting element at a milling depth, which is one of three or more milling depths for three or more corresponding discrete layers that are each perpendicular to a milling direction for the modeled object;
• reassigning milling depths of at least a portion of the multiple different subsets of elements, the reassigning for a current starting element in a current layer for an element subset comprising moving the milling depth for the element subset of the current starting element when an angular difference between other starting elements, which are associated with the current starting element and are located in a different layer, meets or exceeds a threshold value;
• and
• providing the three dimensional shape of the modeled object for use in manufacturing the physical structure using the one or more computer-controlled manufacturing systems.