Method and system for verifying the integrity of a cad format translation

A computer-readable medium containing software instructions for verifying an integrity of a translation from a source format representation of a geometric structure to a corresponding target format representation of the geometric structure, the geometric structure having a first element, a second element, and a common boundary between the first element and the second element, the software instructions including instructions for executing the steps of:

• generating a constraint to be satisfied by the first element and the second element at the common boundary in the source format representation of the geometric structure;
• incorporating the constraint into the target format representation of the geometric structure;
• determining whether the constraint is satisfied by the first and second elements in the target format representation of the geometric structure;
• and
• verifying the integrity of the translation process on the basis of whether the constraint is satisfied by the first and second elements in the target format representation of the geometric structure.

A hybrid target format representation of a geometric object having a first element, a second element and a common boundary between the first element and the second element, the hybrid target format representation being generated by

• translating a source format representation of the geometric object into a target format representation of the geometric object;
• generating a constraint to be satisfied, in the source format representation of the geometric structure, by the first element at the common boundary;
• and
• incorporating the constraint into the target format representation of the geometric structure, thereby forming A hybrid target format representation of the geometric object.

A method for insuring the integrity of a translation of a source format representation of a geometric object to a target format representation of the geometric object, the geometric object having a first element and a second element, the method comprising the steps of:

• assuming the existence of a relationship between the first and second elements of the geometric object in the source format representation of the geometric object;
• translating the source format representation of the geometric object into a target format representation of the geometric object;
• determining whether the assumed relationship exists in the target format representation of the geometric object;
• and
• altering the target format representation of the geometric object to cause the relationship between the first and second elements to exist in the target format representation of the geometric object.