Orientation method

#The present invention relates to creating cut lists, mill lists, part lists and bill of materials and, more particularly, to creating these lists in a fashion that is computer automated by retrieving three bounding box size values of one or more CAD objects and then determining which values are the length, width and thickness based on comparing these values to each other and determining what is largest size value, what is the smallest size value and what is the remainder size value of each CAD object's bounding box sides and then coping these size values to length, width and thickness columns using a set of three orientation variables that define orientation by their placement order and their set representative association to length, width and thickness.

#A quick and easy way to extract the three bounding box size values of CAD objects and associate those size values to length, width and thickness and then create a cut list, mill list, bill of materials or parts list.

#The creation of a cut list, mill list, bill of materials or parts lists with size values specifically stated as length, width and thickness is necessary for the cutting of materials that have a specific orientation to a cutting device, such as wood or stainless steel which have a grain or other visible or not-visible characteristic that necessitates that it be cut in predetermined direction.

#A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a top view of a The six possible orientation tag standards;

#FIG. 2 is a top view of an An example of a bounding box of 3D CAD object

#For purposes of clarity and brevity, like elements and components will bear the same designations and numbering throughout the FIGURES.

#FIG. 1 is a matrix of the six possible orientation tag standards 1.

#FIG. 2 is an example matrix showing how three distance values can be associated to length, width and thickness can be determined based on using orientation standard type 1 and the six different possible arrangement of the variable letters of L, W and T that were chosen.