Method and system for producing 3-D carred signs using automatic tool path generation and computer-simulation techniques

A system for producing a 3-D signage work in a signboard formed of constituting material, said system comprising:

• a computer-graphics modelling workstation, for creating a 3-D computer-graphics model of a signboard of predetermined dimensions and a 3-D computer-graphics model of an axially rotating carving tool to be moved relative to 3-D computer-graphics model of said signboard in order to produce a 3-D computer-graphics model of a 3-D signage work having 3-D surfaces to be formed in said signboard using said axially rotating carving tool operably associated with a computer-controlled carving machine capable of simultaneously moving said axially rotating carving tool along at least three coordinate axes referenceable to said signboard, said computer-graphics modelling workstation including
• tool path generation means for automatically generating a tool path along which said axially rotating carving tool is to be moved relative to said signboard during sign carving operations carried out by said computer-controlled carving machine in order to form said 3-D signage work in said signboard,
• computer-graphics simulation means for simulating the carving of said 3-D signage work in said signboard by generating a 3-D computer-graphics model of the process of forming 3-D surfaces in said 3-D computer-graphics model of said signboard as said 3-D computer-graphics model of said axially rotating carving tool is moved relative to said 3-D computer-graphics model of said signboard along said automatically determined tool path, and
• graphical display means for graphically displaying said 3-D computer-graphics model of said 3-D surfaces formed in said signboard as a result of said axially rotating carving tool being moved along said automatically determined tool path;
• and
• a computer-controlled carving machine, operably associated with said computer-graphics modelling workstation, for removing the constituting material from said signboard by moving said axially rotating carving tool relative to said signboard along said tool path so as to form in said signboard, a 3-D carved-pattern corresponding to said 3-D graphical model of said signage work, wherein said 3-D carved-pattern formed in said signboard has 3-D surfaces corresponding to said 3-D surfaces of said 3-D computer graphics model of said 3-D signage work.