Methods and apparata for rapid computer-aided design of objects in virtual reality and other environments

Abstract

Apparata and methods for rapid design of objects/shapes in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools and in Virtual Reality (VR) environments are described. The underlying geometric representation of the objects within the design tool is optimized so that design activities such as modeling, editing, rendering, etc. can be processed extremely rapidly, thereby enhancing the response time of the design tool. The representation is preferably provided in two parts, which may be referred to as a “design intent model” and a “shape model”. The design intent model is a higher-level representation wherein elements are arranged in hierarchical parent-child relationships which record the elements' assembly sequence. The shape model is a lower-level representation storing more detailed information about the elements and their relationships. During editing of the design, the user acts on the design intent model, and the design intent model is mapped to the shape design model so that it is updated to reflect the changes therein. The design intent model is in many cases sufficient by itself to allow basic editing of the model and rendering of the edited model, but where editing operations grow sufficiently complex that the design intent model lacks sufficient information to allow the operation to be performed, the shape model can be relied upon for the information necessary to complete the operation.

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