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14.

Reverse Engineering
(Thanks to Yvan Germain and to Creaform for their contribution )
Reverse engineering is a relevant topic for this book, since with the
development of recent data acquisition technologies, it allows more and more
design and analysis possibilities.
This chapter does not intend to cover all software capabilities or working
methodologies, but rather to give a quick overview of what can be done in
this eld. To do this, four dierent workbenches will be used: Digitized
Shape Editor , Quick Surface Reconstruction, Free Style , and Generative
Shape Design, and it would be a good practice to have them readily available
by customizing the user environment and having the Workbenches toolbar
displayed on the screen to save time when moving from one workbench to
another.
DSE:Digitized Shape Editor
QSR:Quick Surface Reconstruction
FS:Free Style
GSD:Generative Shape Design
In all workbenches, tools will be available from toolbars or from the Insert
pull-down menu. To facilitate the association of the tool with its respective
workbench, each workbench acronym (DSE, QSR, FS, or GSD) will be
included within parentheses in the command name.
Reverse Engineering
In order to illustrate some commands or behaviors, an STL le is used as a
scanned support. This cloud of points le could come from a laser scanner or
from another source.
This chapter will cover the following:
Importing/exporting a cloud of points
Aligning the scanned model
Generating geometry from the cloud of points
14.1. Importing/Exporting a Cloud of Points
The rst thing to do when working with a cloud of points is to import it into a
part. Since the data le cannot be opened directly in CATIA , it is necessary
to launch a new part and to activate the Digital Shape Editor workbench in
order to be able to access related tools. Note that a cloud of points can also
be imported into a product if needed.
CLOUD IMPORT TOOLBAR (DSE)
Import (DSE)
As shown in Figure 14-1, the Import tool brings up a dialog box that allows
the user to select the le containing the point data and to format it in order
to get the desired working elements in the 3-D environment.

Info: Imports a cloud le


Prompt to User: Select a format and a le to preview or import
To start, it is necessary to select the scan Format to get the right le
extension from the list of available formats; here, STL will be used. The le to
open then has to be loaded. This can be done by clicking the ellipsis ()
button and browsing the available folders. After this, the Scale Factor must
be checked in order to reect scan le units and system units; for example, if
a scan was done using mm as reference units and is loaded on a system that
uses inches as working units, it will be necessary to use a 1/25.4 factor in
order to have the le read at the proper scale. Finally, clicking the Create
Facets check box will generate a mesh of triangular facets that will be useful
for some operations. Clicking Apply will allow previewing the result, while
clicking OK will conrm and end the operation. The entire scanned le
content will then appear on the screen, as shown in Figure 14-2.
Figure 14-1. Import dialog box.
Export (DSE)
Exporting a cloud of points is sometimes necessary in order to decrease the
amount of data to work with or to create partial data les. In the Export tool
dialog box, shown in Figure 14-3, the user is allowed to choose the
Element(s) to export and browse in order to locate the folder in which the le
will be saved. Clicking the OK button will complete the operation. It is
important to note that the data will be exported using the system's units and
will not necessarily keep the original units used.
Figure 14-2. Imported scan.
Info: Exports a cloud to a le
Prompt to User: Select visible clouds or meshes to export
14.2. Aligning the Scanned Model
A model that is scanned is not always properly oriented or positioned with
respect to the coordinate system when it is inserted into a .CATPart le. If
some scan post-processing is necessary, it is good to know how to manipulate
a cloud of points in the 3-D environment since it can be required for further
operations later on. This is done by creating reference elements from areas
or features of the cloud of points and using them to locate the entire cloud
with respect to these references.
CLOUD EDITION TOOLBAR (DSE)
In many cases, a cloud of points will need to be broken in smaller point sets
in order to be manipulated or reworked. This will usually not be done by
deleting elements from the set, but by activating or deactivating the
elements that are necessary to perform a certain task.
Activate (DSE/QSR)
Figure 14-3. Export dialog box.
Info: Activates or deactivates cloud areas
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select the cloud of points or the mesh to
process
When a cloud is selected : Message varies with selected mode
The Activate tool allows the user to select only scanned elements he or she
wants to work with. The displayed dialog box, shown in Figure 14-4, allows
the user to select among dierent options to make the element selection. The
Brush option, used in the illustration to prepare elements in order to create
a planar reference, selects a number of elements with a single stroke and is
very ecient to use. Note that if too many elements are selected, it is
possible to deselect some of them by pressing the SHIFT button while moving
the cursor. If the Trap option is used, there is a possibility that elements
located at a distance from the area of interest are selected at the same time.
The Flood option then allows the user to select the ones that are connected
together. By clicking the OK button, only the selected elements will stay
visible on the screen, with the others being deactivated. To retrieve the
complete cloud denition, it is necessary to reuse the tool, to select the cloud
of points in the 3-D environment or in the Part Specication Tree , and to use
the Activate All button.
Figure 14-4. Activate dialog box.
Remove (DSE)
As mentioned previously, while selecting elements to activate them, it is
possible to use the SHIFT button to deselect some elements. The Remove tool
permanently removes elements from the cloud of points kept in the le and
then creates a hole in the mesh, as shown in Figure 14-5. Elements removed
cannot be recovered. If a removed element needs to be used again, the
original cloud of points must be imported again.
The tool oers a dialog box similar to the one used by the Activate command,
as shown in Figure 14-6.
Info: Removes points/vertices/triangles
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select the cloud of points or the mesh to
process
When a cloud is selected : Message varies with selected mode
Figure 14-5. Removed points from scan.
SURFACE CREATION TOOLBAR (QSR)
In order to be able to realign the cloud of points with respect to the part
coordinate system, it is necessary to create reference elements to perform
this task.
Basic Surface Recognition (QSR)
The Basic Surface Recognition tool oers predened primitive-like options to
create surfaces from an activated portion of the cloud of points. When using
the Plane option, the green arrows appearing on the surface boundaries can
Figure 14-6. Remove dialog box.
Info: Recognizes Basic Surface
Prompt to User: Select a cloud to be analyzed or a line to set the direction
of the axis or a point to set the center
be used to resize the planar element you want to create, while the green
circle surrounding the surface can be used to rotate it in the 3-D space, as
shown in Figure 14-7.
When creating a surface using this tool, it is important to click the More
button in order to get information about the quality of the surface object
created, as shown in Figure 14-8, when using the Cylinder option. Mean and
max errors can then be known.
Figure 14-7. Basic Surface Recognition dialog box.
When creating reference elements, it is important to create a geometry that
will not lead to a mismatch of the cloud of points with its former set of
references. For example, in the proposed model, the hole in the propeller was
obviously created centered to it and normal to its forward face. By creating a
cylindrical surface from points taken on the face of the hole, there is a
possibility that the Cylinder 's axis is shifted from center and not normal to
the forward face of the propeller, as shown in Figure 14-9.
Instead of using this approach, which could lead to errors, it is a better
practice to dene the center and the axis of the propeller by taking an
approach using the initial reference planar face created to extract a section
and get the center location from it. To create the section in the proposed
model, it will be necessary to reactivate the entire cloud. In some
applications, activating a portion of the cloud could be enough.
SCAN CREATION TOOLBAR (QSR)
Planar Sections (QSR)
Figure 14-8. Surface recognition of a cylinder.
Figure 14-9. Geometrical mismatch.
Info: Cuts a cloud of points into planar sections
Prompts to User:
The Planar Sections tool allows the dynamic creation of one or many sections
in the cloud of points with respect to a planar reference, as shown in Figure
14-10. It creates objects in the model that can be post-treated but that cannot
be exported as geometry. When launching the command, it is necessary to
select the cloud of points to consider and a planar reference to dene the
section. By using the green arrows displayed on the plane icon appearing on
the cloud of points, it is possible to dynamically locate the level of the
section. By populating the corresponding edition boxes of the dialog box, it is
possible to generate a series of equidistant sections. To complete section
creation, it is necessary to click the Apply and then the OK buttons.
When the tool is activated : Select the element to treat
When the scan is selected : Select a plane or modify specications or
press OK, Apply or Cancel
Figure 14-10. Using planar sections.
A created section may contain more data than is needed. It is then possible
to use the Activate tool on sections in order to keep only what is necessary to
perform the desired operation.
The inner portion of a planar section can easily be ltered by using the
Inside Trap option of the Activate tool, as shown in Figure 14-11. To dene
such a ltered section, it is possible to choose the Polygonal Trap Type to go
around the geometry of interest. A Trap is completed by double-clicking the
last point. The selected portion of the section will then be used to retrieve
the hole size and center location.
CURVE CREATION TOOLBAR (QSR)
Sketch From Scan (QSR)
Figure 14-11. Planar section partial activation.
Info: Creates sketch from a scan or a set of scans
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select a scan or a mesh
When the scan is selected : Modify specications or press OK, Apply or
Cancel
The Sketch From Scan tool allows the user to create a primitive-like sketch
from a Planar Section element. By using the Primitive option found in the
dialog box, it becomes possible for the user to right-click the Automatic grip
that appears near the geometry and then select a planar shape from a
context menu. A Tolerance can be entered prior to clicking the Apply button
to have the selected element calculated and located in a sketch, and clicking
the More button will show information about the quality of the proposed
geometric element, as shown in Figure 14-12. The created sketch can be used
as is or be edited in order to add a center point as an Output Feature for
further use.
When elements are created from the cloud of points, wireframe reference
elements can be created on it to facilitate the alignment procedure. The
elements can be created by using any wireframe tool. These tools can be
retrieved from the DSE, QSR , FS, or GSD workbenches.
WIREFRAME TOOLBAR
(DSE/QSR/FS)
(GSD)
The goal is to add wireframe elements that will be used to locate the cloud of
Figure 14-12. Sketch from Scan dialog box.
points at the origin of the part. Any tool option can be used as long as it
allows creating the desired reference geometry, such as for a Plane element ,
Parallel through point , Oset from Plane , etc. All created elements appear
in the active GeoSet in the Part Specication Tree , as shown in Figure 14-13.
After the necessary elements are created through the cloud of points, it may
be necessary to create some more elements at the origin (or at the location
where the cloud of points is desired). With all reference elements created, it
then becomes possible to have the cloud of points located at the origin.
CLOUD REPOSIT TOOLBAR (DSE)
Align With Constraints (DSE)
Figure 14-13. Wireframe geometry added.
Info: Aligns clouds with a selection of constraints
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select the cloud to align
When the cloud is selected : Use Add to add a constraint then Apply to
update
When the Add button is clicked : Select a rst constraint element in the
cloud to align
When an element is selected in the cloud : Select a second constraint
element in the reference
When an element is selected in the reference : Use Add to add a
constraint then Apply to update
A very eective way to have the cloud located at the origin is to use the Align
with Constraints tool. It basically works by adding constraints between
elements the same way as when adding constraints in an assembly, except
traces of the elements selected to make the alignment are available in the
dialog box, as shown in Figure 14-14.
Using the tool does not move the original cloud of points. Rather, it creates a
new version of the cloud properly located, as shown in Figure 14-15. The
original version of the cloud of points, as well as the Axis Systems created by
the operation, can then be deleted if desired.
14.3. Generating Geometry from the Cloud of Points
Figure 14-14. Aligned with Constraints dialog box after using Apply.
Figure 14-15. New aligned cloud created.
With the cloud of points properly located at the desired location, it is usually
easier to start to rework the geometry since part reference planes become
available as work references.
If the shape is organic (no prismatic shape), no rough material part can really
be created. In this case, surfaces will be created from portions of the cloud of
points, and the nished model will become a patchwork of a series of
surfaces extracted, reworked, and blended. However, if a rough solid can be
made, like in the presented model shown in Figure 14-16, it may be shaped
with surfaces created from the cloud of points. This is the beginning of an
iterative process where surfaces will be best tted, trimmed, lleted,
untrimmed, etc.
The following lines will just give an idea of the work that has to be done in
order to rework an entire cloud of points. Since many of the operations
involve GSD workbench's tools already covered previously, they will just be
pointed out in the text. Refer to Chapter 9 for more information.
To start, a visual analysis of the cloud of points will allow the user to identify
zones to consider in order to best t surfaces, as shown in Figure 14-17. The
desired zone can then be activated.
Figure 14-16. Rough solid.
SURFACE CREATION TOOLBAR (QSR)
Power Fit (QSR)
The Power Fit tool allows the user to best t a surface from a selected group
of points. When activating the tool, it is necessary to rst select the cloud of
points. The Activate tool icon, found in the Preparation tab of the dialog box,
as shown in Figure 14-18a, must then be clicked in order to use the desired
command options to dene the points to work with. If a certain region is
already activated prior to launching Power Fit , it is still necessary to use the
Activate tool; however, in that case, the Brush option is the best to use to
make a quick selection.
Figure 14-17. Zone to consider.
Info: Power t
Prompt to User: Select a Cloud or Curves
Once the region is selected, it is necessary to select the Parameters tab to
create the settings relative to the surface that will be dened. Depending on
the quality you want to achieve for the nished surface model, Tolerance,
Order , and Segment parameters will be dened, as shown in Figure 14-18b.
When the settings are complete, it is necessary to click the Apply button in
order to make the new surface appear.
Finally, it is a good practice to have a look at the Information tab, shown in
Figure 14-18c, to get data about the accuracy of the surface created from the
selected cloud of points region. Depending on the tolerance that can be
Figure 14-18. Power Fit Tool dialog box.
allowed, the surface element will be accepted or rejected. The OK button can
then be clicked to complete the creation of the surface.
In order to verify the quality of a surface with respect to a cloud of points, a
number of tools are available at any time to the user. One of the most used
compares variations with points and a given surface.
CLOUD ANALYSIS TOOLBAR (QSR)
Deviation Analysis (QSR)
The Deviation Analysis tool is used to graphically quantify the deviation of a
surface with respect to a cloud of points. In order to use it, however, it is rst
necessary to set the shading mode to Shading with Material .
As shown in Figure 14-19, the cursor can be moved over the surface to get a
local deviation of the surface while in the analysis process. The graphic
result of the analysis is stored in the Part Specication Tree and can be
hidden, but it can be reactivated and made visible with a double-click.
Info: Analyzes deviations between datas
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select the reference data
When the cloud of points is selected : Select the data to measure
When the surface to compare is selected : Modify specications or press
OK, Apply or Cancel
From here on, the surface denition process becomes highly iterative.
Depending on the shape you want to rework, you might have to use the
Power Fit tool to create surface patches, to create curves on the patches in
order to use the curves to trim the surfaces to a certain dimension, to create
migration surfaces between the patches created on the cloud, to undo. etc.
The following sections describe the tools used in dierent situations to
perform these tasks.
OPERATION TOOLBAR (QSR)
OPERATION TOOLBAR (GSD)
Extrapolate (QSR/GSD)
Figure 14-19. Deviation Analysis dialog box.
Info: Creates a surface or curve by extrapolation
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select a boundary (a point or a curve)
When the endpoint of a curve or the edge of a surface is selected :
Select the curve or surface to extrapolate
When the object to extrapolate is selected : Modify specications or press
OK, Apply or Cancel
The Extrapolate tool creates a new curve or surface from another one by
extrapolating it along one of its limits. The created object is added in the
Part Specication Tree , while the reference one is hidden in No Show . A
number of parameters can be modied in the dialog box displayed to the
user, as shown in Figure 14-20. The created geometry, if ever disassembled,
will break up in two dierent elements: the reference element and the
extrapolated portion.
SHAPE MODIFICATION TOOLBAR (FS)
Extend (FS)
The Extend tool allows the user to change the dimensions of the selected
curve or surface by modifying its denition parameters, which has the
advantage of keeping a single geometry element. When the element is
selected, green square grips appear at its limits. Selecting and dragging any
of these grips will allow the user to modify the geometry. As shown in Figure
14-21, the associated dialog box is kept minimal.
Figure 14-20. Extrapolate dialog box.
Info: Extends curves or surfaces of a given length
Prompt to User: Select a curve or a surface
CURVE CREATION TOOLBARS
(DSE)
(QSR)
(FS)
3D Curve (DSE/QSR/FS)
The 3D Curve tool allows the user to create a spatial curve through a series
of point selections. The last point of the curve must be double-clicked. The
created curve will pass by the points, but will not necessarily be done on a
surface, unless it is planar. A number of options can be set in the associated
dialog box, as shown in Figure 14-22.
Figure 14-21. Extend dialog box.
Info: Creates 3D curves by clicking points either in space or on existing
geometry (points, clouds, curves, surfaces)
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Click anywhere to create your construction
points. Scans of points can also be selected
When a point is created : Click anywhere to create your construction
points. Scans of points can also be selected
Curve on Mesh (DSE/QSR)
The Curve on Mesh tool allows the user to create a spatial curve through a
series of point selections made from the scanned points. The last point of the
curve must be double-clicked. Parameters of the created curve can be set in
the associated dialog box, as shown in Figure 14-23.
Figure 14-22. 3D Curve dialog box.
Info: Creates 3-D curves on mesh.
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select a mesh
When a mesh is created : Pick on the support mesh to create split or
internal points or move the pointer over control points to make online
edition, or press the 'Shift' key to modify the current constraint type
Curve on Surface (FS)
The Curve on Surface tool allows the user to create a curve that lies on the
selected surface by a series of clicked points, with the Point by Point type,
or to get a dynamic isoparameter creation using the Isoparameter type. The
Point by Point type creation uses a spline-type curve from a series of control
points joined by a control polygon, as shown in Figure 14-24. The last point of
the curve must be double-clicked.
Figure 14-23. Curve On Mesh dialog box.
Info: Creates a curve on a surface
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select a face
When a face is created : Click the current isoparametric or the current
point
Isoparametric Curve (FS)
The Isoparametric Curve tool allows the user to create a curve on the surface
by rst clicking a point on the desired surface, which causes an
isoparametric curve with a large red dot to appear, as shown in Figure 14-
25. This curve can be moved in any direction of the surface. By clicking a
point at any given location, a new green grip appears to relocate the curve if
necessary.
Figure 14-24. Curve On Surface dialog box.
Info: Creates isoparametric curves on a support
Prompts to User:
When the tool is activated : Select surface on which Isoparametric curve to
be created
When a face is created : Click on the selected surface to create Isocurve or
select Point selector to select/stack Point
When a point is clicked : Select Cells for Swapping the Isoparam Curve
Direction on those cells on which Isoparam curve is created
SURFACE OPERATION/CREATION TOOLBARS
SPLIT/TRIM TOOLBAR (QSR)
TRIM-SPLIT TOOLBAR (GSD)
OPERATIONS TOOLBAR (GSD)
SURFACES TOOLBAR (GSD)
SURFACES TOOLBAR (FS)
A number of surface modeling tools can be used to rework or create surfaces
in order to get a series of patches that will closely recreate the envelope of
the cloud of points and that will be used to create or shape a solid object. In
many cases, a surface patch created by an operation will have to be cut or
extended in order to be better dened for the following operation.
Working meticulously will allow the user to generate an excellent result from
the scanned geometry, as shown in Figure 14-26.
Figure 14-25. Isoparametric Curve dialog box.
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Designed and built using SIPP2 by Semantico.
This product incorporates part of the open source Protg system. Protg is
available at http://protege.stanford.edu//
This chapter covered a number of tools allowing the user to work with clouds
of points generated for inspection or reverse engineering purposes. Good-
quality models ask for time, experience, and patience.
Figure 14-26. Completed work.
Citation
Michel Michaud: CATIA Core Tools: Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive
Application. Reverse Engineering, Chapter (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2012),
AccessEngineering
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