Title: Tablet-based 3D sketching and curve reverse modelling

Authors: Alfredo Liverani; Alessandro Ceruti; Gianni Caligiana

Addresses: DIEM – Department of Mechanical, Nuclear, Aeronautical Constructions and Metallurgy, University of Bologna, v.le Risorgimento, 2 – 40136 Bologna, Italy ' DIEM – Department of Mechanical, Nuclear, Aeronautical Constructions and Metallurgy, University of Bologna, v.le Risorgimento, 2 – 40136 Bologna, Italy ' DIEM – Department of Mechanical, Nuclear, Aeronautical Constructions and Metallurgy, University of Bologna, v.le Risorgimento, 2 – 40136 Bologna, Italy

Abstract: This paper describes the development of an innovative hardware and software tool useful to sketch planar shapes in computer aided industrial design and computer aided design systems. The proposed system is based upon a tracked touch screen hand-held by the designer. The whole system is composed by a portable hand-held small touch screen (tablet size), a fixed LCD display and an optical tracking equipment. The touch screen is added by a simple camera for mixed reality optional functionality and its 6° of freedom movements are tracked. A custom software has been implemented for optimal exploitation and 3D sketching. The system acts as a free sketching device, a 3D mouse, as a realtime virtual and physical sketching plane or an external shape remodelling tool. The results obtained confirm the benefits of the virtual tablet in design, modelling and reverse engineering of industrial products.

Keywords: computer aided sketching; pose estimation; reverse engineering; touch screen tablets; sensor fusion; 3D sketching; curve reverse modelling; planar shapes; computer aided industrial design; computer aided design; CAD; optical tracking; shape remodelling; product design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAET.2013.052936

International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology, 2013 Vol.5 No.2/3, pp.188 - 215

Published online: 30 Jan 2014 *

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