Shape reconstruction, shape manipulation, and direct generation of input data from point clouds for rapid prototyping

Shape reconstruction from point clouds has received considerable attention in recent years on account of its ability to directly integrate reverse engineering with rapid prototyping. The primary objective of this study is to develop an integrated system that enables one to generate input data for rapid prototyping by constructing complete shape models from point clouds obtained with various measuring devices, including laser scanners, digitizers, and coordinate-measuring machines. We first present a novel approach to reconstructing a shape from point clouds based on implicit surface interpolation combined with domain decomposition. We then propose various related algorithms for generating input data for rapid prototyping, ranging from shape manipulation to complete solid generation. The validity of this new technique is demonstrated for a variety of point clouds with differing degrees of complexity.