Solid Modelling — A 1988 Update

Geometric modelling of physical solid objects is rapidly becoming a well-established interdisciplinary field, whose importance for robotics and automation is widely acknowledged both in academia and industry. The scientific literature in the field has increased dramatically, the first two textbooks that address solid modelling have been published [Mortenson 1985, Mäntylä 1988], solid modelling systems offered by many vendors are being used industrially in increasing numbers, and market projections for the technology are bright [Brown 1986, Marks 1986]. The fundamental concepts of solid modelling, as well as the state of the art in the early 1980s are described in [Requicha & Voelcker 1982, 1983]. The present paper assesses the progress in solid modelling and its applications over the last five years. The literature citations below are meant to be representative rather than exhaustive.