A new reverse engineering process, the combination between the knowledge extraction and the geometrical recognition techniques

Abstract : Reverse engineering (RE) is a research field where physical models are measured or digitised in order to be reconstructed to obtain a clever CAD model with the opened geometry. The rebuilt geometric models using currently geometrical approaches are generally frozen or not re-usable. This paper deals with a new reverse engineering process which combines ldquoknowledge extractionrdquo of a part and classical techniques of 3D building. This combination of both approaches defines a methodology which assists the user in the reverse engineering process. The issued CAD model consists of topologic features structured in a tree of designing. This structure opens the geometry of the model and allows an underlying reverse engineering.