| Current CAD/CAM systems are not able to support tasks requiring reasoning due to (1) insufficient part definition information, (2) improper representation schemes, and (3) the lack of reasoning capability. This dissertation presents an approach to part modeling for geometric reasoning, which increases the capabilities and intelligence of current CAD/CAM environments and helps achieve the goal for full CAD/CAM integration.;The focus of this research is four-fold: (1) employment of a systematic approach to the analysis of functional requirements and informational needs for part modeling, (2) development of an approach and procedures for part design, (3) development of part models with sufficient information for geometric reasoning, and (4) development of a framework for the integration of a knowledge based environment with a design environment to support part model construction and reasoning capability. |
