SM38: Removal of Blends from Boundary Representation Models

This paper reports an algorithm for deletion of blends (or fillets) from Boundary Representation (B-rep) solid models. Blend deletion is usually performed as the first step in feature recognition since it simplifies the model for recognition of volumetric features. The algorithm handles several blend types that include face-face, face-edge and vertex blends. It also handles interactions of blends with other blends and/or volumetric features. Another unique feature of our algorithm is the recreation of new faces in certain situations of blend deletion. Unlike some earlier face-deletion approaches that use geometric heuristics to determine the final topology, our algorithm uses the underlying blend information to directly predict the final topology and geometry. Hence, our algorithm is more efficient and predictable for suppressing large blend networks.