Abstract
A software package for the reverse engineering of surface forms commonly found in manufactured objects is presented. An object's surface is digitized using a three-dimensional, laser-based scanner that produces accurate and copious data files. Complex surface forms are reconstructed by interactively segmenting the multiple-surface patches, invoking the appropriate surface modelling routine and transferring the resulting surfaces to a CAD package via a standard IGES entity. Examples of the accuracy of the laser scanner data, and software algorithms for modelling planes, cylinders, cones and spheres, are presented by performing comparisons with results generated by a coordinate measuring machine. The paper concentrates on the novel software process to model the principal quadric forms; however, the program's capabilities do extend to free-form surfaces.