Feature-based modeling; An object oriented approach

Feature-based models have created an elegant way of integrating CAD and CAM. These models have the capability of storing the design in terms of features which can also relate to manufacturing processes. The integration process requires an extensive data structure capable of integrating various types of data including geometric, tolerancing information and manufacturing related data. The object-oriented paradigm, as a powerful modeling tool, has recently gained popularity in the design and implementation of emerging data-intensive applications which include Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). It provides an elegant means for mastering the complexity of large systems by decomposing them into hierarchies of data abstractions. This paper presents the result of the authorʹs research in modeling integrated feature-based CAD/CAM systems using object-oriented database structure. The proposed object-oriented model supports data integrity and data abstraction required by the system. The key elements of the developed model are data and behavior schemes of features and their interaction. Designing and developing such schemes require a sophisticated modeling approach to support complicated data manipulations as well as behavior modeling in the same fashion.