MachineWorks Polygonica 2.2 Introduces Point-Cloud, Hole-Filling Functions

The 2.2 release of Polygonica from MachineWorks, a mesh modeling software toolkit, includes upgrades to the point-cloud-to-mesh processing workflow. CAD, CAM and CAE vendors can now easily integrate advanced point cloud import functionality directly into  existing software systems allowing direct support for scan-based workflows without the requirement for external software, the company says. As well as general performance improvements, memory usage has been reduced to support the processing of larger point clouds.

The new surface-fitting method initially builds a surface-based structure from the point cloud and the mesh is then generated from that. This technique delivers smoother mesh surfaces for noisy point data that are more suitable as a starting point for reverse engineering.

Polygonica’s hole-filling algorithms have also been upgraded. Annular hole-filling automatically recognizes islands and attaches them to the correct hole. Ruled-surface filling joins a hole with a single island using a ruled surface, and can also be used to bind disjoint sheets.

The features method respects features across a hole in one direction while the features smooth method recognizes features in all directions and creates a smooth surface that respects the curvature at the hole’s edges.

Polygonica’s new automatic hole filling allows multiple holes to be filled in at once which can improve the performance for large meshes. Hole boundaries can be automatically smoothed during postprocessing.

A new offsetting method allows simultaneous inwards and outwards offsetting in one function call. Open surfaces can now be extended to allow for improved trimming.

The adaptive-simplification algorithms in Polygonica are now multi-threaded meaning large meshes from laser scans can be decimated quickly while maintaining tolerance, the company says.

A new shrink-wrapping function has been added that closes very poor quality meshes and triangle soups while removing internals from CAD assemblies to reduce data for faster visualization in VR/AR and mixed-reality scenarios.