Polygonal model
From PLMpedia
Mosaic, or facetted, models simulate 3D surfaces by approximating their geometry form with a set of flat polygonals (most often, triangles). Mosaic models of a general surface are used for:
- Realistic visulaisation of a surface (body) on a computer screen (taking into account perspective, removing invisible faces that reflect material properties, overlapping of shadows from the sources of light)
- Presenting 3D data in a neutral format to use in any application (including machine tools for rapid prototyping and fabrication)
- Calculating other mash model representations (mash for finite element method, tetragonal basic mesh for subdivisional surfaces)
- Quick definition of collusions between solid bodies
Mosaic models consist of a set of flat faces, each of which has it own normal line (to distinguish internal and external surface sides) and node coordinates. Mosaic models are superficial – they do not contain information on the volume and solid bodies.
