OREANDA-NEWS. April 12, 2012. Fujitsu Laboratories Limited and Fujitsu Research and Development Center Co., Ltd. have developed a technology for retrieving partially similar models from stored 3D CAD models.

In the manufacturing industry, for example, new parts designed using CAD models are not designed from scratch. By retrieving and reusing models with similar shapes from the existing models which incorporate prior design know-how, companies are able to shorten design time. Until now, while global shape retrieval has been possible, the inability to retrieve and reuse partially similar shapes has posed a challenge. With Fujitsu Laboratory's newly developed technology, 3D CAD models are automatically segmented into distinctive part models, such as protruding parts. Even if the orientation, size or position of the segmented parts differ, as long as the shapes are similar, they are determined to be similar, and can therefore be retrieved.

Because the new technology enables retrieved part models to be reused in combination with multiple other parts, design time can be shortened by 90% compared to designing from the ground up. This, in turn, helps to reduce design costs and enhance a product's competitiveness by quickly bringing it to market.