looking for info on planar quad meshes

maybe this is outright simple - but does anyone know of any references for creating a quad mesh where each panel is planar? I am looking at the Architectural Geometry book (i think put out by Bentley) and there is an algorithm that was written by LIu that takes a mesh with non planar quads and generates one with planar ones.

anyone seen anything like this?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Damien Alomar on March 3, 2010 at 12:00pm

The Architectural Geometry book is great, but is just a intro to Helmut Potman's research topics. I'd see if you could get some more of his actual papers, which go very in depth into these issues.

Permalink Reply by Luis Fraguada on March 3, 2010 at 12:40pm

Also, be careful, Helmut has some patents on this stuff :P

Permalink Reply by Gabriel on March 3, 2010 at 12:48pm

i was just about to hit send, on an email to him...when you say be careful - I'm slow - what do you mean? am infringing on his territory by wanting to explore this?

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on March 3, 2010 at 12:55pm

You might. I'm not entirely clear which patents he holds and to what extend they are prohibitive. I do know that it would be illegal for us to include any of his algorithms in standard Rhino, but maybe you're allowed to use them for non-commercial ends?

--
David Rutten
david@mcneel.com
Poprad, Slovakia

Permalink Reply by Gabriel on March 3, 2010 at 1:00pm

thanks David. It makes sense that you might want to keep this stuff proprietary - I have just always found ppl to be quite sharing...I guess there are tons of applications for its use and hence very valuable. As far as you or anyone else knows, has the research led to any tools or products on the market?

Permalink Reply by Luis Fraguada on March 3, 2010 at 1:28pm

I guess the concept of planar quad meshes is absolutely fine to explore, but HOW you go about doing them is the question. It seems the algorithm he is implementing negotiates between the input mesh and the regularity of the quad. As long as you don't do it in the same way, then I suppose you are ok. If you want to read a bit on patenting algorithms and how it is that people get around the infringement part, look up the marching cubes algorithm.

What struck me most about Pottman's talk in Berlin last year was how he mentioned that mathematicians need problems, and he found that we architects have many geometrical problems...so in he comes, and writes a textbook.

Permalink Reply by Vicente Soler on March 3, 2010 at 2:20pm

As long as you don't do it in the same way, then I suppose you are ok.

Have you seen Apple's recent patent infringement lawsuit against HTC? As someone said, the list of patents reads like an Onion News article.

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