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Surface Modeling
Surface modeling is a technique related to the process of designing, measuring, and manufacturing irregular shaped objects.
Surface models are generally designed from scratch or created from digitized point clouds using
CAD software.
Most of the surface models created today fall into one of two main categories. First, there are
surface models that create aesthetic and serve a purpose, such as a ship hull, a car body, or a computer mouse. The other category of
surface modeling involves the production of technical components such as engine parts, fasteners, or turbine blades.
Surface modeling is usually based on NURBS, a mathematical modeling system developed by engineers who needed to accurately measure and recreate freeform surfaces. Before the development of
NURBS, freeform surfaces created by a designer were one of a kind, never to be perfectly replicated again. Today,
NURBS is an extremely important aspect of freeform surface modeling, and is recognized by most of the major
CAD and graphics applications.
There are several grades of surface models available for production. Class A surfaces are the highest quality and generally used for automobile exteriors and extremely detail oriented surfaces. Class B surfaces are very high quality but more cost effective than the Class A surfaces. There are also lower classes of
surface models, the benefits being turnaround time and price.
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