Adaptive slicing with cubic patch approximation Available to Purchase

In adaptive slicing, the number of layers is drastically reduced by using sloping layer walls. For both vertical (2.5D slices) and sloping (ruled slices) outer walls, the strategies for determining slice height generally consider a number of vertical sections along the contour of a slice. Surface deviation error is calculated at these sections and slice height subsequently determined. Instead, a method is proposed which calculates error at every part of the surface. This method approximates the outer wall between two successive contours by a series of taut cubic spline patches. It is proposed that the deviation between such a patch and the actual surface is a better and more exhaustive estimate of surface error. Results show that the predicted number of slices is slightly higher than that predicted by existing methods for sloping layer walls.