Since a great number of 2D engineering drawings are being used in industry and at the same time 3D CAD becomes popular in recent years, we need to reconstruct 3D CAD models from 2D legacy drawings. In this thesis, a combination of a feature recognition method and an expert system is suggested for the 3D solid model reconstruction.
Modeling primitives of 3D CAD systems are recognized and constructed by using the pattern matching technique of the features modeling. Additional information for the 3D model reconstruction can be generated by extracting symbols or text entities which are related to form entities.
For complex and indefinite cases which cannot be solved by the process of feature recognition, an expert system with a rule base has been used for decision-making. A 3D reconstruction system which recognizes 2D DXF drawing files has been implemented where models composed with protrusions, holes, and cutouts can be handled.
