Sequential constraint imposition for dimension-driven solid models

Abstract A method for imposing geometric constraints sequentially to position rigid bodies with respect to each other is described. The method can be applied to position geometric primitives with respect to each other before combining them using Boolean operations to create dimension-driven solid models. Other applications include modeling assemblies of parts and mechanisms. The major advantage of sequential constraint imposition is that one can avoid solving all the constraint equations in the model simultaneously. Each constraint is imposed one at a time, which requires solving a much smaller set of equations simultaneously. However, in most cases, one can obtain analytical solutions for these small sets of equations so that it is easy to check for the existence of a solution and to identify the right solution when multiple solutions exist.