Volume modelling for emerging manufacturing technologies

The next generation manufacturing technologies will draw on new developments in geometric modelling. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the desiderata of next generation geometric modellers, we present a critical review of the major modelling paradigms, namely, CSG, B-Rep, non-manifold, and voxel models. We present arguments to support the view that voxel-based modellers have attributes that make it the representation scheme of choice in meeting the emerging requirements of geometric modelling.