CAD assembly retrieval and browsing

This paper presents a method for the retrieval and inspection of similar CAD assemblies in a database according to a user query. The method exploits the information on components' shape and relationships (e.g. contacts and regular patterns) automatically extracted from the STEP descriptions of CAD assemblies and stored in the so-called Enriched Assembly Model. It evaluates the similarity among assemblies in terms of the components' shapes and joints. A graphical interface highlighting the elements in the assembly similar to the query has been developed to facilitate the inspection of the obtained results.