Intersecting solids on a massively parallel processor

Abstract

Solid modeling underlies many technologies that are key to modern manufacturing. These range from CAD systems to robot simulators, from finite-element analysis to integrated circuit process modeling. The accuracy, and hence the utility, of these models is often constrained by the amount of computer time required to perform the desired operations. In this paper we present, in detail, an efficient algorithm for parallel intersections of solids using the Connection Machine, a massively parallel SIMD processor. We describe the data structure for representing the solid models and detail the intersection algorithm, giving special attention to implementation issues. We provide performance results, comparing the parallel algorithm to a serial intersection algorithm.