An Evaluation of Formal Strategies to Create Stable and Reusable Parametric Feature-Based 3D Models

In this paper, we present a comparative review of publicly available and professionally accepted CAD modeling strategies and best practices for history-based parametric design that focus on reusability: Delphi’s horizontal modeling, explicit reference modeling, and resilient modeling. Some aspects considered in our study include the rationale to avoid the creation of unnecessary feature interdependencies, the sequence and selection criteria for those features, and the effects of parent/child relations on model reuse. We provide a preliminary evaluation of these strategies using a simple industrial CAD model. We analyze the internal structure of the models by comparing the robustness, flexibility, and complexity of the parametric representation. Finally, we provide a set of general guidelines to identify the best modeling strategy based on the characteristics of the design.