Figure. Triangles reduction - low intensity.
In ProTOp the optimization result can be exported as a triangulated surface. This surface can be used either to manufacture the optimized part directly by engaging additive technologies or to rebuild either a FEA or a CAD model of the optimized part.
If a rebuild of a CAD model is planned, then it is sometimes advantageous to have a possibility to reduce the number of triangles substantially in order to get just an approximate polygonal outline of the part. This necessitates an efficient tool for drastic reduction of surface triangles.
The triangles reduction tool can be used in two modes: basic and advanced.
The basic mode should be sufficient in a typical scenario. It depends on only one parameter - reduction intensity - which is set within the range between Less and More. For optimal results, the tool should be run several times, with the intensity being gradually increased until the desired result is obtained.
The figures below illustrate a few reductions done with various intensities.
Figure. Triangles reduction - low intensity.
Figure. Triangles reduction - medium intensity.
Figure. Triangles reduction - high intensity.
The advanced mode can be used if the desired result can not be achieved in basic mode. For each run of the tool in advanced mode, the following three parameters are needed.
Relative size limit
Range: [0.0, 100.0]
Defines the maximal allowed relative triangle edge length that will be allowed to be collapsed during reduction. This parameter is relative to average edge length computed from all triangles. For example, a value of 2.0 means that triangle edges that are longer than (2.0 * average length) will not be collapsed.
Max deflection
Range: [0.0, 1.0]
Defines the maximal allowed deflection of a triangle normal vector after collapse of a neighboring triangle. This parameter is relative to Pi/2, which means that for a value of 0.2 the maximal allowed deflection is (0.2 * Pi/2) radians.
Quality limit
Range: [0.0, 1.0]
Defines the minimal allowed SI quality of a triangle after collapse of a neighboring triangle. The SI quality measure is in the range from 0.0 (triangle degraded to a line) to 1.0 (triangle with equal edges).
Currently, ProTOp can export the triangulated resulting surface in the following formats:
Note that binary STL files are typically much smaller than the ASCII STL files. To save even more space, the zipped binary format should be chosen.