Geometric Topology, Computer Aided Geometric Design and Software Engineering Education
by
Thomas J. Peters
University of Connecticut

While geometric topology, computer aided geometric design and software engineering education might, at first, appear to be `strange bed fellows', the integration of these topics has been of value in our research and instruction. In our research, `pushes' from geometric topology have been used to establish a theoretical basis for permissible model variation within computer aided geometric design. In our software engineering instruction, we use modern design/manufacturing examples to motivate student projects. As an integrative tool, our software engineering environment, ADAM supports propagations to specify non-hierarchical relations between objects-such as varying geometric entities within a computer aided geometric design model. Students appear to readily grasp the relevant geometric topology and we are exploring such examples as a means to teach emerging object-oriented software techniques. An industrial case study of propagations across the design/manufacturing interface will be discussed.

Work described was done jointly with the following collaborators: L-E. Andersson, B. Brett, S.A. Demurjian, S.M. Dorney, D.M. Needham, N.F. Stewart.

The speaker acknowledges, with appreciation, partial funding for this work received under National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Grant Number NGT 40037, National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Number MII-9308346, Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) Grant Number F29601-94-K-0043, and the University of Connecticut Research Foundation (UCRF) Grant Number 440851. The views expressed herein are of the speaker, and not necessarily of NASA, NSF, ARPA or UCRF.

Date received: April 12, 1996

Copyright © 1996 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # caaf-63.