Octree representation and its applications in CAD
Octree Representation and Its Applications in CAD

In this paper, a survey of octree representation and its applications in CAD is presented. The octree representation may be categorized as pure octree representation and polytree (or extended octree), and the latter is actually a boundary representation decomposed by octree. Linear octree which is a variant of regular octree representation has the advantage of saving memory space. The mapping between Cartesian coordinates and node addresses in linear octree is discussed. Then, algorithms for converting a boundary representation of 3D object into an octree are in vestigated and major approaches for transforming an octree encoded object are presented. After that, some of the applications of octree representation in CAD are listed, in particular, the applications in solid modeling, in accelerating ray tracing and in generating meshes for FEM.