Incremental constraint modelling in a feature modelling system

Abstract The techniques of constraint propagation have recently been successfully applied to feature‐based design. Because of their speed, constraint propagation methods allow incremental design and rapid local modifcations of the part. However, cyclic constraints cause serious problems to current constraint propagation algorithms. Variational geometric design systems can, in principle, manage these cases. Unfortunately, this typically requires complete re‐evaluation of the underlying set of constraint equations, making the method unsuitable for interactive use. The proposed system aims to localize the problem of constraint solving and maintenance. The constraint graph of the part or assembly is divided into several independent partial graphs, subsystems. Afterwards, each subsystem is handled separately using a selected constraint solving technique for the subsystem.