Transformation of digital building models from boundary representation to tetrahedral space partitioning

This thesis describes and analyzes an algorithm designed to transform a digital building model from a Boundary Representation (B-rep) to a tetrahedral space partitioning. This transformation addresses the limitations of current digital building models, especially their lack of explicit spatial relationship information among building components. Converting to a tetrahedral space partitioning enables a comprehensive representation that includes solid objects, surrounding voids, and their relationships. This representation is vital for applications such as model validation, building performance simulations, and indoor and outdoor navigation. The aim is to establish a foundation for various use cases that rely on separate digital model transformation algorithms. The thesis begins by reviewing the limitations of existing geometric modeling techniques in digital building models and introduces space partitioning as a potential solution. The core contribution of this thesis is twofold. First, it examines various related research areas to evaluate existing approaches and techniques, establishing the algorithm’s foundational basis. The literature review also discusses how this algorithm differs from existing tetrahedralization algorithms. Second, the thesis provides a detailed description and analysis of the proposed algorithm, outlining its design, input requirements, output characteristics, and the underlying geometric and topological principles. The current limitations of the algorithm are highlighted, and strategies to address these limitations are suggested. Experimental results demonstrate the algorithm’s applicability to real-world building models. Various use cases for querying topological relationships in the resulting tetrahedral mesh are explored. The algorithm’s theoretical limitations are examined through selected examples and evaluated for practical relevance. These findings highlight the algorithm’s potential to enhance the interoperability of digital building models and support diverse applications that require detailed spatial information. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications of this work for future research and development, particularly in creating more integrated and adaptive digital representations for the built environment.

Author dc:creator

• Vetter, Joanna Zarah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Huhnt, Wolfgang

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-24035

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:depositonce.tu-berlin.de:11303/25213