Manufactured parts always have deviations from their nominal geometry designed in the CAD-system. These deviations are restricted in range by the tolerances the product designer has defined. The synthesis of appropriate tolerances is typically supported by tolerance simulations which return statistic results like distribution curves at defined measurement points, but the related geometry cannot be visualized within the tolerance simulation. Preparation and statistic analysis of toleranced CAD geometry is currently done by experts, not by the product designer himself. We present an approach that allows geometric interpretation of tolerances and their interactions. The method is divided into three steps: Multiple non-ideal parts are generated by a simulation. Afterwards they are combined into a single dataset by finding an appropriate transformation which is collisionfree with respect to the surrounding assembly and does not violate the defined position tolerances. The resulting volume dataset that represents all non-ideal parts can finally be visualized using techniques known from medical data analysis. The proposed method assists the product developer in tolerance synthesis by providing three-dimensional views of the impact of the defined tolerances, instead of presenting the output of statistic analysis. These views help to define meaningful, coordinated tolerances for new design solutions or to reconsider existing tolerance concepts. Another application of our method is the analysis of huge amounts of measured surface data in quality assurance.     «

Manufactured parts always have deviations from their nominal geometry designed in the CAD-system. These deviations are restricted in range by the tolerances the product designer has defined. The synthesis of appropriate tolerances is typically supported by tolerance simulations which return statistic results like distribution curves at defined measurement points, but the related geometry cannot be visualized within the tolerance simulation. Preparation and statistic analysis of tolerance...    »