A method is presented for identifying the views in an engineering drawing along with their associated view points in preparation for 3D interpretation of the object shape. A formal procedure is developed for constructing a set of view-based coordinate systems that act as intermediate 2.5D coordinates to relate the 2D drawing-based coordinates to the 3D object-based coordinates. The method can accommodate auxiliary views in addition to the standard orthogonal set, and the number of views and their layout in the drawing need not be known a priori. Moderate errors in line placement and view alignment can also be accommodated.>

A method for interpreting engineering drawings with multiple orthogonal views is presented. The number of views required is not fixed and can range from a minimum of two to a maximum of six using a standard drawing layout. The method call handle input views with small errors or inaccuracies and still produce a valid interpretation. The solution is based on a bottom-up approach in which candidate vertices and edges are used to generate a set of possible faces which are in turn assembled into enclosures representing the final object. All possible interpretations consistent with the input views are found, and inconsistent input views are recognized by the fact that no possible consistent interpretation can be obtained.>