Computer Aided Design systems are deemed to be essential for
all the phases characterizing the design and the development of a
new industrial product. However, especially for products characterized
by a strong stylistic content, handmade drawings are often
preferred to CAD software packages.
In the early stage of the development of a new product, esthetic
designers typically produce a rich set of sketches (usually in the form
of orthographic projections) to develop and communicate their
ideas. Product-managers often have to select stylistic alternatives
based on a set of hand-drawings depicting possible solutions.
However,
it is much more effective to base the selection on a virtual
3D model which conveys far more information. In fact, some hand-
drawn alternatives are even ‘‘translated’’ into 3D models (and
possibly rendered models) capable to provide a more realistic view
of the object and to allow a deeper analysis of the design intent.
The translation process, involving a close interaction of esthetic
designers and CAD operators in order to produce a CAD model
carefully representing the designer’s intent, is known to be