Solving geometric constraints invariant modulo the similarity group

Abstract

In the area of Computer Aided Design (CAD), the geometric constraint systems considered are invariant under the direct isometry group. We show that the invariance under the direct similarity group also leads to interesting problems even in the CAD domain. This paper describes a method to solve such problems in the case of angle constraints involving three points. This method relies on extensions of euclidean notions described in earlier work and can be used in combination with other solvers. © Springer-Verlag 2003.