Boolean Operations on n-Dimensional Objects

Computation of the union, intersection, and difference of n-dimensional objects plays a central role in several computer-aided geometric design problems. An algorithm for computing these operations that uses a boundary classification technique is presented here. The algorithm is recursive in structure, with the recursion being on the dimensions of objects dealt with at each stage. The representation treats all entities as objects, making no distinction between faces, edges, or vertices. The objects produced are "regularized"; that is, there are no degenerate boundaries such as dangling edges. The sample application given involves hidden-surface removal.