NateTG wrote > [quote] > ... > I'd like to find some optimisation method which would produce a > triangulation of the solid which would satisfy the fixed edge length > constraints whilst minimising curvature (or something like that) > ... > [/quote] > > You can set it up as a optimization problem and try to solve it using the > calculus of variations. There are also numerical methods like finite > element analysis. Those approaches are probably going to be beyond the > scope of OPENscad's capabilities in most people's hands. In order to set up the problem, it is necessary to first actually formulate it in a coherent fashion. Without a formulation, it's impossible to say what mathematical method might be necessary for a solution. If the intention is to model things that you can make out of bent card stock then it seems like the correct formulation is to acknowledge that the edges are curved and the problem might be formulated as seeking zero curvature faces with curved edges where you minimizes the deviation of curved edges from the original straight edges. The nonzero thickness of the card is not a critical factor here. What matters is whether the card material can stretch, and hence assume a nonzero curvature. -- Sent from: http://forum.openscad.org/