METHOD FOR MODIFYING THE DESIGN OF A STRUCTURAL PART

A method for modifying the design of a component with regard to one or more criteria using a virtual model of the component, wherein a virtual model of the component is produced by combination of the component from basic objects with the aid of Boolean operators, and each basic object is assigned an information element in which attributes of the basic object are stored. Each basic object is decomposed into primitive objects which are combined with aid of Boolean operators, the primitive objects being surfaces or bodies which can be decomposed into rasters. Each geometrical contact surface is assigned a connecting element in which information for coordinating the objects is stored, and the rastering of the primitive objects is performed by a conventional gridding method. A modification of the geometrical shape of objects is undertaken with the information elements defining the limits of possible modifications.