Simulation of numerically controlled milling machines

This thesis describes a system that can be used to simulate both 3 and 5-axis NC milling toolpaths, reading BCL code. This simulator is based on the imagespace approach in which the workpiece is represented using the z-values resulting from the rendering of a model and metal removal is achieved through a series of one-dimensional boolean operations. This extends earlier work to address 5-axis machining and to support interactive viewing operations.