# A Survey of Methods for Converting Unstructured Data to CSG Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.01220 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.01220/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 54 of its 141 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 2 May 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 54)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02413/) (2017)
- [ShapeNet: An Information-Rich 3D Model Repository](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03012/) (2015)
- [Implicit Neural Representations with Periodic Activation Functions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.09661/) (2020)
- [Dynamic Graph CNN for Learning on Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07829/) (2018)
- [On the Properties of Neural Machine Translation: Encoder-Decoder Approaches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.1259/) (2014)
- [Geometric Deep Learning: Grids, Groups, Graphs, Geodesics, and Gauges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.13478/) (2021)
- [Geometric deep learning: going beyond Euclidean data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.08097/) (2016)
- [Neural Fields in Visual Computing and Beyond](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.11426/) (2021)
- [Advances in Neural Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.05849/) (2021)
- [ABC: A Big CAD Model Dataset For Geometric Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.06216/) (2018)
- [DeepCAD: A Deep Generative Network for Computer-Aided Design Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.09492/) (2021)
- [Learning Shape Templates with Structured Implicit Functions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.06447/) (2019)
- [BSP-Net: Generating Compact Meshes via Binary Space Partitioning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.06971/) (2019)
- [Thingi10K: A Dataset of 10,000 3D-Printing Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1605.04797/) (2016)
- [Learning Shape Abstractions by Assembling Volumetric Primitives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00404/) (2016)
- [CvxNet: Learnable Convex Decomposition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.05736/) (2019)
- [SkexGen: Autoregressive Generation of CAD Construction Sequences with Disentangled Codebooks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.04632/) (2022)
- [Superquadrics Revisited: Learning 3D Shape Parsing beyond Cuboids](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.09970/) (2019)
- [Combinatorial Optimization with Physics-Inspired Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.01188/) (2021)
- [CSGNet: Neural Shape Parser for Constructive Solid Geometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.08290/) (2017)
- [Neural Parts: Learning Expressive 3D Shape Abstractions with Invertible Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.10429/) (2021)
- [PCPNET: Learning Local Shape Properties from Raw Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.04954/) (2017)
- [ParSeNet: A Parametric Surface Fitting Network for 3D Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.12181/) (2020)
- [Write, Execute, Assess: Program Synthesis with a REPL](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.04604/) (2019)
- [Supervised Fitting of Geometric Primitives to 3D Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.08988/) (2018)
- [Computer-Aided Design as Language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.02769/) (2021)
- [UCSG-Net -- Unsupervised Discovering of Constructive Solid Geometry Tree](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.09102/) (2020)
- [JoinABLe: Learning Bottom-up Assembly of Parametric CAD Joints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.12772/) (2021)
- [Learning to Infer and Execute 3D Shape Programs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.02875/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Split-and-Fit: Learning B-Reps via Structure-Aware Voronoi Partitioning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.05261/) (2024)
- [CAGE: Continuity-Aware edGE Network Unlocks Robust Floorplan Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.15459/) (2025)
- [P2CADNet: An End-to-End Reconstruction Network for Parametric 3D CAD Model from Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.02638/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The goal of this document is to survey existing methods for recovering CSG representations from unstructured data such as 3D point-clouds or polygon meshes. We review and discuss related topics such as the segmentation and fitting of the input data. We cover techniques from solid modeling and CAD for polyhedron to CSG and B-rep to CSG conversion. We look at approaches coming from program synthesis, evolutionary techniques (such as genetic programming or genetic algorithm), and deep learning methods. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of techniques for the generation of computer programs representing solids (not just CSG models) and higher-level representations (such as, for example, the ones based on sketch and extrusion or feature based operations).