There is provided a system and method for obtaining a model of data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining a three-dimensional (3D) object that corresponds to a physical structure. The 3D object comprises a set of topological elements that each has an initial geometric definition. The exemplary method also comprises creating a subsequent model of the data by updating a subset of the topological elements in the 3D object. Each updated element in the subset has a geometric definition that has changed relative to its initial geometric definition.