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3D model representation using space curves: an efficient mesh simplification method by exchanging triangulated mesh to space curves

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Abstract

Simplification of Computer-Aided-Design models plays an important role in reducing the complex features of man-made objects produced according to engineering needs. This paper proposes an efficient feature preserving method to simplify CAD models by extracting sharp edges and decomposing the original mesh model into low varying curvature sub-regions which are representable through their boundary curves. To extract the sharp edges and important boundaries of the model, the maximum curvature value and the minimum curvature direction are taken into account. We analyze the anisotropic features of the mesh to specify robust features on the mesh. An enhanced segmentation algorithm is used to decompose the mesh into sub-sections with smooth boundary curves that are suitable for our simplification framework. Once the input mesh is segmented into new sub-sections, the common boundary space curves between two different segments are determined and decimated by down sampling the vertices on the boundary curve. The sorted list of selected sample points is the only data used to represent our simplified model. After interpolating the decimated vertices, we fit a surface to the reconstructed boundary curve. Surface fitting is completed in three steps. First, the interpolated vertices of an enclosed curve are projected onto a plane. Second, the finite element mesh generation technique is employed to triangulate inside of each segment. Finally, the surface fitting to the space boundary curves is accomplished using interpolation technique for the vertices of the triangulated planer mesh inside the segment. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can efficiently simplify a CAD model with complex geometric features and complicated shapes. Several comparisons have been conducted to establish the superiority of the presented algorithm over other state-of-the-art methods.

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  1. Computer Vision Research Lab, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran

    Lida Asgharian & Hossein Ebrahimnezhad

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  1. Lida Asgharian
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Asgharian, L., Ebrahimnezhad, H. 3D model representation using space curves: an efficient mesh simplification method by exchanging triangulated mesh to space curves. Multimed Tools Appl 82, 30965–31000 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-14777-4

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