Superfaces: polygonal mesh simplification with bounded error

1 May 1996

journal article
Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications

Vol. 16 (3) , 64-77
https://doi.org/10.1109/38.491187

Abstract

We describe Superfaces, a domain-independent method for simplifying polyhedral meshes. The Superfaces algorithm performs the simplification based on a bounded approximation criterion that produces a simplified mesh that approximates the original one to within a pre-specified tolerance. The vertices in the simplified mesh are a proper subset of the original vertices, so the algorithm is well-suited for creating hierarchical representations of polyhedra.We have used the algorithm to simplify isosurfaces derived form medical CT scans, molecular electron density volume data, and topographic data of the earth.

Keywords

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