Geometric Modelling from Range Image Data

Abstract

An adaptive surface fitting algorithm is proposed for modelling the digitized surface of a real object described by an array of 3D points sampled on a rectangular mesh and stored in the form of a range image. A G1 -piecewise approximation of the data is obtained by using an adaptive top-down method which combines the Delaunay triangulation technique with a triangular Gregory-Bezier patch model (tGB). The method begins with a rough approximation of the surface and progressively refines it in successive steps in the regions where the accuracy requirement of the approximation is not satisfied. The method, therefore, is essentially a local process. An optimization approach is used to obtain a G '-continuous piecewise approximation where each tGB patch is as smooth and regular as possible. Some experimental results are given to demonstrate the potential usefulness of this approach for the geometric modelling from range image data.