3D Data Representation, Storage and Processing

Abstract

In this chapter, we reviewmethods for representing, storing and processing 3D data. We focus in particular on representations for raw 3D data, surface-based and solid-based models. We describe and compare various data structures available for representing triangular meshes and formats for mesh storage. We also provide details on three different subdivision schemes and explain how differential surface properties can be computed from different surface representations. In the context of data compression, we describe in detail the Quadric Error Metric algorithm for mesh simplification. Finally, we suggest areas for future work in this area and provide some concluding remarks.