Skeletal-based solid editor

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of using skeletons as the basis for constructing a solid-editing system. Skeletal data (i.e., the skeleton and the associated maximal sphere radii) offers a valid solid representation scheme, and we examine the capability of the skeletal representation to support shape editing operations. In addition to general discussion of the capabilities of skeletal-based methods, we also present concrete examples of editing operations realized in a recent implementation of a skeleton-based solid editor. The implemented skeletal-based editor imports polyhedral solids (or polyhedral approximations of solids) by computing their skeletal data. The editor then displays the skeletal data and provides a simple interface for editing both the skeleton and the sphere radii. The edited skeleton is then `refleshed', based on the edited skeletal data, to reconstruct the edited solid. The reconstructed solid is represented as the half-space associated with an implicit function, and polygonization methods can be applied to produce output that, like the input, is polyhedral. Editing operations illustrated correspond to stretching, bending, rounding, and uniform or non-uniform thickening of the solid. Discussions of the key enabling technologies including skeletonization, refleshing, and polygonization are also presented.