20 - Model Simplification

Abstract

The fundamental concept of using hierarchical model representations to trade visual fidelity for interactivity was first proposed by Clark. A variety of specific model representations and algorithms have been proposed for this purpose. The process of building these hierarchies automatically is known as model simplification, which builds a multiresolution hierarchy from a complex model and manages the new hierarchical representation during the interactive rendering process to enable this tradeoff. Using the model simplification approach, the user or the application can dynamically balance the need for interactivity against the need for high image quality during the image-generation process to manage both the computational and the bandwidth resources required at any given moment. This chapter provides an overview of the concepts related to model simplification, a high-level look at the range of algorithms employed today, some applications, and open issues that still exist in this area.