Analytical solutions for sketch-based convolution surface modeling on the GPU

Abstract

Convolution surfaces are attractive for modeling objects of complex evolving topology. This paper presents some novel analytical convolution solutions for planar polygon skeletons with both finite-support and infinite-support kernel functions. We convert the double integral over a planar polygon into a simple integral along the contour of the polygon based on Green’s theorem, which reduces the computational cost and allows for efficient parallel computation on the GPU. For finite support kernel functions, a skeleton clipping algorithm is presented to compute the valid skeletons. The analytical solutions are integrated into a prototype modeling system on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Our modeling system supports point, polyline and planar polygon skeletons. Complex objects with arbitrary genus can be modeled easily in an interactive way. Resulting convolution surfaces with high quality are rendered with interactive ray casting.