Efficient simplification of polygonal surface models

Abstract

We have proposed a new edge collapse simplification algorithm that can produce efficiently high quality approximations of closed manifold surface models. To reduce the number of triangular faces in a polygonal model, a sequence of edge collapses is performed and to choose the appropriate sequence of edge collapses, we have introduced a new error metric based on a quantity proportional to the volume of a tetrahedron. Our proposed algorithm is simple, fast and memory efficient and, can efficiently reduce very large polygonal surface models. Moreover, simplified models created using our method preserve the essential features of a model and compare favorably to many well-known published simplification techniques in terms of maximum geometric error and mean geometric error and bear high visual reliability even after significant simplification.