Simplified marching cubes: An efficient discretization scheme for simulations of deposition/ablation in complex media

Abstract

Surface growth or recession models depend on accurate and efficient descriptions of the moving surface. We propose a simplified alternative to the popular marching cubes algorithm for isosurfacing, in which the surface consists of triangles which are composed from vertices of the regular 3D grid on which the data to be processed (e.g. the volume of fluid) is defined. Consequently, the new algorithm does not require any interpolation. In contrast with the original method, a switch of the relative status (above or below the threshold value) of vertices does not lead to similar triangle models. The obtained meshes are guaranteed to be manifold, i.e. to be topologically consistent and with no holes. The implementation of the new method is simple. Comparison of both schemes in a random-walk gas diffusion simulation algorithm shows a substantial time improvement with SMC. An example of Chemical Vapor Infiltration modelling is described.