Topology Sensitive Volume Mesh Simplification with Planar Quadric Error Metrics

We introduce an algorithm for fast topology-sensitive decimation of volume meshes. The algorithm employs a planar quadric error metric to guarantee minimum geometric error at every simplification step, while maintaining the input mesh's geometric consistency, and restraining changes to its topological genus, at low computational costs. The proposed method presents a new alternative to existing volume mesh decimation schemes, and lies between computationally intensive edge-collapse-based algorithms [1, 2, 3, 4], and a rapid topology-insensitive volume decimation approach [5]. The applications include, but are not limited to, rapid Level of Detail (LOD) generation, progressive volume rendering for scientific visualization applications, and representing volume meshes with minimal geometric complexity in computer games and entertainment media. CR Categories: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling – surfaces and object representations.