Concepts and Algorithms for Polygonal Simplification

1.1 Motivation In 3D computer graphics, polygonal models are often used to represent individual objects and entire environments. Planar polygons, especially triangles, are used primarily because they are easy and efficient to render. Their simple geometry has enabled the development of custom graphics hardware, currently capable of rendering millions or even tens of millions of triangles per second. In recent years, such hardware has become available even for personal computers. Due to the availability of such rendering hardware and of software to generate polygonal models, polygons will continue to play an important role in 3D computer graphics for many years to come.