Triangular Mesh Modelling Based on Welch-Witkin Approximations to Thin Plate Surfaces.
Hiromasa Suzuki, Tetsuya Yamamoto, Takashi Kanai, Fumihiko Kimura · Journal of the Japan Society for Precision Engineering · 1997
The aim of this research is to develop methods to rapidly create rough three dimensional shape models for free-formed. objects. Such methods are useful for designing concept models of products and animation characters. Conventional parametric surface modelling methods are too cumbersome for this aim. The basic representation of the shape in this approach is a triangular mesh (a polygon with triangular faces), thus it is easy to change the shape. The theory of “Welch-Witkin Approximations to Thin Plate Surfaces” is used to give surface characteristics to the mesh and makes it possible to manipulate the triangular mesh as if it were a surface model. Based on this theory, two kinds of modelling methods, surface faring and surface subdivision, are proposed for generating triangular mesh models.