Noise-resistive 3D shape modeling for virtual heritage applications

This paper proposes a practical, topologically robust and ranging error resistive shape modeling procedure that approximates a real 3D object, such as heritage artifacts, with the matrix-format meshing for the 3D shape processing. The processing is used for the modeled shape modification, especially, for restoration of the broken parts of the artifacts or the virtual manipulation of the 3D shape. A geometric model with desired meshing is directly reconstructed based on a solid modeling approach. The radial distance of each scanning point from the axis of the cylindrical coordinates is measured by laser triangulation. The angular and vertical positions of the laser beam are two other coordinate values of the scanning. A face array listing (topology), which defines the vertex (sampling point) connectivity and the shape of the mesh, is assigned to meet the desired meshing. Stable meshing, and hence, an accurate approximation, free from the shape ambiguity unavoidable in the widely used ICP (iterative closest point) modeling, is then accomplished. This proposal allows a versatile and automatic shape reconstruction for cultural heritage retrieval, restoration and virtual training, coping with the unavoidable error problem inherent in the cultural heritage.