Simplification of Polygonal Models for Distributed Visualization

Currently, polygonal models are widely used for the representation and visualization of 3D information. The sheer sizes of polygonal models and the limited Internet bandwidth put a threat to their visualization in a distributed environment. Streaming mesh, which consists of a simplified model and refinement patches, is used to overcome this problem. Simplification method and the data structures for refinement patches play crucial role in this approach. By employing distance measure and normal field deviation, we propose a new error measure to faithfully simplify polygonal models, and introduce more efficient data structures for refinement patches. We implement the streaming mesh using Java. Comparison with the state-of-the-art methods reveals that the proposed method results in better quality LODs in some cases, and the new data structures for refinement patches accelerate the refinement process.