Conformed Smoothing for Artist-Authored Mesh Proxy Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Laplacian smoothing techniques for generating proxy meshes in computer graphics often result in withered and oversimplified representations of artist-authored objects, leading to poor visual quality and increased computational complexity, particularly in real-time applications like video games.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating a voxel volume from a polygonal mesh, extracting a boundary mesh, and applying conformed smoothing, where the new locations for vertices in the smoothed mesh are determined by averaging the nearest locations on the original input mesh, preserving more features and details compared to traditional Laplacian smoothing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If Laplacian smoothing is used to generate a proxy mesh, then the mesh becomes smoother and computational complexity is reduced, but the mesh withers and loses volume and detail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the smoothing algorithm from Laplacian smoothing to conformed smoothing. In conformed smoothing, vertex positions are adjusted based on the conformal mapping properties of the mesh, which preserves angles and local geometry relationships. This parameter change allows the mesh to be smoothed while maintaining volume and detail, resolving the contradiction between reducing computational complexity and preserving mesh fidelity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a proxy mesh that copies the essential geometric features and topology of the original artist-authored mesh while using a simplified vertex configuration. The conformed smoothing process preserves the conformal structure and key geometric characteristics, effectively copying the mesh's identity while reducing complexity for real-time applications.
2Shape
If multiple passes of Laplacian smoothing are performed to achieve smoothness, then the mesh becomes very smooth, but it becomes withered and is a poor match for the original mesh
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the smoothing approach to conformed smoothing, which uses conformal mapping theory to guide vertex movements. This parameter change ensures that the smoothing process preserves angles and local geometric relationships, allowing multiple passes to achieve smoothness without the mesh withering or losing its match quality to the original.
Solution Approach 2:
The conformed smoothing process incorporates feedback from the original mesh geometry throughout the smoothing iterations. By continuously referencing the conformal structure and original vertex positions, the algorithm adjusts each smoothing step to maintain geometric accuracy, preventing the mesh from deviating too much from the original while achieving the desired smoothness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for generating a proxy mesh are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a reference mesh comprising a polygonal mesh that is a computer representation of a three-dimensional object; receiving a smoothed mesh corresponding to the reference mesh; selecting a given vertex in the smoothed mesh; identifying neighbor vertices of the given vertex in the smoothed mesh; for each neighbor vertex of the given vertex, determining a nearest location on the reference mesh overlaid on the smoothed mesh; determining an average position of the nearest locations on the reference mesh for the neighbor vertices of the given vertex; setting a new location of a vertex in a smoothed output polygonal mesh corresponding to the given vertex to the average position; and outputting the smoothed output polygonal mesh as a proxy mesh for the reference mesh.