List of Figures

1. This example is a torso of a person. This image was produced from a method from the field of medical imagery[#!pawasauskas!#].
2. This example is from the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. All the computer processing needed to make this movie was done before the movie was viewed, so the models were created with the highest feasible level of detail[#!ff!#].
3. This is a monster from the popular game Quake 2. Because the game is interactive, the computer must render 2D images from the 3D model in real time, so this model has less detail to make this possible[#!quake2!#].
4. This figure shows a model of yoda on the left and a wireframe view of the same model, showing the model's mesh, on the right. The image was generated with our program. The model was retrieved from 3DCafe.com[#!3dcafe!#]
5. The vertex categories. Reproduced from Schroeder et al.
6. The distance to the average plane. Reproduced from Schroeder et al.
7. The split-plane algorithm. The average plane of the removed vertex's neighbors is shown, along with the split plane, shaded, that is orthogonal to it, and the split line, bold, which will become a new edge in the model. The three lines connected by two points in the average plane of the picture are the edges of the hole that is being filled in. Reproduced from Schroeder et al.
8. The Triangle data structure has a list of 3 Vertex objects.
9. The Vertex data structure has a list of Triangle objects.
10. The distance to plane formula.
11. Find the average plane.
12. The average plane in point-normal form.
13. Calculate the distance from the vertex to the plane
14. Candidate for vertex removal
15. Locate the neighbors
16. Retriangulate neighbors, pointing to one neighbor and removing some triangles
17. Remove the vertex
18. The model test001 rendered solid.
19. The model test001 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
20. The model test001 rendered with various options enabled.
21. The model test002 rendered solid.
22. The model test002 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
23. The model test002 rendered in points.
24. The model test003 rendered solid.
25. The model test003 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
26. The model test003 rendered in points.
27. The model test004 rendered solid.
28. The model test004 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
29. The model test004 rendered in points.
30. The model test005 rendered solid.
31. The model test005 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
32. The model test005 rendered in points.
33. The model test006 rendered solid.
34. The model test006 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
35. The model test006 rendered in points.
36. The model test007 rendered solid.
37. The model test007 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
38. The model test007 rendered in points.
39. The model test008 rendered solid.
40. The model test008 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
41. The model test008 rendered in points.
42. The model test009 rendered solid.
43. The model test009 rendered solid with OpenGL point smoothing enabled.
44. The model test009 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges.
45. The model test009 rendered in points.
46. The model test009 rendered solid (detail).
47. The model test009 rendered solid with OpenGL point smoothing enabled (detail).
48. The model test009 rendered solid with wireframe lines to show edges (detail).
49. The original bunny model rendered solid and with only points.
50. The bunny model rendered solid in eight levels of detail.
51. The bunny model rendered showing only points in eight levels of detail.
52. The results of each computer for three levels of detail (60, 80, 90 percent) for model bunny.
53. The results of each computer for three levels of detail (60, 80, 90 percent) for model test009.
54. The results of each computer for three levels of detail (60, 80, 90 percent) for model hand.
55. The time comparison for each computer across the six largest test models for the sixty percent level of detail.
56. The time comparison for each computer across the six largest test models for the eighty percent level of detail.
57. The time comparison for each computer across the six largest test models for the ninety percent level of detail.
58. The model test002 rendered solid and with wireframe.
59. The model test002 fully decimated, rendered solid and with wireframe.
60. The model test003 rendered solid and with wireframe.
61. The model test003 fully decimated, rendered solid and with wireframe.
62. The model test004 rendered solid and with wireframe.
63. The model test004 fully decimated, rendered solid and with wireframe.
64. The model test005 rendered solid and with wireframe.
65. The model test005 decimated to eighty percent, rendered solid and with wireframe.
66. The model test009 rendered solid and with flat shading.
67. The model test009 rendered solid and with smooth shading enabled.
68. The decimated model rendered solid and with flat shading.
69. The decimated model rendered solid and with smooth shading enabled.
70. The model test009 rendered with flat shading on the top and smooth shading on the bottom. The two levels of detail are the original model on the left, and the decimated model on the right.
71. Comparison of the mean geometric error for eight levels of detail among seven mesh simplification programs[#!hoppe93mesh!#,#!progressive_meshes!#,#!cohen96simplification!#,#!garland!#,#!lindstrom!#,#!ciampalini97multiresolution!#]
72. Comparison of the maximum geometric error for eight levels of detail among seven mesh simplification programs[#!hoppe93mesh!#,#!progressive_meshes!#,#!cohen96simplification!#,#!garland!#,#!lindstrom!#,#!ciampalini97multiresolution!#]
73. The time taken on each test computer for ninety percent removal on the largest six test models.
74. The number of vertices removed per second for each of the largest six test models.