Camera Path Generation for Triangular Mesh Using Toroidal Patches

Abstract

Triangular mesh data structures are principal in computer graphics, serving as the foundation for many 3D models. To effectively utilize these 3D models across diverse industries, it is important to understand the model’s overall shape and geometric features thoroughly. In this work, we introduce a novel method for generating camera paths that emphasize the model’s local geometric characteristics. This method uses a toroidal patch-based spatial data structure, approximating the mesh’s faces within a predetermined tolerance ϵ, encapsulating their geometric intricacies. This facilitates the determination of the camera position and gaze path, ensuring the mesh’s key characteristics are captured. During the path construction, we create a bounding cylinder for the mesh, project the mesh’s faces and associated toroidal patches onto the cylinder’s lateral surface, and sequentially select grids of the cylinder containing the highest number of toroidal patches as we traverse the lateral surface. The centers of the selected grids are used as control points for a periodic B-spline curve, which serves as our foundational path. After initial curve generation, we generated camera position and gaze path from the curve by multiplying factors to ensure a uniform camera amplitude. We applied our method to ten triangular mesh models, demonstrating its effectiveness and adaptability across various mesh configurations.