[comp.graphics] Forming polygons from points in 3d

abstine@polymer.che.clarkson.edu (Art Stine) (10/26/90)

Does anyone have an algorithm or maybe even some code which will
take a set of points in 3d and basically 'shrink-wrap' them (ie, form
a volume from them by connecting all the 'outside' points)

thanks much

art stine
sr network engineer
clarkson u
abstine@polymer.che.clarkson.edu

landheim@bbn.com (Greg Landheim) (10/27/90)

In article <9010252023.AA02947@polymer.che.clarkson.edu> abstine@polymer.che.clarkson.edu (Art Stine) writes:
>Does anyone have an algorithm or maybe even some code which will
>take a set of points in 3d and basically 'shrink-wrap' them (ie, form
>a volume from them by connecting all the 'outside' points)
>

This won't answer your question directly, but I don't have a reference
at my elbow answering your specific question.

"Programs for Generating Extreme Vertices and Centroids of Linearly
Constrained Experimental Regions," Gregory F. Piepel, Journal of Quality
Technology, Vol. 20, No. 2, April 1988, describes (and lists) FORTRAN
source for finding the extreme vertices (which is what I assume you mean
by 'outside' points) for 3 and arbitrarily higher dimensions, based
on linear constraits.

Greg Landheim

jroth@allvax.enet.dec.com (Jim Roth) (10/31/90)

In article <9010252023.AA02947@polymer.che.clarkson.edu>, abstine@polymer.che.clarkson.edu (Art Stine) writes...
>Does anyone have an algorithm or maybe even some code which will
>take a set of points in 3d and basically 'shrink-wrap' them (ie, form
>a volume from them by connecting all the 'outside' points)

There is a recent ACM TOG paper:

	A. M. Day
	The implementation of an algorithm to find the convex hull of
	a set of three-dimensional points
	ACM TOG Vol 9 No 1, Jan 1990, pp 105-132

Includes Pascal code.  It is based on the well-known Preparata-Hong
algorithm, with due care to handle the annoying degenerate cases that
can arise.

- Jim