Three-dimensional mesh simplification by subdivided edge classification

We propose a new quadric error metric (QEM) to simplify 3D mesh models. The new metric is based on the subdivided edge classification to preserve object discontinuities efficiently. After we classify edges into four different types: interior, boundary, boundary incident, and complex edges, we process them according to their types and features in the 3D model. We have tested the proposed algorithm with various VRML models. Simulation results show that the proposed metric is superior to the conventional QEM in maintaining object discontinuities efficiently