3D object retrieval using many-to-many matching of curve skeletons

We present a 3D matching framework based on a many-to-many matching algorithm that works with skeletal representations of 3D volumetric objects. We demonstrate the performance of this approach on a large database of 3D objects containing more than 1000 exemplars. The method is especially suited to matching objects with distinct part structure and is invariant to part articulation. Skeletal matching has an intuitive quality that helps in defining the search and visualizing the results. In particular, the matching algorithm produces a direct correspondence between two skeletons and their parts, which can be used for registration and juxtaposition.