Robust Smooth Feature Extraction from Point Clouds

Defining sharp features in a given 3D model facilitates a better understanding of the surface and aids visualizations, reverse engineering, filtering, simplification, non-photo realism, reconstruction and other geometric processing applications. We present a robust method that identifies sharp features in a point cloud by returning a set of smooth curves aligned along the edges. Our feature extraction is a multi-step refinement method that leverages the concept of robust moving least squares to locally fit surfaces to potential features. Using Newton´s method, we project points to the intersections of multiple surfaces then grow polylines through the projected cloud. After resolving gaps, connecting corners, and relaxing the results, the algorithm returns a set of complete and smooth curves that define the features. We demonstrate the benefits of our method with two applications: surface meshing and point-based geometry compression.