Displaying voxel-based objects according to their qualitative shape synthesis

The use of qualitative shape synthesis for the display of 3-D binary objects is presented. The proposed approach is applicable to multi-object scenes and to outdoor scenery as well. It makes use of a new method, the diffusion process, that simulates diffusion of particles within the interior of a 3-D discrete object. Starting with initial concentrations of particles at the boundary-voxels, the diffusion procedure simulates the propagation of these particles inwards. Boundary voxels of the object are colored according to the concentration of particles obtained by suspending the diffusion process. This method assists shape characterization by providing a qualitative measure of boundary curvature and was used in achieving display of a variety of voxel-based objects. Examples of the use of this approach on synthetic, terrain, and range data, are provided