Generating Multiple Levels of Detail from Polygonal Geometry Models

This paper presents a new method for solving the following problem: Given a polygonal model of some geometric object generate several more and more approximative representations of this object containing less and less polygons. The idea behind the method is that small detail in the model is represented by many spatially close points. A hierarchical clustering algorithm is used to generate a hierarchy of clusters from the vertices of the object’s polygons. The coarser the approximation the more points are found to lie within one cluster of points. Each cluster is replaced by one representative point and polygons are reconstructed from these points. A static detail elision algorithm was implemented to prove the practicability of the method. This paper shows examples of approximations generated from different geometry models, pictures of scenes rendered by a detail elision algorithm and timings of the method at work.