Efficient level-of-detail model generation of 3D objects using prioritized marching cube octree

Abstract

A level-of-detail (LOD) modeling in computer graphics is to control the number of polygons in mesh at run-time to reduce the rendering cost of small, distant, unimportant geometry. In this paper, we propose the marching cube octree as a scheme for representing and generating the mesh of various level-of-details efficiently. In the surface reconstruction, modified marching cubes are used for reconstructing the initial mesh. Instead of a midpoint which is used in the original algorithm [57], the ratio of adjacent vertex is used for the triangulation. The results are also feasible when low resolution data is given. These marching cubes are used for the leaf nodes of the marching cube octree. The marching cube octree is constructed using an octree structure with the marching cubes. To support continuous LOD between levels the priority numbering is proposed. And all nodes are numbered by proposed algorithm. Using adjacent node check and priority queue, node priority numbering can traverse both breadth and depth. The LOD meshes are generated at run-time using proposed efficient algorithm. It triangulates only needed nodes of the marching cube octree to cover up the whole surface of mesh. Using the priority numbers on nodes and flagging, the LOD mesh can be generated by only referencing without floating point operations which the other LOD models need.