An algorithm for optimal free-form object matching

A novel method of matching for 3-D-free-form objects (points vs. surface and surface vs. surface) is proposed. The method formulates the problem in terms of solution of a non-linear polynomial equation system, which can be solved robustly by the Interval Projected Polyhedron (IPP) algorithm. Two intrinsic surface properties, the Gaussian and the mean curvatures, are used as object features for matching. The related iso-curvature lines are used to establish the correspondence between two objects. The intersection points of these iso-curvature lines are calculated and sorted out to satisfy the Euclidean constraints from which the translation and rotation transformations are estimated. The performance of the proposed algorithm is also analyzed. This approach can cover global and partial matching, and be applied to automated inspection, copyright protection of NURBS models, and object recognition. Examples illustrate our technique. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.