Signed distance based 3D surface reconstruction from unorganized planar cross-sections

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for closed and smooth 3D surface reconstruction from unorganized planar cross-sections. We address the problem in its full generality, and show its effectiveness on sparse sets of cutting planes. Our algorithm is based on the construction of a globally consistent signed distance function over the cutting planes. It uses a split-and-merge approach utilising Hermite mean value interpolation for triangular meshes. This work improves on recent approaches by providing a simplified construction that avoids need for post-processing to smooth the reconstructed object boundary. We provide results of reconstruction and its comparison with other algorithms. We build on our recent work by providing a better estimate of normals along the cross-sectional curves, and by showing robustness of the algorithm under increasing number of cutting planes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.