TriMeDeC tool for preparing visual teaching materials based on triangular networks

Triangular meshes are frequently used to present different natural phenomena and free-form shapes. They are generated by different mathematical, simulation, and design tools. Usually they contain a huge number of triangles, which represents a serious obstacle for storing, manipulation, and transmission via internet. However, triangular meshes can be simplified (decimated) yet still preserving the main features of the original mesh. In this paper, TriMeDeC tool for decimation, undecimation, and compression of triangular meshes is presented. The tool helps teachers and students to visualize triangular meshes and simplify them in an interactive way. Its salient feature is an effective data compression algorithm, which produces 2 to 3.5 times smaller output files than the popular WinZIP algorithm, TriMeDeC is very simple to use and can be easily employed by teachers and students. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.