CurvMaps: A Novel Feature for 3D Model Classification

Exploiting 2D-manifold slicing and parameterisation techniques in order to manage a 3D model as a 2D representation is an active research field, that enables the application of a wide range of image processing and analysis techniques. In this work, we propose a method to represent a 3D model's surface on a 2D regular grid and encode its k1 curvature, thus producing a new 3D geometry feature, the CurvMaps, that may be used for 3D model classification. The feature creating transformation relies on the identification of a 3D model's geometrical "extrema", the computation of k1 principal curvature and its encoding into a 2D regular grid. The applicability of CurvMaps in 3D model classification is being discussed through the experimentation with a number of classical methods.